Playing with Fire

by Dani Shapiro

After meeting as freshman roommates at Smith College, Lucy and Carolyn--two wealthy young women from vastly different backgrounds--become enmeshed in a lovers' triangle with Carolyn's womanizing stepfather at its core

Genres: Fiction

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Dani Shapiro is the bestselling author of the memoirs Hourglass, Still Writing, Devotion, and Slow Motion, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. She lives with her family in LItchfield County, Connecticut. Her latest memoir, Inheritance, will be published by Knopf in January, 2019.

Reviews

[Moira]

One of those first novels which is indistinguishable from a later better-selling memoir.

[Fred Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Shapiro's first novel, but it's based very closely on her own experience having an affair with an older, married man. Interestingly, she came back to the story a few years later in her memoir, Slow Motion. I read that first, and so of course I was comparing all the time. The guy is terrible in both books, but for some reason she makes him more physically appealing in the novel than he seems to have been in real life. Also, her friend, the man's stepdaughter, is a much more important character in the novel, which makes explicit some things that are only hinted at in the memoir. I liked this book, better actually than two other novels I read by this author. The writing has spark, and I was eager to keep reading.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the author's memoir on the same subject, I thought I'd foray into her fictionalized account. Interesting to compare.

[Sanné Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is her first novel. I believe it was her thesis. Anyway I loved it and even though it was written in 1990 it stands the test of time. Worth the read!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too sad and intense.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I had read the author's memoir years ago. This is a fictionalized version of her story, written while she was still in college: in her late teens or early 20's, she became involved with a powerful and wealthy married man who was lavish yet controlling. As fiction, it wasn't entirely compelling; I found the dreamy flashback interludes sappy and grating, and the "plot twist" toward the end was visible from the very beginning. However, it was still a window into another lifestyle, and it was interesting to think about the chances and choices that might have led me to a similar situation.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this book was essentially a fictionalized account of her memoir, Slow Motion, I almost didn't bother reading it. I'm glad that I did. She really is a great writer. I'm looking forward to her other fiction. Playing with Fire was different enough from Slow Motion and definitely worth the read.

[Anna]

Continuing my Dani Shapiro kick, I read the novel version of her memoir of her affair with the rich older man. I liked the memoir much better, and that's probably because, having read it first, I could see all the details she changed to make this more novelistic. And I'm less and less interested in tidy stories.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soap opera in a book. Shapiro is a gifted writer.

I suggest reading this alongside Shapiro's memoir Slow Motion as this fictional book bears a lot of similarities to Shapiro's real life experience. It's interesting to see how a writer can blend fiction and truth together.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Shapiro's memoirs Still Writing and Devotion so much I went back to her first novel about a a complicated friendship, a disastrous affair, and sudden tragedy. I was completely engaged. A compelling, well written tale.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the author's true story and better than the true story she ended up writing.