Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Bell Jar

it shatters my heart we couldn't get to see her style as a novelist develop, this was brilliantly written and easily one of the most relatable books i've read, i am literally her (minus the weird racist comments)

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brotestantethic's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad fast-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

4.5

People really aren’t lying when they call this a modern classic. It’s easy to get lost in the world of The Bell Jar, and to slip into the mind of Esther Greenwood. Esther is the master of unreliable narrators; the narration reflects her experience rather than a linear plot. As a result, it’s hard to tell what is actually happening, especially near the middle of the novel.

The ending is a lot to digest.

It’s optimistic, but only just. Esther starts to heal, but it’s as a result of shock therapies she didn’t want and therefore is tainted by that experience. At one point, a woman at the institution appears to her as a misshapen shadow, and she seemingly heavily exaggerates complications after sex (pools of blood filling her shoes, etc.). Even though the bell jar is lifted, she still has to deal with the horrors of everyday life.

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raeviews's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Immersive, disturbing, entertaining. Such poetic prose. Perfectly scaled book. The discussion of sexuality and relationships were particularly interesting.

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roosh's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

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iamjudgedredd's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I know this was compulsory reading for many people at school, but I missed the boat on this one. I think it's very polarizing simply because it was compulsory. The book is an arresting window into mental health. You've never read a portrait of the complexity of mental well-being quite like this before. There were parts where I almost dropped the physical book it's so accurate. The Bell Jar contains a lot of truth, and whilst there's a lot of awful things and people in it, there's also a theme of hope, healing, freedom, and joy. I'm so glad I read this later in life, as a more mature reader. I feel like if I'd read this as a teen I too might have missed a lot of the depth and richness of it. Outstanding novel.

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