The Bell Jar in Pick-a-Shelf

Mar 13, 2010 Gaijinmama rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, fiction

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

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

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

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

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

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Aug 25, 2007 Joanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookclub, 1001-book-list

I have started this book so many time but never really got past the first 20 pages or so. Everyone kept saying how good it was and how much I would like it so this time I decided I was just going to finish it. This time I couldn't put it down. The book is so good because Ether's slow slide into madness isn't overdone, she's just quietly losing her mind and she's not quite sure what she can do about it other than to kill herself. It's sad to read the book knowing that Plath eventually took her ow ...more

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Sep 21, 2008 Kellie rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, 2007-reads

This was not my type of book. After reading “An Unquiet Mind” and “Girl Interrupted” , I should have realized this is not a book that was going to keep my interest. The writing is very choppy. The time and place changes through out the book and it is difficult to follow at times. I do think the story of Sylvia Plath is very interesting. And sad. I would probably be more interested in reading a book about her written by someone else.

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Sep 17, 2008 Kristina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: eo-classics, eo-disturbing, eo-mental-health, eo-feminism, non-fiction, nf-memoir-biography, read-in-2010, eo-personal-library, eo-1001-books

I am fascinated by mental illness so I've always meant to read this book. I found myself relating to Esther very much through the book. Her thought processes and views on life during her breakdown were uncannily similar to mine during a dark time I had as a teenager. It amazes me how one can become so entrenched in depression and despair even after being in such a state myself.

The saddest part for me is that she did end up taking her own life later on after she seemed to overcome her mental ill ...more

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Jul 08, 2008 Jaime rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, 2008, own

I've always wanted to read this book but never really got around to it...then it was chosen for a book club on here so I decided to buy it and read it. I am glad that I did...I enjoyed it and would definately recommend it... ...more

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