Reviews

Ariel by Sylvia Plath

erinastin's review against another edition

Idk man. It was poetry….

isthisalice's review against another edition

4.0

Many descriptions of fat babies and fruit.

itskindana's review against another edition

5.0

mi madre es esta mujer.

its_hanya's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

swunderful's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

haikeymaire's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

abi22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad

4.75

esme_d's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

brnineworms's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

3.5

“The world is blood-hot and personal”

I picked up this book because I was vaguely familiar with Sylvia Plath through cultural osmosis but had never actually read her work, and I wanted to change that.

I’m not sure what to make of this collection. There were a few poems I liked (“Tulips,” “Berck-Plage,” “Paralytic”) but others seemed... jumbled? I’m not sure if that’s the right word.

There’s a dreamlike quality in Plath’s writing, evoking imagery mostly by naming colours, which is enough to establish the location or the mood but then I’d feel a bit lost. I felt like I never quite got what she was gesturing at; I know she was a writer and I know she was abused and I know she killed herself, but I didn’t know her, so the deeply personal nature of many of these poems made it difficult for me to grasp her meaning.

CONTENT WARNINGS: death, suicide, injury, blood, racism 

nawarafra's review against another edition

slow-paced

1.0

Maybe my expectations for Sylvia Plath’s poetry were too high, but this was absolutely grueling to get through. These were my favourite poems: Tulips, The Jailor, The Night Dances, Gulliver, The Rival, and Stings.