The Bell Jar Audiobook By Sylvia Plath cover art

The Bell Jar

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Bell Jar

By: Sylvia Plath
Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $27.96

Buy for $27.96

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

READ BY THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED ACTRESS MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

'A modern classic.' Guardian

'A near-perfect work of art.' Joyce Carol Oates

I was supposed to be having the time of my life . . .

Working as an intern for a New York fashion magazine in the summer of 1953, Esther Greenwood is on the brink of her future. Yet she is also on the edge of a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal. Esther's vision of the world shimmers and shifts: day-to-day living in the sultry city, her crazed men-friends, the hot dinner dances . . .

The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath's only novel, is partially based on Plath's own life. It has been celebrated for its darkly funny and razor sharp portrait of 1950s society, and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

ONE OF THE BBC'S '100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD'

'As clear and readable as it is witty and disturbing.' New York Times Book Review

©2015 Sylvia Plath (P)2015 Faber & Faber
Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
All stars
Most relevant  
I didn’t realize the darkness of this book. Also, it was VERY descriptive and I was longing for more dialogue between characters but they were few and far between far between. The narrator was great but I was disappointed at the book. I guess I expected something different. If you’re okay with being sad and depressed at the end, then this book is for you.

Dark

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Such a different read. Really interesting content- a bit morbid but gets you thinking. I enjoyed it a lot, read it in one sitting.

A really interesting and moving piece.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Absolutely wonderful masterpiece by Sylvia Plath. As someone who has experienced mental illness myself, I find the main character/narrator highly relatable and compelling. Definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a nuanced fiction novel about the effects of depression, or anyone who just enjoys good writing and a great story.

Beautiful and touching

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Enjoyed the book and Maggie's voice is just perfect.
Definitely listening it again. Highly recommended.

Great performance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I absolutely loved this audiobook! The feelings of the main character are relatable to a lot of people, I think. Plath’s writing is beautiful and Gyllenhaal voicing the main character is a perfect match. After completing the novel I missed Gyllenhaal’s narration so much that I also purchased her take on the 35h Anna Karenina (which I just finished and loved). I warmly recommend this novel!

Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Very intense book from the person with mental illness.. well written though. Feels like if creepy!

Intense

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I've always struggled to finish reading the Bell Jar, but this was disturbingly fascinating.
You are treated to Sylvia Plath's words, delivered flawlessly by Maggie Gyllenhaal, perfevt incarnation of Esther.

Esther whispering into your ear

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

this book changed my life in a way that can't be summed up any longer than the minimum number of words would allow.

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I love every bit of it. sylvia is such an amazing writer and story teller. plus the narrator (maggie) was excellently eloquent.

awesome

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Finally gave this a listen, I have been meaning to for years. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the perfect narrator for this book, she reads clearly and in keeping with the tone of the book. Harrowing, important story.

Great book, well narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews