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sarah_hutchins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Abortion
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
ashley_turch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Abortion
marieshan4321's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Play it as it Lays is a sad, dark and hollow tale of mental illness and of a woman in crisis mode. We see a character going through the motions everyday and waiting for something....but also nothing at the same time. Maria drives for hours and hours in the desert with no particular destination in mind, processing the breakdown of her marriage, the institutionalisation of her only child, and her recent abortion.
The writing style is sparse in a way that adds to the story's overall bleakness. It is written in a stream of consciousness format, conveying the mental deterioration, disillusionment and detachment of the main character. In this respect, it really reminded me of a slightly more adult version of the Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. However, i felt that it lacked a little something that makes Plath's novel more memorable. In refelction, the fact that I am closer to Esther's age and stage in life than Maria's possibly had something to do with this.
Overall, I'm glad to have read Play it As It Lays. However, I defintely am a bigger fan of Joan Didon's nonfiction work.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Abortion
samarakroeger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
didn’t love the racism, homophobia, sexism, ableism, etc…
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicide, Car accident, Abortion, and Gaslighting
dertikefi's review against another edition
A fascinating, little book. Can’t say I enjoyed the story, more like I enjoyed what (and how) the author tried to tell the reader with the story.
Graphic: Mental illness and Abortion
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Suicide
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcohol
katrinaamartin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, and Pregnancy
morenowagain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Abortion
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
hs259's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Abortion
Moderate: Domestic abuse
mitchelljohnson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The book is good. But that’s it. The content is a bit hard to stomach at points, the plot is nonexistent, but the writing is great. I liked the premise and how it was executed, but I don’t think Didion was great with fiction, or maybe it was this book in particular.
I found myself forgetting characters, because none of them are really memorable. I found myself not understanding what was happening because of how much the book jumped around. I was a bit confused.
I might try her non-fiction, because her writing is very skillful and she really knows how to get a message across in as little words as possible. Her journalism background really shines in that aspect, but it makes it harsh to read as fiction. I would re-read sections constantly because I didn’t fully grasp one line, putting me off track.
I was disappointed, but I believe that there are points in your life where a book is more meaningful to you, so this just might not have been the right time for me.
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Chronic illness
animalsarecutypies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Abortion