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Sylvia Plath - Bell Jar


beverley

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Hi all bev here .I have just finnished reading this book and i must say it was really brilliant.I had read a few of her poems but i did not know she had written a book.the book is semi biographical and is about a young womens struggle to find her identity.The book was a real eye opener to what life is like in a mental institution, and her personal struggle against depression and the world in general .You might think that, that seems depressing but in many ways it was a inspiration.its super! :D the other book i would like to share is to kill a mocking bird by Harper Lee.My sister use to go on about it ,telling me to read it and when i got round to reading it ,it was amazing. Its about a young girl in the states who witnesses racial abuse through her young eyes.It is so intriging,i could not put it down, its a fight for justice. Hope you will try these books.bev :typing::):reading:

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I've never read any Plath, but that sounds rather interesting. I might have to look it out.

 

To Kill a Mocking Bird is one of those books I've always meant to read & never quite gotten round to yet. I will one of these days... I loved that movie (I think it was Gregory Peck if I remember correctly) & every time I see it I think to myself "I really must get hold of the book." One of these days...

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Great recommendations! I read them both many, many years ago back in the 80s when I was in high school. Both have stuck with me, particularly To Kill A Mockingbird, which is one of the best novels I've ever read.

 

I think some people might have a hard time getting through the darker aspects of The Bell Jar, but I honestly think To Kill A Mockingbird is a book for everyone, young and old alike.

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  • 1 year later...

here's my review to throw in with the rest...

 

Title: The Bell Jar

Author: Sylvia Plath

ISBN # 05710181789

Publisher: Faber & Faber

First Published: 1963

258 pages

Format: Paperback

Rating: 2/10

Synopsis:

A student from Boston wins a guest editorship on a national magazine, and finds a new world at her feet. Her New York life is crowded with possibilities, so the choice of future is overwhelming. She is faced with the perennial problems of morality, behaviour and identity.

 

 

Review:

I found this very cold, clinical and emotionless and had great difficulty identifying with the narrator - I just didn't feel anything towards her at all. Nothing much seemed to happen and despite her month in New York, her life seemed very dull.

 

 

I got absolutely nothing out of this - it felt so disjointed and I felt it had very little flow. In a way, I'm glad she only wrote the one novel so, as I'm not into poetry, I won't feel obliged to try any more of her work. It felt like such a chore to read this and I kind of wished I'd put it down early on and given up on it

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The Bell Jar has always been one of my favorite books. I read it in high school, and about 3 times since. If you like Sylvia Plath, or are just interested in her life, I would recommend Wintering by Kate Moses. It describes the last, terrible winter of Plath's life, and also flashes back to important events in her marriage to Ted Hughes. I've reviewed it on my blog, if anyone cares to read more!

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I read The Bell Jar perhaps 25 years ago & it's still memorable for the the description of her depression and the awful treatments. Her poetry is dark and in my opinion far outshone Ted Hughes'.

 

You may know that I run an online audio book store. I had at one time dozens of copies of Sylvia Plath Reads: ISBN 0694522465, but it's now been deleted. To hear her read is something. Ofcourse I kept a copy for myself.

 

Here's a Youtube link to possibly her most famous poem:

 

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Yeah...Plath is my favorite writer and i feel so drawn to her. I never really knew her tell one day I picked up The Bell Jar and loved the book. I recommend it toanyone breathing. Also if you like Sylvia Plath you might like Virginia Wolfe. By the way Echo, thanks I might read that.

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