The Bell Jar in Our Shared Shelf

Aug 16, 2008 Jessica Haider rated it really liked it

Shelves: feminism, fiction, 1001-books, 1000_books

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is one of those books that it seemed like everyone I know has read but I had not. Well, not anymore! I just finished listening to the unabridged Audio CD version narrated by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. I won't go too in depth with my review since as I said, most folks that I know read this ages ago. I am a bit of late bloomer. ;)

Plath's novel is semi-autobiographical and tells the sad and gripping story of Esther Greenwood, a 19-year old overachiever who slowly slips ...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Cynthia Paschen rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-list

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 05, 2013 Sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classics, american-fiction, young-adult-fiction

I thought I would like this book better. And I did enjoy reading it and wanted to follow the story. Pros: I appreciate the focus on mental health; we still have far too big a taboo around talking about mental health. The novel is also avowedly-feminist, and my favorite scenes in the book were often focused on various forms of physical and structural violence against women. The books's partly- (or mostly-?) autobiographical nature also made it compelling to read, even for a avid fan of fiction. B I thought I would like this book better. And I did enjoy reading it and wanted to follow the story. Pros: I appreciate the focus on mental health; we still have far too big a taboo around talking about mental health. The novel is also avowedly-feminist, and my favorite scenes in the book were often focused on various forms of physical and structural violence against women. The books's partly- (or mostly-?) autobiographical nature also made it compelling to read, even for a avid fan of fiction. But, cons: For a novel known for its focus on mental health, it was disappointing that the best scenes - with a few exceptions, like the scene in which Esther learns about her second round of ECT - focused on her identity as a woman (and that's coming from someone who strongly identifies with feminism). It was also disconcerting that by implication, the novel seems to link societal pressures on women with "madness" in some literary sense, and I'm not sure we need any more linkage of all things female with "hysteria." (Although I know that perhaps my reaction on this particular theme is ahistorical - but that's what makes literature classic, no? Continued relevance over time. If it ceases to be contextually-appropriate, it falls out of the canon, or at least that's what we hope happens.) Finally, even after narrating several very frightening incidents or relationships - not just the ECT, but also the attempted rape, as well as her relationships with both Buddy Willard and her mother - Esther's circumstances and voice still sound very privileged to me. Scholarships, New England, New York, internship at a prestigious magazine illustrate one aspect of this privilege, but the repeated, racist comments are hard to ignore. Given the time period, especially - the 1960s - it's hard to excuse that piece of it, and it made it difficult for me to empathize with Esther at a lot of points in the book. I'm not sure if knowing that the book is autobiographical should make me feel better or worse about some of these issues I have with it. ...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Anna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Bell Jar has been on my to-read list since middle school, when I first identified as a feminist. 20 years later, I finally did it. And I'm so glad I did.

I had put off reading this book because I was afraid it would be really depressing. In fact, the novel was an engrossing and beautiful look at a woman's mental state, without ever getting depressing. Perhaps it was hooks' tone, which remained a little removed even as her character fell apart.

Beautiful novel and I'll plan on rereading soon. ...more

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