I embarked on this book towards the close of last year. I had purchased the ebook several months prior, yet I didn't commence reading it immediately.

As I delved into this work, my interest in Sylvia burgeoned. It's fair to assert that I already harbored an inclination towards her, having bought her journals, then the collected poems, and ultimately this. However, it wasn't until I delved deeply into the biography that I truly became captivated by Sylvia.

On the surface, her life appears so distinct from mine. She hails from New England, and both of her parents were professors. But I was astonished by how similar we seemed. Both of us were academically and literarily inclined. While reading the biography, I revisited the journals once more. It literally felt to me as if it were something I would pen. I simply connected with her.

This book has bestowed upon me a more profound understanding of her and has truly made me value her work. I also appreciate Alexander's writing style. It was highly legible, and I relished the structure of it.

For my inaugural book of 2014, I'm delighted that it was this one.

A very good, sympathetic biography indeed. It is a truly compelling read that grabs the reader's attention from the very beginning. The author has done an excellent job of presenting the subject's life in a detailed and engaging manner. We get to know the person behind the name, their joys, sorrows, struggles, and achievements. The biography is not just a dry recitation of facts but a vivid portrayal of a life well-lived. It makes us feel as if we are right there with the subject, experiencing their journey along with them. Every page is filled with interesting anecdotes and insights that keep us turning the pages. It is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about the life of an extraordinary individual.

Anyone curious about the life of the poet Sylvia Plath needs to read this excellent detailed biography.

It offers a comprehensive and in-depth look into the complex and fascinating world of Plath.

The author has painstakingly researched every aspect of her life, from her early years growing up in Massachusetts to her tragic and untimely death.

Through vivid descriptions and personal anecdotes, we get to know Plath as a person, not just as a poet.

We learn about her relationships with family, friends, and lovers, and how these experiences influenced her work.

The biography also delves into the creative process behind some of her most famous poems, providing valuable insights into her unique writing style.

Whether you are a die-hard Plath fan or simply interested in learning more about this remarkable woman, this biography is a must-read.

This work seemed to be more like a social calendar rather than a comprehensive exploration of Sylvia Plath's life. It provided a somewhat sympathetic retelling of her actions, but it failed to delve into the deeper reasons behind them. Additionally, it glossed over certain aspects of her life, leaving the reader with an incomplete picture.

Surprisingly, Aurelia Plath was presented in a rather favorable light, which didn't quite ring true considering the complex nature of their relationship.

However, one redeeming feature of this work was the inclusion of great snippets of correspondence within the text. These letters added a touch of authenticity and provided valuable insights into Plath's thoughts and emotions.

Overall, while this may not be the definitive biography of Sylvia Plath, it is still one of the better ones available. It offers a decent introduction to her life and work, but readers should look elsewhere for a more in-depth and nuanced understanding.

I was first introduced to the poetry of Sylvia Plath when I was in my late teens.

A couple of years before that, I had read some of Ted Hughes' poems. For some reason, I read poetry under my grandparents' tutelage. (I have never been told why my parents' guidance was considered inadequate.) I remember my grandfather telling me when I brought him my precious Faber and Faber edition of Selected Poems by Sylvia Plath that "Ted Hughes was not good to her."

This book avoids the Plath/Hughes drama that has troubled so many other biographers. Instead, it focuses on how Plath's poems came into being and then came to be read after her death. Plath was both of her time and ahead of her time. She was never really free to explore her sexuality and was never empowered enough to be truly independent.

Whatever the sordid details of the Hughes' marriage were, the fact that Ted mistreated Sylvia was clearly not a secret. It is surprising that Ted Hughes worked so hard to hide this fact. Still, I don't believe he drove his wife to suicide. I think that in other circumstances, Sylvia Plath would still have tried to end her own life. As Paul Alexander writes, "No matter what, Hughes could not escape the consequences of his life with Sylvia."

Wowza,

I don't truly know how to review the life of Sylvia Plath. It's kind of an enormous topic. In general, I did enjoy the book, particularly the later chapters. However, I did feel that the author placed a great deal of emphasis on events rather than as much analysis as I would have preferred. Especially when he detailed Sylvia's flings as a teenager, it was almost as if I was reading a schedule where she noted what day she went out and with whom. It was all a bit too much focused on events for me, which always makes me critical of biographies, as they are so difficult to present in a non-event-y manner. (Yes, I know, I should be an author with my such an eloquent way of expressing myself.)

Anyway, I thoroughly relished learning more about Sylvia Plath, and it truly inspired me to reread her works. She was a captivating person and poet, and the only unfortunate thing is that a lot of people only achieve fame when they are deceased. What also disappoints is Ted Hughes. He is extremely disappointing.

Read this book! Read Sylvia Plath's works! Please, please, please do yourself this huge favor!

I'm pretty sure I read this and even own it.

However, I don't remember anything particularly memorable per se.

The only thing that sticks out in my mind is that S.P. was a bit into S&M.

But I'm sure there are probably better biographies on her by now.

Maybe I should look for those and see if they offer a more in-depth and engaging account of her life.

It's possible that the one I have just didn't do her justice or capture the essence of who she really was.

Either way, it's always interesting to explore different perspectives and learn more about people who have made an impact in some way.

Perhaps the new biographies will shed more light on her achievements, struggles, and the events that shaped her life.

I'm looking forward to finding out.

Interesting subject, not so interesting biography. It seems to be filled with numerous lists. There are details about which poem was or wasn't published by which magazine, and which boy Sylvia Plath dated on which specific day. However, there is a lack of context, interpretation, or in-depth discussion. It would have been much more engaging if the author had delved deeper into the meaning and significance behind these events. Without proper context, the reader is left with a rather dry and fragmented understanding of Sylvia Plath's life and work. It's as if the biography is simply a compilation of facts without any real attempt to connect the dots or offer a more comprehensive perspective.

The original article is not provided, so I can't rewrite and expand it specifically. However, I can give you a general example of how to expand an article.

Let's assume the original article is: "I went to the park yesterday. It was a beautiful day. I saw many flowers and trees."

Expanded version:

I went to the park yesterday.

It was truly a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was a clear blue.

As I walked through the park, I was greeted by a wonderful sight. There were many colorful flowers blooming everywhere. The fragrance of the flowers filled the air, making it a delight to be there.

There were also numerous trees, their branches reaching up towards the sky. The leaves rustled gently in the breeze, providing a soothing sound.

I spent a pleasant time in the park, enjoying the beauty of nature. It was a memorable experience that I will cherish.

I have just finished reading this biography that was given to me about Sylvia Plath, which I had been eyeing for a while. And the truth is, I have mixed feelings. I have been following Sylvia's poetry for several years now. Although I already had a considerable knowledge about the author, her work, and her life (and death) in general terms, I had never dared to delve much deeper and explore the countless morbid and in my opinion unnecessary details of the events of her life and tragic death, typical of a posthumous icon. On the other hand, it is true that I would be lying if I claimed something as naive as that in part I was not tempted or that I did not suspect that this biography might contain some of these details when it ended up in my hands. What I did not know or could not imagine is that unfortunately this biography would contain so much of this and that it would be at such high levels, something that I have found quite unpleasant and deplorable for the memory, integrity, and privacy of Sylvia or any human being and artist.

While this is true, once I realized the tone and focus that this work would have, having resigned myself and accepted冒险 to continue reading it, I must admit that reading this biography has helped me to understand and give more meaning in a certain way to the work of Sylvia Plath, which has made me know more about the real and demystified person hidden behind that imposing figure and mask of a posthumous legend. In this very detailed biography, we can see Sylvia for what she was: a human being with her virtues and her defects. A white middle-class North American woman ambitious and constricted by the pressures and expectations that society and even she herself largely imposed. However, it is clear that we can appreciate that it was her condition as a woman and the era in which she had to live that were the main triggers that influenced to a great extent the so tragic destiny that her life took.

"Raw Magic" is a biography, as its title says, raw. Direct and without frills. Too direct and cold, I would say, and as I said with a quantity of details that in my opinion are incredibly unnecessary and morbid. Another thing that I did not like especially at all is that this biography focuses too much on detailing the different publications with their respective dates of Sylvia's work in the different renowned magazines and editions on which she based so much of her value as an artist and person in general. I would say that practically 50% of this work is basically a chronological compilation/documentation of the dates and publications of her work and nothing more. Maybe from an analytical and archival perspective of her work, this is of great help for someone who, for example, is doing a thesis or studies on the poet, but for someone who simply wants to know the work and life of Sylvia from a more general aspect as in my case, this biography becomes too heavy and repetitive in my opinion. On the other hand, the straw that broke the camel's back for me is that I find it quite disappointing and incredible that in the three hundred pages that make up this biography, not once has her work been directly included or at least referenced in any way, that not a single one of her works has been quoted and studied in depth. Although it is seen that Paul Alexander's intentions are not these and I am against corseting and normativizing a model of biographical work, personally I cannot conceive or digest the autobiography of an artist (especially a poet) without direct and appropriate quotes and references to her work. I think it is a huge waste.

I am very sorry to see the brilliant work that Sylvia left and to see how the media, studies, and conversations that have revolved around her (except from that carried out from a radical and critical feminist perspective), have largely been responsible for selling us the idea that her greatest enemy was herself, her "toxic" ambition and insecurities. While this is true in part, I think that anyone who reads this biography or any other and investigates about Sylvia's life will be able to notice that the fact that she never saw herself as an established writer and thought that her validity as a person resided in the massive success and recognition that she so longed for were largely the result and consequences of the era in which she had to live, in the social and professional expectations that are in a certain way imposed (both then and now) on artists and especially on women in the 1950s-1960s, and above all the continuous rejection and lack of recognition in comparison with many of the poet's contemporaries, especially male poets like her own husband Ted Hughes who reaped great fame and recognition thanks to Sylvia's constant work in correcting, transcribing, and publicizing her husband's work, leaving her career in the background. I think it is unfair and a lack of respect to make such a poor and inaccurate analysis as that which relegates all the blame to a woman who clearly ended up as she did because of the era in which she had to live and especially in a world like that of writing in which there is an enormous disproportion and inequality of opportunities between men and women. Of course, on the other hand, it is inevitable or at least quite difficult to escape from the total aversion towards Ted Hughes and to see how he took over, benefited from, and "pruned" to his liking and convenience all of Sylvia's work after her death, no matter how much one tries to give a different focus to the events and relationship that occurred between the two poets. But the really sad thing, and I do not want to say with this in any way that the success of Sylvia Plath's creation is due to her death, is to see how once again the work of an artist takes the attention that it deserves only at the moment in which the artist herself decides to end her life. Unfortunately, Sylvia never came to fully see or understand the potential that she had and the fact that she did not need more: She was already an incredible writer and a legend.

In conclusion: While I think that this biography on the one hand does a good job of documentation, I wonder to what extent it is really necessary to publish so many details about a person's life. I think it is simply morbid and pure and hard sensationalism. Really reflecting, I firmly believe that if I had known the amount of such personal details that this biography relates, probably I would not have wanted to read it. I wanted to read about Sylvia Plath but this biography seems excessive and too morbid to me. I will keep Sylvia's work, with that quality, beauty, rawness, and force that characterize her poems and that captivated me since I knew her back in my university years.

A great read indeed.

The stage-setting elements are not always as rigorous as one might expect. For instance, Alexander would casually mention certain figures as if they had already been introduced earlier. However, upon checking the index and relying on my memory, it becomes evident that they had not. Additionally, there are occasions when the clarity regarding Sylvia's living or working location at a particular point is lacking.

Nevertheless, Alexander's prose is smooth and dramatic, which serves Plath's troubled and artistic history very well. It is certain that his research must have been extensive, as he includes minute details such as which dates she wrote which poems, and how much she paid in rent for the apartment that would be her last, among other things.

Although Alexander clearly holds Plath in high regard, he does not shy away from presenting the more abrasive aspects of her personality. Nor does he solely focus on her depressive and impulsive nature. Instead, we are presented with a truly comprehensive picture of this woman. Ambitious and hardworking in her writing, she exhausts herself by writing around her schoolwork, and later, her marriage and children. Sociable yet somewhat self-involved, she accumulates friends and boyfriends but often disappoints them.

Regarding Ted Hughes, Alexander does not villainize him, nor does he go to great lengths to exonerate him. That task can be left to Hughes's biographers.

I will soon need to reread The Bell Jar.

A Great Biography of Plath

This is a remarkable biography of Sylvia Plath that offers a unique perspective. It not only provides a detailed account of her life but also includes her grade marks from secondary school. This addition gives readers a more comprehensive understanding of her academic journey and how it might have influenced her development.

What sets this biography apart is the absence of the judgmental tone that is often present in biographies of Plath. Instead, the author presents a balanced and objective view of her life, allowing readers to form their own opinions. By avoiding judgment, the biography focuses on the facts and events, painting a vivid picture of Plath's life and times.

Overall, this biography is a must-read for anyone interested in Sylvia Plath. It offers a fresh and engaging look at her life, filled with new insights and information. Whether you are a fan of her poetry or simply curious about her life, this biography is sure to satisfy.