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kanejim57's review
3.0
A serious book that I am still processing as I write a full review for later in the week.
skylarkochava's review
3.0
This book is for people already deeply familiar with Plath's life and work, as well as literature in general. I have rated the book based on what I believe the intended audience would say, not my own feelings about the book. I think that's fair.
My only exposure to Plath has been reading The Bell Jar. I knew a few things about her life, but not much. The introduction says the book is aimed for people already familiar with Plath, but that it should be accessible to others. I agree and disagree. It doesn't say this much, but it also assumes you've read at least a couple of the major biographies, referring throughout the text to how they did things wrong and not "rehashing" things covered in other books. I found that frustrating because the text would refer to a situation at a superficial level, mention it's in another book, and move on to something else. But I felt that the knowledge about that situation would be assumed in the text after.
To begin with, I almost didn't start the book after reading the introduction. It read like an academic apology and/or bullying. It was as though the author felt overly-compelled to defend why he wrote "yet another" biography about Sylvia Plath. I found it done in poor taste, intent on pointing out the flaws in other books rather than justifying why his is good or necessary. The argument is essentially that this book is necessary because the other ones suck (oh, and there is now more correspondence available).
However, I'm glad I continued reading. The text is compelling and interesting to read, but presumes too much knowledge. Even Plath's husband was introduced with no mention of who he was. I happened to know, but you might not. Similarly, there is a short "timeline" of events at the beginning of each chapter, but without knowing anything about Plath, I have no context for them. I don't even know what many of them mean because the notation was so short. It's also not laid out in the easiest-to-read way.
While the text told the events in an interesting way, it regularly slipped into pretentious language that got on my nerves. A similar problem: I consider myself well-read and as having an excellent liberal arts education. I understood about half the references the author made as analogies or allusions (probably most are modern literature and I know mostly older works). Just about all of them could be skipped over without missing any of the story, but I know I didn't understand it to the depth intended by the author.
This is a textbook that happens to be more pleasurable to read than most. In the end, I stopped reading because I lost patience with the pretentiousness. I can only think of one friend to suggest it to, and it's only because she has a master's in poetry and is a Plath aficionado.
My only exposure to Plath has been reading The Bell Jar. I knew a few things about her life, but not much. The introduction says the book is aimed for people already familiar with Plath, but that it should be accessible to others. I agree and disagree. It doesn't say this much, but it also assumes you've read at least a couple of the major biographies, referring throughout the text to how they did things wrong and not "rehashing" things covered in other books. I found that frustrating because the text would refer to a situation at a superficial level, mention it's in another book, and move on to something else. But I felt that the knowledge about that situation would be assumed in the text after.
To begin with, I almost didn't start the book after reading the introduction. It read like an academic apology and/or bullying. It was as though the author felt overly-compelled to defend why he wrote "yet another" biography about Sylvia Plath. I found it done in poor taste, intent on pointing out the flaws in other books rather than justifying why his is good or necessary. The argument is essentially that this book is necessary because the other ones suck (oh, and there is now more correspondence available).
However, I'm glad I continued reading. The text is compelling and interesting to read, but presumes too much knowledge. Even Plath's husband was introduced with no mention of who he was. I happened to know, but you might not. Similarly, there is a short "timeline" of events at the beginning of each chapter, but without knowing anything about Plath, I have no context for them. I don't even know what many of them mean because the notation was so short. It's also not laid out in the easiest-to-read way.
While the text told the events in an interesting way, it regularly slipped into pretentious language that got on my nerves. A similar problem: I consider myself well-read and as having an excellent liberal arts education. I understood about half the references the author made as analogies or allusions (probably most are modern literature and I know mostly older works). Just about all of them could be skipped over without missing any of the story, but I know I didn't understand it to the depth intended by the author.
This is a textbook that happens to be more pleasurable to read than most. In the end, I stopped reading because I lost patience with the pretentiousness. I can only think of one friend to suggest it to, and it's only because she has a master's in poetry and is a Plath aficionado.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
2.0
I've read my fair share of Sylvia Plath biographys and this was not a new favorite of mine. I have the same issues as others reviewers have, that it's isn't anything really new touched in this and that the comparison to Marlyin Monroe feels very off and weird. Same out come but very diffrent people and lives. To write something new about a person that has been dead for such a long time is indeed a hard thing to do. But I had hoped for at least a new way to view or analyse her life and work
raven_morgan's review against another edition
4.0
I have to preface this review by stating that I am a huge fan of Plath's work and am utterly fascinated by her life. I've read several other biographies, though this is the newest.
For those who aren't fans of Plath or familiar with her work, this could be a difficult read. The tone veers towards being dry at times, and the text features many references to poems. Those unfamiliar with said poems would potentially lose some of the impact of where Rollyson quotes them.
For fans who have read other biographies, there isn't a lot of new factual information in here. Rather, Rollyson looks at the life of Plath (and of Hughes, when he enters the biography) as a deliberate attempt to mythologise herself. It's hard to know if this was indeed something that Plath was attempting (and admittedly, it has been a while since I've read her journals, so I'm unsure how much information there is in them apart from some pieces quoted by Rollyson), but it's absolutely something that has happened in Plath's legacy. By her death, she became something more than her life - perhaps the titular "American Isis".
This biography is competently written, though it is perhaps not the most entertaining and engrossing. Rollyson attempts to draw parallels between Plath and Marilyn Monroe and Susan Sontag continually, which has the potential to be tiring for someone who holds no interest in Monroe or Sontag.
A worthy addition to any Plath fan's collection, though it may not hold much appeal to those not completely fascinated by her.
For those who aren't fans of Plath or familiar with her work, this could be a difficult read. The tone veers towards being dry at times, and the text features many references to poems. Those unfamiliar with said poems would potentially lose some of the impact of where Rollyson quotes them.
For fans who have read other biographies, there isn't a lot of new factual information in here. Rather, Rollyson looks at the life of Plath (and of Hughes, when he enters the biography) as a deliberate attempt to mythologise herself. It's hard to know if this was indeed something that Plath was attempting (and admittedly, it has been a while since I've read her journals, so I'm unsure how much information there is in them apart from some pieces quoted by Rollyson), but it's absolutely something that has happened in Plath's legacy. By her death, she became something more than her life - perhaps the titular "American Isis".
This biography is competently written, though it is perhaps not the most entertaining and engrossing. Rollyson attempts to draw parallels between Plath and Marilyn Monroe and Susan Sontag continually, which has the potential to be tiring for someone who holds no interest in Monroe or Sontag.
A worthy addition to any Plath fan's collection, though it may not hold much appeal to those not completely fascinated by her.
lola425's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. It's not like I was waiting for any new revelations, pretty sure that for a Plath biography to break any new ground you would have to orchestrate some kind of unique conclusion, some metaphoric insight or something. Instead, it felt like Rollyson tacked anything interesting that he "uncovered" into the Appendices. I am also not buying the Plath/Marilyn Monroe correlations.
baileewalsh's review against another edition
3.0
I definitely would have had a higher rating of this book if I hadn't already known most of the information in it. This is the third Sylvia Plath biography that I've read, on top of articles, videos and information online that I've consumed about Sylvia Plath. It almost seemed like review.
That being said I don't have much to write here. It was well written in the way that it was an easy biography to read, it wasn't dense. I think I would have preferred shorter chapters, though. And I can tell the author is a true admirer of Sylvia Plath, as I came across passages that I really liked what was said and how it was said. But on the other hand I felt like there were also times when it seemed like the author's bias was more present in the text.
I also liked that the friends and important figures in Sylvia's life were really characters and I got to know them better through reading this biography- people like Dr. Beuscher, Al Alvarez, Richard Sassoon, and Elizabeth Compton Sigmund. And DEFINITELY Olwyn Hughes. Previously, I did not fully realize how much of an influence she was in Sylvia's life and what happened with her estate after her death.
And reading this also made me more interested in learning about Ted Hughes as a person and poet. I plan on reading a memoir his brother Gerald wrote called Ted and I, which I already have and it's relatively short. So that's where I'll start, along with probably some simple videos on YouTube and biographical sites. Then proceed to look into his poetry and writing. I'd really like to get to some of Sylvia's stories, too, as I've only read The Bell Jar and poems by her.
That being said I don't have much to write here. It was well written in the way that it was an easy biography to read, it wasn't dense. I think I would have preferred shorter chapters, though. And I can tell the author is a true admirer of Sylvia Plath, as I came across passages that I really liked what was said and how it was said. But on the other hand I felt like there were also times when it seemed like the author's bias was more present in the text.
I also liked that the friends and important figures in Sylvia's life were really characters and I got to know them better through reading this biography- people like Dr. Beuscher, Al Alvarez, Richard Sassoon, and Elizabeth Compton Sigmund. And DEFINITELY Olwyn Hughes. Previously, I did not fully realize how much of an influence she was in Sylvia's life and what happened with her estate after her death.
And reading this also made me more interested in learning about Ted Hughes as a person and poet. I plan on reading a memoir his brother Gerald wrote called Ted and I, which I already have and it's relatively short. So that's where I'll start, along with probably some simple videos on YouTube and biographical sites. Then proceed to look into his poetry and writing. I'd really like to get to some of Sylvia's stories, too, as I've only read The Bell Jar and poems by her.
whats_margaret_reading's review against another edition
2.0
I can only imagine why a book with this title was remaindered.
That aside, the tedious comparisons between Sylvia Plath and Marilyn Monroe really just helped pull this biography in a million directions, in addition to a half hearted analysis of all the biographies of Plath after her death. Either make the book about suicide, Plath's struggle to reconcile her poetic talents with the expectation/demands of motherhood, or admit that [b:The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes|147371|The Silent Woman Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes|Janet Malcolm|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320541001s/147371.jpg|3816] already covered the territory.
Not a total waste of a book, just not a serious Plath biography reader's best choice.
That aside, the tedious comparisons between Sylvia Plath and Marilyn Monroe really just helped pull this biography in a million directions, in addition to a half hearted analysis of all the biographies of Plath after her death. Either make the book about suicide, Plath's struggle to reconcile her poetic talents with the expectation/demands of motherhood, or admit that [b:The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes|147371|The Silent Woman Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes|Janet Malcolm|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320541001s/147371.jpg|3816] already covered the territory.
Not a total waste of a book, just not a serious Plath biography reader's best choice.
soavezefiretto's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing vey new, really. Like other reviewers, I found the comparisons with Marilyn annoying, and also like others, the last chapter that deals with the battles over her image was the best. He should have written a book about that instead.
daniellaeiou's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this book has made me look at Sylvia’s work through the lens of mental illness. Her extreme bouts of depression and high moods make me think that she was bipolar. It makes me so sad that such a brilliant and challenging mind took her own life, as she could not cope with the effects of mental illness on her life, marriage and work.
I feel like I got an idea of Sylvia’s personality in this book, and how flawed she was and could be. It made me relate and sympathise with her more, instead of putting her on a pedestal or worshipping her as an icon.
Some other reviews have critiqued the author’s comparison of Sylvia and Marilyn Monroe but I think Sylvia would have appreciated the symmetry between their lives.
I feel like I got an idea of Sylvia’s personality in this book, and how flawed she was and could be. It made me relate and sympathise with her more, instead of putting her on a pedestal or worshipping her as an icon.
Some other reviews have critiqued the author’s comparison of Sylvia and Marilyn Monroe but I think Sylvia would have appreciated the symmetry between their lives.