The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

Beautiful cover. Also this font is regal AF.

I'd tried to read Sylvia Plath before. I don't remember when, or why. All I know is that I didn't make it to the part where she was dying in the hotel (basically), so I didn't make it very far. I don't think I could get into it for some reason, and I remember turning it back into the used bookstore where I'd purchased it originally. Joke's on me: I repurchased it at the same place. (Different copy though. This is a nicer one.) Either way, I really enjoyed my go-round with The Bell Jar this time around, thank GOD. And I also tried to mention Sylvia Plath to a few people I know and they had never heard of her. It made me think about making them watch Gilmore Girls because I know they reference her suicide AT LEAST twice on the show, so.

Stunner. And a pop of color!

The Bell Jar is about a girl named Esther, who is given the opportunity a million girls would die for and is whisked off to the city for something like an internship in the world of publication. She wants to be a writer, so it's great for her to get an "inside glimpse" into the world. She meets strange people and this really annoying girl. Esther sees herself as different here, something special, until she goes back home and is confronted by her mother, her old friends, and old lovers. She suffers a mental breakdown, of sorts, while trying to go back to school and with writing a novel. Without giving a lot away, she ends up in a mental care facility, and the book ends with her unsure of her next move, and all of the readers are unsure as well.

This was a good part. I liked it. Not planned.

I read this and, at some points, found myself going "same." Not to a lot of the more extreme parts of the plot (spoilers) but some of her mindsets I found myself identifying with. Esther is an intriguing character, full of depth and opinions, and she voices them quite often. Her worldview is one that is different of my own but she's a fun character to get into because of it. If you haven't read Sylvia Plath I would definitely give this book a whirl and see if you like it.

NiTM also includes her journals, which I am hyped up to read, and a few days ago I purchased the newer, revised version of Ariel because I haven't read her poems. I am thankful to this project for shedding light on a wonderful author and I am excited to see what the rest of her work holds.

NOTES IN THE MARGINZ FACTS

Book number: 10

Books left: 329

Amount of time taken to read: 24 days

Books by Sylvia Plath for NiTM: 2