Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Book Review: The Bell Jar


The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath, was quite an interesting read. My opinion of it in the end was mixed, but the more time that goes by, the more I like it. Ultimately, it is the story of Esther Greenwood and her move into crazy town. Part of the reason I like the book is that her craziness is easy to understand. It happens so gradually, so easily that I almost fell into it with her. Overall, I don't think it was that depressing of a book, and I think it is a true and honest tale of how a seemingly normal woman can just lose her mind! In this version, with the PS insights and more, there was a really interesting forward about Plath herself, her slip into depression, and the book's initial rejection. I think that makes the book all the more interesting, and I'm guessing it was somewhat of an autobiography in disguise.
Anyway... Really interesting book. I recommend it highly.
Jen's Grade: a good solid "A"

2 comments:

Kym said...

I've heard that this book is difficult to read, did you think this?

Jen said...

yeah, I could see how that would be true. the first half flowed really nicely, and made sense. the last half where she came into her crazy was a lot more choppy and definately more confusing. but for the most part, if you're paying enough attention it's not too bad.