Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion

26 reviews

dirtbagdemimonde's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

Stark. Beautiful. So, so dark. This book, like no other I can think of in recent memory, felt like a heavy night.  I didn't expect to be so caught up in the weight.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Pregnancy, Rape, and Toxic relationship

cillehh's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Alcohol, and Mental illness

todelisus's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

the last two pages sealed the deal

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol

morenowagain's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Abortion

Moderate: Mental illness, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicide, Medical content, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Drug use

Minor: Car accident

kbates's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Drug use, and Alcohol

3mi1y's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was very short and an extremely fast read. All in all it’s a great book with an interesting writing style. I liked that we only get little insights of what’s going on in her life

and the events that led to her commitment to a mental hospital

. That’s what made the book different from others and therefore pretty special in my opinion. :) It even felt a bit like I’d be reading her diary.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Abortion, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Grief

ktkeps's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Suicide, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Mental illness

charlottehacketttt's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

hannahnasir's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.75

The highlight of this book was Didion’s depiction of escapism. How one reaches a certain point of “what’s the fucking point?”, the panic turns into numbness, the chaos and anarchy into mere white noise. Didion expresses an extreme example of one who is disconnected, alienated in the most implicit means possible, the reader (or at least, me) is suspended in a binding pool of fear, fuelled by absolutely nothing. The feelings I felt whilst reading this book is so difficult to explain. But for the lack of a  better analogy it felt like one big, painfully slow, painfully quiet panic attack. When everything feels so wrong it almost feels right - only it isn’t, this contradiction thus creating a void, in which the reader is pulled into a blackhole of nothing. I sound like I’m talking in circles, but perhaps that’s exactly what it is - a cycle. You feel so much it breaks you to the point of not being able to feel. Only for that to allow others to hurt you even further, breaking you again, so on so forth. TLDR; this book drove me insane. Do not read this if you’re not ready to face horrible Post-Read-Depression.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Alcohol, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

maurapartridge's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book gave me a lottttt of feels. What a sad, tender story. So much, yet also so little happens in this 213-page book that takes place in the late 60s. Our main character, Maria, is extremely complex - a reflection of her time. 

Some books are smooth and clean, this one was jagged, left me speechless, and left me wondering. 

⚠️as always, look up content warnings before readings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Mental illness, and Suicide

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Homophobia