Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion
The novel centers around a woman named Maria Wyeth, a former model and actress, who is drifting through life in the 1960s Hollywood scene. As she struggles with a failing marriage, a difficult relationship with her daughter, and a career that's spiraling downwards, she grapples with existential despair. Told in a series of fragmented narratives, the story reveals Maria's mental breakdown, her self-destructive behavior, and her desperate attempts to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.
The 433rd greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1970
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Short
- Pages
- 200-250
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(3.4)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Play It as It Lays
- Prendila Così
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This book is on the following 12 lists:
- 23rd on 100 Best Western(United States) Works of Fiction (San Francisco Chronicle)
- 51st on 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors (Good Housekeeping)
- 905th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- An Expert's 200-Book List (The Detroit Free Press)
- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- The Great American Novels (The Atlantic)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)
- Vendela Vida's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" (The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Book))