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The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar
Audiobook7 hours

The Bell Jar

Written by Sylvia Plath

Narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

A realistic and emotional look at a woman who falls into the grips of insanity written by the iconic American writer Sylvia Plath

“It is this perfectly wrought prose and the freshness of Plath’s voice in The Bell Jar that make this book enduring in its appeal.” — USA Today

The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under—maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther’s breakdown with such intensity that Esther’s neuroses become completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateFeb 2, 2016
ISBN9780060886646
Author

Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 in Massachusetts. Her books include the poetry collections The Colossus, Crossing the Water, Winter Trees, Ariel, and Collected Poems, which won the Pulitzer Prize. A complete and uncut facsimile edition of Ariel was published in 2004 with her original selection and arrangement of poems. She was married to the poet Ted Hughes, with whom she had a daughter, Frieda, and a son, Nicholas. She died in London in 1963.

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Reviews for The Bell Jar

Rating: 4.201208981001727 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,158 ratings263 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Esther Greenwood, a stand-in for Sylvia Plath, suffers through a long summer of debilitating mental illness in this classic roman a clef. After a disappointing stint as a "guest editor" at a New York women's magazine (think: Mademoiselle), Esther is at a loss when she comes home to Boston. There the stultifying atmosphere of the bell jar, her metaphor for the deadness of depression, descends upon her. Soon she is hospitalized, and subjected to the cutting-edge treatments available in the late 1950s: electroshock and insulin shock therapy. Soon she is unrecognizable, even to herself. Her future had seemed so bright; what will become of her now?I have read the Bell Jar at least three times: once as a teenager, once as a young adult, and now. With this reading, I was most impressed with the vividness and aptness of Plath's imagery. Her poetic sensibility really shines through. This book is well worth reading, or rereading.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Yeah, I read it. I like the part about the hot dogs. And I DON'T EVEN LIKE HOT DOGS.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think it is safe to say The Bell Jar is a classic. Haunting and hurtful, you have to almost flinch away from the mental illness that descends on protagonist Esther Greenwood. Every time she fixates on a way to commit suicide you wonder, does she actually go through with it this time? Does she succeed? Then when you discover The Bell Jar is autobiographical it all makes sense and you think you know the answer.There were so many different lines I wanted to quote. Because I connected to them so deeply, here are a couple of my favorites, "There is something demoralizing about watching two people get more and more crazy about each other, especially when you are the only extra person in the room" (p 29) and "There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends" (p 53).

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It was extremely haunting. I had to put the book down several times from the intensity of several of the parts of the book, before I eventually came back to it, which made this book take longer to read than usual. It was a very good book though, so well written and real, I could almost feel the insanity that was gripping escher greenwood while I was reading it, which made the tangibility all the more captivating, and at times intolerable.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had read some reviews that this book was disturbing or shocking and I was kinda hoping it would be. I was expecting grittiness given that her poems are usually very dark. What I got was 258 pages of beautiful writing. If it wasn't for the way Sylvia described her surroundings, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much.The first half of the book was a bit slow for me and I had a difficult time getting used to the old style language, but by the time she begins talking about her suicide attempts, all the properness disappeared. The book began to pick up, but still I was left wanting more.I wanted to know what was going through her head, her thoughts. She didn't really let the reader in. Maybe it was because of the time the book was written. The subject was taboo. I don't know.Still worth the read if you are a Plath fan. It's an easy read thanks to the way she writes, so you can probably get it done in a day or two.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sylvia Plath's writing has unmistakable clarity. Her imagery is also incredibly apt. I anticipate that much of the symbolism will take me repeated read-throughs to fully grasp. Many times during my one week stay with 'The Bell Jar' I found myself struck and deeply empathizing with many of the descriptions within the book. I felt so similarly to the way that the narrator felt that I found my emotions fluctuating regularly alongside the plot of the novel. I can definitely see myself reading it again in the not too distant future.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful read. Read it through in one sitting-- skipped sleep simply because I could NOT put this book down.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The story of Ester Greenwood is the story of a young girl trying to find her place in life. She wins a scholarship to work at a fashion magazine in New York and strives to live the perfect life with perfect friends, perfect career aspirations, perfect looks, and a I want it all now mentality. But running alongside her desires is the slow onslaught of mental illness, and her sinking into hopelessness and despair. The more she descends the more the bell jar encases and surrounds her sapping her strength to break free. This is quite a harrowing story make all the more real by the matter of fact unhurried story telling...."Wrapping my coat around me like my own sweet shadow, I unscrewed the bottle of pills and started taking them swiftly, between gulps of water, one by one. At first nothing happened but as I approached the bottom of the bottle, red and blue lights began to flash before my eyes. The bottle slid from my fingers and I lay down."........"I had locked myself in the bathroom, and run a tub full of warm water and taken out a Gillette blade".....The challenges of life the perception of people the need to be happy and successful all pale into insignificance when the body and mind shuts down as senses are overwhelmed. Plath's writing explores the attitudes of society towards those who suffer from mental illness and describes in some barbaric detail the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) which is still used today as a means to relieve the symptoms of mental health...."I tried to smile but my skin had gone stiff, like parchment. Doctor Gordon was fitting two metal plates on either side of my head. He buckled them into place with a strap that dented my forehead, and gave me a wire to bite"......The Glass Jar appears semi bioographical and to me is an attempt in part by the author to come to terms with her own mental issues. It is sad to note that one month after publication in the UK Sylvia Plath herself committed suicide by sticking her head in an oven in her London flat. It cannot help but make me wonder was the writing of The Glass Jar a cry for help and if so was it too little too late. The general tone and feeling of nihilism that prevails this book is best summed up in the following quote....."why I couldn't sleep and why I couldn't read and why I couldn't eat and why everything people did seemed so silly, because they only died in the end"......The Bell Jar is as powerful today as when it was first published and demands to be read if only to understand the human condition and to realize that mental health and the inevitable fallout is still very present in our everyday lives.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A nail biting tail of a young lady with everything to gain slowly slipping into madness. Ms.Plath knows exactly how madness takes over and describes it perfectly.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sylvia Plath writes a semi-autobiographical account of her college years (early 1950's) as Esther Greenwood. "Esther" is a driven and talented student - succeeding at everything she attempts. As her life progresses, her stability begins to waver. Esther struggles with maintaining purpose in her life and experiences deep depression.The character, Esther, was so believable; I found myself drawn into her world right from the start. The writing of Esther's story brought about many emotions and definitely was a sobering read. (4/5)Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..."

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Deeply depressing.Esther Greenwood is talented and successful. She has decent looks and is in New York on a big fat scholarship. She has her whole life ahead of her. But things go downhill very quickly for Esther. Things get so bad to the point that her doctor recommends shock therapy which traumatizes the poor girl and since her spiraling even further downhill. During her steady decline she tries to commit suicide and is consequently thrown into a mental institution. And that's when things get really serious... or crazy rather This book dives into the deepest pits of our psyche. It chronicles the dark descent into psychosis. And as the main character is also the narrator we get an inside look at what's going on inside her head. It is almost maddening in itself to read the pages of this book. And it is heartbreaking to watch such a strong successful woman go down so quickly in flames. Very reminiscent of Girl, Interrupted... Or should I say Girl, Interrupted is very reminiscent of The Bell Jar since the latter was written first? The Bell Jar definitely takes place in a decade way before Girl, Interrupted did. However they ended in very much the same way.I devoured this book in one sitting but then again it's not a very large book. This was my first Sylvia Plath book and I have to say I'm glad I gave it a chance. It seems to me that people who have read this book either love it or hate it. To be honest I kind of feel indifferent about it. I didn't adore the book but I didn't loathe it either. Perhaps this is one of those classics that everybody should read once because it acts as a time capsule as well as a look into mental illness and psychosis, both of which it is written beautifully for. With that in mind I would definitely recommend reading this book at least once to take a look into are human past and what may be even more scary, I look into our own human minds.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read The Bell Jar on the recommendation of a friend who also warned me that it would be best to read it when I was in a cheery mood. She was right about that part in this one was fairly depressing. I read it over the summer while I could surround myself with sun and everything comfortable that I love. The story itself is very much based on Plath's own personal experiences and struggles with depression (and the insane 'therapy' that she was treated with). I found myself relating to her in so many ways with her descriptions of what depression feels like, having suffered from bouts of it myself. She really had a way of putting the feelings into words, and it's devastating that we lost a brilliant writer in her.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    What a damn bore! I'm simply not going to trudge through this story so I can get a solitary sentence of insightful or interesting prose.

    This chick could write, but she couldn't tell a story; not one I wanted to read anyway.

    Got to about page 150. This took days. If given the choice be tween picking up this book or an asp, I'd actually have to think about it. At least with the asp there's a modicum of tension and at least a hint of an outcome that I'm interested in. But then I want to do my best to avoid death and the possibility of hell, where my punishment might be to read this book for eternity.

    It's a real conundrum. It really, really is.

    And for you snobby literary types who think those who don't like garbage like this are simple minded dolts who will always be too dumb to 'get it'. Believe me, I get it, buddy. I just don't care. It's just boring and depressing. Makes me want to stick my head in an an oven and...

    Too soon?

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    The most depressing book I've ever read. Where are the razor blades?

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is [[Sylvia Plath]]'s only novel. Shortly thereafter, she took her own life. It is said that this novel is autobiographically coloured. In this novel we accompany Esther. A young woman who can not cope with her life and all the impressions and seductions. Esther is a highly intelligent student who has won a trip to NY. Already during her stay in NY one senses that she does not get along with herself and her environment. As soon as she gets home it goes mentally downhill with her. She can not read and write anymore. She is apatic and lethargic. She tries to take her own life. Thereafter, an odyssey begins through various psychiatric institutions.The book impressed me a lot.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    great, simply great

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Part autobiographical, this novel follows the life and madness of Esther Greenwood. A smart and attractive woman, she finds herself questioning her abilities and talents. After a failed suicide attempt, Esther is taken to a hospital, where she undergoes shock therapy treatments.I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It was beautifully written, but I had a hard time connecting with Esther. She just didn't seem real, rather she came across as a dream, as a wisp of a person.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read this book when I was in my early 20's and could not relate. Now, 45 years later I feel her intensely. I found some humor that rivaled the dark humor of Holden Caulfield. She easily could be the female version of Holden, with less money. Sad and heartbreaking. Mental illness 60's style. If she had been a baby boomer she may have had a chance then again, maybe not.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm truly sad that this is the only full-length novel written by Sylvia Plath. Her writing style is captivating. I was intrigued after the first few paragraphs; however, the book did not go quite in the direction I thought it was going to go. My fault for not reading the synopsis! It started off quite exciting & then spiraled into mostly thoughts & meandering, rather than action. Again, my fault for not reading & understanding the basis of the book. I think this is a case where the 1st novel was testing the waters. I have a feeling, if she had written a second novel, it could have been a masterpiece. I think this is a 3.75 star novel, but rounded it up to 4.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Brilliantly written and incredibly moving. It’s daunting, but has so many profound truths.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have such conflicting thoughts on this book. It is beautifully written. It is so descriptive in how she describes emotions and experiences, it was fantastic. The main character I found superbly irritating despite being written so well, that was my biggest struggle with the book I just wasn't invested in her because she drove me nuts. I finished in part because it was narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal who did a phenomenal job.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I saw this book all over tiktok, so I was interested. Honestly, I didn't like it. It was sad, but I didn't like her attitude. It was long and boring. Too slow.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There is a lot to unpack in this. I thought a lot about the time period it is set and think about the expectations of women. I am not sure we have advanced as much as we like to think we have as a society. I am glad I read it, but it has left me with a lot of thoughts. I am not sure how to process all of it. It deals with some very heavy topics in a very interesting way. I'm sorry it took me this long to read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Such a brilliant work about a descent into mental illness that I only now read for the first time. So sad for the author’s tragic end. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have to agree with the New York Times reviewer in that it "is not shaped well". It is an easy read, but very discombobulated. Having gone to Catholic school my whole life this was not a book we ever read; so I've always chalked up this discombobulation to the shame Plath must of felt during the era in which the book was written. I love the simplicity and her scatteredness because that is such an accurate description of a mentally ill persons mind at a time of change and misunderstanding of others. Take it from someone who knows. I recommend the book especially to teenagers as many of the books out there now are way to "real" and if they are experiencing mental problems this may be a little less intense for them.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The style of writing matched the theme of the book perfectly - very neurotic. Whether Plath wrote the way she did to make the reader identify with the heroine, or because of personal inner struggles she herself was having, it gives depth to the story, which would have otherwise been a bit monotonous.I listened to the book on CD, read by Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose performance added a whole extra layer of irrationality to the story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Synopsis: The novel opens in New York where Esther Greenwood has won a scholarship and meets new friends and people. After she returns home from her scholarship, however, things start to spiral downhill for Esther until she is sent to a mental institute where she receives shock treatment.My Opinion: While we do not find out if Esther has been granted permission to return home, it was interesting to read about her life living under the bell jar, being held in suspense as we wondered whether the shock treatments would lift the bell jar and connect her with the outside world.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Expecting melodramatic prose and teenaged angst, I hadn't high hopes for this one. I was happily surprised, despite belittling remarks comparing me to adolescent girls.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have just finished this book by Sylvia Plath a talented author and poet and have to say I really enjoyed it. Although the content was quite harrowing to follow, A young girl in the throws of a nervous breakdown. Her thoughts on her boyfriend who she has just learned cheated on her and her role in everyday life, which she feels is not so rosy. A young girl who just can't cope with the changes in her life.It did remind me a bit of Catcher in the Rye at the start, a young person trying to come to terms with growing up in 50s America.I felt that I was drawn along with her journey downwards into her isolation and suicidal thoughts and feelings. When she is hospitalised and given shock therapy. Drawn also, as she starts to come out of the blackness and back to normality.The notes at the end of the book show that she went on to be married and have children, but it seems she was never really free of the feelings of isolation and it is sad to hear that she did eventually take her own life. So sad that so many gifted and talented people suffer from some form of mental instability.Not a light read certainly but a worthwhile one definitely!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A great book. It is prosey which may annoy some readers but I really enjoyed it.