HashtagBrigade

Ch 11: this doctor 💥 💥 🤬🤬#anyway #randomsailorstory #didheevenlistentoher #howdoesheexpecthertoimprove #ohyeah 💡 ⚡️ #ugh #readingaboutsuicideisnthelping #dontgetonthebus #atleastnowtherandomstorymakessense #offtochicago #maybe #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 7h

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 7h

Cuilin I‘m not sure I want to read anymore but I will. It‘s triggering something. Can you get secondhand melancholy from a book? 7h

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ElizaMarie The part - “It seemed silly to wash one day when I would only have to wash again the next. It made me tired just to think of it.“ - Made me so so sad for her!

@Cuilin I feel a bit of the blahs too after reading this chapter. (edited) 7h

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin @ElizaMarie for sure! It‘s gloomy and snowy here in SC and she‘s definitely got me feeling the blues 7h

mcctrish This might not be the best book for February blahs - I went outside for the first time in days today. I was putting on a bit of a protest against winter and left to my own devices I could have held out longer but my husband was grousing that we had no apples left for his lunch. Or bananas. Or berries. Anyways I went to the grocery store and I survived. I feel Esther‘s pain. Adulting is hard. I don‘t think electric shock is the answer 6h

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish we have like zero food in our house 🤣 I have hated the grocery store ever since Covid, I‘m scarred for life 6h

mcctrish @BarkingMadRead I want to know why the cashiers don‘t bag groceries for you anymore?! It just makes me lose my mind with rage! I‘m spending $260 on groceries in a store, I could go anywhere, I‘ve chosen this one, appreciate my business UGH 6h

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish you need to move to SC 🤣 they bag your groceries and will push your cart to the car and unload them too 6h

willaful @mcctrish They found out how much they could get away with during lockdown. 🤬 I'll never forget the gas station that had closed down its public bathrooms “for your safety“ but of course didn't require masks. Security theater, so much of it.

This was definitely a depressing chapter. Esther seems pretty seriously mentally ill to me, but damn, shock treatment is a lot before trying something else, *anything* else! 5h

mcctrish @willaful or how little 😡 5h

Bookwormjillk This chapter was really hard to take. 5h

dabbe How does this doc only see her TWICE before recommending shock therapy? Was that the 1st answer in the 60s? A very difficult chapter to read. She reminds me in so many ways of Holden Caulfield. 😞 5h

Ruthiella @mcctrish The supermarket doesn‘t bag your groceries? They do here in Southern California. We do have to put them on the conveyor belt ourselves. When I was a kid, the cashier also emptied the cart for the shopper. (edited) 4h

mcctrish @Ruthiella 🤯 I‘m conducting a poll on FB of what stores bag or if anyone even cares 🤦🏻‍♀️ my usual store does bag but I went to a store close to home today instead of the one on the way home from school and no bagging, even though I gave her my bins to load 4h

mcctrish @dabbe RIGHT? 4h

ElizaMarie @mcctrish @dabbe @willaful yeah I don‘t think she really needs ECT (I have treated patients pre and post ECT and—- try something first! ) like 2 doc appointments and they already gave up!? (edited) 3h

Clare-Dragonfly Yikes, as I expected—the shrink sucks. Going straight to electric shocks is not wise! Do you really think she‘s going to Chicago? There was something about a stop two blocks from her house. Sadly I just don‘t think she has the chutzpah to do something so bold. 2h

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Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

At home, Esther learns she didn't make the summer writing course she applied for. Her mental health is really starting to deteriorate as she both spies on and hides from her neighbours and vacillates rapidly between summer plans (I'll write a novel! No, I'll learn shorthand! No, I'll read Finnegan's Wake!). None of that happens, but she does manage to break up with Buddy and inadvertently wind up with a referral to a psychiatrist. Both wins, tbh.

LoverOfLearning A classic I will one day read! 24h

Andrea313 @LoverOfLearning When you do, I hope you love it! 24h

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #ThrewAwayTooManyClothes #BetsyToTheRescue #PollyannaCowgirl #NoWritingCourse #SummerSchoolDropout #ShorthandIsSoStrange #IWouldntWantToLearnItEither #EstherNeedsHelp #MaybeItsPsychosis #MaybeItsThe1950s #TeresaKnowsWhatsUp 24h

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BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 10: this was a lot #buckleup #homeagain #didntgetintothesummerclass #nobackupplan #randomstoryaboutaneighborwithsixpointfivekids #nosyblackwidowneighbor #didshereallyeatrawmeat #yikes #letswriteanovel #nevermind #letslearnshorthand #nope #letshaveanexistentialcrisis #letsrethunkourentirecareerpath #atleastsheblewoffbuddy #soproud #offtogetsomemeds #uhoh #referraltoashrink #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 1d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 1d

mcctrish All of a sudden the randomness has a Lark Rise vibe #iykyk 1d

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BarkingMadRead @mcctrish it really does 🤣 1d

willaful Man, what a depressing chapter. I hope Esther is going to get some help but I kind of doubt it. :-\ 1d

BarkingMadRead @willaful I‘m worried that she will think she doesn‘t need it 1d

Deblovestoread Mrs. Kravitz! 1d

Clare-Dragonfly @BarkingMadRead Same! Or that the shrink will be terrible… 1d

Bookwormjillk I‘m with you all hoping she gets the help she needs. 1d

tpixie @Deblovestoread 😝 @BarkingMadRead Mrs Kravitz!!! 🧙 I LOVED Bewitched 1d

willaful @Clare-Dragonfly I think it's almost guaranteed that the shrink will be terrible. 😞 1d

Deblovestoread I loved Bewitched, too! @tpixie I was glad the family doc didn‘t just throw more pills at her. Hopefully her referral is a good one! 23h

dabbe Esther has never had anything below an “A“ in her life. She wins contests, too. Not getting into the summer class was her complete undoing. I'm almost scared now to read more.

BTW, do they live in a house in Boston? If so, why do the mom and Esther share the same bedroom? Or am I wrong in that assumption? 22h

TheAromaofBooks Waaaaaayy too casual about eating raw hamburger + raw egg 😂 13h

ElizaMarie Buddy !!! #RunForYourLifeNurse !! Hopefully he doesn't seduce that poor nurse who he “falls in love“ with. I mean. poor girl to be sucked into him! I am #proud Ester put her foot down with that one! 9h

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Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

The image I've concocted in my head of Esther throwing her clothes off the rooftop is so concrete and vivid that nothing I can find online even approximates it. But here's an image of two women on the roof of the real Barbizon Hotel so you get a sense of what her view may have been. This chapter is so intense and so profoundly sad, from Hilda's cold indifference to Marco's assault to the clothes floating into the city like "a loved one's ashes".

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #HildaIsBrutal #TimeForACry #JayCeesCureIsMoreWork #TimeToParty #TheFamousBlackSheathReturns #CaptivatingStickpin #GoToHellMarco #ThrowingAwayClothes #GoodbyeHopesAndDreams #ShatteredIllusions 2d

Cuilin I‘m so glad she hit out!! 🤛 🩸 1d

Andrea313 @Cuilin Yes! No doubt what did happen was awful but it could have been so much worse on top of that. 1d

22 likes3 comments

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 9: Esther‘s last night in NYC #iwouldbeemotionaltoo #tackypicsforthemagazine #bilegreen 🤮 #doreenwantstoparty #estherwantstopack #ofcoursertheyparty #esthergetsstuckwithawomanhater #sheshouldhavestuckhimwiththatpin 💎 #rightintheeye #ihopeheneverfindsit #ofcoursedoreenisnowheretobefound #estherdumpsallherfrumpyclothes #ilegitthoughtshewasgonnajump 😰 #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 2d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 2d

Cuilin I wasn‘t prepared for the assault. Ugh. This though 🤛 👃 🩸 👍 2d

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BarkingMadRead @Cuilin me either, but she was totally badass 2d

mcctrish Absolutely badass and for real she should have stabbed him with the pin 2d

Ruthiella I‘m surprised I don‘t remember this at all from reading this before. It‘s traumatizing ! 2d

dabbe @mcctrish In a place where the sun don't shine! 💪🏻 2d

dabbe That green shirt, skirt, and stocking are giving me total Ali McGraw vibes from LOVE STORY! 💚 2d

mcctrish @dabbe the green doesn‘t make me unhappy and I totally agree with Love Story vibes 2d

tpixie @dabbe yes!! 💚💚💚 2d

BarkingMadRead @dabbe I love green, although maybe not quite this much and also not called bile green 🤣 2d

willaful I loved the line “It was a face that needed soap and water and Christian tolerance.“ 2d

Bookwormjillk @Ruthiella I don‘t remember it either 2d

tpixie @willaful lol great line 2d

ElizaMarie @willaful yes!!!! 2d

37 likes15 comments

Andrea313

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

A chapter full of disaster- an awkward, post-Christmas drive to the Adirondacks with Mr. Willard, Buddy making Esther read a terrible poem he wrote, an unwanted marriage proposal, and finally skiing lessons from Buddy *who has never gone skiing himself*?! All leading up to a broken leg on the slopes, and no wonder. Wish Esther had refused to ski full-stop because all of this is nonsense.

Andrea313 #HashtagBrigade #LongCarRidesCanBeTerrible #TunaOatmealCookiesAndCoffeeIsADisgustingLunch #DepressingSanatorium #PresidentEisenhowerShade #NotSoEasyToWriteAGreatPoemIsItBuddy #HeThinksHeDidGreat #TurnDownThatProposalGirl #DoNotSkiWithThisMan #WhatAreYouThinking #ListenToTheInteriorVoice 3d

18 likes1 comment

BarkingMadRead

The Bell Jar | Sylvia Plath

Ch 8: this freaking guy 🙄 #esthervisitsbuddyattheclinic #buddychubbedup #proposaltime #becausethissettingiswaybetterthanaletter 🙄 #timetogoskiing #buddyteachesesther #becausewatchingpeopleskimakeshimapro 🙄 #myeyeshurtfromrollingsomuch #whatcouldgowrong #letmetellyou #abrokenleg #jerk #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead @mcctrish @librarybelle @ruthiella @matchlessmarie @jacqmac @cogsofencouragement @sace @clare-dragonfly @cuilin @dieareader @bookwormjillk @thearomaofbooks @graciouswarriorprincess 3d

BarkingMadRead @peanutnine @dabbe @deblovestoread @andrea313 @larkken @willaful @morr_books @kwmg40 @thearomafbooks @anishainkspill @elizamarie @tpixie @julieclair @jenlovesjt47 3d

TheAromaofBooks Why is everyone in this book so unlikable 😂 3d

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BarkingMadRead @TheAromaofBooks seriously! She‘s an asshole magnet 🤣 3d

Cuilin @TheAromaofBooks thank you for saying that I wholeheartedly agree! 3d

Cuilin The line let me fly with you would have been very sweet and cute if the question had not been “how would you like to be Mrs. Buddy Willard?” and completely erasing her. 😣 3d

BarkingMadRead @Cuilin everything about this chapter made me want to scream 🤣 3d

Bookwormjillk Usually I‘m annoyed with her but firmly on Team Ester in this chapter. Was that jerk happy she broke her leg?? 3d

BarkingMadRead @Bookwormjillk I totally got that vibe, like he was glad to be able to do some doctoring 🙄 3d

Cuilin @Bookwormjillk seemed like a metaphor for breaking her, now doesn‘t get to run away!!! 3d

mcctrish First how does one get well in such an absolutely disgusting sounding place, second who the hell trusts someone to teach them to ski who doesn‘t know how?! Who stepped in front of her? Buddy? Honest to god Ester, stay away from this dumbass (edited) 3d

Bookwormjillk @mcctrish I read it twice and couldn‘t figure out who stepped in front of her 3d

mcctrish @Bookwormjillk it was the man saying “you were doing fine until the guy stepped in your path” not skied, stepped made me think it was Buddy (edited) 3d

Bookwormjillk @mcctrish good clue 3d

willaful I was kind of caught in wondering why Esther seemed more upset about Buddy's hypocrisy than about what happened in this chapter. But maybe she's letting herself realize things slowly because they're so freaking awful. 3d

Clare-Dragonfly Wow, Buddy is an idiot! He shakes her hand when she comes in, tries to give her an ashtray he made, and then asks her to marry him in the most unromantic way possible?! Not to mention the skiing failure. Esther said in the last chapter that she broke her own leg but Buddy clearly broke it! 😂 3d

CogsOfEncouragement I‘m enjoying the reading and all of your comments. This is my first time reading, and I‘m glad I‘m among friends to do so! 3d

ElizaMarie Ugh!!! Buddy Buddy Buddy —- He is such a pompous man. 3d

AnishaInkspill @BarkingMadRead thanks for tagging me into these posts, this is brilliant as I don't have the to read this this year but i could never get tired of reading this and what always comes to mind is Esther's dry wit. 3d

DieAReader @TheAromaofBooks 💖I thought I was alone in not liking anyone😂 2d

BarkingMadRead @AnishaInkspill 😍😍 2d

dabbe @CogsOfEncouragement 🩶💚🩶 2d

dabbe This part teared me up: “I felt my lungs inflate with the inrush of scenery--air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, 'This is what it is to be happy.' I plummeted down past the zigzaggers, the students, the experts, through year after year of doubleness and smiles and compromise, into my own past.“

Wow, can she write. 2d

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