Reviews with content warning for Lesbophobia - The Bell Jar

I have been wanting to read the bell jar for a while and I’m so glad I finally did!

That being said, although I’m glad I read the book, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought. Personally, I thought it was pretty slow moving and there wasn’t anything that really kept me engaged. It took me a lot longer to read the book than I though it would. There weren’t cliff hangers and there was only one major moment that kept me at the edge of my seat. The writing was beautiful. There’s a reason why this book is a classic. I annotated so much of this book simply because I liked how so much of it was written. This may be a controversial opinion, but I thought this novel was an excellent depiction of how women’s mental health was treated in the late 50s/early 60s. I thought our character was raw and real. However, she’s also a privileged, pretentious cynic which can be annoying and difficult for a lot of readers. This book definitely had me confused and rolling my eyes at some points while really amazing me at others.

Content Warnings

carlota_gm's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

M’estava agradant molt fins que vaig veure com de racista era la versió original (l’he llegit en català), que tenia paraules racistes en anglès que no han sigut traduïdes. Sé que no m’hauria de sorprendre perquè era una dona blanca dels anys 1950-60, però penso que això no és excusa: els anys 1950-60 són els anys del Moviment dels Drets Civils a EUA, les panteres negres, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King… hi havia un moviment antiracista del qual podria haver format part i no ho va fer. Per a mi això va canviar la vibra del llibre 100%.

Dit això, abans d’adonar-me’n m’estava agradant moltíssim el llibre. Reflexions molt interessants sobre les dones, els homes i el sexisme. A més, la forma com parla de la salut mental és brutal, molt realista i sincera. El millor és la seva manera d’escriure: l’ús de metàfores, paral•lelismes i prosa fica en evidència la seva naturalesa de poeta, i queda clar per què és una de les millors i més importants poetes del segle passat.

((també dir que hi ha un parell o així de comentaris i frases ✨homòfobes✨ però mira aquí encara et puc comprar que no hi havia moviment queer els anys 1950s, però esq els comentaris racistes enmig del moviment dels drets civils…… em pica))

Content Warnings

buffy87's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.0

Damn, why did nobody tell me how fucking racist/Orientalist this book is? It is a great text for postcolonial analysis...you will find something in almost every chapter. There was a stretch in the middle that didn't have palpable racism and that was the only section I thought was okay. Nice to read without being assaulted.

If you read this from a Marxist lens, you'll see it full of classism and very quickly realize that your main character is privileged.
It also has your run of the mill sexism and homophobia.

All of the above made the reading experience so utterly unejoyable and triggering.

Content Warnings

sofipitch's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my favorite books of all time, not just bc it captures what it is like to have depression but the logic of it, how your arguments feel logical bc the world sucks so why go on? This was my 3rd or 4th reread

Content Warnings

jaiden_grey's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

If I didn’t relate to the main character as much and didn’t think my future is any way tied with how she lives her life, I might’ve given this book a lower rating. I feel like Esther didn’t change as much in this book as I would have liked her to. I didn’t really feel a solid direction in terms of the plot, which is fine but I think the book would have benefited from something like that.

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