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dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first thing I will say is that the author’s racism bleeds into the narrative and spoils the book, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth. It’s hard to look past this, and to those who may think it a element of the time, consider there are many classics where this doesn’t happen and many where there are beautiful commentaries on race.
For the actual story, I found myself connecting with the main character in our shared past of being an academic who only seemed to do well in academics and was lost in purpose otherwise. Wanting to be a writer and not feeling talented enough to write. Wanting to be a student more because you do the studying well and less because you want to move forward in the pathway. I resonated with that feeling of lostness and inadequacy.
The feminist commentary was interesting, although simple. I hadn’t expected it from the time period, especially its freeness surrounding sexuality and especially as someone who has the most experience with the purist and precious culture of the romance genre.
The narrative was intriguing but lulled toward the end. Perhaps it was due to my bitterness toward the author’s racial bias, but I found myself relatively bored with it at the end.
Overall, this was a good read, but certainly not a favorite.
For the actual story, I found myself connecting with the main character in our shared past of being an academic who only seemed to do well in academics and was lost in purpose otherwise. Wanting to be a writer and not feeling talented enough to write. Wanting to be a student more because you do the studying well and less because you want to move forward in the pathway. I resonated with that feeling of lostness and inadequacy.
The feminist commentary was interesting, although simple. I hadn’t expected it from the time period, especially its freeness surrounding sexuality and especially as someone who has the most experience with the purist and precious culture of the romance genre.
The narrative was intriguing but lulled toward the end. Perhaps it was due to my bitterness toward the author’s racial bias, but I found myself relatively bored with it at the end.
Overall, this was a good read, but certainly not a favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
dark
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
I felt like I was reading a biography about myself. Despite being published over 50 years ago, Plath’s work continues to capture the experience of chronic depression and psychiatric hospitalization. She put into words what we cannot, all the while bearing the same burden herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical trauma
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
An interesting reflective into the life of Sylvia Plath.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape
dark
emotional
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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Racial slurs, Self harm, Blood
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book can be a triggering for those who have experienced self harm and suicidal ideation. I appreciated it though—I feel like no one completely sane could’ve written this and she conveyed these feelings and thought processes so well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-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
2.5/5
Man take a seat for this one.. I have opinions.
I’m extremely conflicted about this book. It’s hard to rate. It’s well written and there are some very relatable passages (the famous fig tree one of course) but I can’t in good conscience give this anything higher than a 2.5/5 for several reasons.
I read this book because it was touted as an “important piece of feminist literature” what people fail to acknowledge when brining up this book is how wildly racist the main character is.
Ester is so extremely racist that any sympathy I feel for her flies out the window the moment she speaks. If you really want to make the argument, you could argue that every racist thought Ester holds is due to her massive amounts of insecurity and major depression coloring her perspective of everyone around her. It isn’t just racism, she attacks everyone in this book due to her own inadequacy and depression. But that doesn’t mean I have to excuse her as a character
I constantly had this conversation when discussing this book “oh it’s a product of the time” “oh you can’t read this with a modern lenses” which if I could be frank here, is bullshit. There’s plenty of books around this time period that aren’t this blatantly racist. I think it’s important that if you’re going to prop this up on a pedestal as a “feminist classic” it’s really important that we look at Sylvia Plath with a critical lenses, especially with modern feminism. It’s a significant book for female writers sure, but let’s not ignore the blatant racism and ignore how WOC feel about this book, especially in feminist spaces where often white feminist fail to acknowledge WOC and how they feel, especially with how they deal with racism, as well as sexism.
If you gave me this book 5 years ago before I was self aware of my own mental health issues. This would’ve been my favorite book. But now as a woman almost in my 30’s, I found this book to be extremely self indulgent. Anything relatable and sympathetic I felt for Ester left me whenever she spoke and I felt empty and detached from her when reading this entire book. Not saying you can’t have unreliable and flawed female characters, but this one I just couldn’t stand.
Man take a seat for this one.. I have opinions.
I’m extremely conflicted about this book. It’s hard to rate. It’s well written and there are some very relatable passages (the famous fig tree one of course) but I can’t in good conscience give this anything higher than a 2.5/5 for several reasons.
I read this book because it was touted as an “important piece of feminist literature” what people fail to acknowledge when brining up this book is how wildly racist the main character is.
Ester is so extremely racist that any sympathy I feel for her flies out the window the moment she speaks. If you really want to make the argument, you could argue that every racist thought Ester holds is due to her massive amounts of insecurity and major depression coloring her perspective of everyone around her. It isn’t just racism, she attacks everyone in this book due to her own inadequacy and depression. But that doesn’t mean I have to excuse her as a character
I constantly had this conversation when discussing this book “oh it’s a product of the time” “oh you can’t read this with a modern lenses” which if I could be frank here, is bullshit. There’s plenty of books around this time period that aren’t this blatantly racist. I think it’s important that if you’re going to prop this up on a pedestal as a “feminist classic” it’s really important that we look at Sylvia Plath with a critical lenses, especially with modern feminism. It’s a significant book for female writers sure, but let’s not ignore the blatant racism and ignore how WOC feel about this book, especially in feminist spaces where often white feminist fail to acknowledge WOC and how they feel, especially with how they deal with racism, as well as sexism.
If you gave me this book 5 years ago before I was self aware of my own mental health issues. This would’ve been my favorite book. But now as a woman almost in my 30’s, I found this book to be extremely self indulgent. Anything relatable and sympathetic I felt for Ester left me whenever she spoke and I felt empty and detached from her when reading this entire book. Not saying you can’t have unreliable and flawed female characters, but this one I just couldn’t stand.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt
Minor: Biphobia, Lesbophobia
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt