matcharlyy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Racism, Blood, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
keelan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Body shaming, Blood, Alcohol, Sexual content, Racism, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
tonisbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Self harm, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Blood, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Minor: Racism, Body shaming, Death of parent, Homophobia, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
bzzzzzz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Torture, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, and Toxic relationship
headlesswork's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Self harm
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
mirandyli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Spoiler
This book is the whitest "I'm not like the other girls" story I've ever read. A country girl comes to the big city on a scholarship and realizes she doesn't fit in. She has always succeeded academically and begins to spiral once she is no longer succeeding.Spoiler
I thought I would relate more to a book about depression, but I should have expected a super white story. There's casual racist phrases spattered throughout the book (“I looked as yellow as a Chinaman"). The author laments how difficult her life is as a (white) woman compared to a man. She says she doesn't see people as Black or white, but as those who fucked and those who didn't... what?! And don't even get me started on the racist comments about the Black hospital attendant.Spoiler
Other wtf parts: the narrator falling out of love with Buddy because he became fat after getting tuberculosis (yikes). Or becoming depressed because she volunteered to pass out flowers at a hospital and threw out the dead flowers (one of the weirder moments of the book).Spoiler
The book, which is about depression, depressed me by how mediocre and white it was.Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Medical content, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
jneverland's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Racism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Alcohol, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
soswiin's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
way more graphic than i expected but it was so hard to put down. officially hooked on plath’s style even though the 1960s internally misogynistic white girl feminism shone through too often. but then again, the bell jar was in fact written by a white girl in the 1960s
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
bennoyb's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Sexism, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, and Sexual content
jamie1717's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Suicide, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death
Minor: Racism