Reviews

i finally understand why men like classic literature now that i’ve read a classic literature that’s about an insane woman instead of some insufferable man

grace_called's review against another edition

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This book made me depressed. Genuinely had to put it down after a while because it was so damn depressing after chapter like… 9? I agree with a lot of the other reviews on this book that say they had to start the audio book just to get though it. There’s a free audio book read by Maggie Gyllenhaal which is super good on Spotify but the book is just… dark. I physically couldn’t read it so I had to get someone else to force me to listen in a way (glad I didn’t buy the paperback, thanks Libby). Idk what I expected, but it made me feel super icky after reading it and kinda just like in a bad head space. The world building and story telling in the beginning is great and the imagery is insanely strong, almost too strong when talking of things like self harm, suicide attempts, etc. I guess my favorite part of the book was her commentary on marriage and her feelings of men and how she will never be satisfied because it was interesting to hear that from a book written in the 60s, pretty ahead of her time. I really wouldn’t let anyone under the age of 20 read this book because I feel like it could do some real harm to an impressionable mind. I’ve been holding off on reading this book and I should’ve held off longer. Took way too long to finish, had to switch over to audio just to get through. Tough subject matter I guess makes for a tough read, but it just felt super graphic. The unnecessary racist remarks was also not very positive to read, obviously, and I felt like it was one of those things that just brought my energy down… I’m so iffy on this book bc writing wise it was incredible and places you IN the Bell Jar with Esther almost, but as a young woman reading being in her shoes fresh out of school, it just made me feel sad and hopeless for her almost… but it was such a real portrayal of depression. This review is so wishy washy so I apologize but I am just unsure of how to feel about this book.

catevanam's review against another edition

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5.0

loved being along for the bell jar descending on esther

abi_th0ma5's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.25

star_seeder's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

5.0

broccoligoddess's review against another edition

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5.0

“If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.”

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