Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Bell Jar

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

166 reviews

stavoosh's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny sad fast-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

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ruthmoog's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

3.75

This story was surprisingly relevant given the time it's set. I didn't know what it was about before reading, it quickly escalates, but mostly is a beautifully told story about not beautiful themes.

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zabkamartynka's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.0

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taylorpg's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

I have been wanting to read the bell jar for a while and I’m so glad I finally did!

That being said, although I’m glad I read the book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought. Personally, I thought it was pretty slow moving and there wasn’t anything that really kept me engaged. It took me a lot longer to read the book than I though it would. There weren’t cliff hangers and there was only one major moment that kept me at the edge of my seat. The writing was beautiful. There’s a reason why this book is a classic. I annotated so much of this book simply because I liked how so much of it was written. This may be a controversial opinion, but I thought this novel was an excellent depiction of how women’s mental health was treated in the late 50s/early 60s. I thought our character was raw and real. However, she’s also a privileged, pretentious cynic which can be annoying and difficult for a lot of readers. This book definitely had me confused and rolling my eyes at some points while really amazing me at others.

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hallenoelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

I have always been deeply interested in the idea of the “mad woman” and how has society treats women with mental illnesses throughout history. The Bell Jar is a raw, disturbing, and realistic depiction of what so many women went through and why. The turn from the fun and youthful vibe at the beginning to the gut-wrenching plot twist had me captivated. I could not give this book 5 stars, however, because of the incomplete romance(ish) with Buddy Willard and because of how problematic this book is today. Not really a spoiler but warning anyway for the next sentence!

I hate when a character hates another character and we never find out why and that is exactly the case with Buddy and Esther

. This book has countless moments of racism that really took me out of the story and made me super uncomfortable. And lastly, please do not read this book unless you are POSITIVE you can handle it. It is full of triggers for those who have struggled with mental illness, grief, SA, EDs, and suicidal thoughts. Please read with caution - but if you are interested in women’s history and feminist literature I would recommend!

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