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elmasbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
rouyourboat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Racial slurs and Medical trauma
alexrobinsonsupergenius's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Classism
anikaph's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
helenaps99's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
lolra's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
ravenstag6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, and Abandonment
sliceofghost's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death of parent
jj_the_duck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma
jarku's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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