Reviews with content warning for Lesbophobia - The Bell Jar

I first read this book when I was around 17, and it struck a chord with me then because I related to Esther in some ways and the struggles she faced. Having re-read it at 23, at a strange point in my life having just graduated but struggling to find work and worrying about my future, this book hit me in a different way. I related to Esther and her situation much more this time around, and found it hard to read some parts because some of her experiences were so similar to my own over the last 5 years at university. I still love this book, and knowing that Plath published this shortly before her own suicide is heart-breaking. This novel feels like a cry for help.

Personally, I don’t find Esther a very likeable character but that didn’t stop me from sympathising with her throughout the book. Perhaps this was the case because I recognised some of her thoughts and thinking patterns as my own when I was in my late teens, and I’m not particularly fond of that version of myself either. She can be judgemental and cruel, but part of this is because of what she’s going through. Her character taught me a lot about myself and how mental health can affect other people, not just the person suffering.

Plath also challenges sexist notions of women’s place in society and how alienating it could be as a woman to feel like you didn’t “fit the mould” of what a woman “should” be, e.g if you were a woman that didn’t want children or didn’t want to get married. I think the importance of these themes is somewhat lost reading this book now (depending on where in the world you are, of course) which perhaps explains why some readers may not engage with or enjoy it as much. Knowing what happened to Plath just three weeks after this book was published, it feels like she was documenting all of her grievances with the world before she left it behind.

All of this said, there are occasional racist passages and characterisations in the book. Where non-white characters are introduced, they are not depicted in a favourable light. Esther often refers to herself as being of another ethnicity when she’s sick or tired, which seems to suggest she views other ethnicities as uglier or less than her. Whilst this isn’t necessarily surprising for the time it’s obviously not excusable, so I’m changing my review from 5⭐️ to 4⭐️.

Overall, still a hard-hitting book 5 years after I originally read it. Scarily relatable, sometimes upsetting, and an insight into the way mental illness can take ahold and affect someone so deeply and profoundly.

Content Warnings

marisa_thorne's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.5

Content Warnings

book_lover69's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

More...