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jo961blue's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this short story! It is also rather encouraging (as a writer) to think that Path had this story rejected! Thank goodness it was preserved!
sincerelydebi's review against another edition
The thing is…
this was honestly nothing special, but I loved it.
It’s also my first Sylvia Plath book.
There’s all this hype surrounding it because she wrote this as a teenager in college.
Actually, I guess it was a big deal back then so nvm lol.
For those of you that have had the pleasure of actually hearing me talk, y’all know I’m a rambler.
I have examples for days.
More often than not, you will almost always be confused until the end.
That’s what this book was for me.
I already know I’m a writer, but this book reminded me that I’m also a storyteller.
I’m not giving a “review” because to understand the point of this extremely short (one chapter if you can even call it that) story, you must read it.
bridgefour's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
tylerluvspsychofiction's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, Grief, and Deportation
thebookhito's review against another edition
4.0
I gave it a three and a half, but I always round to the larger number here.
I will not discuss spoilers here either, but I will say that this book might leave you feeling unsatisfied.
To be fair, the book is really just a short story published in book format. It’s a good story, and one of the earlier ones by Plath from what I’ve read.
Separating her poetry from her fiction is rather difficult because so much of it overlays. She has fantastic writing, but in the sense of this story it seemed like she needed to spend a little more time honing the characters and the setting. Both were described beautifully, but only briefly. It’s like looking through a peephole and seeing a lush garden that stretches to the horizon. You know there is more there, but you can only see so much. That’s how I feel with this book. I loved the ideas and where she was going with it, but I don’t think they were fulfilled.
I would definitely recommend it to someone if only for a small introduction of Plath’s writing style. But I would stress not to judge everything she wrote by this. This is merely an experiment it seems.
I will not discuss spoilers here either, but I will say that this book might leave you feeling unsatisfied.
To be fair, the book is really just a short story published in book format. It’s a good story, and one of the earlier ones by Plath from what I’ve read.
Separating her poetry from her fiction is rather difficult because so much of it overlays. She has fantastic writing, but in the sense of this story it seemed like she needed to spend a little more time honing the characters and the setting. Both were described beautifully, but only briefly. It’s like looking through a peephole and seeing a lush garden that stretches to the horizon. You know there is more there, but you can only see so much. That’s how I feel with this book. I loved the ideas and where she was going with it, but I don’t think they were fulfilled.
I would definitely recommend it to someone if only for a small introduction of Plath’s writing style. But I would stress not to judge everything she wrote by this. This is merely an experiment it seems.
shhhiva's review against another edition
4.0
when reading a short story, sometimes the story and plot feels unfinished, or simply just too short. but this one is very solid. i know its a good one when the author knew exactly what it wanted to delivered & achieved, or simply when the story is over but i feel very satisfied with it.
surreal, eerie, intriguing. this book has implicit meaning & symbolism towards the end, bringing about immediate investment in the character of Mary and the woman. overall, a wonderful short story that keeps me invested.
4.25/5
surreal, eerie, intriguing. this book has implicit meaning & symbolism towards the end, bringing about immediate investment in the character of Mary and the woman. overall, a wonderful short story that keeps me invested.
4.25/5
maryannrogers's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure if I should include this book in my reading challenge as it took like ~15 minutes to read. A compelling story, especially within the context of Plath’s life.