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rosa_goes_to_the_opera 's review for:
Play It as It Lays
by Joan Didion
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Beautifully written. That opening line? Absolutely knocked it out of the park. “What makes Iago evil? some people ask. I never ask.” Gosh.
I tended to zone out a bit throughout the book, which doesn’t surprise me because the main character is often out of it and it bleeds through your own awareness. Her haziness becomes your haziness, type of thing.
The way grief is handled is breath taking. The abortion? Her lack of access to her kid? The loss of her parents? The continuous call back to Silver Wells? All so well done.
Didion loses me with most of the men. They become a blur of horrible male-ness. That’s fine. The beautiful moments of the book make it a worthwhile read, but it doesn’t amount to the most amazing read.
I tended to zone out a bit throughout the book, which doesn’t surprise me because the main character is often out of it and it bleeds through your own awareness. Her haziness becomes your haziness, type of thing.
The way grief is handled is breath taking. The abortion? Her lack of access to her kid? The loss of her parents? The continuous call back to Silver Wells? All so well done.
Didion loses me with most of the men. They become a blur of horrible male-ness. That’s fine. The beautiful moments of the book make it a worthwhile read, but it doesn’t amount to the most amazing read.