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ralbee0320's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization
andotherworlds's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 //
“I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet."
This was beautiful. This as in the writing really. There were so many perfect moments within this book which felt as if they were meant to be quoted years later. With that being said, something about this didn’t completely sit with me. I wish I could identify what my issue with it is, but I am quite stumped. I tend to adore character based books featuring complex characters who are certainly not well. However, something about this book didn’t impact me as much as the rest. I’ll keep thinking on it until hopefully I know where my qualms rest but until then I will remain confused leaving behind a 3.5 rating.
“I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet."
This was beautiful. This as in the writing really. There were so many perfect moments within this book which felt as if they were meant to be quoted years later. With that being said, something about this didn’t completely sit with me. I wish I could identify what my issue with it is, but I am quite stumped. I tend to adore character based books featuring complex characters who are certainly not well. However, something about this book didn’t impact me as much as the rest. I’ll keep thinking on it until hopefully I know where my qualms rest but until then I will remain confused leaving behind a 3.5 rating.
aaaahhhhh's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
4.5
giugiu25's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
outcolder's review against another edition
5.0
At first, I was like, why was I so scared of this book? It’s funny as hell! A bit like that teevee show “Girls” but in “Mad Men” time... I was really laughing out loud a lot... but then she punches a rapist in the nose and gets away from him and that is the turning point. The back of my copy has this blurb that talks about a slow descent into depression, but it isn’t really is it? Even if Plath herself saw it as a slow descent, that isn’t really right, is it? This Marcus tries to rape her, and then she has a Major Depressive Episode... the next third or so of the book is a string of suicide attempts that actually — and I don’t mean to be cruel, I think it’s Plath’s intent — actually are also kind of funny... the way a depressed person can have thoughts like ‘I am so useless, I can’t even commit suicide properly... I think she means for us to read the suicide attempts and smirk and think “pathetic” ... then comes the treatment. Here she is in a horrible misogynistic world and then to make matters worse, the psychotherapy is also horrible: shock treatment, insulin, ugh... the certain knowledge that every woman in that private hospital is there because she won’t conform to the narrow, dark tunnel the men have prepared for them... there is Willard for example who asks her if there is something about him that makes women suicidal, and the answer is actually yes, but it’s not something special about Willard, it’s everything all the men are doing to keep everything so shitty for all the women. There is way way way more to this awesome book than I have babbled here, but that’s all I want to say for now.
bek_tess's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
moniquejorio's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
I loved this book so much, I went into it completely blind except for the short synopsis on the back. From start to finish I loved every second of it, Esther is so real and every thought she had (except for the racist and body shaming ones) were too relatable. She was mean when she needed to be and nice when she wanted to be. I feel for her and again I didn’t know how the suicide attempt would make me feel since I was already kind of in a bad place myself, but reading it didn’t affect me in such a negative I thought it would. Yes it was dark but it was so so graphic. Only parts that made me feel weird and icky were the self harm parts. Made me feel like I was in the book feeling it myself and it freaked me out I had to put the book down but I guess that just showed how great of a writer Sylvia is. 4.75 stars cause I really enjoyed just had to put some of them away cause of the white feminism and blatant racism in the book :’(