Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

44 reviews

gilnean's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Ableism, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Self harm, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Xenophobia, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit

Minor: Child death, Terminal illness, Cancer, Cursing, Bullying, Xenophobia, Excrement, Animal death, Miscarriage, Murder, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Antisemitism

lakea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Torture

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical content, Confinement, Racial slurs, Bullying, Fatphobia, Racism, Vomit, and Blood

vipsahtanut's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

3.25

Read the trigger warnings, if I knew what was coming I wouldn't have read the book. A good piece of literature, but shouldn't be recommended to everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Confinement, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Racism

Minor: Medical content

timitsut's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad fast-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? It's complicated

3.5

I got a moderate insight into the treatment of mental illness in the 60ies in the US. However, the Racism in this book is (albeit not surprising for what I heard before about the author) making me question why this is suppposed to be "the" feminist classic you have to read before you die blabla. It was an interesting, informative and fast read and I have to say it was well written if you read it through a critical lense. It centered a womans perspective and as someone who has experienced some of the treatment Esther went through, I got something out of the book and I'm glad I reread it. I've read classics with similar racist undertones (duh, there are many), but again, why is it on so many Feminist Reading lists without any critical reference/ warning about the authors views, and I say that as a white, European woman. I'd recommend Hunger by Roxanne Gay if anyone wants to read a (very sad but essential) memoir about mental illness (here: PTSD and disordered eating) from a black Woman's perspective.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Confinement, Death, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Racism, Medical content, and Mental illness

dalek_caan's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

2.75

I found this book to be nothing like I had expected, but a decent read nonetheless. Given that it is regarded as a classic I had certain expectations going in, but was surprisingly wrong particularly in how I had imagined the book would end based on the way people talk about it. I found the first half of the book to be a bit slow and boring, but was intrigued to see it through to the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

courtney_pyke's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicide, and Sexual content

jneverland's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

lindsey_bear's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.0

Plath’s writing style is easy and timeless. That being said, the topics in The Bell Jar are anything but easy. The story was hard to get through as much of it surrounds the main character’s thoughts of suicide. I found the descriptions of the asylum to be extremely interesting and it shed a lot of light on how mental disorders used to be dealt with decades ago. The metaphor of the bell jar as intermittent depression was relatable and evergreen. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

alexandrabelze's review

dark emotional sad fast-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

3.25

sylvia plath. wow. her poetic imagery fits wonderfully in this novel. it’s so personal and real that i don’t even feel like i have a right to critique it on anything. it was a beautiful read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Medical content, Suicide, and Vomit

Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual content

livvynelson22's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Vomit, Pregnancy, Confinement, Self harm, Rape, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization