Bell Jar | Litsy

Caught up on two bleak chapters and all I can think of is the White House plan to "asses the threat" of life-saving mental health care. We've always failed people with mental illness- when we locked them away and then kicked them back out into the streets, when we shoved them in overcrowded AFC homes, when we correlate mental illness with violence, and now this. There are countless Esthers today who need care; what are we doing to see they get it?

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #CantBeSnarkyToday #DestigmatizeMentalHealthCare #TheCurrentRegimeIsMorallyBankrupt #LiteratureStaysRelevant #EstherHasResourcesAndSupportAndItsStillANightmare #OngoingCrisis #BurnThisWhiteHouseToTheGround 2h

Tamra Really horrible, truly 2h

Susanita However, whenever there‘s another mass shooting, the default answer is “mental health” instead of gun control, so they don‘t have to do a damn thing about either issue. 😡 48m

kspenmoll 😡😡 45m

Andrea313 @Susanita Of course! And it has the wonderful effect of further marginalizing those living with mental health issues because of course violent shooters are all "crazy", so all-around fantastic way to govern. ? 23m

16 likes5 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 14: yikes, these nurses are not nice! #estherisnotapeepshowgeorge #dontbethatguy #whyyyyydidthatnursegiveheramirror #yikes #momisgonnatryandgetherout #imnotsurethatswise #butalsothisplacesucks #ijustwanttohugher #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 7h

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 7h

mcctrish What the fuck happened to Esther ?! She took pills but now she looks like she‘s been in a car accident? They shaved her head? #oneflewoverthecuckoosnest for real! The pendulum has swung completely in the other direction and we just let people self medicate with their poison of choice and give them no care at all 🥲💔 7h

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Bookwormjillk I wish the entire #hashtagbrigade could get in a car and go rescue Esther. 7h

Librarybelle Agreed, @Bookwormjillk ! 7h

Ruthiella @mcctrish I think the bruises are from the botched electro-shock therapy. (edited) 7h

ElizaMarie #AMirrorReally !? I love how she mentions she knows perfectly well you don‘t serve #BeansWithBeans 6h

Clare-Dragonfly Everyone is awful in this chapter! Why on earth didn‘t the nurse try harder to convince her she didn‘t want a mirror? “You don‘t look very pretty” is a huge understatement. Or the nurse could have held the mirror herself. But also, the old nurse who told her seven years‘ bad luck is making things worse if anything. 🙄 6h

Clare-Dragonfly And the racism makes my skin crawl ☹️ 6h

CogsOfEncouragement So much to take in and attempt to decipher. The beans remark was too funny. The food being gross but Esther finally eating again. There is probably some symbolism there too. 6h

BarkingMadRead @Clare-Dragonfly soooooo bad, I‘m not a fan 6h

willaful Esther is such an unreliable narrator, I have no idea whether people are actually as awful as she thinks they are or not. 3h

BarkingMadRead @willaful I wonder the same, this is all seen through her very unreliable eyes 3h

29 likes13 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 13: this is so sad! This chapter was giving Better off Dead vibes, so many unsuccessful attempts #cryforhelp #momistryingsohard #daytripswithfriends #volunteeringatthehospital #weknowherlatestattemotwontwork #itdoesnttakeawayfromthetragedyifit #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 1d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 1d

CogsOfEncouragement I thought the EXACT same thing! That movie kept coming to mind. I thought this particular chapter read as a dark comedy, but had to wonder if it was just me. Was I just in a weird mood? I googled it and discovered I‘m certainly not alone in feeling this way. 1d

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mcctrish @CogsOfEncouragement absolutely a dark comedy, just start a conversation with someone “so if you were going to kill your sled, how would you do it?” Not a single red flag flying from that pick up line 🤦🏻‍♀️ 1d

Bookwormjillk Reminded me of a Man Called Ove. I might need to finish this one early. Reading a chapter a day is stressful. 1d

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk I was thinking the same! 1d

DrSabrinaMoldenReads To me, it‘s the most depressing book I have ever read. 1d

CogsOfEncouragement I‘m reading two other very light books right now. The Seven Year Slip is a whimsical rom-com and a book in the Cedar Cove series by Debbie Macomber which is easy reading. Though there is certainly something to be said for not spending too many days with a character that you can tell is dragging you down to the depths. 1d

mcctrish I‘ve got ACOTAR, From Dust to Stardust and Fishbowl on the go while I read this, every one but fishbowl is a Buddy read so it‘s easy for me to stick to a chapter of this and not get overwhelmed, that said we are past the halfway mark and I honestly can‘t see where this is going #couldgetworse #mightgetbetter 1d

ElizaMarie I think the more I read, the more I feel bad for his mother. She doesn't know what to do or how to help. I feel so bad for Esther. She is so lost - and I don't see her getting the help she needs. - I don't know how I would have faired reading this in my late teens/early 20s. I am glad I am reading this now and not then. - I might not have had the perspective. 1d

Bookwormjillk @mcctrish I keep telling myself it‘s first person so hopefully it gets better? 1d

willaful This is really bumming me out. 1d

dabbe One of my students in high school years ago committed suicide. I still think of her often and wish I could have done something--anything. This book is ripping all of us to shreds. I so wish I could hug Esther and tell her how lovely she is and that life does get better--or at least, as you age, perspective helps you grow and get strong. She has NO ONE who is able to reach her! AUGHHHHH!!!! 😞 1d

BarkingMadRead @CogsOfEncouragement I‘ve read them all! 1d

CogsOfEncouragement @BarkingMadRead All the Cedar Cove? I‘m on book 10, so nearing the end of my time with these endearing characters. 1d

BarkingMadRead @CogsOfEncouragement all of Cedar cove and also I‘ve read Seven Year Slip! I was volunteering at a used book store some years back and they had the whole series so I just zipped through them! 1d

CogsOfEncouragement @BarkingMadRead Very cool. I‘m about halfway through Seven Year Slip. I saw Elyse Myers good-crying over it on a reel and it sounded like a good pairing with Bell Jar! 1d

CogsOfEncouragement @BarkingMadRead Oh, wait. Just found out how her aunt passed. I still think Elyse was happy crying at the end of this! 1d

Clare-Dragonfly I also feel the dark comedy of this, but emphasis on the DARK! I so wish Esther had access to modern pharmaceuticals. 1d

ElizaMarie @dabbe you are such an amazing person! I just wanted to say that 10h

dabbe @ElizaMarie You just made my day, week, month ... you are, too, yaknow! 💚🩶💚 5h

36 likes21 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

I apologize in advance for being flip. Today's chapter is a really hard read and yet all I could think of was my very first pop culture exposure to ECT, the terrifying movie Return to Oz. Somehow a bunch of adults thought that making a movie where Dorothy undergoes shock therapy would be GREAT for kids! Anyway, all this to say, ECT is a horror no matter where you meet it- in a movie theatre age 5 or in a beautiful novel at the age of 17 or 40+.

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #CantReduceThisChapterToQuips #EstherIsNotGettingBetter #YouDontJustDecideToNotBeMentallyIllMOM #FactitiousArtificialSham #YoullNeverGetAnywhereLikeThat 2d

ravenlee My sister was watching that movie while babysitting me. I must have been 6 or 7. I wanted to do what she was doing, so she let me watch. 😳 I hid at the foot of the bed most of the movie, because I couldn‘t watch it but was scared to go to my room alone. Still traumatized! 1d

ElizaMarie I missed this trauma experience growing up (didn't see the movie/or heard of it before this post) 1d

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Andrea313 @ravenlee YUP. I don't remember being particularly afraid when I first saw it (I was SO young) and was mostly confused, wondering why bad things were happening to Dorothy. Then I saw it again years later and had a full-on WTF moment. My older brother was afraid of the Wheelers for ages, though. 😂 1d

Andrea313 @ElizaMarie OMG you should watch it now. You'd probably still have the trauma experience, it's some if the most bizarre shit ever. 1d

ravenlee I don‘t even remember much, but the lady who collects heads from girls who have nice hair? or something. It freaked me out in a big way, as a girl with long brown braids like Dorothy. 1d

19 likes6 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 12: I feel like hashtags are too disrespectful for this chapter 😢 #letstryanddothisright #immadatmom #ifeellikeshediminishedthesituation #thatnursesucked #sodidthedoctor #thatsallimgonnasayaboutthat #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 2d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 2d

Librarybelle Definitely a hard chapter to read today. 2d

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Bookwormjillk Yup, a toughie. 2d

kwmg40 Agree with everyone here. This was difficult to read. 2d

mcctrish Does the dr even know who she is ? How much of his medical practice is for profit ? The mom and her “I knew you weren‘t that kind of girl” not “that was fucking terrifying I should have turned you right around when we got here” 2d

Cuilin I got halfway through this chapter and put the book down. I don‘t think I can read this right now. I‘m not in the right headspace or something. 2d

Cuilin @mcctrish oh the mom, she made me so angry. 😠 2d

ElizaMarie That mother!!! Anyway my heart goes out for our girl. She is struggling 😞 2d

willaful I'm tempted not to finish as well. 2d

CogsOfEncouragement I‘m not mad at the mom. I feel like she is worried about her daughter, and this is the medical help of the time. She doesn‘t understand, she wants her daughter better, she is relieved that Esther has said something to allow her to believe she has snapped out of it. Her mom is trying to help. Our mom‘s thought pouring hydrogen peroxide on our scraped knees was helping. 2d

dabbe So hard to read these last two chapters. It's even harder when you know it's Plath who wrote it. 😞 2d

Clare-Dragonfly Oof, definitely hard to read. And unfortunately quite relatable (from my memories—I‘m doing emotionally well these days, thank goodness). It seems like all the electric shock “therapy” did was get her moving, without improving her mental state at all. 2d

TheAromaofBooks @CogsOfEncouragement - I feel bad for the mom, too. This is a time when people didn't understand really even the concept of depression. If you feel sad, stop feeling sad. Her mom is doing what the doctor says, but has no basis to know that what he is saying is complete BS. She knows something is wrong with Esther, but doesn't have any tools to help her. She's struggling in the dark, too. 2d

BarkingMadRead @CogsOfEncouragement @TheAromaofBooks such good points! I think she annoyed me because I‘ve had people react that way to me when I‘ve been depressed. Like I had no right to be and should just be happy 1d

TheAromaofBooks @BarkingMadRead - I definitely can see that!! I think I have seen older family members get bullied by medical professionals so I felt a lot of empathy for Esther's mother. He's a doctor so he must be right, even if it doesn't seem right... my grandma suffered for years because she trusted a doctor who was worse than useless because she was poor and uneducated so he must know what's best. 😞 Esther's mom - and Esther! - seem the same way. 24h

40 likes16 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Obviously Esther eventually has a HUGE effing reason to dislike Dr. Gordon, but at first, it's all about the vibes (ok, ok, and a large helping of mental illness). We see her negative symptoms become more intense, neglecting her own self-care and experiencing an uptick in suspicion of people around her. It's a tough chapter made worse by Dr. Gordon's prescription of shock treatment. Hold onto your hats, folks...

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #EverythingIsBeige #NoSleep #NoShowers #EllyHigginbottomFromChicago #ThatSailorWasWayTooYoung #DoctorGordonTrySomethingElse #DoctorGordonYouSuckAtYourJob 3d

TheBookHippie I‘m a vibes person. So yes. I read this and was so angry as a young person. Still was on reading a few years ago was just 😵‍💫. (edited) 3d

24 likes2 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 11: this doctor 💥 💥 🤬🤬#anyway #randomsailorstory #didheevenlistentoher #howdoesheexpecthertoimprove #ohyeah 💡 ⚡️ #ugh #readingaboutsuicideisnthelping #dontgetonthebus #atleastnowtherandomstorymakessense #offtochicago #maybe #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 3d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 3d

Cuilin I‘m not sure I want to read anymore but I will. It‘s triggering something. Can you get secondhand melancholy from a book? 3d

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ElizaMarie The part - “It seemed silly to wash one day when I would only have to wash again the next. It made me tired just to think of it.“ - Made me so so sad for her!

@Cuilin I feel a bit of the blahs too after reading this chapter. (edited) 3d

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin @ElizaMarie for sure! It‘s gloomy and snowy here in SC and she‘s definitely got me feeling the blues 3d

mcctrish This might not be the best book for February blahs - I went outside for the first time in days today. I was putting on a bit of a protest against winter and left to my own devices I could have held out longer but my husband was grousing that we had no apples left for his lunch. Or bananas. Or berries. Anyways I went to the grocery store and I survived. I feel Esther‘s pain. Adulting is hard. I don‘t think electric shock is the answer 3d

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish we have like zero food in our house 🤣 I have hated the grocery store ever since Covid, I‘m scarred for life 3d

mcctrish @BarkingMadRead I want to know why the cashiers don‘t bag groceries for you anymore?! It just makes me lose my mind with rage! I‘m spending $260 on groceries in a store, I could go anywhere, I‘ve chosen this one, appreciate my business UGH 3d

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish you need to move to SC 🤣 they bag your groceries and will push your cart to the car and unload them too 3d

willaful @mcctrish They found out how much they could get away with during lockdown. 🤬 I'll never forget the gas station that had closed down its public bathrooms “for your safety“ but of course didn't require masks. Security theater, so much of it.

This was definitely a depressing chapter. Esther seems pretty seriously mentally ill to me, but damn, shock treatment is a lot before trying something else, *anything* else! 3d

mcctrish @willaful or how little 😡 3d

Bookwormjillk This chapter was really hard to take. 3d

dabbe How does this doc only see her TWICE before recommending shock therapy? Was that the 1st answer in the 60s? A very difficult chapter to read. She reminds me in so many ways of Holden Caulfield. 😞 3d

Ruthiella @mcctrish The supermarket doesn‘t bag your groceries? They do here in Southern California. We do have to put them on the conveyor belt ourselves. When I was a kid, the cashier also emptied the cart for the shopper. (edited) 3d

mcctrish @Ruthiella 🤯 I‘m conducting a poll on FB of what stores bag or if anyone even cares 🤦🏻‍♀️ my usual store does bag but I went to a store close to home today instead of the one on the way home from school and no bagging, even though I gave her my bins to load 3d

mcctrish @dabbe RIGHT? 3d

ElizaMarie @mcctrish @dabbe @willaful yeah I don‘t think she really needs ECT (I have treated patients pre and post ECT and—- try something first! ) like 2 doc appointments and they already gave up!? (edited) 3d

Clare-Dragonfly Yikes, as I expected—the shrink sucks. Going straight to electric shocks is not wise! Do you really think she‘s going to Chicago? There was something about a stop two blocks from her house. Sadly I just don‘t think she has the chutzpah to do something so bold. 3d

CogsOfEncouragement I finished this chapter after a short walk in the sunshine. Very helpful. 2d

julieclair This chapter made me so sad. Her depression, the shock treatment, the overall feeling of flatness. Just sad. 2d

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Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

At home, Esther learns she didn't make the summer writing course she applied for. Her mental health is really starting to deteriorate as she both spies on and hides from her neighbours and vacillates rapidly between summer plans (I'll write a novel! No, I'll learn shorthand! No, I'll read Finnegan's Wake!). None of that happens, but she does manage to break up with Buddy and inadvertently wind up with a referral to a psychiatrist. Both wins, tbh.

LoverOfLearning A classic I will one day read! 4d

Andrea313 @LoverOfLearning When you do, I hope you love it! 4d

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #ThrewAwayTooManyClothes #BetsyToTheRescue #PollyannaCowgirl #NoWritingCourse #SummerSchoolDropout #ShorthandIsSoStrange #IWouldntWantToLearnItEither #EstherNeedsHelp #MaybeItsPsychosis #MaybeItsThe1950s #TeresaKnowsWhatsUp 4d

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BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 10: this was a lot #buckleup #homeagain #didntgetintothesummerclass #nobackupplan #randomstoryaboutaneighborwithsixpointfivekids #nosyblackwidowneighbor #didshereallyeatrawmeat #yikes #letswriteanovel #nevermind #letslearnshorthand #nope #letshaveanexistentialcrisis #letsrethunkourentirecareerpath #atleastsheblewoffbuddy #soproud #offtogetsomemeds #uhoh #referraltoashrink #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 4d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 4d

mcctrish All of a sudden the randomness has a Lark Rise vibe #iykyk 4d

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BarkingMadRead @mcctrish it really does 🤣 4d

willaful Man, what a depressing chapter. I hope Esther is going to get some help but I kind of doubt it. :-\ 4d

BarkingMadRead @willaful I‘m worried that she will think she doesn‘t need it 4d

Deblovestoread Mrs. Kravitz! 4d

Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead Same! Or that the shrink will be terrible… 4d

Bookwormjillk I‘m with you all hoping she gets the help she needs. 4d

tpixie @Deblovestoread 😝 @BarkingMadRead Mrs Kravitz!!! 🧙 I LOVED Bewitched 4d

willaful @Clare-Dragonfly I think it's almost guaranteed that the shrink will be terrible. 😞 4d

Deblovestoread I loved Bewitched, too! @tpixie I was glad the family doc didn‘t just throw more pills at her. Hopefully her referral is a good one! 4d

dabbe Esther has never had anything below an “A“ in her life. She wins contests, too. Not getting into the summer class was her complete undoing. I'm almost scared now to read more.

BTW, do they live in a house in Boston? If so, why do the mom and Esther share the same bedroom? Or am I wrong in that assumption? 4d

TheAromaofBooks Waaaaaayy too casual about eating raw hamburger + raw egg 😂 3d

ElizaMarie Buddy !!! #RunForYourLifeNurse !! Hopefully he doesn't seduce that poor nurse who he “falls in love“ with. I mean. poor girl to be sucked into him! I am #proud Ester put her foot down with that one! 3d

julieclair @mcctrish Maybe the Lark Rose vibe was why Esther got on my last nerve in this chapter! 😂. But then I reached the end of the chapter and felt guilty about her getting on my nerves. She does need someone who can help her. I do hope the psychiatrist turns out to be a good one. But I'm fearful 2d

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Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

The image I've concocted in my head of Esther throwing her clothes off the rooftop is so concrete and vivid that nothing I can find online even approximates it. But here's an image of two women on the roof of the real Barbizon Hotel so you get a sense of what her view may have been. This chapter is so intense and so profoundly sad, from Hilda's cold indifference to Marco's assault to the clothes floating into the city like "a loved one's ashes".

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #HildaIsBrutal #TimeForACry #JayCeesCureIsMoreWork #TimeToParty #TheFamousBlackSheathReturns #CaptivatingStickpin #GoToHellMarco #ThrowingAwayClothes #GoodbyeHopesAndDreams #ShatteredIllusions 5d

Cuilin I‘m so glad she hit out!! 🤛 🩸 4d

Andrea313 @Cuilin Yes! No doubt what did happen was awful but it could have been so much worse on top of that. 4d

23 likes3 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 9: Esther‘s last night in NYC #iwouldbeemotionaltoo #tackypicsforthemagazine #bilegreen 🤮 #doreenwantstoparty #estherwantstopack #ofcoursertheyparty #esthergetsstuckwithawomanhater #sheshouldhavestuckhimwiththatpin 💎 #rightintheeye #ihopeheneverfindsit #ofcoursedoreenisnowheretobefound #estherdumpsallherfrumpyclothes #ilegitthoughtshewasgonnajump 😰 #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 5d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 5d

Cuilin I wasn‘t prepared for the assault. Ugh. This though 🤛 👃 🩸 👍 5d

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BarkingMadRead @Cuilin me either, but she was totally badass 5d

mcctrish Absolutely badass and for real she should have stabbed him with the pin 5d

Ruthiella I‘m surprised I don‘t remember this at all from reading this before. It‘s traumatizing ! 5d

dabbe @mcctrish In a place where the sun don't shine! 💪🏻 5d

dabbe That green shirt, skirt, and stocking are giving me total Ali McGraw vibes from LOVE STORY! 💚 5d

mcctrish @dabbe the green doesn‘t make me unhappy and I totally agree with Love Story vibes 5d

tpixie @dabbe yes!! 💚💚💚 5d

BarkingMadRead @dabbe I love green, although maybe not quite this much and also not called bile green 🤣 5d

willaful I loved the line “It was a face that needed soap and water and Christian tolerance.“ 5d

Bookwormjillk @Ruthiella I don‘t remember it either 5d

tpixie @willaful lol great line 5d

ElizaMarie @willaful yes!!!! 5d

julieclair This chapter was rough. I'm impressed by her presence of mind. 👊 2d

39 likes16 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

A chapter full of disaster- an awkward, post-Christmas drive to the Adirondacks with Mr. Willard, Buddy making Esther read a terrible poem he wrote, an unwanted marriage proposal, and finally skiing lessons from Buddy *who has never gone skiing himself*?! All leading up to a broken leg on the slopes, and no wonder. Wish Esther had refused to ski full-stop because all of this is nonsense.

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #LongCarRidesCanBeTerrible #TunaOatmealCookiesAndCoffeeIsADisgustingLunch #DepressingSanatorium #PresidentEisenhowerShade #NotSoEasyToWriteAGreatPoemIsItBuddy #HeThinksHeDidGreat #TurnDownThatProposalGirl #DoNotSkiWithThisMan #WhatAreYouThinking #ListenToTheInteriorVoice 6d

18 likes1 comment

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 8: this freaking guy 🙄 #esthervisitsbuddyattheclinic #buddychubbedup #proposaltime #becausethissettingiswaybetterthanaletter 🙄 #timetogoskiing #buddyteachesesther #becausewatchingpeopleskimakeshimapro 🙄 #myeyeshurtfromrollingsomuch #whatcouldgowrong #letmetellyou #abrokenleg #jerk #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 6d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 6d

TheAromaofBooks Why is everyone in this book so unlikable 😂 6d

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BarkingMadRead @TheAromaofBooks seriously! She‘s an asshole magnet 🤣 6d

Cuilin @TheAromaofBooks thank you for saying that I wholeheartedly agree! 6d

Cuilin The line let me fly with you would have been very sweet and cute if the question had not been “how would you like to be Mrs. Buddy Willard?” and completely erasing her. 😣 6d

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin everything about this chapter made me want to scream 🤣 6d

Bookwormjillk Usually I‘m annoyed with her but firmly on Team Ester in this chapter. Was that jerk happy she broke her leg?? 6d

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk I totally got that vibe, like he was glad to be able to do some doctoring 🙄 6d

Cuilin @Bookwormjillk seemed like a metaphor for breaking her, now doesn‘t get to run away!!! 6d

mcctrish First how does one get well in such an absolutely disgusting sounding place, second who the hell trusts someone to teach them to ski who doesn‘t know how?! Who stepped in front of her? Buddy? Honest to god Ester, stay away from this dumbass (edited) 6d

Bookwormjillk @mcctrish I read it twice and couldn‘t figure out who stepped in front of her 6d

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk it was the man saying “you were doing fine until the guy stepped in your path” not skied, stepped made me think it was Buddy (edited) 6d

Bookwormjillk @mcctrish good clue 6d

willaful I was kind of caught in wondering why Esther seemed more upset about Buddy's hypocrisy than about what happened in this chapter. But maybe she's letting herself realize things slowly because they're so freaking awful. 6d

Clare-Dragonfly Wow, Buddy is an idiot! He shakes her hand when she comes in, tries to give her an ashtray he made, and then asks her to marry him in the most unromantic way possible?! Not to mention the skiing failure. Esther said in the last chapter that she broke her own leg but Buddy clearly broke it! 😂 6d

CogsOfEncouragement I‘m enjoying the reading and all of your comments. This is my first time reading, and I‘m glad I‘m among friends to do so! 6d

ElizaMarie Ugh!!! Buddy Buddy Buddy —- He is such a pompous man. 6d

AnishaInkspill @BarkingMadRead thanks for tagging me into these posts, this is brilliant as I don't have the to read this this year but i could never get tired of reading this and what always comes to mind is Esther's dry wit. 5d

DieAReader @TheAromaofBooks 💖I thought I was alone in not liking anyone😂 5d

BarkingMadRead @AnishaInkspill 😍😍 5d

dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement 🩶💚🩶 5d

dabbe This part teared me up: “I felt my lungs inflate with the inrush of scenery--air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, 'This is what it is to be happy.' I plummeted down past the zigzaggers, the students, the experts, through year after year of doubleness and smiles and compromise, into my own past.“

Wow, can she write. 5d

43 likes23 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

This chapter is chock-full of so much beautiful writing. It might feel a little cliche and obvious today but I stand by the fig tree metaphor as being a perfect encapsulation of being young and staring down an uncertain future. And calling out the hypocrisy of sexual standards for women and the stultifying expectations of marriage at the time still feels so truthful and powerful. Hey young wannabe trad-wives, I've got a chapter for you to read....

Andrea313 #HashtagBridgade #VisitingTheUN #EstherFeelsInadequate #UNTourShadingMrsWillardThenDinner #BangingFirstDate #ButTheyDontActuallyBang #BuddyThinksSheWillForgetAboutPoetryWhenSheHasKids #SeriouslyFuckThisGuy #EstherJustGoGetLaid #ButDefinitelyDontGetMarried #DomesticDrudgery #ThankGodForAPostBirthControlWorld #HeyRepublicansStopSendingUsBackThere 1w

willaful I wonder if Joni Mitchell was quoting this in “The Last Time I Saw Richard.“ 1w

16 likes2 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 7: #constantinwasinteresting #UNandasammie #estherisobsessedwiththerussiangirl #andfiganalogies #girl #focusonwhatyoucando #notwhatyoucant #easiersaidthandone #obsessedwithsex #shemeetsthestrangestpeople #weirdomagnet #balalaicamusicandanap #sobizarre #soletsdropabombandendthechapter #staytunedforthesagaofthebrokenleg #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 1w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 1w

mcctrish Some of the things she can‘t do I figure she could if she put her mind to it - winning all the prizes must mean she can memorize shit like a boss ( I‘m not talking about shorthand - she can write her own letters) the white, black and yellow men comment was 😳 1w

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BarkingMadRead @mcctrish so 😳 the things people said back then 🙄🤮 1w

willaful @BarkingMadRead @mctrish Not to mention the “suspiciously thick lips.“ 😬 1w

Cuilin @mcctrish talk about a lack of belief in yourself!! The homemade rug made me think about the current conversation about trad wives. Some podcast bros think their grandmothers were perfect not understanding they didn‘t want to stay home or have their lives controlled too. Some had less options. 1w

mcctrish Ah the podcast bros who know everything @Cuilin 1w

Clare-Dragonfly The famous fig tree metaphor! And then on the next page she goes “oh, maybe I was just hungry.” 😂😂😂 I love it. 1w

dabbe As I go deeper into this story with Esther, I want to rush to her NYC hotel, give her a hug, and tell her that it'll be alright. 💚 7d

tpixie It was funny reading about the rug- a coinkydink- my kindergartner granddaughter was reading a reading assignment that mentioned a rag rug. I was explaining to her what a rag rug was. The next day I read this chapter! That sure was another weird date! (edited) 6d

36 likes10 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

So, I know that Esther is actually angry and frustrated with the restrictive and hypocritical double standards of her time and is taking it out on Buddy but the guy still pisses me off. My rational brain knows that he didn't lie to her - he came clean about the waitress as soon as she asked - but I still can't stand his smug, mansplain-y vibe and I don't blame Esther for feeling relieved when he's shipped off to the Adirondacks.

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #CampusVisitToAMedStudent #BabyBeingBorn #DidThatMotherConsentToObservers #ThisIsThe50sWhatIsConsent #LongBlindDoorlessWindowlessCorridorOfPain #BuddyNobodyWantsToSeeYouNaked #SoSoAwkward #MommysBoy #MotherBoy #BusterBluthVibes 1w

tpixie Great photo! I‘m not a fan of Buddy, either!! 1w

25 likes2 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 6: well. Now we know. #nothingsaysromancelikeadatetothehospital #thatwillguywasanass #peoplewholiveinglasshouses #notsureiwouldwantthatviewofabirth #buddyshowedhis #esthersaidnaw #soproud #thatTBwashiskarma #psychosomaticmyass #esthergiveszerofucks #goesther #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 1w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 1w

Cuilin Perfect meme!! 😆 plus, I don‘t care for buddy, but seriously “a double life”. I know it was a different time. 1w

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BarkingMadRead @Cuilin for real. But also. Every time period had people having random sex, I always wonder why people are so shocked 🤣 especially when it‘s a guy (the old double standard) 🙄 1w

Cuilin @BarkingMadRead I for real thought he was going to say the baby was his!! Now that‘s a double life. (edited) 1w

BarkingMadRead @cuilin 🤣🤣🤣 1w

Bookwormjillk I liked her more in this chapter. 1w

dabbe I can't believe how many times I've laughed out loud at Plath's wit as shown through Esther. I'm sad as all hell, too, but laughter does come in the darkest of places sometimes. 1w

mcctrish Esther really does give zero fucks 1w

Clare-Dragonfly Plath twisted it around on me again! I think Esther‘s reaction is a bit over the top but I love that he gets TB so she doesn‘t have to deal with him 😂 1w

ElizaMarie Love the description of his junk!!! How lackluster that was!!! Also- I had to assist in deliveries for nursing school — not a date activity at all!!!!! 1w

tpixie @Clare-Dragonfly who knew how convenient TB could turn out to be! @Cuilin I was thinking the baby might be his, also! @ElizaMarie what a weird way to strip!! @BarkingMadRead not my kind of date! 1w

tpixie @BarkingMadRead I‘m glad Ester said no to Buddy! 1w

51 likes13 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Esther gets a call from a guy named Constantine, but soon realizes the mother of her situationship is behind it. In her memory, we meet the man himself- Buddy Fucking Willard, who grandly condescends to visit her at college, who gives her a "dry, uninspiring" kiss, and who, worst of all, is smugly dismissive of her poetry. But in between Constantine and Buddy, Esther reads a beautiful short story and wants to go live inside of it- 100% relatable!

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #SimultaneousInterpreter #UNMe #DoesAnyoneElseRememberThatAnimaniacsSong #MrsWillardSucks #BuddyWillardIsWorse #PeterTheHermit #WalterThePenniless #BooksBeforeDudes #YaleJuniorPromSoundsLikeMyNightmare 1w

18 likes1 comment

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 5: a glimpse at the Buddy relationship #letscollectweirdnamedguys #itsoktosayno #sobuddyisahypocrite #whyyoumightask 🤷🏻‍♀️ #whoknows #maybenextchapter #pooresthercantcatchabreakanywhere #tooselfconscious #herstudyinggivesoffroryvibes #notsurehowifeelaboutbuddy #hesdefinitelynocatch #andacrappykisser 👄 #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 1w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 1w

Cuilin I wouldn‘t mind a tour of the UN 🇺🇳 1w

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tpixie @Cuilin Yes! The UN would be fascinating 🧐 1w

Bookwormjillk I also wouldn‘t mind a tour. Or a sandwich actually. 1w

mcctrish I am curious about the baby. And I‘d love for someone to make me a sandwich 1w

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish the first time she mentioned the baby, my mind went into so many dark places 🤣 pretty sure I jumped to major conclusions though 1w

mcctrish Oh me too. I thought she‘d had a baby and he blew her off or he‘s impregnated someone or fainted at the sight of blood or vaginas 1w

willaful We are getting to the *one* thing I remember from this book when I read it at 12ish. At the time, I thought I was scarred for life!

Honestly, at this point I've prepared to believe Buddy didn't do a blessed thing wrong, because Esther is such a Diva, but we shall see. 1w

Bookwormjillk @willaful Buddy delivered a bay with one hand and made her a sandwich with the other and he is THE WORST. His name isn't even interesting. 1w

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk 🤣🤣 1w

Clare-Dragonfly I initially thought he had impregnated and abandoned another woman. But now I think the baby thing is probably a med school thing and it‘s totally banal. I am very much prepared to believe Buddy didn‘t do a blessed thing wrong @willaful 😂 1w

Clare-Dragonfly I also thought all this “everyone thinks Buddy and I are getting married” was because they grew up together and their parents are friends, and that Esther didn‘t find him appealing at all, but she had a huge crush on him! Plath is certainly twisting my expectations. 1w

CogsOfEncouragement What killed me was the casual: Of course, our mothers were good friends. They had gone to school together and then both married their professors… 1w

BarkingMadRead @CogsOfEncouragement right?!? That‘s so normal?! 1w

Andrea313 @CogsOfEncouragement YES! Never ceases to make me do a double take! 1w

ElizaMarie Also tipping culture is so difficult to understand! I get this! But yeah, poor Buddy with his boring name! 1w

32 likes17 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Reading this book as a teen, Esther's thoughts and feelings were so close to my own that it felt totally contemporary. And then I'd come across an undeniably '50s reference and my brain would melt - like when Jay Cee "pinned on a hat of imitation lilacs" and patted Esther's shoulder with a "lilac-gloved hand". Hats and gloves? In the daytime?! At work?? Must be a fantasy world! Anyway, enjoy these pics of 1950s lilac hats; which one's your fave?

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #OfficeBusywork #DontLetTheWickedCityGetYouDown #GreatAdvice #50sFashionIsSoWeird #EsthersPoorMom #Fingerbowls #PhilomenaGuineaIsAGreatName #TechnicolorMakesHerPuke #Terrible50sFoodMadeHerPuke #TooMuchVomit #LadiesDayBribePresents #DoreenShouldDumpLenny 1w

BkClubCare Lower right! 1w

Andrea313 @BkClubCare Saaaaaame! 💜 1w

dabbe @Andrea313 @BkClubCare #dittotwice! 1w

tpixie Lower right! 💜💜💜 1w

29 likes5 comments

tpixie

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

My 2 day old granddaughter, Hazel Anne is helping me through the vomiting 🤮
Here is a blurb about Plath‘s real benefactress, Olivia Higgins Prouty, referred to in the novel as Philomena Guinea:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Higgins_Prouty

#hastagbrigade

BarkingMadRead

Cathythoughts She‘s beautiful 🥰 1w

BarbaraBB So cute 🥰 1w

mabell How sweet! 1w

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LeahBergen So sweet! 🥰 1w

TiredLibrarian Adorable! 1w

dabbe Welcome to the world, sweet Hazel! You have the loveliest grandmother! 🩶🩷🩶

P.S. Thanks for the link, too. Very interesting! 🤩 1w

tpixie @Cathythoughts @BarbaraBB @mabell @LeahBergen @TiredLibrarian @dabbe thanks! Today I had fun reading and cuddling with my grandbaby instead of my dog! 👶🏻 🐶 🩷 1w

wanderinglynn So sweet! 🩷 1w

tpixie @wanderinglynn thanks!!! 😊🩷🍓🩷 1w

Jas16 She is just adorable!!! 🥰 1w

Leftcoastzen Cuteness! 1w

Ruthiella Beautiful baby. 😍 1w

Cuilin Congratulations and welcome to the world Hazel. 1w

marleed She beautiful - I love her name💕💕 1w

Suet624 Oh gosh. So beautiful. 1w

Chelsea.Poole Hazel is so precious ♥️ 1w

Mollyanna Such a cutie! 💕 1w

Reggie Omg! So cute! 1w

TheBookgeekFrau She's beautiful! Congratulations 🎀💝 1w

tpixie @Leftcoastzen @Jas16 @Ruthiella @Cuilin @marleed @Suet624 @Chelsea.Poole @Mollyanna @Reggie @TheBookgeekFrau Thanks for the kind sentiments! She‘s getting weighed today! Her first outing! 1w

julieclair Too precious!!! 💕 2d

67 likes21 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 4: well this took a turn #timeforabadmovieaboutfootball #technicolor #spoton 💃🏻 #butwait 🤮🤮 #alllllthepuking #byalllllthegirls #maybedoreenisthesmartoneafterall #soupforeveryone #andabook #youknow #sotheydontsue 🤷🏻‍♀️ #seemslegit #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 1w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 1w

Bookwormjillk I should not have saved this chapter to read during lunch. Nice of Doreen to not leave her in the hall. Feeling bad for the cleaning staff who have had to clean puke several times in just a few chapters. 1w

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dabbe I can't think of a book I've read where there's so much 🤮 in the first few chapters! 🥴 1w

tpixie Nothing like reading about 🤮 during lunch 🥗! 💚💚💚 1w

Cuilin @Bookwormjillk why did I read it before breakfast? I need to take medication with food. I risked it with a couple of bites of toast after reading this I couldn‘t stomach anything else. Ugh nasty 1w

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin @tpixie @Bookwormjillk I was eating breakfast, it was berry oatmeal, it was pink, and now it‘s in the garbage 1w

Bookwormjillk @BarkingMadRead @cuilin @tpixie @dabbe still better than The Bros. 1w

mcctrish I knew the food was bad!! The descriptions yesterday of it and her shovelling it in made me queasy. I feel bad for everyone who had to clean up all the vomit 🤮 1w

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk 💯💯 1w

Deblovestoread So I made the mistake of reading all this before I‘ve started today‘s chapter. I‘m afraid, very afraid! 1w

willaful Glad I leave my daily chapter for bedtime!

Doreen is kinder to her than she was to Doreen. She seems to be a kind of nasty person in fact. Deliberately stomping on people's feet. Admittedly she was very sick.

So this is weird: Ptomaine poisoning is a myth. Did anyone know that? 1w

dabbe @Bookwormjillk Pretty much anything beats #thebros, right? 😂 1w

tpixie @BarkingMadRead lol 😝 bye bye oatmeal 🥣 1w

tpixie @willaful yes, Doreen treated her kindly. She did seem to take glee and stomping on their feet. I read that it was a myth too. That was surprising. 1w

Clare-Dragonfly There has been a LOT of vomiting in this book considering we‘re less than 50 pages in! @willaful I knew that… once I googled it to find out what it was 😂 1w

ElizaMarie I find her super mean spirited. Like she isn‘t a kind person at all. 1w

TheAromaofBooks @ElizaMarie - I agree, she's SO self-absorbed. All of her actions seemed based on “what will people think about me“ 1w

40 likes18 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Time for a stupid fancy luncheon complete with "mountainous centrepieces" made of fruit! The whole thing screams "ostentatious" and though Esther absolutely demolishes an entire bowl of caviar like she's made for it, the whole episode is contrasted against her childhood memories of eating economy meat-loaf and only occasionally sampling luxury food with her waiter grandfather. We also get a deeper look at her growing inertia and lack of direction.

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #AvacadoStuffedWithDisgustingFilling #ThisFoodIsAnAbomination #ThisMagazineWorldIsSuffocatingAndDull #EstherCantGetUp #BedRottingButItsNotFun #BossIsUpHerAss #WhatComesNextInLife #HellifEstherKnows 2w

21 likes1 comment

Pip2

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

pick

A true depiction into the human psyche as to what it is to live in a mind that is depressed of joy and meaning. Being mentally ill can sometimes be worse than being physically ill and it is most definitely something that society in general but especially here in the states should be taken more seriously. Further funding needs to be pushed towards research on mental health and mental health services. An artist lost prematurely to suicide.

19 likes

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 3: Esther likes to eat #allthecaviarallthetime #eatlikethatpoetgirl #liveyourbestlife #jayceegaveherawhoopin #sheneedstostandupforherself #easiersaidthandone #thosecollegestoriesthough #socrafty #channelthatcraftinessnow #andlearnsomelanguages #languagesarehard #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 2w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 2w

Deblovestoread Oh to be young again and eat whatever I want😂 but I don‘t think I want avocado with claret sauce 😬 2w

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BarkingMadRead @Deblovestoread yeah that would be a hard pass for me, too 🤣 2w

Bookwormjillk The whole avocado pear terminology confused me for a hot minute. Then they put grape jelly in it and then I was really confused. Moving on.

As a teen I probably sympathized with Ester but I think I'm Jay Cee years old because man it frustrates me to supervise people who just want to be brilliant but not actually work. Good for her eating that caviar though. 2w

Cuilin @Deblovestoread I also was wistful for the eat whatever I want days. 2w

Cuilin I think chemistry formulas made me dizzy too. 2w

Cuilin @Bookwormjillk the grape jelly really threw me. 🥴 2w

mcctrish The eating made me feel sick 2w

dabbe Am I such a hard-ass that I'm finding it difficult to be sympathetic with her as she eats caviar while having an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC, and she's still not happy? She reminds me of Hubbell Gardner from THE WAY WE WERE, whose 1st line in his college creative writing class that was read out loud was the following: “In a way, he was like the country he lived in. Everything came to easily to him.“ 2w

Bookwormjillk @dabbe nope, I‘m with you 2w

BarkingMadRead @dabbe I‘m definitely with you on that 2w

JacqMac @dabbe Right? 2w

dabbe @Bookwormjillk @BarkingMadRead @JacqMac ... thanks, ya'll! 🩶🩷🩶 2w

Clare-Dragonfly I wonder if the other apprentices are getting lectures from their bosses. It doesn‘t seem like it! 2w

Clare-Dragonfly At least we got some confirmation that Doreen actually likes Lenny and isn‘t traumatized! 2w

Andrea313 @dabbe The all-expenses paid trip and loads of caviar seem to signal her being spoiled but I think there's also a sense of alienation there from her more modest upbringing- she never ate in a "proper" restaurant before this trip, and her grandfather works as a waiter. She benefits from proximity to wealth, but doesn't fully inhabit that world and is trying to make sense of it all. I'm feeling a lot of empathy for this 19 year old kid- anyone else? 2w

willaful I may be biased because of knowing about Plath's life, but I think Esther is likely clinically depressed. 2w

dabbe @Andrea313 Agree 💯. Thanks for reminding me of these things, too. The fact that she's 19 says a lot, too. The cynical way-older me got in the way of seeing the world through her eyes. 🩶🩷🩶 1w

Andrea313 @dabbe And I think Esther believes she's old and world-weary, too. Part of what I love so much about this book is the way that her experiences are given a very adult gravity, despite her youth. Being in those "on the precipice of your future but not quite there" years can be really overwhelming. But I'm also a biased reader- I've loved this book for years! It's been fun to read everyone's comments, especially folks reading it for the first time. 1w

dabbe @Andrea313 I'm so glad you're sharing such excellent thoughts with us. You've also reminded me that POV is so important--not just through the character or author's eyes, but the reader's as well. I'm way past the precipice of my future and am now looking back. But there's still the young me who remembers. Thanks for that reminder. 1w

Andrea313 @dabbe Thanks for the discussion and the lovely comments! I love what you said about "the young me who remembers". I am a big re-reader and love to both confront and appreciate the young me's who explored the stories I love. This one takes me straight back to being 17- maybe more than any other novel! 1w

40 likes22 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

There is so much to sink our teeth into in chapter 2, namely Esther's growing sense of loneliness and alienation. The feeling she describes sitting on her own watching Doreen and Lenny flirt and make out is so recognizable, and her later isolation at the hotel when the city "hung in the window, flat as a poster" is so vivid I can feel it in my bones. But it's her rumination on the power of a scorching hot bath that has lived with me for years now.

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #SoMuchPineInThatApartment #RoadkillDecor #FullBrownMelons #43BlockWalkInHeels #CouldntBeMe #MrsWillardSucks #HotBathTime #AHotBathIsMyReligionToo #OopsDroppedMyDrunkFriendInTheHall #WontHoldHerHairBack #SleepItOffDoreen 2w

ElizaMarie YES !!! All of this! 2w

29 likes2 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 2: our girl was third wheeling it! #untilshewasnt #ilegitthoughtdoreenwasbeingattacked #ourgirlbails #becausewalkingfortynycblocksissosafe #girl #bathtime #ifeelthisinmysoul #sadnessneedsbathtime #doreenisback 🤮 #ourgirlplanstohangwiththecalmergirls #letsseehowthatgoes #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @graciouswarriorprincess
2w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 2w

Cuilin Is this a first time read for anyone? The bath bit was so real. (edited) 2w

See All 33 Comments

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin this is a first time read for me 2w

mcctrish 43 by 5 blocks is a lot to walk. I love that she was no worse for the wear shoe wise afterwards and that she knows a bath cures everything. I feel like letting Doreen in would have been a bad idea but leaving her outside the door in a puddle of her own vomit is a level of No fucks to give I need to aspire to 😳 2w

mcctrish First time for me 2w

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish 🤣🤣🤣 2w

Cuilin @mcctrish @BarkingMadRead oh good, I had heard of it, of course, but I didn‘t really know much about it and it‘s turning out to be completely different than what I thought. I‘m intrigued. But also worried. 😟 2w

Cuilin @mcctrish I don‘t know I could‘ve left a friend with a Lenny!! 2w

mcctrish @Cuilin I love it so much - after udolpho and the bros and Lark Rise it just feels like the words are precise and measured and specific and the story just zips right out and grabs me ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 2w

mcctrish @Cuilin Doreen has a bit of Mike Tyson in her, I think she‘s going to be fine 🤣🤣 (edited) 2w

willaful @mcctrish Not so much in New York. Long walks are easy there.

This chapter was disturbing and I kind of wished I was back in Candleford. Doreen could easily have died. 2w

Cuilin @mcctrish The writing style is so much more accessible, it‘s fabulous because we can focus on the plot, oh and it has a plot. Looking at you Lark Rise. 👀 2w

mcctrish @Cuilin 🤣🤣🤣 2w

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin @willaful I 💯 agree, I don‘t think I could have left her there. She was obviously not in a position to make any kind of decision or to fight back! 2w

mcctrish @willaful sensible shoes for the win 2w

Cuilin @BarkingMadRead @willaful She also asked her not to leave her alone with him!!! (edited) 2w

Librarybelle My first time reading this too, @Cuilin , and it‘s different than what I anticipated. I‘m not sure what I thought this would be, but it‘s just different. However, I‘m liking it so far! 2w

Cuilin @mcctrish I hope so 🤛 2w

Cuilin @Librarybelle I had images of a domestic setting for some reason 🤷‍♀️ 2w

Bookwormjillk I wouldn‘t have left Doreen there, but also I probably wouldn‘t have left the hotel in the first place and just skipped right to the bath. Lenny- what a goof ball. (edited) 2w

Bookwormjillk Also I read this as a teen, so my memory is only foggy and I might be getting details confused with a Christopher Pike book. 2w

DieAReader 🙋🏻‍♀️First time for me. 😱😳Never would‘ve left Doreen like that. I also think leaving her in the hallway like that was both dangerous & irresponsible. The whole situation kinda pissed me off tbh🤬🤷🏻‍♀️ 2w

dabbe This is my first read, but I know a bit about it. Plath died just one month after its publication in the UK. 😟 And it's semi-autobiographical. I'm already noticing so many allusions to death and dying just in the first two chapters. And I'm worried, too, @Cuilin. 😱 2w

tpixie @dabbe @cullin it‘s my first read also. This book is bringing on a lot of feels!! 😅🥺😳 2w

TheAromaofBooks Could you add me to the tag list, please? My copy came from the library - I've never read this one so I have no idea where it's going! 2w

BarkingMadRead @TheAromaofBooks gotcha! 2w

Clare-Dragonfly This is a first-time read for me, too. Our girl is making a lot of bad decisions but she is very young! 2w

ElizaMarie @Cuilin First time read for me --- and The bath bit -- yes! #Truth! 2w

ElizaMarie I mean, I get that Doreen asked her not to leave her - but... also, Doreen is not a good friend either. I mean, leaving your friend and putting your friend in that position to leave you --- it just is all messy! 2w

CogsOfEncouragement My first read. What was in those drinks? I‘m not necessarily holding it against her that she left, because it seems something else was at play. When she was seeing her drink was below the design on the glass, then above it. What was real? Did Doreen really bite his ear? She is super groggy when she leaves Doreen in the hallway, just hungover? or something more? Anticipating not getting answers to any of these questions though. 2w

BarkingMadRead @CogsOfEncouragement so many unanswered questions! We are scarred from previous books 🤣 #zerotrust 2w

tpixie @CogsOfEncouragement that drink level made me think Lenny was over pouring her… 1w

48 likes33 comments

Librarybelle

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Here we go… #HashtagBrigade

BarkingMadRead

61 likes

Deblovestoread

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

#HashtagBrigade

Excited to be finally reading this book. It‘s been on my shelf for years. My copy is a Book of the Month club edition published in 1993.

@BarkingMadRead

TheBookHippie Oh.my.word. ENJOY!!! ♥️ 2w

BarkingMadRead That‘s so cool 2w

Cuilin Beautiful cover 😍 2w

82 likes3 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Here we go, out the gate running fast with one of the best, most evocative opening lines ever (fight me). We're dropped right into Esther's life in New York, though she narrates from a distance, and the details are so vivid despite her sense of disconnectedness. I love the juxtaposition of her feeling "wise and cynical as all hell" even as she's too naive to know what to order in a bar and too young to see that Doreen's lead isn't worth following.

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #SultrySummer #DoreenIsAMeanGirl #ICanSmellThePerfumeAndDustingPowder #CreepyDudesFuckOff #PleaseAddAMixerToThatVodka 2w

TheBookHippie 🙃♥️ 2w

mcctrish All. Of. This. 2w

Cuilin Great opening line! 2w

38 likes4 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 1: #ourgirlisobsessedwiththerosenbergs #inNYConscholarship #doreensoundslikeapill #everythingourgirlwantstobe #shetriessohard #neverquitehitsthemark #alwaysontheoutsidelookingin #offtoaparty #idonttrustthesecowboys #doreeniscalmcoolcollected #afewdrinksandmovingon #whatcouldgowrong #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk 2w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 2w

Bookwormjillk I‘m worried for our girl. Hard to stop at one today! (edited) 2w

See All 17 Comments

mcctrish It sure was a fast start 😬 2w

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk @mcctrish more happened in this chapter than the whole last book 🤣 It was hard to stop reading! 2w

TheKidUpstairs One of my all time favourite books, with one of my all time favourite first lines ❤ 2w

BarkingMadRead @TheKidUpstairs it is truly an epic first line! 2w

Clare-Dragonfly What @Bookwormjillk said! 😱 No, no, getting out of the cab to hang out with some guys in a bar is always a bad idea, and going with them to a second location is a worse one! 2w

CogsOfEncouragement This is my first read, and that first line had me googling the Rosenbergs before I moved on to the next. @TheKidUpstairs Such a great opening. I agree @Clare-Dragonfly @Bookwormjillk theater traffic is a much better choice. eek 2w

willaful Very nervous.

Anyone else finding the sense of time off? Not quite sure how to describe it but she's apparently in the present at some points and in the past at others and I seem to have missed the transitions. Might be careless reading on my part.

There was some recent news about Ethel Rosenberg's son trying to prove her innocence.... 2w

dabbe @BarkingMadRead #truth 😂😂😂 2w

Cuilin @dabbe @mcctrish something tells me we‘re not in Lark Rise no more!!! (edited) 2w

mcctrish @Cuilin 😂😂 2w

tpixie @willaful interesting about the son. I was just wondering if they were scapegoats or really guilty…. @BarkingMadRead thanks for the article. (edited) 2w

willaful @tpixie Here's a piece on it: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ethel-rosenbergs-family-pushes-biden-to-exoner... 2w

tpixie @willaful thanks! 2w

dabbe @Cuilin Hell no! 😱 2w

49 likes1 stack add17 comments

mcctrish

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

A breath of fresh air #hashtagbrigade 🎉

TheBookHippie 😂😂😂😂😂😂 2w

Bookwormjillk Oh no 😂😂😂 2w

mcctrish In my defense @TheBookHippie @Bookwormjillk the first chapter of The Bell Jar was narrative fiction vs a bone dry accounting of a day in the life of Lark Rise 2w

Bookwormjillk @mcctrish I get it! 2w

49 likes2 stack adds4 comments

LitsyEvents

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Repost for @BarkingMadRead

#hashtagbrigade I know there‘s no break, but tomorrow we start this one!! Anyone is welcome to join us, just know that my hashtags are often ridiculous and always chapter spoilers, so don‘t read the post until you‘ve read that day‘s chapter. We read a chapter a day.

52 likes

Cuilin

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

The gratuitous cover reveal. This one is from the ‘70‘s, like myself.

#HashTagBrigade @BarkingMadRead

BarkingMadRead Looooove 2w

TheBookHippie OMG 😍😍😍😍😍 2w

mcipher This is my favorite cover for this book! 2w

See All 13 Comments

TiredLibrarian I had this one! 2w

Ruthiella Love this cover! 😍 2w

Texreader Love your post. I‘m technically 1960s because 1968 but since I don‘t remember that I guess I‘m the 70s too. 2w

dabbe @Texreader 1965 here (the first year of Gen X), but yeah ... 70s with the memory. 😂 2w

Bookwormjillk Pretty sure this is the same cover I had in my teens. This time around it‘s the kindle version so I can adjust the font. 👵 2w

Cuilin @Bookwormjillk Smart. The print is small. 2w

Cuilin @dabbe @texreader gen x!!!! 2w

Cuilin @Ruthiella @TiredLibrarian @mcipher @TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead and it was $1 in a thrift store!!! 2w

quietjenn Definitely the edition that I first read (and probably still have somewhere). 2w

tpixie That‘s the cover I think of when I hear about this book. 📕 1w

68 likes1 stack add13 comments

Ruthiella

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

#Hashtagbrigade

This is the edition I will be reading. Looking forward to this re-read to see if it still holds up for me. I first read it when I was in my twenties, not much older than the protagonist.

BarkingMadRead

BarkingMadRead Love it! 2w

Librarybelle That‘s my edition too! 2w

Ruthiella @BarkingMadRead @Librarybelle It‘s got some nice extras! 2w

73 likes2 stack adds3 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

#hashtagbrigade I know there‘s no break, but tomorrow we start this one!! Anyone is welcome to join us, just know that my hashtags are often ridiculous and always chapter spoilers, so don‘t read the post until you‘ve read that day‘s chapter. We read a chapter a day!

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @bklover @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @Bookwormjillk 2w

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 2w

mcctrish I‘m in 2w

See All 22 Comments

Bookwormjillk See you tomorrow! 2w

Ruthiella I‘m in. This will be a reread for me. I even have my own copy! No need to wait for it from the library. 2w

Librarybelle Looking forward to starting this! 2w

bumpinthenight What a beautiful edition! 2w

BarkingMadRead @bumpinthenight it‘s so pretty! I love unique covers! 2w

DieAReader 🤗So excited to be reading this!! 2w

Deblovestoread My copy has been in my shelf for years. So glad to be reading along with you. 2w

JenlovesJT47 I‘ve read The Bell Jar a few years ago (and loved it) but I didn‘t get to the January pick in time so I‘m going to read that one this month.🙃 2w

MatchlessMarie This is the edition I am reading too, but on kindle. 🩷 2w

Clare-Dragonfly Yay! I just picked up my copy at the library! 2w

peanutnine I'm ready! Haven't read this since college so excited to revisit 2w

tpixie @BarkingMadRead yay!! Thanks! I‘ve also have the 50th anniversary addition from Libby! As well as the audiobook. 🦋🩵🦋 2w

Liz_M @LitsyEvents 2w

JacqMac I‘ve been looking forward to this one. It has been years. 2w

ElizaMarie Need to get this one off my shelves! I'm excited to read this one. I have been meaning to for YEARS!!!! 2w

julieclair @ElizaMarie Me too! 2w

Graciouswarriorprincess @BarkingMadRead Please tag me. How are we reading it? Chapter a day? 2w

BarkingMadRead @Graciouswarriorprincess yes! 2w

Graciouswarriorprincess @BarkingMadRead Thank you. 😊 2w

68 likes1 stack add22 comments

Enchanted_Bibliophile

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

pick

I felt so drained after finishing this book I couldn't even begin to think how to review it.

I really enjoyed Plath's writing, its lyrical, captivating, and unique. I'll be on the lookout for her poetry.

👇🏻 continue below 👇🏻

Enchanted_Bibliophile I only realised that this book is semi-autobiographical after the fact, and I think that was the part that threw me. It's really dark and heart-rending and to think it's only part fictional... I don't want to go there again.

I want to read it again, but I need time. 3w

Enchanted_Bibliophile #LitsyAtoZ #B @Texreader
#Pantone2025 #LimpetShell @Lauredhel
#ModernClassic 3w

54 likes2 comments

Enchanted_Bibliophile

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

I feel I might have over committed for this month 🤪

40 likes

LitsyEvents

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Repost for @BarkingMadRead

Who is in for the Bell Jar? Drop a comment below! Note that we start in the 9th, and remember that my hashtags are often ridiculous and always chapter spoilers, so don‘t read the post each day until you‘ve read the chapter! Chapter a day! #hashtagbrigade
Amanda, I have two tag lists. One at the beginning of each new month, and one for each individual book, opt ins only.

BarkingMadRead Thank you for sharing! 4w

JenlovesJT47 @BarkingMadRead can you add me to the list please? 🙃 3w

BarkingMadRead @JenlovesJT47 gotcha 3w

JenlovesJT47 @BarkingMadRead thank you! 🤗 3w

Graciouswarriorprincess @BarkingMadRead please add me. Thanks 2w

34 likes5 comments

RedCurly

Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

pick

This is my second timwle to read this book (and definitely not the last). It's this amezes me how Slyvia Plath wrote the Bible of tortured girls. I never can put a finger on when Esther goes mad.

23 likes

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

I needed to find this for @DieAReader so I figured I would post it again. Who is in for the Bell Jar? Drop a comment below! Note that we start in the 9th, and remember that my hashtags are often ridiculous and always chapter spoilers, so don‘t read the post each day until you‘ve read the chapter! Chapter a day! #hashtagbrigade
Amanda, I have two tag lists. One at the beginning of each new month, and one for each individual book, opt ins only.

BarkingMadRead @litsyevents
@catlass007 @indoordame @librarybelle @tineke @bookwormjillk @rubyslippersreads @sace @currentlyreadinginco @annr @annececelie @barbarajean
4w

BarkingMadRead @eeclayton @deblovestoread @julieclair @ruthiella @jenniferw88 @bklover @dabbe @peanutnine @willaful @cuilin @mcctrish @clare-dragonfly @quietjenn @jewright @jacqmac @lapreader
4w

BarkingMadRead @daisey @morr_books @covertocovergirl @kwmg40 @thearomaofbooks @larkken @samanne @5feet.of.fury @crinoline_laphroaig @daisey @kao @i.besteph @elizamarie 4w

See All 34 Comments

mcctrish I‘m in 4w

Librarybelle I‘m in! 4w

Ruthiella I‘m in! Thank you. 😊 4w

MatchlessMarie Ooh I‘ve never done hashtag brigade before but I am in! I used to read this one on a somewhat annual basis and it‘s been a while 4w

BarkingMadRead Welcome to the nuthouse @MatchlessMarie 🤣 4w

CogsOfEncouragement In. 4w

Sace I‘m in! 4w

Clare-Dragonfly I‘m in! I‘ve been meaning to read this since I was a teenager. 4w

BarkingMadRead 😍😍😍 4w

Cuilin I‘m in! 4w

emz711 Woman in white 🤍 4w

DieAReader 🤗You‘re awesome! I‘m in for ‘The Bell Jar‘ for sure🤓 I‘ll check my shelves ‘cause I might also have ‘The Gapes of Wrath‘. Thanks so much💖 4w

Bookwormjillk I‘m in! 4w

peanutnine Have to make sure I can find the book, but I'm in! 4w

dabbe I'll give 'er a try! 🤩 4w

Bklover Oh yay! @MatchlessMarie ! Sometimes the #hashtags are what keeps us going😊😉 4w

Deblovestoread 🙋‍♀️ 4w

Andrea313 I'll jump in! One of my favorites. 4w

Larkken I own it and have never finished it - I'm in :) 4w

willaful I'm in, though if it's too depressing I may need to be out again. Can't handle much these days. 4w

Morr_Books So excited for this list of upcoming reads! 4w

BarkingMadRead 😍😍😍 4w

kwmg40 I‘m in for this one. Thanks! 4w

eeclayton I'm going to sit this one out, thanks. 4w

TheAromaofBooks I'm in for this one - I've never read it!! 4w

AnishaInkspill what a list, Frankenstein is one of my planned reads for this year, Bell Jar I have read three times, Woman in White a few years ago. Your current read I have not read but pls add me to #hashtagbrigade to follow your posts, thanks 4w

ElizaMarie I'm in!!!! So glad this was picked! I have. Even meaning to read this one for so so long ❤️❤️ 4w

KAO I‘ll sit this one out but am interested in Woman in White for the next round! Thanks! 4w

rubyslippersreads I think I‘ll skip this one; I‘ve read it, plus I‘m still working on Lark Rise. 😄 4w

julieclair I‘m in! 4w

BarkingMadRead 😍😍 4w

55 likes34 comments

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