Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

216 reviews

luckyonesoph's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-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

3.25

girlhood is fucked up!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual violence, Racism, and Vomit

empirerecords1995's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Misogyny, and Mental illness

Minor: Xenophobia and Racism

oscarwildewhore's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Chronic illness, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Suicide

s_ketchum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Plath is a brilliant & detailed writer. She eases the reader into the certain insanity that descends upon the protagonist. As someone who has struggled with mental health myself, I could relate to the protagonist in her explanation of numb thought. This will be a book I will come back to time & again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Minor: Cursing, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny

vonya45's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.5

A gorgeous story that is at once hard to listen to, incredibly validating and sometimes surprisingly funny. The way Plath writes with a blend of matter-of-factness and poetic imagery is a treat, made even better by Maggie Gyllenhaal's perfect reading of the audiobook. But the real heart of the novel is its depiction of depression and the image of the bell jar, suffocating its inhabitant while distorting the surrounding world. I'm sure plenty of us can see some hints of our own experiences in these descriptions. It feels like talking to someone who feels the same way, you do but they finally put the feeling into words you couldn't find. Even the non-linear structure, which can sometimes be distracting or confusing, aids the feeling of being lost in the murky grayness of a depressed person's mind, recalling memories at random and spiraling in on itself with no hold on reality. As such, it might be a really bad book choice for someone who is not doing well mentally, especially once you know how Sylvia's own life ended after the book's final warning that the bell jar may return. For me, it was a heavy read but with enough wit and humor and style to keep from getting pulled down. I'm very glad I finally read this masterpiece.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Racism

Moderate: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Misogyny

Minor: Death of parent

itsbrianascall's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Medical content, Grief, Racism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Death, and Death of parent

elmyhelmos's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Self harm, and Misogyny

sashabaker177's review against another edition

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

5.0

This book lulls you into a false sense of security. Esther initially seems sardonic, judgemental and disconnected as she spends the summer in New York, but her thoughts become increasingly dark and her narration appears ever less reliable. The final act is a terrifying and viscerally detailed portrayal of mid-century mental healthcare. Knowing the author's fate the ending feels ominous rather than hopeful. My only criticism of the book would be that at times the character expresses racist and homophobic sentiments, which later on in the book feel integrated with her break with reality, but earlier on at times feel like the author's prejudices seeping through. To be expected with a book this old, but nonetheless a little jarring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Vomit, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, and Medical trauma

Minor: Chronic illness, Gore, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

haileyeh's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, Violence, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Sexual content, Misogyny, Vomit, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Medical content, and Fatphobia

samcsmith's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Alcohol, Body shaming, Vomit, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment