The Bell Jar - Jessica's Thoughts

So, I had no idea what this book was about at all when I started it. I hadn't even read a back cover blurb about it. For some reason I had a vague idea that it had something to do with witchcraft. Don't ask because I have no idea why. I did however know a little about Sylvia Plath, but I wasn't aware that the book was somewhat autobiographical. I figured it out as I went along though.

In the beginning I was annoyed with Esther. She had this huge opportunity and she was so ungrateful and, well pretty much just emo about the whole thing.There was a turning point for me right before she left to go back home from New York. On the day of the last photos she says:

"I didn't want my picture taken because I was going to cry. I didn't know why I was going to cry, but I knew that if anybody spoke to me or looked at me too closely the tears would fly out of my eyes and the sobs would fly out of my throat and I'd cry for a week. I could feel the tears brimming and sloshing in me like water in a glass that is unsteady and too full."

I've felt that before. Exactly that! She made me feel that feeling and then I felt for her. Empathy kicked in and I went from hating her to knowing her. Sylvia Plath knows how to explain depression like no one else. She lived it and died from it, and her poetic talent can pull you into the darkness without you realizing it. The story bounces around a lot with flashbacks and at least one glimpse into the future beyond the end of the novel.
 I caught the comment in the very beginning about her letting her baby chew on a piece of the sun glass case, and I reminded myself about that one comment every time I thought it was the end.

The time between New York and the Asylum was hard to read. Plath was so effective at writing from Esther's point of view. Esther's mother was just clueless, but I felt sorry for her. She didn't understand what was going on with Ester, and she was trying to help her, but she just never got it right. This is hard to explain, but I felt so bad for Esther each time something went wrong in her plans to end her life. It's not that I wanted her to kill herself, but I just felt like the fact that she kept failing was going to destroy her even more. She wanted it to be perfect, but something always went wrong.

Once she got to the asylum I had high hopes. Armed with the foreshadowing that she would eventually have a child, I tried to convince myself that she would get better. Doctor Nolan seemed to understand her better than anyone had yet. But the fact that they were doing insulin shock therapy plus electroshock therapy kind of dampened my high hopes for her recovery.

I love where Plath ended the story. It was a hopeful ending, which was just what the reader, and I think what the Author, needed.

The version I read had a mini bio of Plath and a comparison of the lives of Ester and Plath. I did not know that Plath committed suicide while her children were sleeping. She blocked off the kitchen with wet towels to keep the carbon monoxide from leaking out to where the children were, and it was approximately 4 hours between her death and when her day nurse showed up and found her body. It's hard to imagine the desperation that lead to such an act, but Plath gives you the seeds of her story in the novel. I would be very interested in reading a biography on Sylvia Plath, and I plan on reading more of her poetry.

Sorry this took so long, but I have been thinking about this book daily, and I'm not sure if it was because of her writing, or because of the time of month I read this novel, but I have been blue beyond my normal range since I finished this book.  All in all, I'm glad I read this book. It's one that will stick with me.

Let's get started.

Our first book selection is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. The Bell Jar was Sylvia Plath's only novel. It was originally published in the UK in 1963 under the name Victoria Lucas. The novel is semi-autobiographical, and reflects the authors decent into depression. Plath famously committed suicide via Carbon Monoxide poisoning, by sticking her head in her oven a month after the novel was published. It took 4 years before the book was published under her real name, and it wasn't released in the US until 1971.

The best "spoiler free" summary I could find was from Cliffs Notes:
"The Bell Jar is the story of 19-year-old Esther Greenwood, the breakdown she experiences, and the beginnings of her recovery."

Keep your eyes out for upcoming posts about this classic novel from our Lazy Moms.

Meet The Lazy Moms

Welcome to The Lazy Mom Book Club. It's time to meet the Moms themselves. I interviewed each one to give you a little insight into their book personality... yes, I even interviewed myself.



 This is Jenn. Mother to an adorable little boy, and ultimate FANGIRL. If you need proof, just check out her multiple book inspired tattoos. She is rad with a capital "R"... RAD! plus we are related. I interviewed Jenn to find out a little more about her book personality.

 

Jessica: What are the last three books you've read?

Jenn:The last three books I have read are, On Writing. By Stephen King. The complete works of John Keats. The Mortal instruments.

Jessica: Are you reading on an ereader or the real McCoy?

Jenn: They were all read on my kindle. I do however prefer the real thing. I love the smell of books haha am I weird for that?

Jessica: When you are shopping for a new book to read, which genre do you look to first?

Jenn: When looking for a new book I generally go for YA Fiction not sure why I gravitate towards that and Sci Fy generally. Keats and Emerson have a soft spot in my heart as well. I'm constantly looking for first editions of their work.

Jessica: What are some of your favorite books? Keep it under five, but a series can count as one.

Jenn: Favorite books top five would be ahhh this is hard I will go with.... The secret circle by L.J Smith. simple but good storyline if you can get past some way obvious Juvenal word choices. Twilight sorry I know I'm going to get shit for this but this book got me into reading again so I'm choosing it solely on that. Plus Edwards hot! The Outsiders that's a fave from my youth. The Lake of dead languages,By Carol Goodman this was her first Novel she really hit it out of the park. The perks of being a wallflower. I love how this was formatted what a different read and I ended up liking it more than expected.

 

Jessica: Name one book you have read more than once.
Jenn: I think I have read all the twilight books more than is acceptably embarrassing to share.

 

Jessica: If you start a book and it's horrible, do you finish it anyway, or do you put it aside and move on?

Jenn: When I start a book I will finish it no matter what, even if it takes a bit I will always come back to it.

 

Jessica: Do you read more than one book at a time, or do you focus on just one?

Jenn: I tend to read one book at a time. I just get so involved with the story I hate to break away from that. I do however read shorts in between usually Emerson or HP Lovecraft.

Jessica: What else would you like the readers and other Lazy Moms to know about you?

Jenn: I'm currently working on my first Novel it's been a two year process. I'm always writing and looking for the next great book to read. I'm really excited you're starting this. What a great idea. On the plus side I will get the whole bottle of wine to my self though it would have been nice to share in person. I look forward to the reading selections and my cats who inevitably will deter my reading by lying on my book mid sentence.
I look forward to sharing with fellow book nerds!

This is Denise. She is a working mom of 2 little ones. To be honest I'm just starting to get to know her, after knowing her for....probably like 4 years. Here's her interview. Let's get to know her together.

 

Jessica: Tell me the last 3 books that you read

Denise: I just finished The Help. I read the Twilight Saga after finally giving in. Before that I read My Sister's Keeper. I don't read the fad books when they are in fashion...lol

Jessica: Are you reading paper books or using an eReader. (if it's both which do you use more often, and if it's an eReader what kind do you have)

Denise: I have a Kindle Fire, but I prefer real books.

Jessica: When you are shopping for a new book to what genre do you look to first?

Denise: I look to drama usually.

 

What are some of your favorite books? keep it under 5 (series can count as one)

 Denise: My Sister's Keeper, The Help (pretty much whichever book I just finished)

Jessica: Do you read multiple books or just one at a time?

Denise: I like to give one book my full attention.

 

Jessica: Name one book you have read more than once

Denise: I read and retread Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? many times when I was a preteen. Since then I haven't reread a book.

 

Jessica: If you start a book and it is pretty bad, do you finish it, or move on to something else?

Denise: I try really hard to finish it, but sometimes I can't motivate myself to finish. I did this with Killing Lincoln recently.

Jessica: Is there anything else you feel like sharing with the book club?

Denise: I love to read, but sometimes I am just too tired to and I fall asleep. It's nothing against the book.

This is Jessica. She is me...I am she..her...uhhhhh ya, you get the point. Here is my interview with myself.

 

Jessica:Tell me the last 3 books that you read

Me: Dare Me - Megan Abbott, Mansfield Park - Jane Austen, Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Jessica: Are you reading paper books or using an eReader. (if it's both which do you use more often, and if it's an eReader what kind do you have)

Me: I switch back and forth. I read on my Nook, I use the nook app on my little mini Samsung tablet, and I read paper books. There is nothing more satisfying than walking out of any store with a heavy bag of new books. I also hoard my books. 

Jessica: When you are shopping for a new book to what genre do you look to first?

Me: I usually go to YA first. I love me some YA fiction. I also look for books that belong to a series. I'm a lazy mom after all. I hate trying to figure out what to read next, and a series takes care of that problem.

 

Jessica: Favorite books? keep it under 5 (series can count as one)

Me: Ummmmm. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, The Fault in Our Stars - John Green, Twilight series- Stephanie Meyer (ya, I know, and I don't care), Looking for Alaska - John Green, The Southern Vampire Series - Charlaine Harris (aka the Sookie Stackhouse series, or the True Blood books

Jessica: Do you read multiple books or just one at a time?

Me: I usually read one at a time, but sometimes when I get a new book I can't help but crack it open, even if I'm in the middle of a book already. 

 

Jessica: Name one book you have read more than once

Me: Pride and Prejudice. I've read it so many times, and I've seen every version of movie and TV show/mini series/web series (the Lizzie Bennet diaries) out there. I'm a big fan. 

 

Jessica:If you start a book and it is pretty bad, do you finish it, or move on to something else?

Me: If I paid for the book I am going to finish it no matter how bad. I once read a whole series and hated it the whole time, but everyone was so in love with it, that I had to finish it to see if it would redeem itself.....it didn't. Sorry Christian Grey fangirls. 

 

Jessica:Is there anything else you feel like sharing with the book club?

Me: I'm a working mom of 5 kids. Ranging in age from 20-5. Two of them are my step-kids, and only 3 of them live with us right now. So I am pretty busy. I try to make time for myself and to be honest, time for myself mostly consists of watching my favorite TV shows. I'm a huge movie fan, but the book is always better. I am a huge fangirl and I will dream about great movie/book characters. I mourn after finishing a great book. Out of all of the Lazy moms, I'm probably the only one who  is truly lazy. 

 Meet Emily, she is a stay at home mother of 3 which keeps her very busy. She is also an avid runner. She participates in 5k's, half-marathons and other runs throughout California. Here is here interview:

Jessica: What are the last three books that you have read?
Emily: Almost French by Sarah Turnbull, The Fifty Shades Trilogy, and The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern.
Jessica: Do you read on an eReader or paper books?
Emily: All of the books I read are paper books.
Jessica: When you are looking for a new book to read, what genre do you look to first?
Emily: I'd say I usually go for love stories!!!! lol or biographies.
Jessica: Name your favorite books (keep it under 5)
Emily: My favorite book so far are those from Wicked!!!! Although I still need to read the last book in that trilogy. The Night Circus was very good. And The Lakeshore Chronicles by Susan Wiggs. I also enjoyed The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.
Jessica: Name a book you have read more than once.
Emily: I have never read a book more than once.
Jessica: If you start a book and you aren't into it, do you put it aside and move on, or do you finish it anyway?
Emily: I always finish a book I start, but if I'm not into it ....It may take me a while to finish.