I rated it 3 stars. I'd say that I did read something, but I'm not sure what I feel about The Bell Jar. I couldn't stop reading it, but at the same time I can't tell you what I liked about it.

The subtle racism throughout The Bell Jar was definitely a turn-off, and made me consider putting it down several times. You could probably argue that it's a product of its time, but it's still something that I wanted to mention (and it's a poor excuse, in my opinion). Some classics are really misogynistic or racist, and that is partly why I avoid many of them, but not a single review I read mentioned the sublte racism in The Bell Jar. I wouldn't have read it if I knew.

I only continued as I was intrigued were the story was going, as at the half-way point nothing had really happened. You need to be patient if you give this a go, that's for sure.

I really liked Esther and her ramblings, but it was fairly confusing in the beginning. It's important to the story though, and I understand it's part of the plot. Her mental healths decline is reliant on these ramblings, as these ramblings truly shows how unwell she is. 

The second half was definitely the better part of the book, and this is where we see Esther becoming ill. I understand that it was revolutionary at the time it was published, but I feel like I have read this story so many times already - but it's probably because I lean towards books that deal with mental health.

All in all, it was okay. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. The racism makes this a no for me.