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jlebon'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? Yes
5.0
Sylvia Plath was a master with words and, in the novels best passages, you can tell (without prior knowledge) that she was first and foremost a poet and secondly a novelist. Her use of language is so evocative and makes you stop and reread her beautiful prose over and over again. I found myself savouring every letter printed in this book.
Narratively, this book is fundamentally very dark in places - morbid in the protagonist's (Esther's) approach to life. And yet this was strangely comforting for me in places. I would be lying if I didn't say there were points in the novel that I related to, with the book feeling as if you're contained within the character's head - much like a person contained within a bell jar you could say. Therefore it feels as if Plath is just sometimes writing what most people think but don't say. It is also nice to read about a protagonist who initially seems to all her life in order, before it slowly crumbling away before her.
A criticism could be levelled that the novel lacks depth within the plot, basically just focusing on the psychology of one individual. However, I do think this works perfectly in unifying the protagonist and reader - seeing what she sees and hearing what she thinks.
I would love to reread this book again, at a less busy period, where I can dedicate time more regularly to devour this book once more. And who knows, maybe that will increase my already high valuation of this book even further.
Up there as an all-time favourite for me!
Graphic: Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Body horror
sorene_'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
3.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
Moderate: Infidelity, Death, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Sexual assault, and Fatphobia
Minor: Homophobia, Body shaming, Vomit, and Chronic illness
junglejelly's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Set in the 50s made it even more interesting, reading how much and little has changed for women, and mental health.
I would implore everyone to read this to better understand what a mental health illness can look like, or to understand your own mental health better.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Chronic illness, Fatphobia, and Medical content
jeanne24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
epiderma's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
maryamgo9909's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
ruthmoog's review
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Chronic illness and Infertility
Minor: Rape
esimplicity's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Death, Sexual content, and Racism
neviris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Blood, Chronic illness, Medical content, Sexual content, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, and Gore
beauvisseau's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Self harm, Medical trauma, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Forced institutionalization