Friday, January 11, 2008

Book #1: The Bell Jar

Title: The Bell Jar
Author: Sylvia Plath
Pages: 244
Date Completed: 01/10/08
Thoughts: Writing a review of this book is an exercise in redundancy. I love The Bell Jar. I've read the book over 20 times and I still enjoy it. Every year after I read The Bell Jar I try to think of something new to say.

The only thing I can think of to say that I haven't explicitly stated before is that despite Plath calling it a "potboiler" and the tendency of some critics to declare it juvenile -- hell, Catcher in the Rye is juvenile but godforbid you tell that to some critics -- I find that The Bell Jar has grown with me. When I was a girl, I found the sex and suicide elements ENTHRALLING. I considered it a bleak book because I was immature and only reading the surface. In actuality, Esther Greenwood's story is vibrant, and funny, and hopeful, and smart. I love it.
I fucking love The Bell Jar.

4 comments:

Andi said...

Must re-read this book! It's been probably five years, and I've forgotten an embarrassing amount of details.

J.S. Peyton said...

You know of all the blogs I've read, this is the first time I've read a post on THE BELL JAR that makes me actually want to read the book. It's been on my TBR list for years but always in that "I'll read it one day... maybe" sort of way.

Nice blog! I'll definitely be back! :)

Heather said...

I still need to read this. At least I own it, that's half the battle. Someday...I swear I will.

Jeane said...

Ooh, I love the Bell Jar too. I think I've read it about five or six times, but the last one is over a year ago, so I really need to crack it again.