A review by taulkstoomuch
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I can see why the content of the book makes it such a classic - the topics covered are definitely ahead of her time for Sylvia Plath. Finding out that a lot of the book was based on Plath's own life is distressing and a testament to the respect the book currently has.

However, the book was quite difficult to get into initially as there were no events occurring - we follow Esther Greenwood, and the first 100 or so pages are just her going through normal events of her life. I guess in some way, this exaggerates the dichotomy that is her life in the later chapters of the book... not particularly for me, but I can see why it is so revered. 
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