Rating: 
Summary: Girl, with no point
Review: Girl, Interrupted is an adequate memoir full of short stories about Susanna Kaysen's, the author, stay at a mental hospital after being diagnosed with a borderline personality. The reader should not expect much else from the novel than these short stories and a long drawn out analysis of her so-called character disorder. Girl, Interrupted is a quick, semi-entertaining read that includes humor, sadness, and a little bit of adventure, without much closure. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but I felt that at the halfway point the author lost her point in writing this novel. I did find some humor within some of the stories, and in 18 year old Kaysen's contempt for people in general. Overall this psychological memoir was good, but I prefer novels wth a plot, and that follow the plot sequence.
Rating: 
Summary: Interrupted and Proud
Review: Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen was an excellent memoir. I found it to be easy to read and understand. I finished it in two days. The speaker in this memoir is an easy character to relate to. The memoir is a short, hilarious portrayal of an institutionalized teenager as an adult looking back on her two years at the hospital. While committed at the hospital she still experiences some of the same things "normal" teenagers go through. The memoir also includes copies of her actual records from the hospital. The whole idea that anyone could easily be classified as "crazy" - from someone standing with you to wait for the bus to even the ice cream man -- was interesting to me. I found this memoir to be very insightful. It is interesting how a vast majority of teenagers go through a mental illness at some point in their lives. Kaysen makes the point that people tend to delude themselves into believing that they are normal and that no one in their families can possibly be crazy. It made me actually wonder what could really be classified as "normal" anyway? I found the fact that Kaysen tried to kill herself to destroy a certain aspect of her character interesting. Everyone had parts of their personalities that they'd rather not have. Kaysen chose a drastic was of dealing with it whereas I personally try to hide it. They are both self-destructive behaviors but who is to judge what is right or wrong? It is natural to try to battle with your "darker side."
Rating: 
Summary: Very good and very similar to the movie!
Review: "Girl....." was good, although I must say the movie was 10 times better. Susanna analyzes herself a bit too much in the book. I guess seeing the movie first was a mistake! I expected the book to be the same. Some of the parts were similar but others made no sense. I especially was messed up because the movie was filmed where I live in Pa. It was hard to imagine our State Hospital as her hospital in Mass. All in all, it was a good book. Just read this BEFORE watching the movie!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This book is great but isn't for the average reader. The main issue with this book is that it's not in chronological order. That may be a problem for some people who like books to be very clean-cut and easy to follow. If that's the case, don't get this book: you won't like it. If, however, you like an interesting and true storyline and can get past the fact that it skips around, this book is excellent and deserves to be on your bookshelf. Susanna Kaysen shows how much of a talented writer she is with this bok and writes how the human mind works, skipping from one event to another. It's wonderful!
Rating:
Summary: Who decides who's crazy?
Review: The sixties was a confusing enough time for anyone, but throw in the turmoils of being a young woman and you have what psychology of the times called borderline personality. Susanna Kaysen was diagnosed with this disorder, one which doctors slapped on anyone they didn't have a category for, and she was sent to live in a mental institution for two years. She wasn't really crazy at all, and that's the irony of this true story: that if you are labelled as troubled, or insane, or whatever, people will look at you that way, especially if you are in the right environment for that kind of behavior, even if you are perfectly normal. It's enough to make a sane person go nuts. This book amazed me, brought me to tears, made me laugh, made me want to punch through a wall. Since the people described by Kaysen are all real, there is a kind of awe you feel at knowing what they went through, and you feel as if you know them. This book is easy reading and I would recommend it to anyone, especially someone who feels like they sometimes live on the fringe of reality. Because we all are, at least some of the time.
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful
Review: I just got done reading Girl, Interupted. I loved it. Susanna is open and honest in this book, holding nothing back. I was hospitalized years ago myself, and can remember the same thoughts, feelings and going-ons. I admire Susanna for her strenght and courage. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: I Loved It!
Review: After borrowing this book from my friend and reading it, I was surpraised at how good it was. Some may find this boring with all the information it gives about the mind and stuff, but being a teen, I understood it. It tells alot I didn't know before about metal hospitals and people and disorders. Buy this book. It's great.
Rating:
Summary: A rare glimpse into a teenage girl's life
Review: Although some may say that this book is dark, I found it to be the most insightful narrative I have read in a long time. Why? Simply because the vast majority of teenage girls suffer through a mental disease at one time during their lives and it's good to know that is not an unusual occurrence. Having been hospitalized during my early teenage years, I found her depiction of psychiatric wards very clear and ACCURATE. What dismayed me the most is that most people have no idea of what happens in those hospitals, and therefore can happily delude themselves into believing that it cannot happen to them or someone in their family (a point Kaysen makes several times). But, as anyone who reads the narrative will see, we all know someone who displays character traits similar to Lisa, Daisy, and Susanna herself. I felt an immediate bond with Kaysen and I'm sure anyone who has traveled the journey of self-discovery will relate to her experience and pay homage to her courage. A book for generations of troubled people. Highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: very entertaining
Review: you could not take me away from this book if you tried to. I was completly absorbed in this book. It is such a good book partly because it is a true story and many people can relate to her. The thing i didn't like was the eniding. The last chapter was kinda of boring and it just seemed to end- like something was missing. Other than the last chapter the book was really good.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T JUDGE THE BOOK BY IT'S COVER
Review: I laughed and then I cried after realizing that CRAZY is the operative word. Ms. Kaysen tries to meet her demise by her own hand and is found, certainly crying for help. She is then sent to McLean....the 'nut house'. She makes some friends while having life changing encounters. Susanna describes what goes on within the walls of McLean and how the view of the world looks from the inside. I have found that many of the reviews that have come before mine have described this book as 'boring', 'wake-me up', and other similar expressions. Give this one a chance...I found, via "Girl Interrupted", that crazy is as crazy does and we all share certain elements of 'crazy'. As SEAL, in a phrase, so eloquently put it, "...in a world full of people only some want to fly, is it not crazy?..." Or is it, really? ENJOY
|
