Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

1096 reviews

natalie_jnm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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

5.0

PLATH’S DESCRIPTIVE PROWESS IS UNMATCHED

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicide

evemlacey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this novel. It's certainly a classic, and I can see why. I'm glad I read this as a teenager because when I'm older I can look back on it and review my thoughts.

If I could pick three words to describe this novel, I would say moody, feminist, and abstract. It follows events in the life of Esther Greenwood, who struggles with her mental health and life in general. You follow her in this dreamy, almost unreal state of mind throughout the book. It is quite dark and it's probably not suitable for people who get triggered easily.

This was an intellectual, thought-provoking read and I'll be on the lookout for similar books in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Self harm, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content

eva_vva's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Confinement, Medical trauma, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Self harm

Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, and Sexism

Minor: Abandonment, Infertility, Drug use, Racial slurs, and Body shaming

nightisareader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I’ll divide this review into two sections: one that I’m clear on, and the second that confuses the hell out of me.
Section one:
What I absolutely adored about this book is the stream of consciousness writing style. It was neatly tied together and everything found its end nicely. The vocabulary was a bit meh but I guess it works. The book was quite... American? I don’t know honestly, I’m too Asian  for it probably so, reading things like “...he was trying to prove he could be aesthetic...” had me cringe just a little bit. But that’s on me haha. The characters were realistic, the events as well, without any... poetic layer. Yeah, let’s call it that.
Oh and the lovely analogies! I did wish they were explained a bit more but it’s fine, I guess, since the tone of the book was not complimentary to huge descriptions that creep up your body and gently sink themselves into your skin. 

Section two:
Now this part is about Esther herself and do I like her character or not? The answer WAS a big fat no but then she sorta grew on me but I still dislike her. Why? There I’m a bit lost; not completely though. The girl was racist and hateful. My friend pointed out that being hateful is a depression thing which lead to an odd question where even now I’m wondering if her racism and hate is justified by her mental condition but I’m choosing to not ponder over it for too long.

Overall, the book is a tiny bit overhyped but it has its charms.
One thing though, I do not know what kind of readers I would recommend this to because for some it would be triggering, for some unrelatable, and I’m a tiny bit concerned for those who do find it relatable (minus the cracks that let in the light of hope)
What I will say is that if you pick up the book, make sure you learn from her, not the methods to succumb but the methods to survive in the bell jar.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Drug abuse, Blood, Racism, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

meilanon's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Moderate: Racism

lil_2102's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

ronyareadsbooks's review against another edition

reflective 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

3.0

This book would’ve been better if it wasn’t for the racism. I understand that it was written a while ago but the language used in the story has not aged well and sadly destroyed me being able to enjoy reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Fatphobia, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexism

clary0402's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Death

Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, and Incest

ttheamaria's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

fleuronterrobang's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

It is important you understand that reading the Bell Jar was a heavy experience. Sylvia Plath is a brilliant writer and her visceral descriptions in this book kept me glued to the page through its most difficult scenes, but indeed these scenes were dark. You will feel uncomfortable, but it is meant to be uncomfortable; you will be confronted with the bleakness of depression and the unfairness of society towards women, and sometimes the unexpected show of Plath's wit. But I do think that it will have been worth it.

From a personal perspective -- I'm not even Esther's age yet. It feels silly of me to talk about myself here because whatever suffering I've ever gone through has never been as despairing as hers, but even then I felt like I could have felt and said the very things happening on paper. Will I too find myself feeling pulled apart by the expectations of others and lost in what exactly I want to do? Will I too find that I can't approach my life with whatever enthusiasm I once had? It certainly feels like that sometimes. The Bell Jar is a reminder that I am not alone. 

I'm honestly not sure what to rate this book (it's really my first time rating books) but I'll say I loved it. Overall, a great read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Racism, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault