Rating: 
Summary: I enjoyed this.
Review: Rarely, if ever do I give a book 5 stars, but this definitely deserved it. I was up until the wee hours in the morning reading this book. In this semi-autobigraphical account of Plath's own life, we follow Esther as she slowly sinks in the clutches of "insanity". I especially liked the first person narration of the story; it provided a more personal view on Esther's fall into insanity. When I was reading it, I could feel and understand Esther's concerns with herself and the people/world around her. I've noticed that most of the time when people talk about this book, they speak of only Esther's insanity and how it relates to Plath's own diminishing state of mind, but in my opnion, there's so much more to it than that. I actually think that in a small sense the story was also about the problems of the world through Esther's eyes. Take for instance Buddy's betrayal. This makes Esther question all those theories about men and women being pure for their husbands and wives. Yes, a large part of this story is about Esther's mental state, but at the same time, you're faced with a young woman who is aptly aware of her surroundings. She questions the standard? What's right? What's wrong? This is definitely a book worth checking out and adding to your library.
Rating: 
Summary: Death becomes her
Review: A scared loss of understanding and reality are all that serve as the backbone to the what must be quasi-autobiographical tale of Plath. When reading, you can almost hear the whispers of depression and anguish in between the typing on the page. I found the book extremely interesting and yearning to wonder how someone so talented (see also E. Wurtzel) could feel so horribly bad just livign out life. The book is a pre-cursor to the many books on depression out today, but offers its knowledge through a story of fiction and undoubtedly, of the happenings of the well-known author.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written
Review: This beautifull book written and illustrated by troubled poet/writter, Sylvia Plath, is a work of art. Written beautifully and creativly, full of emotion and triumph, The Bell Jar, will move you.. Funny, sad, and all together beautifull, The Bell Jar is a haunting American classic, almost lost after Sylvia commit suicide on a winter morning. I promise, this book will be one of the best classic's in American history.
Rating:
Summary: Looking at what's under glass
Review: Lorna Lindquist
bamalorna@hotmail.com Looking at what's under the glass A review of Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar While reading Plath can be muddied by all the "Plath baggage" that history has shown us, I think that coming to and away from this book with an open mind will help the reader enjoy it as much as I did. Plath's untimely end is not a mystery to the current reader, but to expect this book to be depressing insults the message that Plath tries to convey.
The main character, Esther Greenwood, obviously suffers from a chronic depressive disorder. She constantly thinks to herself that she should be happy. She looks objectively at her sadness and explores it as though it is simply a bad habit. Greenwood comments again and again that she knows she should be excited about her fortunes in life.
These fortunes mimic the fortunes that Plath herself enjoyed as a young writer. She was published early and had early success, but still her life felt blank enough for her to stick her head in the oven before she turned 30. I think that in this way, The Bell Jar is a thinly veiled autobiography. I also think that she wrote this in third person not so that her personal life could be kept hidden, but so that the examinations of depression could gain a sort of validity by being removed from the author and her stigma.
One farce of depression that Plath destroys in Greenwood is the cliché that all depressed people simply lay around feeling sorry for themselves all day. In fact, Plath suggests that people who are depressed know that there is a problem with themselves, but lack the ambition to root it and solve it because even life as a whole has lost its luster.
As a work, message removed, Plath's talent as a poet comes shining through. She uses phrases that so accurately describe Greenwood's situation that you feel like you can see her thoughts. She uses childish language that indicates the childish tone Plath thinks that life has to offer. She constantly says that things are "stupid" she is "stupid" others are "stupid."
Overall I think that The Bell Jar offers more to the reader than a simple story to read about what appears to be a "crazy girl," it offers instead excellent insight made by a talented writer.
Rating:
Summary: My 11th Grade Class Read This Book...
Review: I am a 10th and 11th grade English Language Arts teacher in an urban high school setting. I purchased a class set of this book for my 11th grade classes and I was surprised by their response to it. I initially read the book in college and I was saddened by the fact that Sylvia Plath did, in fact, commit suicide. I was informed that the book, although published as fiction, is basicly a transparent account of her own breakdown during her college years. Having been made aware that Esther, the main character, is actually a flimsy representation of the author, I found the book to be captivating. I found myself examining the text closely to learn why she never "made it" after all. My students were similarly motivated. Sylvia spent some time in Winthrop, a small town neighboring East Boston, so many of the landmarks were familiar to our class. This added to the sense of "memoir" that we felt from the text. Student responses were divided. Some students related to some of Esther's problems or to Esther herself. Others found her to be a relentless whiner and high practitioner of melodrama. Everyone was shocked by the differences found in the pressures of a coming of age story set during the 50's vs the values and pressures placed on students today. At the conclusion of the book I had a guest speaker discuss suicide and depression with my students. For some of my class the book brought up issues and questions. I wanted to be sure that my kids saw a more optimistic solution to Esther's problems than Sylvia in fact did. Overall, I was given a thumbs up by my 11th grade... Although many students started to wonder "if she is ever going to kill herself... or what?" others felt decidedly anxious as the plot progressed. Many of my students liked Esther a lot and felt saddened by the obstacles that she faced during the course of The Bell Jar. Student opinion was not necessarily divided by gender. Many students confessed to me that they read ahead and enjoyed it more than "regular school books." I intend to teach it again next year.
Rating:
Summary: Profound and Personal
Review: This book is amazing. Plath includes her personal feelings and emotions. She draws you into the mind and soul of Esther Greenwood. Although it is has a dark tone, the novel draws you in. This book is not for everyone though. If you like happy and light hearted novels, this is not for you. This is a great book if you are looking to read something "deep." There are many psychological and social issues that are presented through out the text. The use of symbolism proves to be effective, as well. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is not afraid of the idea of death (heaven knows that there is much about that through out the book).
Rating:
Summary: You will feel like you're under the bell jar too
Review: This is probably my favorite book ever. As a self-diagnosed bipolar, cynical, angry teenage girl I can say that Sylvia Plath puts what millions of us feel every day into exactly the right words. [...] But then I read it again. And again. Probably too many times. Plath knows exactly what she is talking about, this book is heartbreaking and personal. It's like Catcher in The Rye with a poetic Franny as the main character, only Ester's way more [messed] up than Franny.
Rating:
Summary: Forget about 'A Beautiful Mind'
Review: This is a brilliant first person account of the experience of having a mental disorder (including very exact descriptions of schizophrenia, back before it was widely known of in the 'sane' world, and before it was transformed into entertainment fare by the makers of the filmed 'A Beautiful Mind') and what contributed to its occurrence. Made all the more horrible and disturbing by the the fact that this is practically an autobiography (with fake names) and that Plath did not end up making it out of the illness alive. She killed herself not long after this novel was finally published.
Rating:
Summary: A Subtle Tragedy
Review: "The Bell Jar" has always been a favorite for me. I believe it has such an association with the issues that may forever face women. Not to be sexist but I don't believe a male would relate as much with the main character. Her femaninity is quite an important part to the understanding of her. She attempts to find her place in society while balancing the expectations around her. This conflict leaves a duel mentality, where one minute she feels inferior to all around her, but the next, she feels she can overcome any obstacle. An inability to cope with such emotions leave her frozen in fear. I believe it to be a tragedy but there is no moment to define it as such, therefor, I think one would really have to relate to the character to understand.
Rating:
Summary: A true classic
Review: I personally find Sylvia Plath's journals her most interesting work, but this comes in at a close second. This book will challenge just about anyone who reads it, whether you're depressed or not. If you've never been depressed in the way Esther is, you're going to ask yourself why she torments herself for no reason and perhaps feel that the storyline is implausible. the deeper you go into the book, the less sympathy you'll feel for her. If you HAVE been as depressed as Esther gets, you'll feel challenged for another reason: the book will reach TOO far into your mind and make TOO deep a connection with you because, well, Sylvia Plath describes depression very well. Her writing tends to make you feel like you and no one else are experiencing what she's going through with her, and it's pretty disturbing. However, it's also a quite rewarding experience. A "bell jar" is just a very apt term for a distorted view of the world that presents everything as seemingly inherently bad. Esther lives under one all the time, and she's not truly aware of it. Eventually her life is turned into a constant waking nightmare because she can't even say what's wrong with her. It's painful to read but it makes for some damn good reading. Reading this book will give you a very graphic idea of what it's like to live under a bell jar and what happens to people who live in permanent ones. You probably won't be the same after you read it.
| 
