Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

1168 reviews

alexrobinsonsupergenius's review against another edition

3.75

dark funny sad 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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Classism

anikaph's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt

helenaps99's review against another edition

2.75

dark emotional reflective 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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma

evasurlafalaise's review against another edition

5.0

dark sad

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Relecture et encore mieux que la première fois, ce livre m’accompagnera tout le reste de ma vie c’est certain

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide attempt

cyrussolaris's review against another edition

4.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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The fig tree analogy kidnapped me, threw me in the trunk of its car. ran over said car with a monster truck, and then tossed the wreckage into the Mariana Trench. Great read that gives insight into the uncertainty of life, especially as a young woman, and the distorted views of the world that can lead to. One girl’s struggle with her place in the world and what she’ll do with her life accompanied by her experience in an asylum and receiving electroshock therapy. However, the ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied with how abrupt and open-ended it was. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt

elove13's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Alcohol

Minor: Fatphobia

gregory_glover's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Plath has a wicked—and wickedly funny—sense of humor.  The subject matter is difficult and some of the passages excruciating.  It is definitely worth reading and I am sorry it has taken me so long to pick it up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt

smitha_r's review against another edition

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This is a very relatable and well written book, don't get me wrong. But

her slow unravelling once she's rejected from her course after the internship finishes was not good for my own mental health unfortunately. I felt like I was slipping into depression and suicide ideation alongside her, so NOPE NOPE NOPE.

I will hopefully come back to this if/when I'm in a better mindspace. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Medical content, Classism

Minor: Racism, Antisemitism

am193's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional sad 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: Yes

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I enjoyed this book. There is a lot of humour, particularly in the first third, despite how sad it is as a whole. I think the experience of feeling lost in your 20s is still relatable, even if intricacies of the story aren’t. It is very much a book that reflects the views of the era. However there are some very dark, and graphic portions that should be approached with caution. 

I wouldn’t recommend this book for people who prefer plot driven stories - it more so follows a year in the characters life than specific events and their consequences. This writing style is indicative of Plath being a poet, and the story being a vehicle for a message. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide

lolra's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail