Reviews with content warning for Medical content - A Campânula de Vidro

Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

A Campânula de Vidro by Sylvia Plath

228 reviews

donotswearbythemoon's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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isabezza's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

It is astonishing that a novel about mental illness and the position of women in the 1950s spoke to me so deeply as a reader in 2023. Perhaps I should not have read this book as someone who has experienced suicide in the family and been admitted to hospital for mental illness, but ultimately I have never read a book which represents that experience so explicitly. I am grateful the systems have changed and the horrors Plath and others may have faced in the name of psychology are devastating to think of. Yet her writing described their society so eloquently that I could not put it down.

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-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

4.5

I get the hype with this book, it’s a very powerful and well-written read and the quintessential sad girl novel. Plath’s writing voice was truly ahead of its time in the way the she is able to so clearly describe the experience of being on the brink of leaving education and not knowing what to do with one’s life. As a fairly recent graduate with no life plans, I related to Esther a lot.

There were definitely some parts of the book that dragged a little; just from hearing about the plot I wasn’t expecting Esther’s trip to New York to end so early into the book. Furthermore, there is So Much casual racism just thrown in, and I get that the book was written decades ago but it was still unnecessary and disruptive to the reading experience.

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cecilialau_'s review against another edition

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3.75

There are sort of two parts to this story. Not really what I thought it would be but fascinating nonetheless. I defo recommend checking the content warnings for any triggers as there are quite a lot that is discussed/showcased.
Esther is a deeply real/emotional/hurt/traumatised and interesting character who is more and more obviously going through dread and is disillusioned about life, but I found it very well-done how she herself goes through the motions of her state of mind. There are glimpses here and there but she seems shut off from herself.
A few things happen I would have liked more details about (mainly later on) but they don’t affect the rating/experience. And I also want to add that I admire the way that it is implied rather than spelled out how Esther gets to where she does mentally and emotionally (bc body and mind are connected) and how the change happens gradually and inconspicuously (which is quite realistic).
The book is very well-written apart from some stereotypical language use here and there.

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samugranjo's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

When I was younger I had a very hard time with depression, now almost 10 years later I still have intense depressive episodes with terrifying thoughts but it's much more manageable. This book has probably the best depiction of depression, suicidal thoughts and burnout that I have ever read. I have never felt so understood, and at the same time so glad about how many things that I would have related to in the past are no longer part of my everyday experience. On top of this, the fig analysis has been a guide and a help through the last years of my life, making me remind myself that not taking action in making decisions is also a choice itself with its own consequences.

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