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The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath

Start date: July 1, 2014

Finish date: July 31, 2014

Discussion: Current Group Read

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What Members Thought

Mar 13, 2010 Gaijinmama rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, classics

I have conflicting feelings about this book. On the one hand, it deserves its place as a classic if only for the author's keen sense of observation and way with words. She also had a sense of humor...Sylvia Plath, who knew!!

On the other hand, that's the tragedy. I was almost too pissed off to finish. What a horrible waste of a gifted writer who was actually an interesting person. I am left sad and angry, just absolutely furious that Plath lived at a time when a woman with her skills was not appr ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Aug 25, 2008 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-and-a-half-to-5-stars, favorites, read-my-shelves, classics, mental-illness, need-to-re-read, 2024-books-to-read

*Feb: 8th time for me to do a reread and annotate soon I'm thinking.*

Great book, I love flow of the writing. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2009 Alisha Marie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, drama, read-in-2015, favorites, books-i-own-that-i-ve-read, five-star-books, classics-challenge

So, I first read The Bell Jar six years ago. Or at least, that's what my Goodreads profile says. I can't for the life of me remember finishing this book. I can recall picking it up, I can recall reading some of it, but I don't remember finishing it. I must have, since I rated it and I'm not one of those people who rates books without reading them. And I did rate The Bell Jar. I originally rated it three stars. However, I've always wondered why that was. This is a book that, for the most part, is So, I first read The Bell Jar six years ago. Or at least, that's what my Goodreads profile says. I can't for the life of me remember finishing this book. I can recall picking it up, I can recall reading some of it, but I don't remember finishing it. I must have, since I rated it and I'm not one of those people who rates books without reading them. And I did rate The Bell Jar. I originally rated it three stars. However, I've always wondered why that was. This is a book that, for the most part, is heralded. So, why didn't I love it and view it kind of overrated and blah? It definitely seemed like my kind of story (I am, of course, ignoring all of the female Catcher in the Rye references because I loathed that book with a passion). I decided to give The Bell Jar another try, just to see if it would resonate with me even a little bit. And, wow, how it did.

While reading The Bell Jar for the second time, all I could think is "I don't remember that part". And I didn't. I remembered nothing about reading The Bell Jar the first time (other than the fact that I read it. I must have. I rated it. But I can't remember any of it.). So, I was, for all intents and purposes, reading this book with fresh eyes. And I have to say that I have never identified with any literary character (and this includes Hermione Granger, with whom I've always identified the most) as much as I identified with Esther. Maybe I just wasn't reading The Bell Jar at the right time, the first time because The Bell Jar gripped me immediately upon my re-read. I was so focused on Esther's journey, on her thoughts, on everything. I just kept ruminating over and over at her experiences and how much I saw myself in her. I won't get too into it since this is a mere Goodreads review and I don't want to word-vomit all my personal experiences with depression and suicidal ideation on the internet. But, I will say this, reading The Bell Jar and seeing myself in Esther has probably helped me deal with...everything more than I thought I would.

Overall, I highly recommend The Bell Jar. I thought it was a tremendous story and as cliche as this might sound, it spoke to me. And while I read tons and tons of books I can name on one hand, those that had an extreme profound, visceral reaction in me. The Bell Jar is one. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Michael rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, this-years-books

The trouble that persist for me when reading a classic, is I find it hard to get passed all the trivial knowledge that comes with it. This book looms large even today. Most people have an opinion on the book even if they have not read it. Some swear love for it. Drawing a mantra from it. Some hate it just for the people they seem to associate with it. This book has been made in to movies, TV, used in other book, and songs. It as if I have a intimate knowledge of a stranger.

I enjoyed "The Bell J ...more

1 like · Like · see review