Welcome to Litsy!

In this little gem of a story, a young woman is rushed by her parents into a train bound for a mysterious destination. There‘s lots of imagery and a sense of foreboding during the train journey. The story is thought provoking, symbolic, with many questions unanswered and are left to the interpretation of the reader. A must read for Plath‘s fans.

Read this for July‘s #TBRtarot

I love these tiny editions! Definitely going to be adding to this collection! This was an interesting little story by Plath about a train trip that didn't have the exact destination that was expected. We see a character fighting to make her own decisions, which is familiar ground for anyone reading SP.

I listened to this story today.... it felt like a dream. #readmyowndamnbooks

What an amazing short story from Plath. A girl gets on a mysterious train and befriends another lady who helps her escape the ride. I think it‘s a metaphor for choosing to live your life and the fight you have to endure to make it back to living with purpose again.

#TBRtemptation post 6! Plath submitted this short story in 1952 to Mademoiselle, and the magazine rejected it. It‘s finally published. It‘s the story of a young woman, Mary, one train ride urged by her parents. The destination is The Ninth Kingdom. It‘s a tale of precise detail yet ambiguity—is the NK a (or The) good or bad place? Is the knitting lady next to her friend or foe? Should she get off before the final stop? #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

I read this on Aug 17 & gave it 3.75 ⭐️ on Good Reads. I read a review that said it was only for Plath completists and I think that is a disservice to this book. Just like claiming this is a “newly discovered” story as scholars of Plath have been aware of it. Personally I liked it and it made me think about how girls are often forced to conform & how hard it is to break free.

Finally posting my scores from the Sydney Writer‘s Festival. Half of the authors I had not heard of before I attended the festival. I think I will give my sister the arsonist as she has a fire bug for a son. Insomnia is for my partner Stew who isn‘t a good sleeper just like his 10 year old daughter! I may or may not giveaway Sea Prayer. I bought a second copy of Little Girl on the Ice Floe for @Miss__astrid and you can‘t go wrong with some Sylvia.

“Guilt, the train wheels clucked like round black birds, and guilt, and guilt, and guilt.”

Plath's short allegorical story starts off innocently enough, subtly revealing the more sinister subplot as the tale weaves on.

Rejecting the guilt and expectation--running from a society that would have you shut up and keep your to your place--I loved that. It's dangerous and scary and the only way to be free.

The experience of reading this “lost” story of Sylvia Plath‘s is definitely better for having read her previously published work and for knowing her life story, but it‘s still a good, atmospheric, open-to-lots-of-interpretations short story.

I have not seen anything "new" from Slyvia Plath, and was pleasantly surprised by this short, yet subtle novella. Mary is on a ride, but she is not sure where....or if she will get there.
Atmosphere, you can feel Mary's growing daunting feelings....if you like Plath, you will like this.
If you haven't read her yet, this is a great starting point....

Sylvia Plath‘s lost short story from her college years, this eerie little tale follows young Mary Ventura as she takes a train ride to the mysterious Ninth Kingdom. But what exactly is that destination? Rich in symbolism, with a Twilight Zone vibe.

I need to stay home and read my own books! The Bukowski vinyl was an Independent Bookstore Day item .Been wanting the Plath.I do love to support my indie!📚

Thank you Jenny 😘 I haven‘t read yet, so will look forward to this !! I love the new cards too.
Thank you for thinking of me- I have some days off next week so will be catching up on
#jbuk correspondence!

I will admit it; I just got had. Taken in. Played. I only have myself to blame. I fell for the posthumous Sylvia Plath hype, and ended up spending almost ten bucks on a digital copy of a single, early-career short story of only twenty-two pages. The story wasn't bad, though reading it high gave me a strong Joanna-Russ-meets-C.S.-Lewis vibe.

This is a super quick read that was pretty cheap on kindle so it got picked up.
This is early Plath and it‘s like a old folktale/episode of the twilight zone. It‘s not as good as her later work but if you love Plath you will see the moments of her finding her true voice coming through so it‘s worth reading for that alone.
It‘s not essential reading but it is interesting.

Coffee, cupcake, and a newly released Plath story make the perfect Valentines Day. So far this story is more fantastical than her other stuff (definitely like a twilight zone episode) and heavy on the metaphors but I love it.

Poetry is the perfect words in the perfect order. Which I think makes this a short allegorical poetic prose piece.
Interesting in an allegorical and thematic sense and with enough story to keep interest over the (extremely) short story here. This is an interesting piece for someone to have written at such a young age. Dark, foreboding and intense.
A worthwhile read, which is heightened by virtue of knowledge of later events in the author's life.

We get a little more of the Sylvia Plath we love in this story—and it won‘t disappoint! It‘s dark and ominous and knowing what we do about Plath, you‘ll feel like you got a little more of her soul. I devoured it this morning! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to everyone who thought of me on my birthday🤗
This is my present for myself😂 I can‘t wait to read it😊

5/5🌟 for this one!!
OH Plath ❤
A strange, ominous and gripping tale!
I was on the edge of my seat anxiously awaiting Mary's fate. Plath starts off with a seemingly normal train ride that quickly builds into a dark and ominous tale full of allegory and perturbed imagery. Plath was only 20 years old when she submitted this story to Mademoiselle Magazine and it was rejected. Glad we get to experience it now.
#bookreview #sylviaplath #booklover

I loved The Bell Jar and was really looking forward to another piece of Plath‘s prose. The first work of fiction that she tried to have published, it was rejected by several publishers. It‘s not hard to see why - the writing is very simplistic and juvenile; not what one would expect from later Plath. The story is intriguing though, and I wish it could have been followed up. 3.5/5.0 #2019

I am so freaking excited, guys. I have in my hands a previously unpublished Sylvia Plath short story! She wrote in 1952 when she was still at Smith College and it just was finally published for the first time this month! Be still my heart! 😍💕📚

Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom was written by Sylvia Plath in 1952, when she was a student at Smith College. First published today as part of Faber Stories.

Saw this on Twitter and instantly thought of you both.
@TrishB @Kalalalatja

Wow, this excerpt in today‘s WSJ of a previously unpublished short story by Sylvia Plath left me wanting more! It‘ll be available for purchase in February 2019.

The Wall Street Journal has an excerpt from this... it‘s positively gripping! I need to get a copy because the end of the essay left me hanging. I need answers!

Has anyone read this? Would love to hear your thoughts, Plath fans!
Edit: aaaaand after searching, I see it won‘t be released til February 2019.