Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Bell Jar

So beautifully written, Plath absorbed me into her world with her vivid descriptions and gorgeous prose. I was simultaneously racing through this and stopping to soak it all in. This was my first experience reading The Bell Jar and Sylvia Plath. I would love to know what my teenage self would think of it. Would she have loved it more than my twenty-something self?

I'm lucky enough not to have experienced depression or suicidal thoughts but I found myself relating to the first half of this book a lot. The famous fig tree paragraph perfectly put into words a feeling I have often had through my teen years and early twenties.

"When they asked me what I wanted to be, I said, “I don’t know”. “She wants” said Jay Cee wittily, “to be everything” - I thought to myself, that's me!

The second part of the book was harrowing to read. I found myself in tears on the tube whilst reading about

her suicide attempt

, especially knowing what happened to Plath soon after this book's publication. I did feel like her mental breakdown came a bit out of nowhere but perhaps that is the reality of mental illness. I found the fragmented timeline a little confusing but thought it represented her descent into madness well. I enjoyed the way she revealed different moments of her life, especially her relationship with Billy, but towards the end, I started to find this tedious.

My biggest issue with this book was the racism. I understand it was written a long time ago, but even so, it was disappointing and uncomfortable, the scene with the beans was especially violent and this is why I can't rate it five stars.

Content Warnings

valentinaburbank's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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rudaamela's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

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?

Content Warnings