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sometimesinap's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
3.5
I would recommend this book. Oddly, I felt connected with the beginning of the book and how Esther felt. It was eye opening. Seeing her journey throughout the novel was an interesting view as an outsider who understood her previous thoughts.
henni22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lilyjeal's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
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
gemarky's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
yveningstar's review against another edition
2.0
this is a classic “feminist" book that follows a story of a depressed white woman named esther greenwood.
i remember excitedly picking up this book last year because i’ve heard lots of good things about it, saying it's an iconic feminist literature ahead of its time. it was also most often featured being read by white women in western shows (like kat stratford & rory gilmore) and was praised by mentally ill teenagers for its depiction of female rage and feminism.
what they did not tell me was that this is a “feminist" piece of literary work solely for white women. and that it was both racist and homophobic.
last year, not even ten pages in, i had to close the book because of its shocking, blatant racism. now i’ve just simply decided i shouldn't be a pussy and proceeded to read this book for two reasons: so i can safely justify my distaste for this work and just so i can cross it off my list.
well after finishing it i think i can already say that i hate it:))
now, of course i am not going to say that and refuse to admit that this book has very beautiful writing; there was a passage in this book where the narrator talked about the the infamous fig tree and i think that was my most favorite part of the book because it just so perfectly encapsulates the anxieties and the pressure that fall upon the shoulders of women in their 20s. i will also say how in some cases, if i just forget for a little while that the main protagonist is a privileged white woman who had access to help, that this has a very honest depiction of depression. it was all so real, and i know that just resonated to everyone who's going through the same thing.
but there were just tons of occurrences of racism all throughout the book that was impossible to look away from – they were blatant, they were on purpose, and they were harmful. i do understand the historical context in which this was written, but that doesn’t make this book inexcusable. it wasn't just sylvia plath writing offensive terms, it was her actually going out of her way writing harmful stereotypes and mockery about the other races !
while i understand the importance of this book for women (who are white, but still women nonetheless) during the time it was written i think this does not deserve to be as popular as it is right now, and be continuously praised for its “contribution” to feminism when there are much better books out there that are not white-women focused and absolutely not racist. i just hate – HATE – that this book is famous for its “feminism” when it's against what we should stand for – intersectionality !
it just makes me feel extremely bitter of how racist books like this can easily rise to fame and gain attention for its ‘feminism’ when it’s nowhere even close. i hate the attention the media gives to harmful literary works like this because it takes away the spotlight from the actual feminist books that truly matter.
if u wanna read a feminist book with a feminist woman as a main character there are plenty of other options:D u can take this off ur tbr
i remember excitedly picking up this book last year because i’ve heard lots of good things about it, saying it's an iconic feminist literature ahead of its time. it was also most often featured being read by white women in western shows (like kat stratford & rory gilmore) and was praised by mentally ill teenagers for its depiction of female rage and feminism.
what they did not tell me was that this is a “feminist" piece of literary work solely for white women. and that it was both racist and homophobic.
last year, not even ten pages in, i had to close the book because of its shocking, blatant racism. now i’ve just simply decided i shouldn't be a pussy and proceeded to read this book for two reasons: so i can safely justify my distaste for this work and just so i can cross it off my list.
well after finishing it i think i can already say that i hate it:))
now, of course i am not going to say that and refuse to admit that this book has very beautiful writing; there was a passage in this book where the narrator talked about the the infamous fig tree and i think that was my most favorite part of the book because it just so perfectly encapsulates the anxieties and the pressure that fall upon the shoulders of women in their 20s. i will also say how in some cases, if i just forget for a little while that the main protagonist is a privileged white woman who had access to help, that this has a very honest depiction of depression. it was all so real, and i know that just resonated to everyone who's going through the same thing.
but there were just tons of occurrences of racism all throughout the book that was impossible to look away from – they were blatant, they were on purpose, and they were harmful. i do understand the historical context in which this was written, but that doesn’t make this book inexcusable. it wasn't just sylvia plath writing offensive terms, it was her actually going out of her way writing harmful stereotypes and mockery about the other races !
while i understand the importance of this book for women (who are white, but still women nonetheless) during the time it was written i think this does not deserve to be as popular as it is right now, and be continuously praised for its “contribution” to feminism when there are much better books out there that are not white-women focused and absolutely not racist. i just hate – HATE – that this book is famous for its “feminism” when it's against what we should stand for – intersectionality !
it just makes me feel extremely bitter of how racist books like this can easily rise to fame and gain attention for its ‘feminism’ when it’s nowhere even close. i hate the attention the media gives to harmful literary works like this because it takes away the spotlight from the actual feminist books that truly matter.
if u wanna read a feminist book with a feminist woman as a main character there are plenty of other options:D u can take this off ur tbr
gbeach's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A compact and evocative book. Intensely detailed and sweeps through events. The narrative voice is extremely vivid and controlled. Many beautiful lines
mruiz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
notenoughpancakes's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
3.0
chalsanyo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-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
4.0