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The Bell Jar Audiobook by Sylvia Plath— narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar follows Esther Greenwood, a bright 21-year-old college student from Boston, from a summer at a New York fashion magazine in 1953 into mental illness and hospital treatment. It is a short, dark, surprisingly funny coming-of-age classic about depression, ambition and the expectations placed on young women.
Why the audiobook wins
Maggie Gyllenhaal reads The Bell Jar, a novel that lives in Esther Greenwood's dry, funny voice and follows it as the humor gives way to depression. That slow shift in tone is the reason to hear it narrated.
At about seven and a half hours, it fits a week of commutes or a quiet weekend. The first half can pass for an ordinary coming-of-age story before the book darkens, and the hospital scenes are vivid and uncomfortable. It is short on the page but reads heavy, so a few sittings suit it better than a marathon.
One Audible credit covers the whole book.
Audiobook questions
- Who narrates the The Bell Jar audiobook?
- Maggie Gyllenhaal narrates the audiobook edition of The Bell Jar.
- How long is the The Bell Jar audiobook?
- The audiobook runs 7 hr 24 min.
- Is the The Bell Jar audiobook worth listening to?
- We scored The Bell Jar 4.2 out of 5. Maggie Gyllenhaal reads The Bell Jar, a novel that lives in Esther Greenwood's dry, funny voice and follows it as the humor gives way to depression. That slow shift in tone is the reason to hear it narrated.
- Can I listen to The Bell Jar free with an Audible trial?
- Eligible new Audible members can use a free-trial credit to listen in the Audible app. Eligibility and current offer terms are set by Audible.Listen free with Audible
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