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siobhanward 's review for:
Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath
by Heather Clark
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
NYT Notable Books 2021: 27/100
Maybe I should start this review out by acknowledging that I'm not a fan of Plath, and wasn't before reading this either. I read <i> The Bell Jar </i> a few years ago and thought it was decent, but not the incredible, life-changing work that people make it out to be. This biography made me feel vindicated for thinking that Plath is overrated and far from a feminist icon.
Obviously, a great deal of this biography comes from Plath's letters and diaries, and obviously you'll be more candid in those than in other places, but man does Plath seem impossible to be around. Nothing is ever good enough for her, and no one is ever good enough for her. Beyond that, she's incredibly cruel. For a feminist author, she spent a great deal of time hating other women and insulting them in her work: spinsters, women who've had abortions, infertile women. She's also awful to and about everyone she loved. Maybe if you love Plath this is a great read, but to me it was an overly-long account of a cruel and miserable woman who thought she was much better than she actually was. She had a hard life, with severe mental illness and people who betrayed her, but at times it's hard to sympathize with her while reading this, and over 45 hours of listening it can get really draining.
Maybe I should start this review out by acknowledging that I'm not a fan of Plath, and wasn't before reading this either. I read <i> The Bell Jar </i> a few years ago and thought it was decent, but not the incredible, life-changing work that people make it out to be. This biography made me feel vindicated for thinking that Plath is overrated and far from a feminist icon.
Obviously, a great deal of this biography comes from Plath's letters and diaries, and obviously you'll be more candid in those than in other places, but man does Plath seem impossible to be around. Nothing is ever good enough for her, and no one is ever good enough for her. Beyond that, she's incredibly cruel. For a feminist author, she spent a great deal of time hating other women and insulting them in her work: spinsters, women who've had abortions, infertile women. She's also awful to and about everyone she loved. Maybe if you love Plath this is a great read, but to me it was an overly-long account of a cruel and miserable woman who thought she was much better than she actually was. She had a hard life, with severe mental illness and people who betrayed her, but at times it's hard to sympathize with her while reading this, and over 45 hours of listening it can get really draining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent