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4.64 AVERAGE
4.64 AVERAGE
I first read “The Bell Jar” when I was 15. Since that time I have eagerly read anything written by Plath—letters, journals, poems. Reading this biography was like putting in the last piece of the puzzle. As a Mother now—such a different perception now of Plath than when I was 15–I feel so much empathy and sympathy for her story. I’m ending this book with a lot of different emotions and a different understanding of this complex woman.
coming to terms with the fact that I am not Sylvia Plath, for better or for worse...
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
A massive biography, it’s to the author’s credit that she refrains from pursuing an over-riding judgement, preferring to let the poet’s words speak from letters, poems and conversations. Plath emerges and brilliant and iconic, and Clark is surely right to see her more in a surrealist and possibly English light rather than as a confessional poet in the New England tradition. The work presents Plath not as necessarily doomed, but as deeply vulnerable, and is painfully honest about her relationships. Her evidence dispels any sense in which Ted Hughes is the villain of the piece, and she is far more interested in Plath’s response to Hughes’ infidelities than suggesting they wer in any way causative. Clark traces in forensic details the rather tortured path that Plath’s poems took from conventionality to the acute and uncomfortable focus of ‘Ariel’ and explains why she has become such a symbol of the times and the struggles of women writers mid-century, while carving out a unique niche among her contemporaries. One might find Alvarez’s judgement, that her poems have lasted better than Hughes, to be quite bizarre, given the power of the ‘The Birthday Letters’, but it’s clear from this biography that neither could have achieved such powerful poetry without the other. This is an extraordinary achievement in its detail, its dispassion, and its clarity of judgement, but it took quite an effort to stay with all the detail until the end!
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This autobiography is astonishingly detailed about Plath's written work, starting in childhood. There seem to be an incredible number of surviving papers, even from her youth (early poems, journals, letters, school papers). In the midst of at-times-overwhelming detail, some major life events and people go without comment. For example, other than the fact that she wanted to go to college somewhere other than her hometown (Wellesley), why did she want to go to Smith? Why a women's college? She didn't seem to consider any other options other than Smith and Wellesley. And she seems to have been close to her brother, but he only occasionally appears in the book, and only near the end do we find out that he worked for IBM and lived in New York. We learn far more about some of Plath's many boyfriends during high school and college.
Even so, it is an interesting book, particularly in how it considers the intersection of Plath's mental illness and (mis)treatment, the position of women in society in the US and England in the 1950s and early 60s, and her brilliance and ambition. I did not know that she also had artistic talents; there are some examples of her drawings and other artworks in the book. Some are amazing.
Even so, it is an interesting book, particularly in how it considers the intersection of Plath's mental illness and (mis)treatment, the position of women in society in the US and England in the 1950s and early 60s, and her brilliance and ambition. I did not know that she also had artistic talents; there are some examples of her drawings and other artworks in the book. Some are amazing.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I would give this ten stars if I could.
Heather Clark has done a most masterly, clever thing with this book. Her biography of Sylvia Plath is over 1,000 pages long, but at no point did I feel it could (or should) have been shorter. This is an easy read in respect that it is written in such a way that it doesn’t feel like a slog. It covers both the incredible creative journey Sylvia travelled in her short life and gives an illuminating portrait of the era. It shows how conflicting and contradictory the world was for aspiring women in the 1950’s and 60’s. It looks at Sylvia herself... both the good and the ...ummmm ...sometimes not so angelic. It looks at her writing and gives context to that. Without sounding disrespectful it is a gripping account of Paths life. I just couldn’t put this book down, and it is a big book to carry around!
But the thing I think is most admirable is that it is written with, as far as I could detect, absolutely no bias or agenda. Over the years I have read books around Sylvias life and... felt led and used... many other books seem to want to batter home, not Sylvias life or incredible art, but some narrative of the authors own. ....you know how one or two comments, by one or two people, taken out of context or said with malice can become amplified by other voices and a whole different history is written. The ultimate ‘fake news’. Clark’s book tells Sylvias story using facts that are detailed in the very comprehensive ‘sources’ section at the back of the book and balancing hearsay with multiple records. It also is not written in a sycophantic, emotion driven way....that sounds like the book could be a dry regurgitation of facts...but it isnt, at all. As much as anyone can, I felt I walked in Sylvias world. I could feel the dilemmas she (and other women) faced. Ultimately I felt Clark allowed me to think for myself...
This book not only made me think about Sylvias story, but also the conflicts we all face, how much one person can be responsible for another and how we apportion blame when we don’t really completely understand the full picture. I have modified the way I think based on this book. That is a big thing for a single book to do.
I think this book took Clark 8 years to write. In those 8 years she has collected and documented the best biography I have ever read.
I really feel I could write 1000 pages more on what I think about the life described Red Comet. But if I had to say in a short paragraph I would say that Sylvia was conflicted in nearly every aspect of her life. She wanted to be a good mother, she wanted to be free to be creative. She wanted to live in the US but she wanted to live in the U.K. she wanted to conform but she wanted to be a free spirit..of the town or of the countryside, to excel and to be ordinary. She could be cruel and I am sure she was difficult to live with. She was also the most incredible poet....truly a genius.
Of her death and all the blame that surrounds that, it surprised me to learn that at the time of her death she was being prescribed 2 different amphetamines, an opioid, a barbiturate and unknown medications for a respiratory disease. These were prescribed by a general practitioner doctor who probably didn’t have the expertise to prescribe well and to be mindful that the drugs didn’t inter react. To be honest medicine in mental health was very much a blunt instrument at the time. One of the drugs she was taking had previously been prescribed under a different name and had then caused her to suffer extreme suicidal thoughts. I think this fact was unknown by her doctor. She also had drunk red wine which reacted with medication. So if I had to lay blame I would say a very poor mental health provision at the time probably didn’t help her in the way it could have done.
I just truly wish this book could have had a different ending and I could have read instead about Sylvias whole life of wonderful poetry, the poems she was still writing into her older age.
Lastly, I watched a YouTube video about Ted Hughes while reading this...the comments near the end by Frieda, Sylvias daughter, made me think again about how dare we judge...as outsiders.
https://youtu.be/XbAGbjXPCP8
Heather Clark has done a most masterly, clever thing with this book. Her biography of Sylvia Plath is over 1,000 pages long, but at no point did I feel it could (or should) have been shorter. This is an easy read in respect that it is written in such a way that it doesn’t feel like a slog. It covers both the incredible creative journey Sylvia travelled in her short life and gives an illuminating portrait of the era. It shows how conflicting and contradictory the world was for aspiring women in the 1950’s and 60’s. It looks at Sylvia herself... both the good and the ...ummmm ...sometimes not so angelic. It looks at her writing and gives context to that. Without sounding disrespectful it is a gripping account of Paths life. I just couldn’t put this book down, and it is a big book to carry around!
But the thing I think is most admirable is that it is written with, as far as I could detect, absolutely no bias or agenda. Over the years I have read books around Sylvias life and... felt led and used... many other books seem to want to batter home, not Sylvias life or incredible art, but some narrative of the authors own. ....you know how one or two comments, by one or two people, taken out of context or said with malice can become amplified by other voices and a whole different history is written. The ultimate ‘fake news’. Clark’s book tells Sylvias story using facts that are detailed in the very comprehensive ‘sources’ section at the back of the book and balancing hearsay with multiple records. It also is not written in a sycophantic, emotion driven way....that sounds like the book could be a dry regurgitation of facts...but it isnt, at all. As much as anyone can, I felt I walked in Sylvias world. I could feel the dilemmas she (and other women) faced. Ultimately I felt Clark allowed me to think for myself...
This book not only made me think about Sylvias story, but also the conflicts we all face, how much one person can be responsible for another and how we apportion blame when we don’t really completely understand the full picture. I have modified the way I think based on this book. That is a big thing for a single book to do.
I think this book took Clark 8 years to write. In those 8 years she has collected and documented the best biography I have ever read.
I really feel I could write 1000 pages more on what I think about the life described Red Comet. But if I had to say in a short paragraph I would say that Sylvia was conflicted in nearly every aspect of her life. She wanted to be a good mother, she wanted to be free to be creative. She wanted to live in the US but she wanted to live in the U.K. she wanted to conform but she wanted to be a free spirit..of the town or of the countryside, to excel and to be ordinary. She could be cruel and I am sure she was difficult to live with. She was also the most incredible poet....truly a genius.
Of her death and all the blame that surrounds that, it surprised me to learn that at the time of her death she was being prescribed 2 different amphetamines, an opioid, a barbiturate and unknown medications for a respiratory disease. These were prescribed by a general practitioner doctor who probably didn’t have the expertise to prescribe well and to be mindful that the drugs didn’t inter react. To be honest medicine in mental health was very much a blunt instrument at the time. One of the drugs she was taking had previously been prescribed under a different name and had then caused her to suffer extreme suicidal thoughts. I think this fact was unknown by her doctor. She also had drunk red wine which reacted with medication. So if I had to lay blame I would say a very poor mental health provision at the time probably didn’t help her in the way it could have done.
I just truly wish this book could have had a different ending and I could have read instead about Sylvias whole life of wonderful poetry, the poems she was still writing into her older age.
Lastly, I watched a YouTube video about Ted Hughes while reading this...the comments near the end by Frieda, Sylvias daughter, made me think again about how dare we judge...as outsiders.
https://youtu.be/XbAGbjXPCP8
amazing amazing amazing amazing. i wish i could read this again for the first time. new, comprehensive insights into plath's life and the development of her creativity that take an unbiased approach. appreciated that there was no overarching thesis or argument the author was attempting to prove/disprove. didn't feel like reading 900+ pages. the audiobook was great. p.s. i still loathe t.h.
Everyone ignore that I've been reading this book on and off for over a year...it was SPECTACULAR and I was savoring it!
Heather Clark chronicles the brilliant yet short life of Sylvia Plath in such honest and complex detail from childhood to the moments before her suicide in 1963. I am floored by the level of research this book required. I learned so much about Plath's life, her immense talent, her struggles, and who she was as a person; which is who we all are as people--complicated with conflicting attitudes and aspirations. Clark so adeptly captures this duality in us all. Clark would expert a letter to Aurelia, Sylvia's mother, where Plath talks about how happy she is in London against an event that occurred that day that showed the exact opposite. Or how Plath would say different things to different people in her circle about her attitude toward her relationship with Ted Hughes. And this is exactly what a life is, complicated. Then there is the masterful way Clark dissects Plath's poems, which for someone who is no poetry scholar, was fascinating.
Again, the research! The vivid picture Clark paints using letters, diary entries, calendars, weather, financial information, photographs, poems, interviews was just so thorough. We know so much about this mythic woman, and also there is still so much missing from the archive that one can never know about another person.
Simply no notes, this may be one of my top ten favorite books of all time for its subject and the incredible way it is written.
Heather Clark chronicles the brilliant yet short life of Sylvia Plath in such honest and complex detail from childhood to the moments before her suicide in 1963. I am floored by the level of research this book required. I learned so much about Plath's life, her immense talent, her struggles, and who she was as a person; which is who we all are as people--complicated with conflicting attitudes and aspirations. Clark so adeptly captures this duality in us all. Clark would expert a letter to Aurelia, Sylvia's mother, where Plath talks about how happy she is in London against an event that occurred that day that showed the exact opposite. Or how Plath would say different things to different people in her circle about her attitude toward her relationship with Ted Hughes. And this is exactly what a life is, complicated. Then there is the masterful way Clark dissects Plath's poems, which for someone who is no poetry scholar, was fascinating.
Again, the research! The vivid picture Clark paints using letters, diary entries, calendars, weather, financial information, photographs, poems, interviews was just so thorough. We know so much about this mythic woman, and also there is still so much missing from the archive that one can never know about another person.
Simply no notes, this may be one of my top ten favorite books of all time for its subject and the incredible way it is written.