Rating: 
Summary: So-so account tasting of unresolved bitterness
Review: This was a very fast read, but didn't pack a lot of punch. The author recounts her experiences as a mental patient, implying she was pushed into the hospital and forced to stay there, and even mistreated. But then the way she tells her story makes it clear she volunteered to go in. It never shows her asking to be let out or even really wanting to be out in the world. On the contrary, in the hospital she is "safe." Nor is she mistreated. If anything the staff is very conscientious and caring. It was obviously a well-run, expensive treatment center, even in the 1960s.Obviously as a teenager, the author felt a need to be there, a need not to have to make choices about her life at age 18. She herself said she didn't want to go to college or get a job, and had no interest in doing anything. Instead she tried to kill herself and hurt her body. In the hospital, there was no real mistreatment I could see (check out "Frances" if you want to know about mistreatment in mental hospitals!). This author had it pretty good. And she DID need help--she was depressed enough to attempt suicide, and was physically abusing her own body. Every teen questions their place in the universe, but every teen does NOT try to rip open his or her hand with her bare fingers to see the bones inside to prove they're "real." She describes her pain and suffering and inability to cope, but then later attempts to say her diagnosis made no sense--despite the fact she fits the profile. Really strange. The author reveals an underlying bitterness about her experience, which isn't exactly explained. The whole account was rather odd--as if selective memory is at work. She never explains anything about her home life or her relationship with her parents--who are footing the bill for this very expensive mental hospital. How could the author leave such an important factor out, when she went into the hospital at age 18? She also skims over her brief marriage, and jumbles the timeline so it's difficult to tell what happened when. Worse, she completely skips over how and when and WHY she finally got out (which turns out to be 18 months later, NOT two years!). I was left with an overwhelming feeling of how bitter this woman is, and how she has a lot of issues still to work out. My hopes are with her. By the way, for a gripping account of teenage mental illness, I recommend "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden."
Rating:
Summary: A quick read, but not all that great!
Review: I respect the fact that this is a true story, and you can't deny someone their experiences, but as a read, this book was not all that great! I'm surprised at all the 4 and 5 star reviews. At least it was a quick read, however I did find it a bit dull at times. It has been years since I read it, but "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath (also autobiographical) was a much more intense book about a girl's "descent into madness". If you liked "Girl, Interrupted", then "The Bell Jar" would certainly warrant a look.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice, fast read
Review: When I got this book I expected it to be dense and dramatic, but was pleasantly surprised to find it a light read. I breezed through it in practically no time - and Kaysen's writing makes it an enjoyable trip, however short. My one complaint is that it seemed to go a little too fast. We know plenty about Kaysen by the end of the book, but it is a little tough piecing out everyone else. We know basic character traits: Lisa is the proud sociopath, Daisy is obsessed with chicken and laxatives, etc. But we don't get a deeper sense of who they are. The focus of the book is obviously Kaysen herself, but it would be nice to know more about the people she spent her time in the mental institution with. Also, changes in Kaysen's life happen with too little explanation (suddenly she's free, etc.), and time is a little out of order, so it gets confusing when in one chapter someone leaves and in the next they're back in a conversation. But I'm being picky - it is a very good book and those are its only faults. So I do definitely reccomend it - especially if you are looking for a nice, quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: intriguin, engaging, and funny
Review: I could not put this novel down after I started it, and ended up finishing it almost entirely in one sitting. Kaysen delivers a wonderful novel filled with insightful and intelligent remarks. For me, the book almsot read like I was having a conversation with kaysen herself, and she was re-counting an experience that changed her life. Read it, and then read it again. It's a book that is more than worth the cost.
Rating:
Summary: Girl Interrupted By: Susanna Kaysen
Review: Girl Interrupted by:Susanna Kaysen was an excellent book which I would reccomend to anyone . In most books there is just one plot but in this book there is lots of little plots , like what goes on in the seclusion room, and the actionms of what some characters take and how they think . This book was very realistic not only because it is a non-fiction book but because of the details put in it . It had great character development because like everytime a new character came the book would tell you when and why they were there.This book was not very fast paced but it was not boring either . It had both humorous and dramatic spots . What makes this book different is that you actually feel kind of like you are one of the characters in the book . The author's style of language was excellent , and very understandable . I really thought the book was good , but it did have a few parts that I could not understand . The characters in this story deal with alot of things including a death of one of the characters to find out who it is you will just have to read the book !
Rating: 
Summary: Not Intense Enough
Review: "Girl, Interrupted" is the kind of book I usually gravitate toward and I was looking forward to reading the author's real life account of her experiences. I was disappointed by the lack of intensity however. There was real potential for drawing together a time period ( I remember the late sixties...anyone who was a young adult at that time was apt to be strongly affected by the changes we all went through ), counterpointed by the author's inner period of conflict. Instead I got a series of vignettes of the life inside of the mental institution that were not as powerful as I had wished. I felt that the author was not being totally honest with herself when she wrote this book. It was as if she was still protecting herself. Why write a book like this unless you are going to pull out all the stops? The other people who were in MacLean with her are barely fleshed out...we are hardly touched by her own predicament, in fact. Maybe because I was trapped in an all girl's boarding school at the same time ( the experience was rather similar--we too looked on all the changes as helpless observers, esssentially) I wanted more. Or maybe it is just something in myself that recognized she is still hiding something. Next time, Susannah, be braver and give us the whole truth.
Rating:
Summary: Girl, Interrupted
Review: I thought that this book gave a very vivid look inside the world of a girl in a mental institution and the interactions between her and the other patients. Having seen the movie, the book is different. The book is a must read if you have indeed seen the movie. It gives you a closer look into Susanna Keyshen's life while she was institutionalized. Very good book! A must for any home library
Rating:
Summary: Lauren's Review
Review: This was an excellent book. Though some parts were odd, it is one of my favorites. I have yet to see the movie, but I'm sure it will be as good as the book, also with all of the awards it's won. A must-read!
Rating:
Summary: Stop Interrupting Me
Review: This book, Girl Interrupted, can be classified many different ways. For the person who wants insight into a person's true-life account of their two-year stay in a mental institution it is a gem. This is what was I was looking for. This was a detailed, well-written book that gave me a different side of writing skills. I want to share why this book was so good. I would give this book four stars. It was good and I couldn't put it down. The only reason for my deduction of a star was because it wasn't really about the mental institution. It was about why she got there, and what she was doing that classified her as crazy. This book gave me a glimpse of what it was like in the 1960's to be 18 and in Mclean Mental Hospital. The descriptions were vivid and real. Another aspect of this book was Susanna's peers in the hospital. They formed bonds which were strange yet somehow moving. They had to go through the same experience, which made them close. The clarity of the writing made you really think about your mind and what goes on inside it. This book has given me a craving to find more books about true-life experiences. I hope I can find more books about people who experience life altering changes because it makes you think about your own life. This book has shown me different signs of myself and I hope that I can find more books as good as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Girl, Pleased with this book
Review: I could really relate to this book. That could be kind of scary since it took place in a mental hospital... It was a really good story though. It gave me a different view of something I never really thought about. I read it after seeing the movie. There were several major differences between them, so seeing the movie does not mean you know the story. I like both of them a lot. I highly reccommend this book to anyone who's ever felt a little insane.
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