Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by fairytalerue
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
3.0
“to the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is a bad dream.”
oh...
i've avoided reading this for the last few years, out of fear that it would trigger me. today i impulsively got it from the library and binge read it, and don't get me wrong, it did trigger me. it was dark, and felt a bit too personal, and hit a bit too close to home. i've been inside of the bell jar, and understood esther to a terrifying degree.
yet, i don't regret reading it.
esther is not a likeable character-- on the contrary, she's one of the most unlikeable characters i've read about. despite that, this book held my attention. esther is different from any other protagonist i've read about. she's not "quirky" or "special", instead she is just like other girls, but maybe that's why she's so relatable.
ALSO CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE FIG TREE ANALOGY BECAUSE- AGHHHHH IT DESCRIBED EVERYTHING I FEEL
the content was dark, and i definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 16, no matter how mature they think themselves. there are some very disturbing scenes, and it shows very frankly what it's like being suicidal. it was terrifying for me to read it, even though i understood esther. i imagine that it would be much scarier to someone who has not dealt with mental illness.
i definitely don't think this would be safe for someone who is struggling to read. i'm in a much better mental state than i've been in in previous years, and even i struggled through this.
cw: quite a bit of talk around sex (non graphic though, for the most part), a sex scene that isn't really described, graphic suicide attempts and suicide ideation, graphic self harm, a rape scene (i skipped it so i'm not sure exactly how graphic it was), mild language, racism and ableism, graphic vomiting, underage drinking, and a successful suicide attempt by a side character
oh...
i've avoided reading this for the last few years, out of fear that it would trigger me. today i impulsively got it from the library and binge read it, and don't get me wrong, it did trigger me. it was dark, and felt a bit too personal, and hit a bit too close to home. i've been inside of the bell jar, and understood esther to a terrifying degree.
yet, i don't regret reading it.
esther is not a likeable character-- on the contrary, she's one of the most unlikeable characters i've read about. despite that, this book held my attention. esther is different from any other protagonist i've read about. she's not "quirky" or "special", instead she is just like other girls, but maybe that's why she's so relatable.
ALSO CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE FIG TREE ANALOGY BECAUSE- AGHHHHH IT DESCRIBED EVERYTHING I FEEL
the content was dark, and i definitely wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 16, no matter how mature they think themselves. there are some very disturbing scenes, and it shows very frankly what it's like being suicidal. it was terrifying for me to read it, even though i understood esther. i imagine that it would be much scarier to someone who has not dealt with mental illness.
i definitely don't think this would be safe for someone who is struggling to read. i'm in a much better mental state than i've been in in previous years, and even i struggled through this.
cw: quite a bit of talk around sex (non graphic though, for the most part), a sex scene that isn't really described