Postcards from the Edge

novel by Fisher

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July 21, 2026

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Postcards from the Edge is a 1987 novel by American author and actress Carrie Fisher. The book is a semi-autobiographical work, drawing heavily from Fisher's own experiences with drug addiction and her relationship with her famous actress mother, Debbie Reynolds.1

The novel offers a candid, humorous, and insightful look into the life of a young actress navigating Hollywood, substance abuse, and family dynamics. It was critically acclaimed and later adapted into a screenplay by Fisher herself for the 1990 film of the same name, starring Meryl Streep. Fisher's writing career also included other novels and memoirs, often exploring similar themes from her own life.1

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Carrie Fisher
…in 1987 her first novel, Postcards from the Edge, was published. The book, based on her own experiences as the daughter of an actress and with drug addiction, was insightful, candid, and humorous and won critical acclaim. She wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film version, which starred Meryl Streep.…
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…in 1987 her first novel, Postcards from the Edge, was published. The book, based on her own experiences as the daughter of an actress and with drug addiction, was insightful, candid, and humorous and won critical acclaim. She wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film version, which starred Meryl Streep.…
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Mike Nichols
Middle years: Silkwood, Working Girl, and The Birdcage
…Fisher from her acerbic semiautobiographical novel, starred Streep as an addicted actress who has to endure first drug rehabilitation and then probation with her alcoholic, domineering mother (Shirley MacLaine) before finally getting her life under control. Nichols’s satiric portrait of Hollywood was keenly observed, and both Streep and MacLaine earned…
Read More
…Fisher from her acerbic semiautobiographical novel, starred Streep as an addicted actress who has to endure first drug rehabilitation and then probation with her alcoholic, domineering mother (Shirley MacLaine) before finally getting her life under control. Nichols’s satiric portrait of Hollywood was keenly observed, and both Streep and MacLaine earned…
Read More