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We just read this in my local book club. It was good, it wasn't my favorite. When I finished it, it felt incomplete. I know it wasn't. I did appreciate her plight and think she effectively called attention to the important topic of mental health. I would recommend it but it won't be one I re-read.

Plath has a unique way of creating a specific atmosphere throughout the entire book-not blatantly mentioned, but always lurking between the lines. The novel as a whole really personifies the title itself- I could feel the claustrophobic aesthetic on every page. And Plath writes Greenwood so effortlessly and fluidly, having her personify the atmosphere I have mentioned. Struggling, but not seeing any way out. So relatable to young women, even today.

sarahgraceface89 wrote: ↑18 Jul 2013, 21:52 I love this novel. It sheds light on the societal pressures that women endure, regardless of the time period. Plath's style of writing is completely engrossing, there is never a need to a breather or pause to check the time, you are so absorbed in the story that you forget about the passing of time.

I have heard a lot about this book, but I have never read it. My friends have mentioned that it's really good.

ive wanted to read the bell jar for about ten years, just i always find theres something in the way

This is one of those ones I had been meaning to read for a long time, and I finally did recently. It's certainly not as dark as I was expecting. If I didn't know it was such a seminal text, I think I'd have shrugged my shoulders at it, to be honest. The matter-of-fact nature of it is a little chilling, but it's just not as intense as I expected.

I gated this book. The beginning was sort of interesting. Then, it just got really boring and random. I think it only gained popularity because of the author's death.

Quite simply one of the best books I have ever read. Ever.

As a long time fan of Sylvia Plath's poetry I had high hopes for this book and it didn't disappoint me.

This book is a piercing look at how a person can struggle with mental health issues in a society that did not provide many opportunities for women to flourish in the writing world. Plath's work has always left an indelible impression on me, and when I finally got to read 'The Bell Jar', there was no doubt left in my mind about how great she was at capturing those complex emotions and that deep pain she went through in her own life.

Some scenes in this book can be quite jarring and upsetting, especially around the darker themes of struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, so I would recommend having a good mindset before sitting down to read this one.

dahlianoir wrote: ↑06 Aug 2013, 09:24

sarahgraceface89 wrote:I love this novel. It sheds light on the societal pressures that women endure, regardless of the time period. Plath's style of writing is completely engrossing, there is never a need to a breather or pause to check the time, you are so absorbed in the story that you forget about the passing of time.

I completely agree with you, I love this book too. I read it at a time in my life when I was going through similar feelings, but the way she describes what she's going through is so fluent and accurate.
Do you like her poetry, also? I sometimes find it a little hard to understand, but I suppose that's the purpose of it

I have only read this book once and I loved it! I'm always hesitant to read "classic" American novels. At the point when I read this book, I was at a time in my life where it was like being inside of my own head (I didn't have the same experiences and I was several years older than the protagonist).

Mental health is a serious subject and the way Plath addresses it in this book... it is heartbreaking. I felt the emotions Esther had, perhaps not because of Plath's writing but because they are not exclusive to one person or one era.

Luckily, I am in a better place than I was then. I treasure this book.

I agree with you. The storyline is so intriguing. I just love it!

GabbiV wrote: ↑09 Mar 2018, 13:27

alexisporter wrote: ↑30 Jan 2014, 17:59 I am curious if anyone who's read Syliva Plath's novel, The Bell Jar, has had a similar experience as I have.

It has been some time since I've read this book, but it is one that comes to mind when asked "What books have had a strange effect on you?". I'm not sure if it was just the writing, my own psychological frailty at the time, or a combination of both that caused me to actually feel like I was underneath a bell jar myself. I felt a very strange darkness when I read this book. While I found it to be a good book, and would recommend it to anyone, I don't intend to ever read it again.

Strange, how books can have such profound and powerful effects on us.

I had a very similar experience as you concerning this book! As Esther's mental state deteriorated, mine did as well in a fashion so similar, I think I was copying her. I have the benefit of hindsight now but the book served as a bildungsroman for both of us.

I love the book and I want everyone to read it so they can have a better understanding of the trials women go through. While I would say that gender relations in America are getting better, I still think this work is relevant because there are situations in the book that could take place then and that can take place today without having to tax the imagination.

Hi there I am just reading The Bell Jar and I find it fascinating. Silvia Plath is telling her story in the sembiance of Esther. She can have a profound effect on the reader. Mainly when she experienced hospitalization in Asylum and following treatments for her mental health condition with Dr Nolan. The lady doctor is more than a doctor to her. She is very maternal and Esther confides in her. That's why her health improves steadly and in due course she leaves Belsize.
Here I would like to add that her writing is not always easy to follow. The reason is that from a paragraph to the next she can wander with her thinking somewhere. Often with pretty expressive similes, regarding her past at college or natural sorroundings or else.
At times I find it distracting and not able to grasp what she really wants to achieve. I am becoming a bit of a shrew in reading her.
Moreover I find that other readers of Esther's story do not comment or get intrigued like I am by the way she is still a virgin and goes to the gynecologist to have a fitting. Now that is impossible isn't it? How can the gynocologist fix that without her losing virginity I wonder.
My other point is that after the fitting at the clinic, instead of going back to
Belsize she wander in town to have her first sexual encounter with Irwin a Prof
in mathematic. For me that is a bit hasty and not well pondered. She was tired
and tense no good prelude to a good sex experience. The description of Irwin it
is just a blob and I find him a bit ambiguous character to mingle with.She told him
it was her first time, but he did not believe it so much.
The outcome is not as she hoped. I feel she was expecting better of it and tenderness. He also did hurt her with no so much concern. So much so that she
was bleeding no stop. That is a trauma I think. After that she ended up in
a clinic to see what happened down there. Likely the doctor did put her right again. At that point, following the story I am not convinced she is Ok with that
sexual experience and to me sounds like rape.
Now anyone can tell me better?

I've read this book during the quarantine this year and it really struck me as somewhat eye-opening when it comes to insecurities during the period of adolescence, striving hard to satisfy your parents and all the people around you and coping with mental health issues. The moral of the story is that we are all roses, sensitive and emotional, which are hidden under seemingly thick-skinned surfaces (our bell jars).

I’ve always wanted to read Sylvia Plath’s works, but in all honesty, I’m afraid to. I’ve struggled with depression and severe anxiety issues all my life, and I know everyone is different (varying triggers, modes of self-punishment, coping mechanisms, etc.), but being aware of how Sylvia’s journey eventually ended and correlating that with the subjects of her writings, I’m afraid it would be like looking in a mirror and I wouldn’t be able to handle the reflection well.

sarahgraceface89 wrote: ↑18 Jul 2013, 21:52 I love this novel. It sheds light on the societal pressures that women endure, regardless of the time period. Plath's style of writing is completely engrossing, there is never a need to a breather or pause to check the time, you are so absorbed in the story that you forget about the passing of time.

I share the same sentiments. I couldn’t put it down and think of this novel often. I understand the subject matter may be heavy or difficult to bare for some but I really can’t recommend this book enough. I’m glad others share my affection for it, usually I’m met with awkward looks when I mention how much I love it!

scriptbunny wrote: ↑07 Mar 2014, 22:30 After reading The Bell Jar, I couldn't believe my high school teachers had only ever shown us Sylvia Plath's poetry but never her prose. It was astonishing. I had no idea just how funny she was, how wry! And so resonant even today. I haven't read it in a few years. Maybe it's time for a refresher.

Right? I didn't expect her to be funny at all!

I found so many resemblances with Ottessa Moshfegh's ironic and depressing style. Plath must have been a big influence on her.