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jastasticxoxo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is excellent. I see why it is a modern classic. I connect so deeply with Esther and Sylvia Plath has always spoken to me in a way no other author or poet has. Esther is such a deeply timeless and relatable character and I love the frankness, honesty and bluntness Sylvia Plath wrote with. Men have been acting with the same violent wilful idiocy for all of time and it’s insane how many of the experiences plath writes about here I and every single afab person I know have experienced. I love this book so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Death, and Physical abuse
emilyjamison14's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This book started off really strong for me - the prose is descriptive in a very beautiful way and I found myself thinking multiple times that we have these same issues she is describing today. It is undoubtedly a great source of how mental illness was treated in the 1950s, especially since this is a first hand account and you can see the firsthand effects of that treatment. I did find myself losing interest in the last half of the book but overall was worth the read. I would definitely recommend the audiobook narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
Minor: Racism, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
marie_reads16's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Mental illness
lillianreads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I had to read this for my uni class on American 1960s literature and I genuinely enjoyed it. Our professor warned us that it's a depressing read and it definitely is that but it doesn't feel overly emotional. Sylvia Plath makes the world feel very removed and far away which captures mental illness very well in my opinion. The main character does things that seem to make no sense and at points you want to kind of scream at her. But that portrayal of the mc and her actions fit very well into the world of depression Plath has created.
I loved the metaphors of the fig tree and the bell jar and the overall writing style felt very accessible.
If you want to get into reading classics The Bell Jar definitely is a good place to start.
I loved the metaphors of the fig tree and the bell jar and the overall writing style felt very accessible.
If you want to get into reading classics The Bell Jar definitely is a good place to start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape, Vomit, and Suicide
Minor: Racial slurs
caitlin_cain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Self harm, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
laura_vlahovicek's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Sylvia had a "chaotic" style of writing in which she would digress a lot, but somehow always managed to get back on to the main story. Her struggles as an intelligent woman with societal expectations weighing on her shoulders are still very much pressent today. Its also sad how we today still have difficulties helping people who suffer from mental illnesses. Overall an excellent book with elements of feminism and mental disordes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
thecoolbug's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
jordannycreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
ashgalwoah's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Bell Jar accurately portrays mental health struggles and does so interestingly through its pacing. The storytelling is tangential, distracted, and convoluted at times, there are many sub-stories and recollections of the past that brings you out of the story completely, just to rip you back to the reality of the moment. I found this style of writing to be beneficial to the character development, but not as engaging to read.
Despite this being a story about mental health and suicide, Plath maintains poetic and comedic language, making it an enjoyable read rather than a depressing one.
I couldn’t help but think of the social understanding or tolerance towards mental health and Suicide when reading The Bell Jar, when this book was written and first came out, Suicide was more taboo than it is now, I assume this made the mundane story more interesting at the time. To me it was relatable and something I was uncomfortably numb to.
This book is outdated and a bit racist, no question there, and follows a story of an upper middle class white woman. There’s room for improvement!
Despite this being a story about mental health and suicide, Plath maintains poetic and comedic language, making it an enjoyable read rather than a depressing one.
I couldn’t help but think of the social understanding or tolerance towards mental health and Suicide when reading The Bell Jar, when this book was written and first came out, Suicide was more taboo than it is now, I assume this made the mundane story more interesting at the time. To me it was relatable and something I was uncomfortably numb to.
This book is outdated and a bit racist, no question there, and follows a story of an upper middle class white woman. There’s room for improvement!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
georgie_libby_m's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Mental illness, and Self harm
Minor: Racism