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Classic story from an author who died too soon. After such a terrible year (2020), the slow decay in madness became all too relatable to me.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The Bell Jar was written largely as autobiographical, the character Esther, like Sylvia Plath, bedeviled by depression. At the book's beginning I thought I was going to be in for a female version of F. Scott Fitzgerald - the oh-so-nice social connections, and all that entails in the way of social commentary. Sadly, as I continued to read, I discovered Plath's story had little of the social commentary or personal depth of Fitzgerald's work. Two things in particular disturbed me about this book: First, Plath probably portrayed her alter ego correctly in that Ester acted in an almost completely dispassionate manner. In writing this way, I think Plath conflates the monochromatic way depressives perceive their world with their inner world. It would have been a much stronger book to have the character more aware of the untenable situations the depressed state put Esther in, and to have had her deal with them inwardly - in conflict with the way she wanted to feel and act. As it is, Esther seems mentally impaired beyond depression, and totally vulnerable to any and all outside influences. The second, related point, is that the character comes across as a victim. I doubt Plath saw her that way, butthe way Esther comes across must have concerned feminists in the years to come when this book was held up as a sort of anthem for women's rights.Read full review
Well, the book is amazing, what can I say? It's a classic, and I am glad I'm reading it in my late 20s rather than my teens because I would've found Esther too maudlin; now I find her honest.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Plath's only novel, published shortly before her suicide, THE BELL JAR tells the story, based on the author's own experiences, about a young woman's descent into madness. Esther Greenwood spends a month in New York City as a guest magazine editor--just as Plath did as a Mademoiselle magazine intern--and gradually loses her grip on reality. THE BELL JAR was so autobiographical that, when it was first published in 1963 in England, it appeared under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas.
Great read. You feel the slow descent and if not careful could be carried there. Put the book down and breathe some fresh air and start again!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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