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The Bell Jar  By  cover art

The Bell Jar

By: Sylvia Plath
Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
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Publisher's summary

Read by the critically acclaimed actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.

When Esther Greenwood wins an internship at a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther's life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into depression and eventually a suicide attempt as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take women's aspirations seriously.

Sylvia Plath's groundbreaking semiautobiographical novel offers an intimate, honest and often wrenching glimpse into mental illness. The Bell Jar broke the boundaries between fiction and reality and helped cement Sylvia Plath's place as an enduring feminist icon. Celebrated for its darkly humorous, razor-sharp portrait of 1950s society, it continues to resonate with readers today as a testament to the universal human struggle to claim one's rightful place in the world.

©2015 Sylvia Plath (P)2015 Faber & Faber

What listeners say about The Bell Jar

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  • Overall
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Beautiful and touching

Absolutely wonderful masterpiece by Sylvia Plath. As someone who has experienced mental illness myself, I find the main character/narrator highly relatable and compelling. Definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a nuanced fiction novel about the effects of depression, or anyone who just enjoys good writing and a great story.

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Great performance

Enjoyed the book and Maggie's voice is just perfect.
Definitely listening it again. Highly recommended.

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Loved it!

I absolutely loved this audiobook! The feelings of the main character are relatable to a lot of people, I think. Plath’s writing is beautiful and Gyllenhaal voicing the main character is a perfect match. After completing the novel I missed Gyllenhaal’s narration so much that I also purchased her take on the 35h Anna Karenina (which I just finished and loved). I warmly recommend this novel!

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  • 01-05-23

A really interesting and moving piece.

Such a different read. Really interesting content- a bit morbid but gets you thinking. I enjoyed it a lot, read it in one sitting.

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Wonderfully read by Maggie Gyllenhaal

You believe that Maggie is Plath, or Esther, she really does this important book justice.

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Weird

I'd like to know why did they cut the first paragraph about the Rosenbergs? weird

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2 people found this helpful

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Maggie Gyllenhaal is superb.

I was hesitant about this book in the beginning. It starts off slowly in the vapid world of fashion writing. But I quickly became enthralled.

This novel is a singular experience, an incredibly relatable story of mental illness in a world that is so often bizarre and underwhelming.

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Powerful

I finally listened to this novel after so long. It was intense, and raw with emotion. It's as close as I've come to reading poetry, as the genre confounds me. If only Plath had lived into the 21st century. I think she would be both pleased at the progress we've made with gender equality, yet disappointed with how far we have yet to go. I found much in common with Esther Greenwood. But in 2017, it's much more acceptable to be Esther Greenwood. Maggie Gyllenhaal was absolutely perfect as narrator.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Esther whispering into your ear

I've always struggled to finish reading the Bell Jar, but this was disturbingly fascinating.
You are treated to Sylvia Plath's words, delivered flawlessly by Maggie Gyllenhaal, perfevt incarnation of Esther.

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6 people found this helpful

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awesome

I love every bit of it. sylvia is such an amazing writer and story teller. plus the narrator (maggie) was excellently eloquent.

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