The Bell Jar/The Miniaturist/The Corrections

The Bell Jar/The Miniaturist/The Corrections 

Frankly I have no excuse but my shear laziness to explain my relative absence from book reviewing of recent and my current sluggish state prevents the following titles from getting the detailed review that they deserve. Mansfield Park (review can be found on a different link) indeed was the first dip in quality of my book reading for a long while, having just read these rather excellent titles that I shall go on to describe.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I was rather sad to realise that this was Plath’s first and only novel for this novel was fantastically easy to read (such so that I would liken its fluidity to a work of teenage fiction such as The Hunger Games), full to the brim with relatable characters and interesting teachings. The plot follows the downwards spiral of an Esther Greenwood, an individual unable to accept the norms of life, much of which involve in some form or another female subservience and it is her attaining to the feminist cause (and not willingly becoming the quiet, obedient wife that was expected of her). Her being trapped under a metaphorical 'bell jar' gradually forces her into an irrevocable madness, and a clear strength in Plath’s writing was that as a reader, I was not shocked by Greenwood’s first suicide attempt, nor her next nor her last, as her story seemed reasonable and her frustration understandable. I was also intrigued by the hostile mental health units Greenwood is forced to visit, treatment via electricity being normal practice. Overall, the Bell Jar was a read I would thoroughly recommend.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

A few weeks ago, I at last saved my birthday present of last year from the pound of dust that suffocated it, and was presently surprised to find it a rather thrilling read too. With twists and turns that could even rival Hardy, and complex characters oppressed by society in 17^th century Amsterdam such as Marian and Johannes (Marian over her interracial love and Johannes over his homosexuality, the oppression society had to offer leading to both of their deaths), it seems the hype towards Burton’s debut is fitting. 

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Yet another easy read, this time by American post-modern writer Jonathan Franzen. The despair Franzen manages to create in this epic has been described by some critics as foreshadowing to the events of 9/11 (which occurred quickly after its release) and whilst the more financial and economic sections did somewhat escape me, the fragmentation and pain amongst the central family unit of the story was rather palpable. Thanks to predominantly the multifaceted characters and intriguing plot twists I will be sure to invest in Franzen as an author again in the near future.