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What Members Thought

Astrid Lim
This is a heartbreaking story about a girl who realized that her mental health is declining. The realness of her thoughts, her fear, her slowly but surely descent to insanity - it's all so frightening and sad. You can't help but think that the writer was really experiencing those things, and this book is some kind of semi autobiography of her. And it's getting even sadder when you know that it's true.

Sylvia Plath has lead a very remarkable but very sad life. The Bell Jar gave us a glimpse of us
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Carly Thompson
Feb 10, 2015 rated it really liked it
I first read this in high school and didn't remember much about it other than liking it. I recently listened to the audiobook version read by Maggie Gyllenhaal. This is a powerful story of a woman's struggles with mental illness perhaps enhanced by the conformity of the 1950s. I was particularly struck by Esther's attitudes toward sex and marriage. Maggie Gyllenhaal did an excellent job of narrating the novel and this would make a good discussion title for groups interested in reading classics. ...more
Meg
Jun 21, 2008 rated it liked it
Shelves: female-pen, lit, 2000
Heather
Aug 19, 2008 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Ching-In
Jan 23, 2009 marked it as to-read
Brekke
Feb 13, 2009 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Jess
May 08, 2009 rated it liked it
Lauren
Nov 10, 2009 rated it liked it
Patricia
Mar 30, 2010 added it
Shelves: 265
Cari
Jun 14, 2010 rated it liked it
Shelves: classic
Rivkah
Jun 29, 2010 rated it it was ok
Sarah
Jan 24, 2012 rated it really liked it
Laura
Nov 18, 2012 marked it as to-read
Shelves: no-ebook, no-ab-d
Amanda
Sep 08, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Julie
Apr 25, 2015 marked it as to-read
Cari
Dec 22, 2015 rated it really liked it
Maggie
Dec 29, 2016 rated it really liked it
Leslie
Oct 31, 2017 marked it as to-read
Shelves: litsyclassics
Christina
Sep 16, 2018 marked it as to-read
Shelves: feminist, classics
Elizabeth
Apr 15, 2019 marked it as to-read
Crystal
Oct 24, 2019 marked it as to-read
Liz
Apr 13, 2020 added it
Amanda
Oct 11, 2021 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Karianne
Mar 30, 2024 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Molly
Sep 11, 2025 rated it it was amazing