Rating: 
Summary: what the film depiction left wide open ...
Review: When the DVD comes out you can add this to the list of reviews. I look forward to reading the book. What I noticed about the film, maybe in the way that it was cut, was that Susanna actually WAS slipping forward and backward in time at the beginning. I would have called David and Gillian on the spot (ok, in character). Susanna may have needed a rest, although I would have questioned the determination that the matter, as depicted on screen, was mental illness. Something more was going on and we never get to find out what it really was...Loose ends...? Maybe a sequel...?
Rating: 
Summary: Dull Read
Review: This book was such a disappointmen! It's the book about nothing. Girl, Interrupted was very dull and there was no character development, I never felt anything for the main character or anyone else in the book. Some sections did not even make sense.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: I don't have much to say other than this was an amazing book. Other reviews will summarize it for you, so I feel I don't need to. I just want to let everyone know how great of a book this is, and I highly suggest reading it. I think that, like myself, you'll have a hard time putting it down.
Rating: 
Summary: nothing new here
Review: This book was a big disappointment to me. It was well written (so what?), but any insight it provided on mental illness and mental institutions has been done before and better (I refer you to One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest for the shining example). At least it's a quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: *Well-written novel, even better movie!*
Review: This book was an excellent study of mentally unstable and troubled women in the early 60's. I like many parts of the book, but the look into the mind of the main character Suzanna was at times confusing. Without these strange insights into her thoughts, I would rate the novel 4 stars! However, if that is something that you would like to read about, this novel comes with high recommendation. I do suggest that you see the movie as well. I found it to be a great representation of the novel, if not better.
Rating:
Summary: Method to the Madness
Review: Many of us have doubted our sanity at one point or another, especially during adolescence; after reading this book, you may have cause to doubt it again. Susanna Kaysen's memoir portrays the "parallel universe" of insanity with alarming precision. Girl, Interrupted is a quick read, but worth reading more than once. Kaysen's prose is sophisticated, straightforward, and honest, with enough figurative language to give the book a poetic feel. The book is divided into short, self-contained chapters, organized in a vaguely (but not perfectly) linear time frame; the purpose of this is not to show a conventional plot, but to provide a loose framework for Kaysen's illness and its prognosis. Its departure from the confines of traditional stories is refreshing: there isn't the typical sense of character development or conflict, but that only reinforces the book's deeper sense of reality. Besides that, the conflict's still going on for Kaysen. Rather than trying to teach us a lesson, Kaysen intends to raise questions about the boundaries of madness, unclear and perpetually shifting, and about who has the ability to determine these boundaries. She accomplishes this covertly, but she certainly accomplishes it. I haven't seen the recently released movie, but from what I've seen and heard of it, it doesn't do this book justice. On the other hand, this review doesn't even do the book justice. It's beautifully written, engaging, and surprisingly relevant to our ordinary "sane" lives. I enthusiastically recommend this book and I applaud Kaysen for her literary contribution.
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Summary: Where is the rest of this book?
Review: I couldn't wait to get into the inner workings and life happenings of the characters in this book. However, before that happened... the book ended. I loved the photocopies of admission papers and how the author enlightens us on just how easy it is to be committed. I just wish there was more to this book. Huge typeface with very little actually happening... Story, Interrupted.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic! A must for any reader!
Review: This book is gripping from page one with honesty and a true-life story. It takes the reader through an emotional journey, while staying within the confins of a mental hospital. This book is as real as it gets, which causes the reader to honestly stop and evaulute their own personal lives. It is one book that comes highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I don't care if I'm in the minority, so I'll have to agree with everyone who gave this book one star. I can sum up the entire plot in one sentence: the author just chronicles the mundane actions of a bunch of one-dimensional characters, herself included. As reviewers here stated before, this story has absolutely NO depth whatsoever. There is no build to a climax, and no real conflict is ever presented. I found myself skimming over the long paragraphs where this woman tries to rationalize why she's a fruitcake, which she does with annoyingly abstract metaphors. However, in the 1st chapters, she tries to convince readers why she DOESN'T have a disorder. The problem with this is that Girl, Interrupted is written after everything is said and done- it doesn't coincide (like a diary). So what makes Kaysen suddenly change her mind about her mental health? She clearly has unresolved, unexplored opinions about herself. Anyway, 1/3 through this book, I tossed it on my shelf. It bored me that much. And because past reviewers reveal "the end", I'm satisfied to know I ain't missing a thing. I'm an avid reader and HATE not finishing things, but why should I put myself through any more voluntary masochism? I know that different people like different literary proses, formats, etc., so I have nothing condescending to say about any reviewer who gave 5 stars. But I'm used to reading books that stress human emotion, character motivation, and a THEME (not just cause-and-effect plots). If Kaysen and her friends didn't have these things in their lives, the story wasn't worth telling in the first place (any real writer knows that). I picked this book up in Barnes & Noble because I felt that if they spent a budget making a movie based on it, it must really be worthwhile. Boy, I'll never let Hollywood influence my choices in book reading again! The only thing this irritating story interrupts is time that could be better spent. Check it out of the library if you want to read it that badly, but don't make the mistake of spending money on it.
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Summary: Talia's OHS Literary Corner
Review: Girl Interrupted is written in three different kinds of chapter styles. Narrative chapters tell the story line. The second kind of chapter consists of Susanna's interpertation of what was taking place in the hospital. The third style of chapter lets the reader understand Susanna while she discusses ideas in depth. The plot of the story is easy to follow. After a series of events that make Susanna a possible danger to herself, she is sent to a mental hospital. At the hospital, Susanna makes friends easily, and she uses a humorous style to describe events. Humor derives from the fact that her experiences are often so disturbing that it is easier for one to laugh than to cry. By the end of the novel, Susanna is able to leave the hospital with a new understanding of life. The story allows the reader to feel as if they have gone throught the experience with Susanna. It lets the reader understand how many of the characters feel. It also lets the reader grow with the characters and understand the changes they undergo. The reader becomes part of the world Ms. Kaysen creates out of her eal life experience. I would recommend this book for a couple of reasons. It is non-fiction; while reading about the hectic life in the hospital one is confronted by its basis in truth and the story becomes one that can be related to ones own life. The story is full of life, changes, and challenges making it an essential read for anyone who is captivated by the human mind.
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