Reviews

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

peppersdr's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Absolute heat this book was exceptional and I have cried over the fig tree metaphor too many times to count I am Esther she is me and my god this book is so real.

k80harms's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

allisongoldbeck's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

christinahernandez's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

liv_tir's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

the_savannahhumphrey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rio_moore's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katiesphone's review against another edition

Totally miserable! A good read.

sylkeberloo's review against another edition

dark funny sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ladygodivas's review against another edition

4.0

do not read this if you're mentally and emotionally unstable. please proceed with caution.

this is my third time reading this book and it hits harder every time. sylvia plath wrote such raw descriptions of people, crystal clear emotions, and somewhat accurate bouts of insanity.

i must say as someone suffering from bipolar disorder, i could relate a lot to most of esther greenwood's experiences with mental illness. it's actually so scary how some parts are almost the same as what i'm experiencing while reading it. i felt seen and heard and understood.

it's such a shame plath only published one novel. she was a gem and i really think she could have shed more light on mental illness in the literary world.