One frustration Plath lovers may have of this book is all the irritating deletions. However, this is a luminous and touching document of Plath's evolution as a poet and as a woman. While it does not cover the period of her final creative fury, we see glimmers of the fiery Ariel she was later to become. There is a curious aspect to all of Plath's writings, seen here just as well as in her poetry, and that is the fact of feeling you have read her words somewhere before. One of Plath's most compelling poetic talents is the element of spirtual nostalgia-- we see things we have half-felt or half-dreamed, emotions we have half-experienced, suddenly blown larger than life before our eyes. Don't read this for any sordid details of Plath's disturbed life. You won't find anything shocking beyond the usual shock of reading the most personal thoughts of someone else. Read it for her views on life, art, and for her lovely use of the English language in depicting images and thoughts. Highly recommended.