The Bell Jar
Score Classic
What it's about
In the summer of 1953, Esther Greenwood wins a guest editorship at a New York magazine: the glamorous start of the future everyone expects of her. But as the dinners, parties and pressures pile up, she slides into a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal, and back home in Massachusetts she breaks down. Sylvia Plath's only novel draws closely on her own life.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best novels in English. It's one of the most honest and darkly funny novels ever written about depression and the expectations placed on women.
You'll love it if you liked
Mrs. Dalloway, The Catcher in the Rye or A Room of One's Own
Good to know
It deals with depression and suicide attempts directly. It was published in Britain under a pseudonym a month before Plath's death in 1963.
Quick answers
Is The Bell Jar worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best novels in English. It ranks #1,163 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 71.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Bell Jar about?
In the summer of 1953, Esther Greenwood wins a guest editorship at a New York magazine: the glamorous start of the future everyone expects of her. But as the dinners, parties and pressures pile up, she slides into a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal, and back home in Massachusetts she breaks down. Sylvia Plath's only novel draws closely on her own life.
How long does it take to read The Bell Jar?
About 6 hours (234 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Bell Jar?
If you liked it, try Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger or A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf.
By the numbers
- Readers51 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller37 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On the Guardian 100 Best Novels in English list.
Where it ranks
On the lists
- Guardian 100 Best Novels in English
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Moving
More by Sylvia Plath
If you like this, read next
Gravity's Rainbow
The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Breakfast of Champions
On the Origin of Species
Franny and Zooey
The Accidental Tourist