Title: The Bell Jar
Authors: Sylvia Plath
Genre: Literary Fiction | Classics
Setting: Boston, Massachusetts and New York (USA)
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (2006)

REASONS WHY I READ THIS BOOK:

The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath’s only novel. The book is believed to be semi-autobiographical, drawing inspiration from the author’s experiences and also from her stay at McLean Hospital where she received psychiatric care. In the MIA Reading Challenge, I chose this amongst the many recommended books that tackle mental illness. I also read this for the Banned Books Reading Challenge by Buckling Bookshelves and the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge. Sylvia Plath is no stranger to many of us. She is mostly known for her enormous talent for writing, her poetry and her tragic death.

The Bell Jar starts with Esther Greenwood in New York where she is spending her time there as an intern at a big-time fashion magazine. While this looks like a dream job for her, she feels alienated and detached from her surroundings. She does not seem to be enjoying it there. She knows she should be happy, but she just can’t make herself relish the experience. Throughout the book Esther is plagued with confusion and discouragement. Although immensely talented and intelligent, she doesn’t know what path to take in her career, and constantly struggles with her relationships. Unfortunately, this amplifies the pressure she feels to conform to what society expects from an intelligent young woman like her. The rest of the story deals with Esther trying to make sense of everything while dealing with a breakdown, suicidal thoughts and her need to make something out of her life. The Bell Jar gives an unflinching account of how a talented young woman’s life descends into depression and suicidal tendencies. Sylvia Plath portrayed a young woman, who found that with some miniscule effort, she can continue on with life, but she had lost the confidence to overcome the obstacles that seemed to have not been present before. She is drifting and unfocused. Do we judge her then for what she feels? Can we act accordingly even when depression seem vague and distant a topic to most of us? How dangerous it is to not fully understand what they’re going through, and not know how to help. While the book centers on Esther, this multi-layered story also depicts the pressures that society imposes on individuals, while also tackling issues such as sexuality and violence.

The first half of The Bell Jar started well. I was drawn to Esther’s story. Esther’s breakdown was portrayed delicately at first then the darker details were added. After a while, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know what was going to happen next, and honestly, I felt tempted to stop reading because I was feeling a little depressed myself. I didn’t stop though. So the fact that I didn’t stop reading probably says something about me enjoying it to a certain degree, but never fully liking it.  Maybe if Esther was someone I personally knew, I would have extended a hand (stubbornly) even if she turned me away. I don’t know if this is the right way to do it in every circumstance and in every person who suffers from depression and mental illness, but this is fiction and truth be told, even if my heart wished for her to be better, there was this nagging feeling that she won’t get better. I knew that she will be continually ‘tested’ and it will end in tragedy in one way or another. It was very well-written, that I’m sure. The thoughts and story glide easily. It was generally readable but it just felt so ’emotionally-wrecking’ for me. Her “don’t-care” attitude affected me. It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

• “Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College at the University of Cambridge, before receiving acclaim as a poet and writer. She married fellow poet Ted Hughes in 1956; they lived together in the United States and then England, and had two children, Frieda and Nicholas. Plath suffered from depression for much of her adult life, and in 1963 she committed suicide. Controversy continues to surround the events of her life and death, as well as her writing and legacy.” – Wikipedia
• The Bell Jar was inspired by many events from Sylvia Plath’s own life, including her scholarship at Mademoiselle magazine which started in 1953.
• The first edition of The Bell Jar was published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas.
• According to this article, “Mrs. Plath (Sylvia Plath’s mother) blocked publication of the novel in the United States for eight years, saying it represented “the basest ingratitude” to those who had loved and helped Sylvia Plath.“
• Sylvia Plath is known mostly for her poetry. Some of her notable works include Ariel, Crossing the Water, and The Collected Poems, which won the Pulitzer Prize.

Connect with me:

This meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is the most unique books one has read. Admittedly, it was hard narrowing down this list to ten, but here they are:

A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki – This is the first book I read from the author and to tell you the truth I wasn’t expecting it to discuss a lot of topics including World War II, quantum mechanics, Zen philosophy, climate change, the 2011 tsunami… I didn’t mind though. It was one of my favorite books last year. While many people have read a lot about World War II, this book offers a perspective from a reluctant Japanese soldier, who can’t make sense of the war’s purpose. It’s also the first book that made me say “SUPAPAWA” :) You can read my review here – This review contains itsy-bitsy SPOILERS.

Carrie by Stephen King – It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Stephen King. His book Carrie, for me, was the most unique, because of the character herself. She was bullied, tormented emotionally yet she fought back with her hidden abilities. I was a teenager when I read this so I guess it left an indelible impression on me. Every time someone mentions Carrie, my mind automatically snaps to that prom scene.

The Humans by Matt Haig – I love this book! The narrator is an alien who has taken human form, is extremely intelligent, and who is in control of technology and powers beyond human capacities. Yet he understands our human ways and likes to read Cosmopolitan and Emily Dickinson. It’s like The Terminator mixed with The Tooth Fairy. The reason why it’s so unique for me is that I do not usually read any book with aliens in them. I decided to read this after reading the reviews, so I thought I’d give it a try. This is the first book I reviewed in this blog and while the review lacks eloquence, you will no doubt sense how much I enjoyed this book :P

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker – Most of the events in the book happened in Burma, a place I’ve never been to. The love story between a blind young monk and a poor crippled girl was beautiful. The writing was amazing. What made it so unique for me is the true love shared by the characters – selfless, unconditional, and can never be affected by time and distance… It’s also the first book I’ve read originally written in German (translated by Kevin Wiliarty). It was one of my favorite books last year.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows – This one’s unique for me because it’s the first epistolary novel I’ve read. I know I’ve been gushing about it for weeks but time hasn’t changed anything. The characters are also quirky and unique in their own ways.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami– Another favorite author of mine, Haruki Murakami has written some of the weirdest, mind-bending and strange books I have ever read. I was tempted to add almost all of the books I’ve read from him but I settled with this one because it had the right elements to be the most unique: the time-travel, parallel worlds, characters like Aomame (the female protagonist) and Fuka-eri. It was a great read!

Watchmen by Alan Moore – Perhaps I found this unique because of the book’s overall theme of reaching deep into the psyche of heroes and masked crusaders who do not possess superhuman powers. It served not only to dissect their thoughts and NOT glorify their existence. I wasn’t expecting it to be so ‘deep’ and profound.

The BFG by Roald Dahl – This is one of my favorite books from Roald Dahl (another favorite author of mine). I’ve always thought that giants were scary and they would stomp at me when I lied (my mother should be stomped by a giant because it was her who told that lie – just kidding). But this giant is as gentle as can be, and friendly too. It was a fascinating book to read.

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto – I’ve read this three times already and every time I do, it doesn’t fail to draw me in again and again. This is the first Japanese literature that I’ve read and it was unique for me because it didn’t have any plot to begin with. It’s a story which marvels at the characters and stories. The ending is always something I think about after each reading.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson -This is the first Scandinavian literature I’ve read. For me it was unique because of the story (amazing!) and because of Lisbeth, the female protagonist. This book was absolutely brilliant.
———-
Post banner made with Pele Mele by Catherine Designs. Post image background made with Golden Tree by Lily Designs. Worn Photo Overlays by Something Blue Studios.

Connect with me:

This meme is hosted by Sheila (Book Journey)

It’s been a while since I participated in this meme, so here I am bearing books that you might want to add to your TBR lists (insert evil laugh) :) If you want to join the fun, please visit Sheila at Book Journey.

So far, I’ve read two books this month (click on the images to go to the book’s Goodreads page):

I have not finished writing my reviews, but for Stay Where You Are And Then Leave, you can read Nish’s review in her blog.

I’m currently reading a book of short stories by Kodi Scheer: “INCENDIARY GIRLS“.

This will be released tomorrow, April 8, 2014.
Incendiary Girls explores our baser instincts with vivid imagination and humor. In these stories, our bodies become strange and unfamiliar terrain, a medium for transformation. In “Fundamental Laws of Nature,” a doctor considers her legacy, both good and bad, when she discovers that her mother has been reincarnated as a thoroughbred mare. In the title story, a mischievous angel chronicles the remarkable life of a girl just beyond death’s reach.In Scheer’s hands, empathy and attachment are illuminated by the absurdity of life. When our bodies betray us, when we begin to feel our minds slip, how much can we embrace without going insane? How much can we detach ourselves before losing our humanity? Scheer’s stories grapple with these questions in each throbbing, choking, heartbreaking moment. – Goodreads

Before I say farewell (and finish this book), have you seen my fourth Armchair Travels post? I shared five books set in the Czech Republic. I finally posted my review for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and shared my favorite quotes from the book too.

How about you? What are you currently reading? Have you read any of the books I mentioned?

Wishing everyone a great week ahead! :)

Connect with me:

Do you ever feel that reading becomes a chore sometimes? It’s weird that I haven’t felt that way before, but now that I’ve joined some challenges, I feel that I actually need to read something instead of just reading any book I want. The challenges are something I enjoy. They’re fun, and the satisfaction of crossing out a book from a list feels great, but I am starting to feel a little ‘limited’. Maybe I’ve always been a moody reader and dive into a book I feel like reading instead of consulting a TBR list. Perhaps next year I’ll join fewer challenges because I sort of feel overwhelmed with all the books I need to read. I’m taking a cue from Sophie (Paper Breathers) to scrap my reading schedule because I do read for pleasure, and if I find that I am forcing myself to read a book, I need to look at myself, ask why, and probably stop. Also, I used to not abandon a book once it starts to drag. I try to finish the book even if it’s boring me to tears. Now though, I feel that I have the right to stop reading when it’s not working out. For me, reading is for the absolute pleasure of diving into a different world. And yes, when the reading experience is pleasurable and I feel that I have a great book in my hands, I learn. Boy, do I learn.