Play It As It Lays: A Novel
by Joan Didion
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joan DidionIntroduction: David Thomson
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-11-15
ISBN: 0374529949
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Book Reviews of Play It As It Lays: A Novel
Book Review: Bret Ellis-lite
Summary: 4 Stars
I know, I know, Ellis totally totally robbed Didion. There is no question. This book and Less Than Zero are like estranged cousins living similarly damaged lives in the same city. This book is arguably more subdued, as it takes place in the 60s and doesn't end with the kind of horrific imagery that the Zero does. It is brisk, semi-brutal (not really compared to Ellis) and more than a little harrowing. A woman is confounded, side-lined, and generally made to feel the pain of a male-dominated, coldly hedonistic culture. She must have an abortion, gets harangued on movie sets, wanders aimlessly, lies around in bed a lot feeling blue. It is depressing, for sure, but well written with a kind of needle-point clarity Ellis surely must have found intriguing, as he pilfered it for his own. If Less than Zero was too much for you, you might find something to "enjoy" here. It is pretty ennui-ridden, but is over quickly. A kind of void of a novel. You'll see.
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