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curatoriallyyours's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit
nervouslynerdy'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
3.5
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Misogyny
oatmylk'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, and Suicide
misialoch'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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
lucia_amabile'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: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
goth_cowboy'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
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny, Self harm, and Forced institutionalization
kaylenperezslove's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Pregnancy
libbyb'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
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Rape, and Blood
bookspace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
amehlia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Personally, I don’t find Esther a very likeable character but that didn’t stop me from sympathising with her throughout the book. Perhaps this was the case because I recognised some of her thoughts and thinking patterns as my own when I was in my late teens, and I’m not particularly fond of that version of myself either. She can be judgemental and cruel, but part of this is because of what she’s going through. Her character taught me a lot about myself and how mental health can affect other people, not just the person suffering.
Plath also challenges sexist notions of women’s place in society and how alienating it could be as a woman to feel like you didn’t “fit the mould” of what a woman “should” be, e.g if you were a woman that didn’t want children or didn’t want to get married. I think the importance of these themes is somewhat lost reading this book now (depending on where in the world you are, of course) which perhaps explains why some readers may not engage with or enjoy it as much. Knowing what happened to Plath just three weeks after this book was published, it feels like she was documenting all of her grievances with the world before she left it behind.
All of this said, there are occasional racist passages and characterisations in the book. Where non-white characters are introduced, they are not depicted in a favourable light. Esther often refers to herself as being of another ethnicity when she’s sick or tired, which seems to suggest she views other ethnicities as uglier or less than her. Whilst this isn’t necessarily surprising for the time it’s obviously not excusable, so I’m changing my review from 5⭐️ to 4⭐️.
Overall, still a hard-hitting book 5 years after I originally read it. Scarily relatable, sometimes upsetting, and an insight into the way mental illness can take ahold and affect someone so deeply and profoundly.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Lesbophobia