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Summary: Review of The Bell Jar
Review: We thought the book was an interesting perspective into the mind of the depressed. It allowed us to see the despair and struggles facing those with mental illness. It followed Esther though the beginnings of her disease though recovery, allowing us to better understand this process. We liked Esther's use of analogies (such as the fig tree) to explain her feelings toward her life and her world. Esther also seemed more than just a character in a book - she felt like a real person to which one could relate. One flaw in this book is how it sometimes jumps from scene to scene, past to present, with little warning, leading to confusion. Some things were also vague and unexplained, such as Esther's insulin shots and other incidents and characters. Overall, this book was an enlightening and educating experience.
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Summary: Wow
Review: Well i must admit i am not quite done the book...I am more then halfway though. It was good when i started it and has only gotten better. I am suprised at how much i like this classic novel. I was afraid at first thinking i would not be able to undertand her ideas, but inturn i found i liked the way she looked at life. I liked the comparisons she made and how she described things. Partially through you would think she had a split personallity. I am reading this book for a class but i did it very early because the plot seemed interesting. I had no idea i would like the book this much..i can hardly put it down.
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Summary: "There aren't crazy people, just crazy situations."
Review: For a school project I read Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar". I thought this novel was very good. Sylvia Plath is a very talented writer and displays this in "The Bell Jar". It is almost based off of Sylvia's life. Sylvia Plath writes in a way that it can make the most vivid pictures in your mind seem so real. And it is also written in an almost poetic way. You can almost feel Esther cutting her calves. This book especially caught me because Sylvia writes from her own life, from when she slowly fell into a deep depression, became metally ill, and eventually comitted suicide herself. Sylvia Plath is a phenomenal author and definently shows this with this novel. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something great to read!
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Summary: Wholly self-absorbent
Review: "The Bell Jar" is one of the most pathetic, self-absorbent pieces of writing ever published. Esther tried to literally and figuratively dig her own grave and is to be pitied. If the writer dared to look beyond Esther, reading it might have been pleasurable and insightful. As it stands, Esther's character was written as to be so self-absorbed that she is barely aware of the world around her, and even when she dares to open her eyes, she sees nothing but the world against her. Undoubtedly, at the time the novel was written, the world was very different then for women. But what I fail to see is any strength in Esther. Other than cower in a corner and cry, she appeared to want the world to cater to her. I'm sure this had a lot to do with her mental illness, but the book boils down to a pitiful tail of a girl who stood by and let the world swallow her up. I think this might make good reading for psychiatrists to peer into the world of insanity, but for the rest of us, it seems little more than a whiny tale of self-indulgence. The writing style of the book was quite good. The content was quite poor.
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Summary: Descent into madness???
Review: "There are no crazy people, merely crazy situations." Now, I don't necessarily agree with this quotation. I think that there are in fact, plenty of crazy people out there, many of whom think themselves quite sane. This book has been described as the story of one woman's descent into madness. And I cannot see it as such. In the narrator's case, I think she clearly and unflinchingly reports the happenings of the world around her. And her inability to accept the people and standards that her society deems 'normal' as such makes her feel extremely disconnected. I had been warned when I was younger that I shouldn't read this book as it was depressing, sad, bleak, etc. I finally devoured it for the first time last month and loved it. YEs, the tale is sad, but I found it strangely uplifting that she had such a clear, 'modern' view of the situation in which she found herself. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: A book in the right place at the right time
Review: This book has reached many audiences--feminists, mental health experts, depressed people, young people, and the literary community, to name a few. Rather than take any of these viewpoints, I rated the book based on what kind of reading experience it provided to me. I was expecting something really emotionally intense. The story is interesting but not compelling. It was frequently disjointed and did not seem polished, and I can understand why the original editors rejected it. Many comparisons have been made to the works of J.D. Salinger, but in my opinion this book falls far short of Salinger's works on all counts. The setting is very dated because of references to the prices of things (dresses costing a few dollars, expensive restaurant dishes and taxicab fares under a dollar), and the details of how women dressed (high heels, stockings with lines on the back that had to be kept straight, etc.) I actually found this aspect of the book to be interesting. Many reviewers have noted humor in the book. I found very little humor. I think the fame of this book rests on the fact that it was in the right place in the right time. The same book written these days would never have seen print. It is worth reading for its place in literary and social history, but it just isn't the reading experience you might be anticipating. It did leave me feeling great sadness for the author and the suffering she experienced.
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Summary: Incredible book
Review: This book will drive you crazy if you're not careful!
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Summary: Truly a classic
Review: This book is a classic by any standard or categorization, and certainly stands out in the genre of mental illness narratives. It is probably one of the most vivid and articulate descriptions of mental illness ever written. Not surprisingly, I also found it disturbing and somewhat frightening. Plath is such a skilled and fluid writer that the book almost demands that you read it many times. Highly recommended. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".
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Summary: A Downward Spiral
Review: This book was very interesting, and a good insight.I must admit, when I first started to read this book, I Found it difficult to understand somewhat. It seems as if the charactor falls into a point in her life, and you don't even see it coming. The things that you read may seem disturbing, but you can't help but read more. I recomend this book strongly. Pay close attention-the story changes in a blink of the eye.
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Summary: the cookie jar
Review: basically, this chick is really messed up. the society around her has all these double standards. society always has and always will. she get's messed up by everything. She hates men. Basically she follows the rules and gets hurt and decideds its mens fault or someone elses fault. Basically, she is a player hater. THis book should be called player hater. She needs to drink a 40 and try to cheer up and stop being dark and spooky. it was alright though. she writes really good and is honest.
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