Rating: 
Summary: Girl, Fascinating
Review: Once I began to read this book I couldn't put it down, the vivid way that she explained the emotions that she felt being forced into the institution, really touched me and stirred things up inside me that made me ask questions of myself that I had never given consideration before. I also like the way she incorporated her actual records into the book and the breakdown she did of her "disease". This book also made me question the true nature of madness and the different diaganoses given out by psychologists.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, Poetic.
Review: After Susanna Kaysen is sent to a mental hospital in 1968, at age 18, she begins to "vent." The entire book is her outlook on the hospital, giving the reader an image of what the hospital is like. There sometimes seems to be no real plot, that she is doing nothing but putting her feelings onto paper, but that what makes it so beautiful... so poetic. She vividly defines the group of odd characters, bringing then to life. This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: the book is not that organized but it shows reallly well how she felt and she described things very well. it was really differnt from the movie. but i think the book was better and it made me kept on reading. it is really a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully written, almost frightening
Review: I wanted to write a review for this book a while ago, but could never put my thoughts to words. It's such a bizarre idea; a girl is proven insane in 20 minutes, then spends the next two years inside a building worse than prison. Kaysen writes about the people, events, and way of life within the cement walls. And for the most part, she tells it as a sane person. The book, at no point is a 'beginning to end' tale. It jumps around, telling a new portion of the story at each chapter. In chapter 9, a friend will be talked about, but in chapter 10, the friend hasn't yet come to the hospital. This can be confusing at times, but is figured out soon enough. The novel (although short) forces you into the thought pattern of the insane. Everything is told in plain English so there is no confusion going from the average live into the twisted world she writes about. All the characters are naturally interesting, without the specific quirks many authors add to cover the missing personality. The hardest thing to see is that every person and event mentioned is real. It plays so much like a fiction, the reader begins to believe that's what it is. But on top of the wonderful stories, Kaysen also tries her hand at psychology. She explains conscience, memory and the entire mind with the same interest and writing technique as she uses to write the rest of the book. This specific part could have easily been the downfall of the entire book, but the way she wrote it made it the most readable section. The four stars are for the lack of order. I spent the first three chapters wondering what exactly was going on. However, with that aside, it is still an excellent read. There is some dark language but it is inevitable. In this rare case it actually adds to the story. If you can get past that, pick it up.
Rating:
Summary: Deeply Powerful and Honest
Review: Author Susanna Kaysen lets the world into her mind in "Girl, Interrupted." For someone who was suppose to be "nuts" and in a mental hospital this tale of her time there is very clear and brilliant. She's wonderfully poetic and compelling. I found this book frank, honest and deeply funny in some areas. She pulled no punches and truly drove into her own mind and those who she shared her time with at the hospital. It's a tough and powerful novel that is told so honestly that you want to be so careful with it and be respectful. Kaysen is a talented storyteller and very honest. I really enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: it's the best
Review: it is by far the best book i've read. anybody that reads this will love it. the things that happened to her were described the best way possible.
Rating: 
Summary: In need of consolidation...
Review: This is in between informative and deep-inner-feelings sort of thing. Sometimes the book seems to exist just to explain the senselessness of mental institutes, and other times tries to share thoughts on sanity/insanity. If Susanna Kaysen would just chose one, she might have a stronger work. This also, unfortunately, slightly gives off the smell of rebel-teen-questioning-life, which is a lame way to preach to the world. Kaysen has some interesting stuff to say, but she must organize.
Rating: 
Summary: Girl, Intolerable
Review: Read it. Not because it offers a plethora of keen insights, or sharp witticisms; such things are sparsely found in this book. Read it to obtain a trite and somewhat conceited account of what had the potential to be an intriguing psychological study. Read it to learn how not to write. Read it to read an account that tries in vain to analyze the depths and nuances of the human psyche. Read it expecting noble intent, tempered by disappointing content. Read it, not for the paltry redeeming qualities to be found in it, but for cognizance of the qualities not found in it - qualities that make books good.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful and Poignant Memoir
Review: "Another odd feature of the parallel universe is that although it is invisible from this side, once you are in it you can easily see the world you came from. Sometimes the world you came from looks huge and meanacing, quivering like a vast pile of jelly; at other times it is miniaturized and alluring, a-spin and shining in its orbit. Either way, it can't be discounted. Every window on Alcatraz has a view of San Francisco." -Girl, Interrupted Susanna Kaysen's poetically written memoir has become my bible for survival during the rough times in my life. If I ever feel depressed or that I just can't make it through another day, I pull out my well-worn copy of 'Girl, Interrupted' to remind myself that it can always get worse. And that everyone is just a little bit crazy. Ms. Kaysen recalls her experience in McLean Hospital with humor and articulate insights into her life in the mental institution. The emotions she expresses; anger, resentment, love, furstration, and depression hit home with readers and you share her feelings with her. She expresses herself so completely and with such clarity that it urges you to read it again and again. She questions the definition of insanity and leaves the unanswered question of our own sanity up to us: are you crazy, or are you just the only one sane?
Rating:
Summary: Girl, Interrupted
Review: This movie is about a young girl named Susanna (Winona Ryder)who is sent to a psychiatrist because of an alleged attempt at suicide. Her shrink, along with her parents, agree that she should be sent to Claymoore, which is a mental institution. When she arrives, she finds that she is far more normal than the rest of her roomates, but she slowly becomes more insane by their influences. Soon, she is graced by the prescence of the sociopath rebel, Lisa (Angelina Jolie). Like a magnet, Lisa draws Susanna to her and the two suddenly become close friends. When Lisa is forced to run away because of the horrible punishment the nurses keep giving her, she and Susanna escape in the middle of the night to Daisy's apartment, who had recently been released from Claymoore. Daisy committed suicide the next morning, because she couldn't face the reality that her relationship with her father was more than what it should have been. Lisa ended up running from that situation again, but Susanna willingly returned to Claymoore, where she recovered and was released to go home. This was honestly the best book I have ever read, and I truly recommend it. Even better, though- rent the movie, Angelina Jolie is a phenomenal actress.
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