Bell Jar

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Summary: Was Esther really crazy?
Review: Before I began reading "The Bell Jar," my father warned me: "That's one depressing book." I pressed on anyway, and in a matter of two days, finished one of the most honest and touching books that I have ever read. I saw myself in Esther Greenwood, a young woman of my age who finds herself nauseated at the increasingly narrowing path down which young women in the 1950's are being led. Her candid observations about sex, her peers, the city, her school, and her family, echoed thoughts that I have often entertained in my own mind. Esther has little interest in being a mother and living in the suburbs--she is not even certain that she wants to be married. It is for her refusal to accept the role that society prescribes to women that she is rendered crazy by her mother, her peers, and her doctors. If Esther Greenwood is indeed crazy, then I wonder about the mental health of myself and many of my friends. I propose that it was not Esther's mind that drove her to attempt suicide--it was a confining society that kept her from feeling free enough to explore her own interests and goals; and being understood by her mother and the other people who loved her. "The Bell Jar" spoke to a generation of women who would come of age in the 1960's, and would help to give them the confidence and the courage to change the world.

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Summary: Inspiring To All Fellow High School Students
Review: In a simple phrase, this book was awe inspiring. After I read the last page, I broke down in tears it was so incredible. I dont think I've ever read another book with such realism and emotion. Silvia Plath truly outdid herself when she wrote The Bell Jar. I laughed, I cried, I felt her pain as if it were my own. Truly miraculous for anyone who lays eyes on it.

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Summary: It's even better the second time around.
Review: I read The Bell Jar several times during my emotionally troubled high school & early college years, which led me to want to (and, in fact, read all of Plath's poetry and become a Sylvia Plath fan. Twenty-plus years after my first reading, I found myself wallowing in depression, trying to make sense of it all, with a hankering to revisit The Bell Jar. It was even better the second (well, actually fourth or fifth) time around -- not only could I relate to Esther Greenwood's horrid isolation, I could also see the humor and wit this time, and relate not only to Esther's personal desperation, but also her mother's desperation to ensure that she was okay and her inability to do so. Esther stews over / tinkers with / attempts suicide in a variety of ways, underscoring the chronic nature of depression. Oddly, reading The Bell Jar didn't bring me down at all -- rather, it made me think about how gripping depression can be if one never confronts it head-on and conquers it (assuming such is possible).

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Summary: a league of it's own
Review: it's a shame that Sylvia Plath did not have the opportunity to write more fiction. This novel is funny, insightful and haunting. Her sense of humor is fantastic, I've read this book over again and I'm amazed at how right on she can be. Free from the "find your inner child, what mommy and daddy did to me" psychobabble so overabundant in the "when I went a little cuckoo" books of our era, Plath's telling is fresh, honest and different. (I'm not poo-pooing societies ability to get in touch with themselves, perhaps if Sylvia Plath had lived today she might have been able to cope better, I am just remarking that it makes for a different kind of read).

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Summary: A Book So Like Her Life
Review: The Bell Jar is more nonfiction than fiction, which was and is the attraction for me. A long time fan of her poetry, and having read a few of her biographies, finally coming to this book shed much light on multiple aspects of her life that I had not seen before. For any true fan of her work, this is a must have.

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Summary: Catcher in the rye from a female point of view
Review: It is a very good book. Like I said in the title -- it reminds me of Catcher in the rye but written by a female. I like how witty and introspective the writer is. The part about the mental hospital is more brutal and less entertaining than the part about New York etc. However, overall, the book gave me the experience I have been seeking -- namely to get a feel of what it's like to be a girl (I am a boy myself). Plath is very good at getting precisely at the femaleness of her character. Too bad she didn't get to write her second novel. I am sure it would be something amazing.

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Summary: Amazing, graphic depiction. Sylvia Plath is s true genius!
Review: I read this novel completely unaware of what I was getting myself into. I had heard nothing about the book and picked up the book purely for entertainment. Sylvia beautiful language grabbed me from the very beginning. She writes of her first attempt at suicide with realistic emotion and detail. I am scarred after reading her book. Her tragic life and depression affect the reader because it seaps through the pages and into one's soul. The book is a depresing one and I would not recommend to just anyone. A person who has not dealt with the hardships of living would not be able to connect as well. But for the challenged and open minded reader I highly recommend this novel.

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Summary: Read it over and over
Review: This book is full of vivid imagery, bizarre metaphors, smart prose, and a skewed view of the world. It is the poignant story of a brilliant woman, Esther, who is trapped between the worlds of the sexist 50s and academia/career. This struggle leads to her slow demise into mental illness. I urge all young women to read this book. Its ironic, sarcastic tone is extremely relateable.

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Summary: Intelligently Written
Review: God, I loved this book. I felt like the syntax used was so brilliant and fitting for the created character. I highly recommend this book! Although, it is quite depressing.

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Summary: I really enjoyed it!!
Review: The Bell Jar was a very good book. As I began reading it I was very interested, and as I proceeded into the book it became even more interesting. From the way that the book started out, I never thought that it would turn out as it did. When the main character, Esther, was introduced she seemed like a nice, very smart young lady that did no wrong. As I kept reading, until I finally came to the end, I realized that I was mislead and she had a lot of problems that you would not think someone like her would have. I really liked the way the author set up the story and the ending that she wrote for this particular story. The different kinds of people that you met throughout the story lead you to the understanding that Esther was different than most and did have some problems. While she was in New York everytime that one of her fellow contest winners would invite her to do something she would deny the invitation and either stay in her room and do nothing, or she would go out into the city and view the downside of it. I thought it was good for her to explore all aspects of the city, but she never wanted to do things with her fellow winners. It made the story really interesting and made me to not want to put the book down. I would refer this book to anyone whom likes stories that leave you confused when you find out that someone or something is totally different than what you had thought or was presented to be.