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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
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great book

I purchased the book by curiosity. I never had the chance to any of Plath's work before, and I always thought of Maggie Gyllenhaal as a great actress, so I went ahead and downloaded The Bell Jar. There a lightness about the heroine's descent into madness. The narrative is almost a casual chatter describing on despair and disillusionment. It allowed me to take it all in, let it sit, then fully appreciate the richness of Plath's work.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Writing is beautiful. Gyllenhaal was immaculate.

Maggie Gyllenhaal was absolutely immaculate. She embodies Esther Greenwood perfectly and switches voices and tones depending on character well.

Sylvia Plath has written so beautifully and well. The depiction of a nervous breakdown felt slow and subtle to me, and I think that's very accurate. The little things Sylvia describes are all magical in their sometimes melancholic way. Some things were relatable. Esther as a character is a somewhat normal person and was sometimes relatable. I think that goes to show how mental illnesses can affect anyone. Plath's work was revolutionary for her time in regards to feminism and mental health. However, some mildly racist terminology is used, and there is maybe one scene that read as racist to me. There is also a lack of people of color except for one very minor antagonistic character so there's that, but I guess this is somewhat characteristic of her time. All in all, it is tragic that Sylvia never got to write her second book. It would've been superb. This is close to the first of Sylvia's work I've read, and I'll definitely be reading more.

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1 person found this helpful

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Brilliant performance

Loved it. The book is great and the performance of Meggie Gylenhaal makes is wonderful.

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Amazing

this book changed my life in a way that can't be summed up any longer than the minimum number of words would allow.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Painful but brilliant

It felt authentic, exciting, and raw. I had to pause every now and then to cry and address my own delayed grief. I can see now the hype behind this particular book. The beginning is slow but it escalates. First time reading Sylvia Plath, and I'm looking forward to getting to know her more. The narrator matches the personality of the main character. I enjoyed the speaker as much as the book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

No

Very slow paced and nothing interesting happened. Whenever I thought it would get interesting, it went flat again. Did not resonated with me.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, well narrated.

Finally gave this a listen, I have been meaning to for years. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the perfect narrator for this book, she reads clearly and in keeping with the tone of the book. Harrowing, important story.

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  • L
  • 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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