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literaturewill's review against another edition
3.0
“the trouble was, i had been inadequate all along, i simply hadn't thought about it.”
would like to start off by saying that one can't simply discuss the literary discourse without pointing out the problematic aspects of it. as a woc, this book is straight up full of disgusting words/thoughts/actions that for me, put it in the not a 'required reading' unlike what many think of it.
just because it is of a certain era, as people like to state to defend the glaring racism, homophobia and fatphobia in the book, doesn't mean i'm supposed to turn a blind eye and only focus on the aspects i like.
that being said, i'm pretty sure something can't be a feminist read if it doesn't fulfill all criterias.
“the more hopeless you were, the further away they hid you.”
esther is an ambitious woman. she wants to achieve, she doesn't know exactly what but she works towards it relentlessly so it seems easy to her but it's because she has nothing else going on in her life.
she can't end this race to the 'something,' because if not that then what? she isn't getting joy out of them like she states. the last time she felt happy was when she was running on the beach with her father as a nine year old.
her very first act of acknowledging her declining mental health was when she moved into her mother's home and gave up on this personal ambition. she dropped out and couldn't even write a page to save the day. this resonated with me more than i'd like to admit...
“i was supposed to be having the time of my life.”
the writing gets dull at times but it is so engaging that it was hard to put down the book. her slowly descending to well... madness is to me, just as getting to know her more and more intimately.
i don't think she was any 'better,' at the very start. we just started to get to know her better and she became more vulnerable and got triggered more easily, that is probably why it seems like it escalated.
“i felt wise and cynical as all hell.”
i get the feminist aspect though, the protagonist is going through the struggle of trying to fit into one of the roles made up by the society for women to fit into. she has arranged her friends into the same but goes through a hard time picking one for herself.
esther makes some compelling cases but could never fit into any of the stereotypes she had in mind for women around her. maternal, sexual and intellectual.
her obsession with purity was infuriating at first but when you understand that this is a struggle that women go through, to this day, you understand how it's actually pretty realistic. (not to say i agree with any of her views. gag.)
at last, i'd like to add that the mirror scenes are disgusting and haunting. disgusting because of her views, haunting because of what they signify on the deeper level.
sad that the comparisons she draws between men and women are still prevalent and affecting women's lives negatively just as severely. so ig somehow maybe it is some kind of an 'advanced' literature but her prejudices put it years behind.
would like to start off by saying that one can't simply discuss the literary discourse without pointing out the problematic aspects of it. as a woc, this book is straight up full of disgusting words/thoughts/actions that for me, put it in the not a 'required reading' unlike what many think of it.
just because it is of a certain era, as people like to state to defend the glaring racism, homophobia and fatphobia in the book, doesn't mean i'm supposed to turn a blind eye and only focus on the aspects i like.
that being said, i'm pretty sure something can't be a feminist read if it doesn't fulfill all criterias.
“the more hopeless you were, the further away they hid you.”
esther is an ambitious woman. she wants to achieve, she doesn't know exactly what but she works towards it relentlessly so it seems easy to her but it's because she has nothing else going on in her life.
she can't end this race to the 'something,' because if not that then what? she isn't getting joy out of them like she states. the last time she felt happy was when she was running on the beach with her father as a nine year old.
her very first act of acknowledging her declining mental health was when she moved into her mother's home and gave up on this personal ambition. she dropped out and couldn't even write a page to save the day. this resonated with me more than i'd like to admit...
“i was supposed to be having the time of my life.”
the writing gets dull at times but it is so engaging that it was hard to put down the book. her slowly descending to well... madness is to me, just as getting to know her more and more intimately.
i don't think she was any 'better,' at the very start. we just started to get to know her better and she became more vulnerable and got triggered more easily, that is probably why it seems like it escalated.
“i felt wise and cynical as all hell.”
i get the feminist aspect though, the protagonist is going through the struggle of trying to fit into one of the roles made up by the society for women to fit into. she has arranged her friends into the same but goes through a hard time picking one for herself.
esther makes some compelling cases but could never fit into any of the stereotypes she had in mind for women around her. maternal, sexual and intellectual.
her obsession with purity was infuriating at first but when you understand that this is a struggle that women go through, to this day, you understand how it's actually pretty realistic. (not to say i agree with any of her views. gag.)
at last, i'd like to add that the mirror scenes are disgusting and haunting. disgusting because of her views, haunting because of what they signify on the deeper level.
sad that the comparisons she draws between men and women are still prevalent and affecting women's lives negatively just as severely. so ig somehow maybe it is some kind of an 'advanced' literature but her prejudices put it years behind.
brisk28's review against another edition
5.0
I could not have read this at a better time. For the first half of the book, I related maybe just a little too much. For the second half, I hope I never experience.
raye_charlie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
margaery's review against another edition
2.0
Majority of people are all praises on this book but I did not like it one bit. It made me sleepy. Twice I had to stop reading because I was very bored with it. I do not understand why such hype.
ksenianovikova's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
zzoemchh's review against another edition
5.0
I throughly enjoyed it. I can see the pieces that inspired bits of other works I’ve read. It was captivating and hard to put down. Overall, heartbreaking, insightful, and at times relatable. Must read for lost 20 something’s.
sashadeprez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rbharath's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I had heard of this book for its portrayal of mental illness since some time. This is different from what I expected – stark and exuding raw realism.
Esther Greenwood is a bright student, and yet struggling to form a lasting relationship and find purpose in life. She has a limited friend circle, primarily two girls her age – Doreen & Betsy. She had hoped to get married to Buddy Willard, but falls out with him after he confesses that he has had other relationships. The expectations of society continues to weigh on Esther, though she ventures into some adventures on and off. Esther’s motivation suffers a setback after she is not accepted at a writing course. A psychiatrist Dr Gordon recommends electroshock therapy, and if anything makes matters worse for Esther. She next goes to Dr Nolan, and this seems to work better for her. This is a period when Esther is obsessed with sexual discovery. She also meets with Joan, a college mate, who is battling her own demons.
Maybe, as a result of reading Matt Haig’s books; especially his “Reasons to Stay Alive” which describes his descent into mental illness, and coming out of it, I was a little surprised at this book. This is a good first-person account of what people battling mental illness go through. Though the book ends with a glimmer of hope for Esther, it is largely a relentless, frank (and somewhat dry but that exemplifies the mental state) narration of an extremely tough battle for her. That it is about mental health is an oversimplification though – it is about a person struggling to find purpose, self-esteem & identity, sexuality, coping with pressure to conform with societal norms and building relationships. All these feed to each other for Esther, creating a difficult knotted mental state which becomes hugely challenging to unravel. I found the track involved Joan to be curious – especially considering the way it ends, I found her character to be underdeveloped & behaviour poorly explained.
This is a brave book which makes a valuable contribution to understanding the mental state & stress afflicting many lives; and situations which feed to and make it worse. I feel though that there could have been more in-depth character & behaviour exploration. Unlike Matt Haig’s books, this is not uplifting, and could be triggering for those who are stressed. In “Reasons to Stay Alive”, Matt Haig mentions at one point that he was a few steps & a few minutes from taking his own life. We, as a society are still in our initial stages of learning about how we can empathize with and help those in such situations.
alice_b29's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, and Suicide