Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

476 reviews

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Title: The Bell Jar
Author: Sylvia Plath
Genre: Classic
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: 1963

T H R E E β€’ W O R D S

Reflective β€’ Depressing β€’ Sensitive

πŸ“– S Y N O P S I S

Esther wins her dream assignment at a big-time New York fashion magazine yet soon finds herself thrust into a nightmare. The Bell Jar is an autobiographical account of Sylvia Plath's own mental breakdown and suicide attempt.

πŸ’­ T H O U G H T S

Another classic I picked up because it has been recommended so many times I have lost count. I thought it start out good, but part way through it kind of lost me. What I did really appreciate was the exploration of mental health, especially for the time period it was written in. There is also no denying it is incredibly written and deeply personal.

I know The Bell Jar holds a very special place in the hearts of many and in the world of literature as a whole, and I can appreciate its value. I just didn't enjoy my own personal reading experience. Maybe if I'd have read it during the time it was written my reading journey would have been different. Regardless, I do see this as a very important piece of literature worth reading and discussing.

πŸ“š R E C O M M E N D β€’ T O
β€’ classic lovers

πŸ”– F A V O U R I T E β€’ Q U O T E S

"If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed."

"Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace." 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

i don’t understand why people rate this book so highly. it wasnt as revolutionary as its so made out to be. idk may b i am simple minded or its just pretentious bull shit. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I'm not sure what I was thinking going into this. Of course, I had heard about the Bell Jar before and I was aware of Sylvia Plath but it was different. I kept picking it up and putting it down, I started it properly last night and finished it this evening. Part of me wanted to know but the other part would've been just as happy putting this book back on my shelf and never coming back.

I didn't like Esther at all and yet I could see myself in some parts of her. The girl, the adult unsure about her future and of the different paths it could've gone and yet I didn't predict the path it took. Perhaps that's a good thing.
 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

so esther's a certified lesbian and also a femcel

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark funny reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

i chose to read this for an assignment in my ap literature class. i usually enjoy books with mental health as a major theme and i definitely enjoyed this. 

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