Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Bell Jar

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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

547 reviews

himjenson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read this for the first time when i was 17, and i probably would have given it a 5 star rating at that time. I had only just started my own battle with depression and anxiety, and it was compelling to read such a raw depiction of how quickly someone can spiral into a horrible place. Especially when its written by an author who ended her own life at only 30. The first time i read it, it opened my eyes to how lucky i am to be a woman in the 21st centrury, where mental health struggles aren't as stigmatized, and i dont have to worry about being forcibly labotomized or institutionalized, or being denied a path to professional fulfillment, solely due to the lack of opportunities given to my gender. It also reminded me that i wasnt alone in feeling zero desire to marry some man and have kids and fall into a routine of domesticity.

Now 10 years later ive read this book again with a fully developed frontal lobe, and i cant help but read it with a more cynical attitude. There's a fair amount of racism and homophobia that i did not remember reading the first time, and theyre REALLY hard to look past for me. I recognize the era this was written, but i still dont love to read it. Its also difficult to read the stream of conciousness of someone who is completely obsessed with suicide - its exhausting to get through mentally and emotionally, and i dont know how i did it the first time as a teenager.

Overall, i can appreciate the impact this book has had on women of multiple generations. Even though its a kinda outdated 2nd wave feminist vibe, it is still a snapshot of an era that shows what kind of rules and expectations were placed on young (white) women, and the consequences for not conforming.

Content Warnings

seduced_with_literature's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

I have often wondered about Plath, her life and death often overshadowed by Hughes, where I’m from (Ted Hughes hometown, and Sylvia’s place of rest).

I finally in my 30’s got around to reading The Bell Jar.
At points I found the work a little too forced, but as Ester declines I found myself becoming increasingly gripped. I feel this is a timeless capturing of a teenage girl who struggles with their place in society, relationship, academia and themselves. I wonder how a younger me would have received this story. It’s certainly one I’ll reread, although not alongside other books as I feel to fully appreciate the decent of Easter’s mind and the beautiful writing it should be read alone.

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lauryn_2's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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p2rteltytar's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

limabeans's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

1st half - 2.5 stars
2nd half - 4.5 stars

Content Warnings

kingcrookback's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I was...unprepared for but utterly unsurprised by the racism. Plath's description of Esther's mental illness, of being trapped under the bell jar, were very striking, though. I can't articulate why at the moment, but reading certain passages felt reminiscent of what it felt like to read Virginia Woolf's The Waves.

...what in the hell kind of vibes was I giving off in senior year of high school that made my yearbook adviser--who'd known me for four years at that point--recommended this book to me?

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