A Book Review
“The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath
Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel gives readers a harrowing insight into the mind of Esther, a clinically depressed poetess.
This is a book that left me speechless.
Sylvia Plath’s genius for using simple words to paint a heartfelt, colorful picture never fails to leave me spellbound.
To be honest, I hadn’t read her poetry before; only a few random quotes on social media that made me feel Plath’s writing was raw and honest. I read this novel because it was gifted to me as part of a Secret Santa Book Exchange. My Santa (not so secret anymore) told me that based on the things I post online, I should love this book. And love it, I did, with all my heart.
In New York during the late 1940s, Esther, a talented and ambitious young poetess lives. She is young and full of dreams but never seems to fit in at any place with any person. She has grown up with the mindset that she needs to work hard — and that is something she does. All throughout college, she has done her best to collect small laurels (good grades, prizes in college competitions, the good impressions of her teachers) — only to realize later that they are meaningless in the real world. The protective bubble of college had made it…
