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Home > Books > Fiction > Modern Fiction Books > T Modern Fiction Books > The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
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== About the book == The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is her only novel and it was originally published under a pseudonym in 1963. The edition being reviewed was published by Faber and Faber and is 240... more

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for The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

Rating Summary based on 15 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		9
  • 4 Stars
    		5
  • 3 Stars
    		0
  • 2 Stars
    		1
  • 1 Star
    		0

Detailed rating

  • Characters
  • How does it compare to other works by the same author?
  • How does it compare to similar books?
  • Readability
  • Story
  		• 4.3
  		• 3.3
  		• 2.9
  		• 4.5
  		• 4.2
  • 31 of 31 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of lizzie_haycocks

    lizzie_haycocks

    5 Stars Plath's book is tragic genius... 25/05/2005
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Beautifully written, 'poetic' without compromising truth

    Disadvantages Disadvantages I can't think of any.

    I loved this book. It may have been because at the time I was experiencing firsthand the destruction that depression and mental illness can cause. Plath's book is very sad. But it also reinforces the fact that societal expectations and boundaries can push people to the limit. Esther, the college-age protagonist is clearly very ill. But what makes this book wonderful is the sense of intimacy we feel for Esther. The book tells of this college English student's placement in New York, her summer vacation and her difficulties reconciling with the 'real world' before charting her tragic breakdown ... more
  • 58 of 58 Ciao users found the following review helpful
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    Annallon

    4 Stars ..CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS? Review with images 25/08/2009
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Wonderfully written with such fluidity and authencity with her own experiences

    Disadvantages Disadvantages It ended too soon!

    The Bell Jar. This was the only novel that Plath published, which she did under a pseudonym back in the 60's. She was an excellent poet but is largely known for her largely-autobiographical novel. Her real-life persona in the book is Esther Greenwood; a woman in the 60s who has won a contest and is spending the summer at a New York magazine; she has many inner conflicts within herself, she increasingly finds herself suffocating in a bell jar of depression and cynicism, with a distorted view on the world and being unable to communicate effectively out of the jar. This gets too much for her and ... more
  • 31 of 31 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of linzee_loulabelle

    Level 8 linzee_loulabelle

    Member since 26/11/2004

    Reviews written: 977

    4 Stars Plath's only novel 09/08/2012
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Compelling, interesting

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Some may find it depressing

    About the book The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is her only novel and it was originally published under a pseudonym in 1963. The edition being reviewed was published by Faber and Faber and is 240 pages long. Plot Working in New York one hot summer, Esther Greenwood is on the brink of her future. Yet she is also on the edge of a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal. In this vivid and unforgettable novel about the struggles of growing up, Esther’s world shines through: the wide-eyed country girls, her crazed men-friends, hot dinner dances and nights in New York, and a slow ride into ... more
  • 20 of 20 Ciao users found the following review helpful
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    DoubleFantasy11

    5 Stars Honesty Under The Bell Jar 21/11/2005
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Honest, poignant, truthful ending

    Disadvantages Disadvantages The sense of hopelessness - not very encouraging if you're suffering from depression yourself

    I think that this is the kind of novel that takes on a new kind of dimension if you can personally relate to it. Don't get me wrong: you will still enjoy this story if you've never had the misfortune to suffer from depression, but being able to empathise with the main character probably makes you think of it in a different way. Plath's analogy of the bell jar (that you're stewing in your own fetid air) was particularly poignant to me. Esther is an academically-gifted young woman who doesn't know exactly what she wants from life. At one point, she compares herself to someone sitting in a fig ... more
  • 14 of 14 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of MagicKitten

    MagicKitten

    5 Stars I knew something was wrong with me that summer 13/11/2000
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages A very well witten novel, easy to understand but not simplisic

    Disadvantages Disadvantages A shame Plath didnt write another novel; her short stories are also excellent

    Many people cite this as one of the early feminist novels. I see it as just a great novel, with a criticism towards society in there too. But I don't think Plath wrote it just to attack society; it is a very personal, semi-autobiographical novel, exploring themes such as mental illness, the role of women in society and peoples' perceptions of and intelligent girl such as Esther's decision to defy society and follow her own ambitions rather than accept society's guidelines. The novel follows Esther, a college girl who has won a competition to write for a magazine in New York, through a ... more

Product information

for The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

Product Details

Type Fiction
Genre Modern Fiction
Title The Bell Jar
Author Sylvia Plath
ISBN 0553278355; 0571081789; 0571200338; 0571226167

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