Catching up on book reviews and making plans.
Epic fail on my Classic Club Spin. I just couldn't get on with A Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford so it's a DNF. Having planned to knock out one of my titles on the list I chose The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Now I need to edit my Classic Club list on the tab.
I'm sure Sylvia Plath used much of her own thoughts in writing the character of Esther Greenwood.
This novel was before the pill, medical knowledge of mental illness, women's studies and a bit like that TV series Mad Men in regard how women were viewed. The character Esther recognized this despite her mental illness, or perhaps because of it.
She wanted more from life than the traditional path expected and having depression and suicidal thoughts didn't help with her mental state and decision making.
Noting how it would turn out if she married - "And I knew that in spite of all the roses and kisses and restaurant dinners a man showered on a woman before he married her, what he secetly wanted when the wedding ended was for her to flatten out underneath his feet like Mrs. Willard's kitchen mat."
She just wanted more out of life.
The character mentions she should be grateful for the friend of her mother, Mrs. Guinea, for affording Esther to stay at a nicer sanatorium during her treatment. But she was no more grateful than being gifted a ticket to Europe, or a world cruise or trip to Paris to sit and enjoy a sidewalk cafe...she'd still be under that vacuum, that Bell Jar, feeling nothing but misery. It wasn' that she was an ingrate, she was mentally paralyzed.
Medical knowledge and treatment were woefully lacking in those days regarding depression. Esther's mother was always asking her why was she like this, as if it were her fault. Knowing Plath's true life story made this a sad read. 4 stars
📚📚📚📚📚
Frankie by Graham Norton
Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon
Joy for British Isles Friday
Well it's not an epic fail to put down Good Soldier ... you found a good one in Plath's book. What women surely don't need is to be underneath a man's foot like a "kitchen mat." A tough time for women then. What a quote! Plath just couldn't deal. Sad to lose her. And I have liked Norton's fiction before ... maybe it was his debut that I read. Happy Halloween.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I thought the Plath book was so well written, what a tragedy. Now I need to redo my classic list :-)
DeleteI enjoyed The Bell Jar.
ReplyDeleteVicki, it was surely one of her masterpieces. I have not read her poetry.
DeleteSorry your spin didn't work, it happens. I think it's ok to update your list.
ReplyDeleteEmma, yes it was disappointing but i did see you could swap out on the list. Probably not on the spin but that's ok. I read for pleasure :-)
DeleteI'm pretty sure I read The Bell Jar a long time ago, but I recently read a biography of Sylvia Plath. Definitely sad overall :(
ReplyDeleteBecki, it was so sad. This was one I think I read ages ago as well but couldn't remember enough so it went on the classics list.
DeleteFrankie sounds lovely. I read The Bell Jar when I was about 13 maybe? I probably should reread it and I might find it more relatable now.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a happy reading week
Shelleyrae, that was a sad book and I think, based on some other reviews and comments, it's a story you'd view differently from younger years and then today.
DeleteI have The Bell Jar on my shelf and it may be my classic for 2026. I'm glad to see that you enjoyed the reading. I count this as a successful classics spin! Graham Norton is an author that is on my list to read but I just haven't gotten to his books yet.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, I am going to count it as a win. Sometimes you pick a book and have higher expectaions and that's what happened to me with A Good Soldier. Some folks really like it though. Different strokes. Oh I like Graham Norton and the Irish settings.
DeleteSorry about the DNF but glad you found something else. Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteCindy, thank you!
DeleteI'm not sure I will make it through Good Soldier. I don't have it on my list right now.
ReplyDeleteI remember well the first time I read Bell Jar. I honestly think that it spiraled me into a bit of a depression as an adolescent. I reread it a few years ago, and I thought it was very well written. But probably something I should have saved until I was more mature.
Deb, it's interesting how we can read something in different time periods of oour life and we have a completely different reading experience and outlook.
DeleteI’ve added The Bell Jar to my TBR list. :D
ReplyDeleteOlivia, it's good even though it's sad. Hope you like it as well.
DeleteGood for you for dropping a book that didn't work for you and finding one that worked better. Both of these sound like good choices!
ReplyDeleteJoy, life is too short, no matter what your age, to slog through a book yuo aren't enjoying.
DeleteI know I've read The Bell Jar, but it must have been pre-blogging days. I also watched Sylvia (starring Gwyneth Paltrow), which was very good. I was looking up Graham Norton's book and came across this article. What a coincidence that he mentions The Bell Jar!
ReplyDeleteLes, I didn't know there was a movie. Will go check out that Norton article. Thank you!
DeleteI couldn't get into The Good Soldier either. I finally read The Bell Jar in 2016 and think you liked it more than Ii did. At the time, I wished I'd read it when I was younger...
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, glad it wasn't just me of the reader friends I have! I did speed through The Bell Jar. So sad.
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