20. Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. 244 pages. 2.20.09.

I am almost sorry to say that my reading of Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar was not nearly as moving or thought-provoking as it seems to be for so many. In my opinion, The Bell Jar's Esther Greenwood is entirely unsympathetic, to the detriment of the novel. While I recognize the necessity of emphasizing her deterioration, I found her to be overly melodramatic and weak (while still recognizing her "condition"), and I loathed her from the start. While I will allow that Plath's prose is more eloquent than her poetry I failed to find evidence of the brilliance so often extolled.