Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

89 reviews

entre_fanon_y_weil's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Sería un gran libro si no fuera por que es profundamente racista.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

jarku's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I am long past high school, but Plath's prose took me straight back. From the limited first-person perspective dealing Esther Greenwood's deeds and thoughts in explicit, untangled sentences to the smattering of antiquated racial slurs, The Bell Jar felt easy as I read it. In the aftermath, I'm trying to account for what I missed. Like early on, I decided Esther's interest in Doreen was purely platonic, and then I missed the actual gay bits. Or, more troublingly, I didn't discern any moments of relief in Esther's depression, the difference between the bell jar aloft or smothering.

So perhaps this is my failing as a 21st-century reader--I don't expect Elizabethan literature to reveal all its cleverness to me effortlessly, after all. But given the hindsight to frame ECT's effect as a kind of lobotomy-lite (alleviating malcontent by dulling the whole mind, or just torturing patients into pretending they were cured), and the difficult task of untangling Esther/Plath's idiopathic depression from everyday womens' oppression (of course our heroine should feel Not Good Enough against the impossible social standard), The Bell Jar didn't grip me as much as I was hoping.

That said, Obviously this book is Important. Plath does give voice to some feelings we tend to be too shy to admit. I'm just writing this note to help myself remember that this book didn't satisfy my craving for Oh My God This Book Speaks To My Depression like Idlewild, for example.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racial slurs and Death of parent

Minor: Lesbophobia

aggie2010's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Lesbophobia

goemonxiii's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

2.75

While I can appreciate The Bell Jar for what it is and what it's done for the field of literature, feminism, and mental health... it's not for me (which is fine). I'm not particularly enthusiastic about this book, there were parts that were difficult to get through, and I doubt I'll read it again. It's not terrible, and there were in fact parts that I liked, and I do like being able to say that I've read The Bell Jar, but other than that there's not much here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Racism and Death of parent

several graphic suicide attempts, severe mental illness, depression, medical complication involving birth control

seana02's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual violence, and Grief

Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

tkj1505's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Lesbophobia

abirej's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Even if I hadn’t known Plath to be a poet before i picked this up, I would have quickly learned from the lyrical way she tells her own story. Discusses what it meant to be a woman with chronic depression in the 1960s. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Lesbophobia

clary0402's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Abortion, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

picnicatthehangingtree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

4.75

Docking .25 stars for the racism and homophobia. Otherwise this is a near perfect book for me, I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I think 25 was a really good age to read it at - that feeling of not knowing what the future holds and having to make your way forward despite all the uncertainty really hit for me. This is such an incredible portrait of life with depression, but with such a hopeful ending for a path moving forward whilst holding space for it as a part of you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy

roouija's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail