Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

128 reviews

dalek_caan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

2.75

I found this book to be nothing like I had expected, but a decent read nonetheless. Given that it is regarded as a classic I had certain expectations going in, but was surprisingly wrong particularly in how I had imagined the book would end based on the way people talk about it. I found the first half of the book to be a bit slow and boring, but was intrigued to see it through to the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Lesbophobia

meganreadsbook's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

linblythe_pub22's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Confinement, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Body shaming, Racism, and Lesbophobia

sarahaile's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Xenophobia

tessjx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Vomit

aleksanski's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

sonyatheultimatereadinggod's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, and Xenophobia

airr's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide

Moderate: Body shaming

Minor: Blood and Vomit

jiggityjog's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

The experience of deeply rooted depression is expertly captured in this book in such a way that it comes through with great clarity despite the fact that I am very different from the protagonist of this living in a very different time & place. I was pleasantly surprised to not feel overwhelmed with sadness in reading this book like I had anticipated I might. Instead, what I felt was a great deal of compassion & empathy for the book’s protagonist, Esther Greenwood, despite all her flaws. Even though the work felt somewhat incomplete in the end, when taken in the context of Sylvia Plath’s life, that lack of closure seems fitting for this story’s end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Ableism

It’s probably not a good idea to pick this book up if you are currently struggling a great deal with depression and/or suicidal ideation. Consider waiting to do so until you feel a bit more on stable ground.

j4mes's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Racism, and Suicide