Crossword Genius

In review, share stocks lose badly for play writer (3,7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

leo tolstoy

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'in review share stocks' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'lose badly for play writer' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'for' could be 'to' (eg both can mean 'in the opinion of') and 'to' is present in the answer.
an anagram of 'lose' is 'eols' which is located in the remaining letters.
'play' could be 'toy' (synonyms) and 'toy' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'l' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.