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Play It as It Lays (Paperback)

by Joan Didion (Author), David Thomson (Introduction)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Paperback (New edition) £9.99 £7.16 23 used & new from £3.09
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Product details

  • Paperback: 214 pages
  • Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux (15 Nov 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0374529949
  • ISBN-13: 978-0374529949
  • Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 14 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 463,146 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Enter a damaged mind..., 13 May 2004
By J "chasingshadows" (Liverpool, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Play it as it Lays (Paperback)
My experience of this book is that it divides opinion; you either find it depressing/irritating, or for some inexplicable reason...uplifting rather than disturning and I'm in the latter category.

But there's no escaping the fact that this novel has an incredibly hollow centre- the exploration of Hollywood and the drug culture of the 1960's won't make many readers feel all fuzzy inside, but there is something brutally refreshing about the heroine Maria's experiences, as we follow her on her journey. As a central character she's very unusual, quite possibly because she's in a permamant catatonic state and as a result she wades through the monotony of her life, observing events with a detachment that makes for surprisingly absorbing reading.

The point of view is very narrow in this story, it's a flow-of-conciousness novel (i.e. quite confusing at times), which may in itself put people off and the fact that the narrator has had an emotional bypass may also discourage those considering picking up this book, but I found Maria's story convincing and interesting. *But be warned, you'll need a good supply of coca-cola to consume whilst reading.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Depressing but good (!), 5 Nov 2002
This review is from: Play it as it Lays (Paperback)
Probably one of the more depressing books I've read, this is one long tale of misery, centred around a has-been actress whose life slowly goes off the rails into a miasma of pointlessness, abortion, failed relationships and murder. But this is essentially where the book's power lies; in it's ability to disturb the reader and force them to reassess themselves and give thanks that their life isn't quite this bad. Didion writes the book in a spare, deadpan style that is brutally appropriate to the subject matter.

Those of a depressive disposition would probably be better off with a Harry Potter.

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