From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath

Start date: October 1, 2010

Finish date: November 1, 2010

Discussion: Classics Corner

Discussion leader: Sherry

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Classics Corner

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What Members Thought

Jan 02, 2015 Ken rated it liked it

Shelves: finished-in-2015

Classic? Probably not, though well known. Never read it and wondered about it. The surprise? The story of a depressed and suicidal girl is depressing. The first half, almost a female echo of another head case -- Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye -- is entertaining enough, showing what it's like for an innocent girl in the Big Apple to try and find her way.

There are even touches of humor. Young Esther quaffs fingerbowl water and eats the pretty flower floating in it, for instance, when ...more

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Dec 06, 2008 Lindsey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-read

It was all too easy to relate to the main character - a girl suffering from a warped perception of her capabilities and the expectations of those she loves. Sylvia Plath writes beautifully.

One image in particular stays with me: at one point the main character analogizes her life to the fruit of a fig tree. While she sits and tries to decide which fruit to grab (i.e. which life path to choose), they wither and die before her eyes.

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May 16, 2009 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoir, psychology, 1001

While often cast as a book about mental illness (and it is certainly that), what appeals to me about this one is the everywoman quality of Esther's anxieties - even as she spirals into a place most of us fortunately avoid, her essential humanity holds the novel together. That relatable quality makes me understand why this has endured. ...more

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Mar 12, 2008 Clackamas rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: college-lists-and-classics

This was a 2 star read when I was 17, but its a better to me now. I might have been too close to mental illnesses myself on my original read. I do remember feeling like Esther was such a whiner who needed to be more grateful for the opportunities she had. I was personally offended by her decisions. Lol

This time, I liked it a lot better. It was a very fast read, hard to put down. She is still ridiculous, but it is clearer to me now that Esther has reasons for the way she is.

I don't understand at ...more

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