Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: Personally, I could relate to this book in so many ways. I could understand the frustration that Esther felt as she struggled to deal with the pressures of society despite her own feelings of inadequancy. After an attempt of suicide, she is placed in a hospital where she is isolated from the norms of society. While there, she learns that she does indeed have inner strengths and the ability to cope. She emerges from the hospital ready to face the world head on.This book brings even more meaning with the knowledge that the author, Sylvia Plath, dealt with many of the same issues in her own life. It has been speculated that she wrote this book more as an autobiography rather than a work of fiction because of the many similarities. But tragically, rather than gaining courage and strength, Sylvia Plath committed suicide not long after this book was published. It's almost as if this book was her cry for help, a plea that went unanswered.
Rating:
Summary: Right up there with the best of them
Review: This book ranks as one of my top ten favorites. You don't have to know Plath's writing to like this book, but it helps. Her novel is as electrically charged and moving as her poetry is. This book just blew me away when I read it twenty years ago, and today, after a re-reading, I'm blown away again. Also recommended: Jackson McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This was the first book we read in our book club and we gave it five stars! When reading this keep in my the 'semi-autobiographical' nature of the story. It's a great story, and it's even better if you research Sylvia Plath a little. There are some great discussion questions available on the internet. I even used this book for a project in my World Literary Types course and was really able to get the whole class interested.
Rating: 
Summary: Into the abyss, and back again
Review: THE BELL JAR is a book I wouldn't normally have picked up had I not read the narrative history of McLean Hospital, the asylum for those of Boston's upper crust gone balmy, GRACEFULLY INSANE by Alex Beam. Sylvia Plath's novel, an autobiographical account of her descent into madness with names changed to protect the innocent, begins in the same tone - though not with the same charm - as Susan Allen Toth's IVY DAYS, the latter's memoirs of her college days at Smith College during the last half of the 1950s . (Interestingly, it was Smith that Plath attended a couple of years previous.) Specifically, Sylvia's alter ego, Esther Greenwood, is one of twelve college girls who've won a fashion magazine contest, the prize being a month-long, expense-paid, freebie-filled, glamorous job in New York City as the guest editor of a national magazine. When the month is up, Esther returns home where, under pressure to make something of her life during her senior year of college, she cracks. From that point on, the storyline progresses from half-hearted attempts at suicide to one that almost succeeds, then subsequent admission into a country-club asylum for psychotherapy and electroshock treatment. (Though THE BELL JAR never states, even in the chapter "Sylvia Plath: A Biographical Note", the author's real life experience was at McLean Hospital.) It's while on her way to the private mental institution that Esther defines "bell jar": "I would be sitting under the ... glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air." THE BELL JAR is a hypnotic look at the mental deterioration of a talented and intelligent young woman. It's like watching the slow-mo replay of a person's self-destructive plunge off a building's ledge. There's perhaps an argument here for the book being required reading by the parents of any teenage girl. The literary world benefited when Sylvia Plath regained relative mental equilibrium long enough to write THE BELL JAR before succumbing to inner demons and committing suicide in 1963. Her ultimate fate renders even more poignant and prophetic her words: "How did I know that someday - at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere - the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn't descend again?"
Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly Disturbing
Review: The Bell Jar has got to be one the best novels ever written as it clearly and effectively elucidates to its reader the dark, grotesque place of the mind one enters into in the midst of mental illness. It refrains from sugar-coating how that sort of experience actually is and how lonely a person must feel to be a victim of their own irrational mind. Esther Greenwood, a sort of representation in itself of Sylvia Plath, suffers from suicidal depression that leads her through the ever-hyped electro-convulsive shock therapy and eventually into an institution. This novel seems to never be ashamed of laying out the facts, as disturbing or irrational as they may seem, from the maddening, wrenching scenes of shock therapy to the self-deprecating feelings Plath experienced that constantly pushed her towards suicide. I think, however, that one has to reach a certain level of maturity or simply experience of age to really identify with this book. Definitely, further reading of Sylvia Plath's works and life would aid immensely in the comprehension of this novel. No one should pass this up.
Rating:
Summary: Everybody should read this book...
Review: It may or may not be the female version of Catcher in the Rye, but definitely a classic. After I read this book, it took me a while to figure out how much this book affected me. The book may seem strange in the way it is written. The plot seems flat at certain parts or unbelievable, but the reader should keep in mind that this book is based strongly on Sylvia Plath's life. Although not everybody will be affected by the book or will relate, it is definitely an important book to read. If a person really wants to get into the book (look past what's on the pages), I strongly suggest you read more about Sylvia Plath's life and read her poetry. You'll feel more connected to what's going on and understand more what she was going through.
Rating:
Summary: Experience a Mental Breakdown
Review: Annotation: The Bell Jar details the life of Esther Greenwood, who is very successful, intelligent, and beautiful. For no explained reason, Esther begins to go crazy. Sylvia Plath takes you into Esther's mind, and you slowly fall into her insanity right along with her. You will experience a cynical yet reasonable outlook on life. Author Bio: Sylvia Plath was born in 1932. She was raised in a middle-class home, and attended Smith College. During her junior year in college, she suffered a mental breakdown. This is chronicled in The Bell Jar, which is largely autobiographical. She recovered well enough to finish her senior year, receiving various awards and graduating summa cum laude. She won a Fulbright scholarship and went to Cambridge University for two years. There, she met Ted Hughes, a British poet whom she married and moved to England with. With him, she had two children. She committed suicide at age 30, and her macabre poetry was collected afterwards in three books. Evaluation: The reason I bought this book was because the name sounded familiar, and the back told me that I would be following the crack-up of Esther Greenwood. It sounded interesting, but little did I know just how closely I would witness Esther's insanity! What really stands out in my mind about The Bell Jar is how immersed I was in Esther's world, thoughts, and feelings. I felt like I was right there with her, and I could almost feel her emotions. At many points, I had to stop reading because I was beginning to feel as depressed as she was! Sylvia Plath does an excellent job of bringing the reader into Esther's mind. Her cynical views seemed very normal and feasible. Ideas and phrases are well articulated, so you can understand exactly what Sylvia/Esther is talking about. Plath's thoughts are very well expressed. It's incredibly interesting to read about somebody who is going insane, especially since the story is largely autobiographical - so you know that Esther's outlook on life and her downward spiral were actually experienced by Sylvia Plath. I love how nothing in the book is sugarcoated. It's great to read something that has the ability to take you from your normal, healthy mind into the psychology of someone going crazy. Finally, I loved the metaphor about the bell jar, from which the book got its title. So while the story can be depressing and a bit much at times, it's very well worth it in the end. To sum it up, this book is extremely interesting, realistic, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read that's a little bit out of the ordinary.
Rating: 
Summary: Had to see what all the hype was for myself
Review: Well first, lets cut to the chase, the book is not as bad as a three star, but not worthy of a four star either. I'd give it a passing grade of 72%. I don't regret reading it and actually found it more and more intriguing as days passed since I finished reading it. The writing style is rough. I don't want to be to critical here as it was Plath's first novel, and when I finish my first, the same may be said of mine. Sometimes the writing is brilliant, sometimes it is cumbersome, but all in all it should not affect the reader too much. Overall, not a great read, but not regrettable. A female version of Catcher In the Rye it is not, but I can see that the 20-something female reader may enjoy it more than any other demograph, identifying with Esther better. After all, we all have been there to some degree and some point in our lives. It is valuable to see how far the mental health care field has progressed since the middle of the 20th century and today. We should all be grateful. For more details, go to aj.huff.org. Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: From outside the bell jar.
Review: "The Bell Jar" introduces us to a college-aged woman who spends a month of her summer vacation in New York City, all the while working at a magazine and attending events with a group of other girls from this summer program. She is somewhat of an outsider, perpetually waiting for something more. In the novel she describes waiting for the mystery of New York City to rub off on her, but she can never seem to find it. We learn of her continual disenchantment with relationships and the potential for relationships. There is a continual feeling that she's slightly off-axis from everyone and everything else -- not in terms of any mental instability, but more that she cannot resign herself to be like the average girl her age or find herself fulfilled by anything superficial. As the novel progresses she becomes even more disconnected, as an effect of her mental degradation. It's a wonderfully well-written book, and it definitely held my interest. One of the difficult things about this novel is that it tends to over-saturate in certain age groups. And this caused me to have a somewhat distorted presumption about it prior to reading it. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite the "descent into madness" I was expecting. Though I've found this the case with other novels I have read as well, such as "Girl, Interrupted". The insanity doesn't quite seem so abnormal. Though that is definitely subjective. I did, however, appreciate how honest and realistic the novel is. (Granted, the protagonist obviously isn't far from the author's reach.) So while it may not have been as intense as I had hoped, it was certainly satisfying. In fact, the more I think about it after having finished it, the more satified I become with it; the way Plath crafted this book really leaves a lasting impression on you. Overall, I would certainly recommend this book. Plath has an excellent style of writing that can be very sutble, yet quickly draws you in. While I haven't read many novels dealing with this subject, I would recommend "The Bell Jar" over "Girl, Interrupted" in terms of the former's ability to really bring the reader into the mind of the "insane".
Rating:
Summary: A decent book!
Review: I had heard from a number of people that this was a book that was worth my time. It was a quick read, and it was pretty enjoyable. The description on the back cover of the book says it's about Plath's descent into insanity (<-- not a direct quote). However, it wasn't much of a descent. It was more like, she wasn't insane at the end of one chapter, and at the beginning of another chapter she was suddenly insane. Regardless, it was a pretty good book. Not spectacular, but interesting enough to hold my attention.
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