Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - The Bell Jar

Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

29 reviews

elove13'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? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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smitha_r's review against another edition

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This is a very relatable and well written book, don't get me wrong. But

her slow unravelling once she's rejected from her course after the internship finishes was not good for my own mental health unfortunately. I felt like I was slipping into depression and suicide ideation alongside her, so NOPE NOPE NOPE.

I will hopefully come back to this if/when I'm in a better mindspace.

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annahollamby's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I'm satisfied that I read it, as it's a contemporary classic,and because I've been mentally ill for as long as I've been sentient, I did find the book relatable (derogatory). But, I can't and won't get over or look past the racism, anti-semitism, homophobia, and general white privilege of it all.

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samarareads'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? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

While I can value a novel about the madding nature of the expectations and restrictions society places on women, my appreciation for The Bell Jar stops there. A lovely fig tree metaphor cannot make up for the derogatory characterisations that plague this book, especially given it was written in the middle of the civil rights movement. Perhaps I have simply read this novel too late to appreciate its significance because I cannot help but think of the many other writers who manage to explore mental distress, misogyny, suicide, and institutionalisation without succumbing to racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and so on. I simply cannot see myself in a story that fails to see the humanity in me.

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nemrac23's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

2.5

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lui037's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced

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

0.5

I can see why this book was necessary for the conversation on mental health but the racism not even 7 pages into the book and just the terrible protagonist. It’s a no from me, curious why certain folks relate and love this so much. (That is not to negate that some very real and relatable themes/experiences were expressed but I just disliked the way it was done and Esther’s calculatedness.)

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