The Bell Jar Audiobook By Sylvia Plath cover art

The Bell Jar

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The Bell Jar

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

The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful but slowly going under - maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic.

©1971 Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. Copyright renewed 1998 (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers
Classics Literary Fiction Psychological Fiction Heartfelt Scary
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Featured Article: The top 100 classics of all time


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What listeners say about The Bell Jar

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Beautifully written

Beautiful but painful story. Everyone should experience this amazing piece of literature which is also autobiographical. Narration is total perfection.

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7 people found this helpful

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overall depressing and heavy with metaphors

a young woman journalist on assignment in New York. everything is sardonically depressing in the eyes and mind of the protagonist. overall a very depressing tale that meanders along seemingly without much more purpose than the passage of time.

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4 people found this helpful

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well.... well.

I jumped on the chance to listen to this version, because of an secret - lowkey but undying love for Maggie Gyllenhaal as an actress. Her voice is haunting and her delivery of the work is mythic, exhibiting a deep passion for the text. for me the story falls a wee bit flat in places, and the description of the descent into madness seems a bit... well... forced. which considering the slight biographical similarities, is piculiar. if this were a movie, even with cuts, there would be definite issues with pacing. more time elements are needed in spots. overall, this is a classic work and well deserving of that seat.

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3 people found this helpful

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<3

This book speaks volumes to me, as I have anxiety, and I am so happy to have had it recommended to me.

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2 people found this helpful

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A true classic

The elegance that Sylvia Plath writes with is unrivaled. This is one of my favorite books of all time and Maggie Gyllenhaal brings the story to life. Her performance is incredible and gave me a newfound appreciation for a book I e read many times before.

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my favorite book!

this has been my favorite book for a long time. the reading was wonderful and gave the book an even more wonderful air!

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Brilliantly written. Excellent narration

Brilliantly written novel, unfolding bit by bit revealing the author's mind. Excellent narration, drawing me in as if the author was actually telling the story.

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Best book I've ever heard or read!

I loved how relatable this book was and how Maggie's voice is how I imagine Sylvia would sound. Perfect book someone struggling mentally.

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Touching

The narrator, Gyllenhaal, was perfect for this story. The language and imagery created by Sylvia Plath is so rich and refreshing. Even with heavy and emotional events, the story is down to earth and I found myself relating to Plath's feelings. I recommend that this book be read/listened to at least once by any avid reader.

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Brilliant

Listening to Maggie Gyllenhaal read this book helped me picture the situations and characters much better than reading it myself. This will definitely get a 2nd listen

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