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Summary: A diary-like depiction of life in a mental hospital.
Review: An enjoyable, stream of consciousness read from beginning to end. The book, although different from the movie, was in many ways more enjoyable. It was a less glamorous account of this piece of the author's life.
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Summary: Girl, Interrupted
Review: I have to admit, before I picked the movie (I saw the movie first), I thought it was going to be some cheesy chick-flick or something. As soon as I saw it, it all changed. I was so intrigued by these characters that I emmidaitely bought the book. I loved it. Susanna's writing brought alive these characters, brought alive this un-spoken world. She discribed insanity and psychiatric conditions so vividly I was mesmorized. The book perfectly balances experiences and notions. Some chapters deal with everyday life in McLean (the hospital) while others fascinating notes, some preconceived while others totally new. The fact that this is not fiction is also relevent, as I feel deep compassion, if not a connection, towards the author. The medical papers sprinkled throughout the book reminded me that this was real. That Susanna is real. She may be your next-door neighbor. A relative. A friend. She could be you.
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Summary: A young girl's life is suddenly interrupted
Review: If you are a teenage girl, who is struggling with your emotions, than this book is for you. It is a story of an 18 year old girl named susanna who is suddenly shipped off to a mental ward in a taxi, and she is diagnosed with a "borderline personality". She Doesn't even know what that is, but she deals with it. The people are a little rough at first, but she finds out that the other women in the hospital are actually more connected and even more sane than some of the ordinary people in the outside world. She makes a connection with one of the girls, who sticks out as a fear-nothing-rebel. They go on an emotional rollercoaster with eachother, and susanna lets all of her screams and cries out into her little journal. The journal is her ticket out of the institution, and she eventually uses it. She grows up to be a writer, like she always dreamed, and writes the story i am talking about right now. I personally thought this was an excellent book. I don't read much. When I saw advertisements for the movie on TV, it seemed interesting. So, since I didnt want to bug my parents to pay money to go see it with me, I checked the book out at the library. Since I am only 14, some of the things confused me. But, I understood the storyline, and deeply connected, end felt as if I could relate with susanna kaysen. After reading the book, I waited until the movie came out on TV, and I watched it. It was very powerful, and I wanted to see it again and again. I read the book often, and I understand things more as I read them. Well, Please read the book, or rent the movie. You will be deeply moved.
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Summary: Measure of Madness
Review: This book provides and interesting look at the world of the insane. Where older, more famous books look at insanity only from the point of view of the insane, Susanna Kaysen's novel provides the perspective of doctors and those "cured", in addition to that of the insane. The stories of the main character's stay in the institution advance the book. They are emotionally stimulating and feed the desire to see the world of the insane. But the intermittent documentation as well as Susanna's insight into her insanity provide for the reader a measure of his own insanity. It is amazing to see how the habits and idiosyncrasies, the justification of their madness, are so close to our own behavior. This book is both fun and revealing to read.
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Summary: huh???
Review: Personally, I don't get this book at all. I guess you can say I didn't like it. Ms. Kaysen talks at length about one topic and then in the next chapter talks about another. The actual experiences of being in the hospital were only in a few short chapters. Or maybe Ms. Kaysen just writes in a VERY unique style that I just can't get used to. Anyway I didn't enjoy this book and was pretty disappointed. Maybe the movie will turn out better.
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Summary: Only for the people who suck the marrow out of life.
Review: I am a person who thinks in great quantities. A lot of time in my life is spent analyzing things- little things, peculiar things, random things- and this book became a part of me. It helped me to understand myself and my thoughts. If you are the type of person who doesn't analyze minute details of everything, then don't read this book. Most likely it will annoy you. But if you're like me- read it over and over and over again. Never stop thinking, never stop learning, never stop LIVING!
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Summary: Girl, Interrupted
Review: Girl, Interrupted is a memoir about eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen who is put into a taxi and sent off to McLean Hospital. Susanna will spend her next two years at McLean, the rehabilitation center she is sent to after attempting suicide by mixing a bottle of vodka with a bottle of aspirin. During Susanna's stay at McLean she turns the cold, sterile halls of the hospital into the foundation of her writing career. Susanna becomes good friends with many of the girls at the hospital struggling with problems of their own. This is a deep, compelling memoir, perfect for high school students who are questioning their place in the world. You won't be able to put this book down after you begin, Kaysen locks you into the head of a young confused girl, trying to find a place for herself outside of the hospital.
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Summary: One girls struggle
Review: A little plotless, a little confuseing, but a whole lot of fun. If you like stories of action, adventure, death defiying feats or other such thrillers, look somewhere else, all you'll find here is one magnifcently told storie of a single girl and her freinds searching to belong in a world that has not accepted her.
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Summary: Down-to-Earth and Thought-Provoking
Review: I loved this book. I just could not put it down! I was 17 when I read it last summer, and the story really hit close to home. I think it is wonderful that someone was able to put into words the experience of a borderline personality disorder. I think it is something that many people, including teens, experience but can't explain to others and probably don't quite understand it themselves. It proved to be one of the most thought-provoking current works I have read in a long time.
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Summary: Reality
Review: Although the plot of this book was at times hard to follow because it kept skipping around, i thought overall it was a good book. Susanna Kaysen did an excellent job of depicting reality. The book contains many short chapters. However each chapter is packed with a lot to think about and discuss. This book provided me the opportunity to find out about someone else's life. I also found it more interesting to read about someone's actual experience in dealing with borderline personality disorder, than to read an informational book about it. Girl, Interrupted not only provided me with basic information but it was enjoyable learning. It also showed how it affected a person. This story made me realize that the people who are in places like McLean are real people, who have emotions and feelings. Whose lives were interrupted by whatever disorder they were diagnosed with.
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