Reviews with content warning for Self harm - The Bell Jar

Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

1169 reviews

satvrnreads's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Content Warnings

booksandmoe's review against another edition

4.0

This is a complicated rating for me as in one hand I was not fully invested in the plot and didn’t really care about any of the characters, but in the other hand it was fascinating to read of Esther’s descent into depression and eventually being institutionalised.

It’s beautifully written, and some passages are among the most moving I’ve ever read, however it’s also a novel of its time and has some very misogynistic, racist and homophobic rhetoric.

Additionally, there are some graphic references to SA, suicidal thoughts and acts of suicide , if you are sensitive to any of those topics I would approach this one with caution.

All in all I can see why this is a modern classic and is definitely a great novel to analyse and dissect

Content Warnings

caitlin17's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

Content Warnings

joe_lan08's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

georgie_libby_m's review against another edition

5.0

dark funny reflective 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

Content Warnings

jkandert2's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

wrennyx's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I think that Sylvia Plath’s portrayal of the struggle with mental illness was beautifully done. Her writing is blunt, straightforward and hard-hitting, and thus the novel expresses sensitive topics very directly.
I particularly loved the fig analogy and the symbol of the bell jar to represent the experience of mental illness.

Content Warnings

sjhonarvar's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark reflective sad 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 really struggled with how to rate & review this—I’ve never had such complicated, heavy feelings about a book, honestly. I understand now why this is such a masterpiece, but I also understand why my friends begged me not to read it (lol sorry girls). I feel like I needed this, but it also kept me up at night & made me feel a lil crazy. The duality goes so crazy on this one, fr. Also, Sylvia—the racism is a big no from me (it really took away from my experience of the book). Final thought is that the fig tree will live rent-free in my mind for the rest of my days. Wowie wow wow.

Content Warnings