Review by plathcel - The Bell Jar: The Illustrated Edition

plathcel 's review for:

The Bell Jar: The Illustrated Edition by Sylvia Plath

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad 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: Complicated

oh my god. such a haunting and beautiful and powerful and incredibly real portrayal of mental illness and that terrifying void between youth and adulthood that no one talks about. the way plath manages to put what i believed to be indescribable and isolated feelings into words blew me away. i’ve rarely felt as understood as i did reading this. wonderful and horrible all at once, absolutely captivating, and i’m in love with plath’s writing. most importantly, i feel like i read this at the most perfect time in my life, and though it hurt to read i think i will be forever grateful to it.

note: of course keeping in mind plath’s casual racism, a sign of the times but inexcusable nonetheless

Content Warnings