Thursday, April 30, 2015

Snoozy Review: The Bell Jar

Ta-da! This time we have The Bell Jar, the only novel by the famously tortured poet Sylvia Plath. This was actually the first "classic" book I ever bought for myself, but since I was so young, I don't think I was able to properly appreciate it at the time. Thus, 5 years later, I've finally finished The Bell Jar, and am ready to share my thoughts with y'all. Without further ado, here it is!


Review: The Bell Jar
Author and Year:
Sylvia Plath, 1963 

I would advise giving her a quick look-up before reading The Bell Jar, since so much of this novel is semi-autobiographical. 

Plot: 
Esther Greenwood is seemingly the perfect young lady, who has a sharp wit, a prestigious New York City internship, and an enthusiastic suitor from Yale. The one thing she lacks is a sound mind-- and as a result, her once "perfect" life is rapidly spiraling out of control. 
 
By The Cover:
I really love that cover photo! It's just so elegant in a creepy kind of way.

[fun fact]: The book's title comes from the distorted perspective one would have when depressed, as if looking at the world through a bell jar. 



First Line: 
"It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they executed the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York." 

Last Line: 
*warning: this may be a spoiler! But make of it what you will, if you'd like to read it anyway. 

"The eyes and the faces all turned themselves toward me, and guiding myself by them, as by a magical thread, I stepped into the room."

A Quote:
"The floor seemed wonderfully solid. It was comforting to know that I had fallen and could fall no further."
Beautifully phrased, but also really sad to think about. Yes, she's literally just kinda lying on the floor.

Favorite Part:
Kind of hard to nail down, but I probably enjoyed the beginning of the book more, since she was still interacting with a lot of characters then, and there was more suspense with her growing insanity.


Least Favorite Part:
The whole time she's committed to mental facilities, and the people she meets. Just super depressing.


Final Comments:
This read is not for the faint of heart! Despite her general lack of emotion, Esther's long monologues ended up pulling out a lot of sympathy from me. Literature wise, it's definitely clear that Plath was a poet by trade: nearly every other line is a beautiful, poetic statement that explains something in a way I would've never thought to explain it. Overall, beautifully written, very provoking, but somewhat lacking in plot sophistication, since everyone kinda knows where this book is going.

Rating: 3.5/5

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