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The Bell Jar

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The Bell Jar

By: Sylvia Plath
Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
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About this listen

READ BY THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ACTRESS MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

'A modern classic.' Guardian

'A near-perfect work of art.' Joyce Carol Oates

I was supposed to be having the time of my life . . .

Working as an intern for a New York fashion magazine in the summer of 1953, Esther Greenwood is on the brink of her future. Yet she is also on the edge of a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal. Esther's vision of the world shimmers and shifts: day-to-day living in the sultry city, her crazed men-friends, the hot dinner dances . . .

The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath's only novel, is partially based on Plath's own life. It has been celebrated for its darkly funny and razor sharp portrait of 1950s society, and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

ONE OF THE BBC'S '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD'

'As clear and readable as it is witty and disturbing.' New York Times Book Review

©2015 Sylvia Plath (P)2015 Faber & Faber Contemporary Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Witty Emotionally Gripping Mental Health

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All stars
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My first experience of this classic. It's a great story, though I was a bit disappointed there wasn't more closure in the ending. Loved Maggie Gyllenhaal's narration.

Definitely worth listening to

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I've wanted to read this book for years and it was worth the wait. I didn't know what it was about, only that it was a feminist classic. I won't ruin it for anyone as clueless as me by explaining the plot, as my ignorance allowed me to unfold a surprisingly dark story.
The reading was excellent, Maggie Gyllenhaal brought Esther to life; creating slightly disturbing, but compulsive listening at bedtime.

Grippingly Disturbing, a fascinating listen.

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Maggie Gyllenhall really gets across the bored, sardonic views of Esther as the bell jar lowers over her head. The tone of the reading is perfect for the material. The book itself expertly and entertainingly describes the distorted worldview of a depressed person

Excellent reading of a great novel

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amazing storytelling and the narrator was fabulous - I felt like I was in the story. loved it. best book Ive read/listened to in years!

fantastic! best book in years

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Amazing - please take the time to listen.
Maggie was super narrating this - perfect match.
Loved it!

Perfect pairing!

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A brilliant novel, read beautifully by Maggie Gyllenhaal, but the repetitive piano music is an unnecessary and jarring addition that pulls the listener out of the story.

Jarring!

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Exceptional writing. Relatable. The interpretation was exquisite. What a great loss to the literary world.

Exceptional writing and interpretation

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A very honest mirthless and doleful confession of her life, the story gives a deep insight into her life, punctured by clinical depression.

Mirthless

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Where does The Bell Jar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my top audible listens so far. I have read the book as a teenager and then again at university, so I know it very well. But listening to it brought it back to life again. Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance is wonderful and does justice to Plath's vivid yet lyrical writing.

Any additional comments?

The only complaint I have is that this recording omits the opening paragraphs of The Bell Jar. Perhaps the reflective opening paragraphs were omitted to make the audiobook lively and gripping from the very first words but it is a bit of a shame for those who know this book very well.

Wonderfully performed

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It is well written and well narrated. I thought that the depiction of mental illness was extremely good. A friend of mine who went through similar experiences also thought that it was evocative of her illness. However, she did say that the fact that Sylvia Plathe committed suicide in the end after apparently making a good recovery was depressing.

Interesting but depressing and irritating

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