Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

1057 reviews

fruitsaladsk's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

The story on it’s own was good, very interesting and reflective, quite relatable. Though there were a lot of blatantly racist moments that were quite off putting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Racism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Racial slurs

maddyhavranek's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense 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

4.0

This book was very interesting and I had to constantly remind myself that the time period of this book was so different from modern day -- as such, many of the topics discussed were novel for the time. I thought this book was really interesting and took an interesting look into the roles of women in society and I appreciated that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

picnicatthehangingtree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Docking .25 stars for the racism and homophobia. Otherwise this is a near perfect book for me, I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I think 25 was a really good age to read it at - that feeling of not knowing what the future holds and having to make your way forward despite all the uncertainty really hit for me. This is such an incredible portrait of life with depression, but with such a hopeful ending for a path moving forward whilst holding space for it as a part of you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Ableism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Sexual content, Classism, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy

bondenj's review

sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

thorney's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Mental illness, and Suicide

Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexual content, Racial slurs, and Racism

beccajreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

star_lost_fairy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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

2.75

It reads very easily but I did't get the intention behind the book, to me it felt very empty. Had it been more of a social commentary I think I wiuld have liked it more but it was cery supwrficial on a lot topics so I don't know what to think about it. For me it's not a memorable book. 

Also there is a very long list of trigger warning, I put all the ones I remembered in my post.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Sexism, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, and Alcohol

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Classism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

kisa_044's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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

2.75

I found Esther to be really annoying. I didn't care for any of the characters.
The only thing I found good was the language as it was kind of poetic. But other than that I don't understand why it became such a known and classic book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

mermaidread's review

challenging 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Self harm

Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs