Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

55 reviews

bleuplein's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

insane book to read having no warnings of its contents (i forgot to check), good read and it reads quickly...gets rough about 100 pages in and doesnt stop from that point, left me sitting there for a while in a way that was somehow refreshing and reflective but also very dark, but that only lasted about an hour and then it just became a good book i wouldnt read through twice (only because of the content, it was written brilliantly otherwise)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Self harm, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

solitarylee's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

4.25

A well detailed and beautifully written tale of a woman facing deterioration. Although dark at times, the description of food and fashion is truly impeccable. Plath writes in a way that is so smooth, and makes you forget that you are reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Medical content, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

gesanollen's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

aimee_ls's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Eating disorder, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Drug use

grichmond's review against another edition

challenging dark relaxing sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Medical trauma

bluejayreads's review against another edition

I didn't know anything about this book going in, other than it was considered a classic and the author committed suicide. I picked it up mainly because it was a classic and it was immediately available at the library when I needed something to read to finish out the workday. 

It really wasn't horrible. I read nearly half of it. It was slow and entirely lacking an overarching plot, but there were enough things that happened that it didn't feel unreadably boring. (Of course, most of those things happening were negative things and Esther making decisions that I absolutely would not have made, but book characters aren't required to make the same decisions as me I guess.) There definitely was a distinct feeling of Esther having severe depression, but I didn't really get any of the "losing her mind" aspect of it, even nearly halfway through. 

Though I wouldn't call it boring, it wasn't exactly engaging either, and when I got to work the next day I decided to try something else. And then I read two books in a row (The Never Tilting World and Vita Nostra) that did "character descending into madness" so much better than The Bell Jar does, I couldn't find any desire to pick this one up again. It's not really a bad book, all things considered. It's just not to my personal taste and I found it not engaging enough to bother finishing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Vomit

Moderate: Drug use

laravo21's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-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: Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent and Racial slurs

gaiaa's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I mean... I had high expectations going into this, but tbh it didn't meet my expectations. Don't get me wrong the writing is so real, gripping and raw. Plath does a great job describing how metal illnesses can affect one's everyday life. From not being able to sleep, eat properly to not having the energy to do the hobbies you once had a burning passion for. In the beginning she has the dream life everyone wants, but she couldn't make herself feel the excitement everyone else was feeling. There were so many relatable quotes in it!! Also the mental hospital part and the nice doctor reminded me a lot of Murakami's Norwegian Wood and the friendly therapist there. I feel like Sylvia Plath did the same thing she wrote Esther wanted to do (wrote a book, with a mc that was actually her) Overall it was a good one, but the ending didn't feel right, i don't feel like i have gotten closure with Esther...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse

Minor: Rape

_charlottegrace's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is amazing. I wish Sylvia Plath wrote more novels because this one is so good. I read it in 2 days and it was really hard to put down. The way she writes is so unique and shows you why she gets so much recognition that she deserves. This is one of the first dark/emotional books about concerning mental health that I read and it’s what got me into that genre, well that and my seasonal depression. Anyways, this book is so good and should always be considered a classic, I mean after you finish it you can completely understand why it has been given the “classic” title. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Drug use

isobelros's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Minor: Drug use and Racism