Reviews with content warning for Schizophrenia/Psychosis - La campana de cristal

this is a story about freedom. as esther greenwood navigates her life, she quickly learns about her place and power as a (mentally ill) impoverished woman in the 1950s. throughout the novel, the main social commentary provided by plath was on a woman’s ambitions, future (marriage and having kids), and notion of “purity” enforced by society, as well as religion. esther uses her virginity as a weapon against societal expectations and oppression. this book was filled to the brim in literary devices, as well as social commentary, ranging from the oppressive and patriarchal system, to the societal vs. self expectations (esther has raging impostor syndrome), to education and ambition, society’s view and alienation of those suffering from mental illnesses, and the arrogance and coldness of doctors and questioning medicinal practices, especially in psychiatry.

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nicoleeluz's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

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taulkstoomuch's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

I can see why the content of the book makes it such a classic - the topics covered are definitely ahead of her time for Sylvia Plath. Finding out that a lot of the book was based on Plath's own life is distressing and a testament to the respect the book currently has.

However, the book was quite difficult to get into initially as there were no events occurring - we follow Esther Greenwood, and the first 100 or so pages are just her going through normal events of her life. I guess in some way, this exaggerates the dichotomy that is her life in the later chapters of the book... not particularly for me, but I can see why it is so revered.

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