From the Quarterlife Bookshelf: "The Bell Jar"
I’m embarrassed to say that it took me as long as it did to read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. I feel cheated by all the talk about how depressing it is, and the less vibrant chatter about its exquisite brilliance. Anyone who thinks that quarterlife crisis is a modern phenomenon need only flip through a few novels and memoirs in history to see… it’s certainly now.
This week from my Quarterlife Bookshelf, I am happy to share with you “The Bell Jar,” by the extraordinary Sylvia Plath.
“I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE”
”When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realize her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther's life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiraling into depression and eventually a suicide attempt, as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take women's aspirations seriously.”