Girl, Interrupted (Faber and Faber Screenplays) (Paperback)

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted is the autobiographical story of the author's time in a psychiatric award in 1967. Sylvia Plath was a patient at the same hospital in the early 1950s so inevitably comparisons have been made between Plath's The Bell Jar and Kaysen's novel--both recounting a young woman's descent into insanity. This, however, is where the similarities end--The Bell Jar is a haunting and lyrical book; Girl, Interrupted is a more hard-edged, documentary-style narrative. It has none of the beauty and poetry of Plath's prose and is more akin to Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation , an up-to-date memoir of a young girl's struggle with depression and drugs. Both these books offer a brutal and stark image of a life of mental illness.

Kaysen's account goes further and questions the standard notions of sanity and insanity. Her plausible voice allows the reader to accept a world where time is distorted, chaos reigns and questions are left unanswered, capturing perfectly the sense of helplessness and frustration felt by these women. The book's gritty realism is also heightened by copies of the author's original medical reports lodged between the chapters.

However, it is her penetrating insights into those around her, from those cared for to the caretakers, that make "Girl, Interrupted" so potent. Lacing her narrative with a hard-edged, sardonic sting, she introduces us to a cast of characters from the outrageous Lisa to the chicken-hoarding Daisy to the Martian's girlfriend:

Daisy was a seasonal event. She came before Thanksgiving and stayed through Christmas every year ... "Would anyone like to share?" the head nurse asked ... "Me! Me! Somebody who was a Martian's girlfriend and also had a little penis of her own, which she was eager to show off, raised a hand; nobody wanted to share with her.

"Girl, Interrupted" is a credible and creditable chronicle of the lives of women in the 1960s who, through the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of society, were contained and monitored for not fitting into the "norm", the mainstream. Nicola Perry --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
'Not since Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar has a personal account of life in a mental hospital achieved as much popularity and acclaim' TIME MAGAZINE 'Intelligent and painful' GUARDIAN 'Girl, Interrupted is superb, poignant and more powerful for its lack of romantic inflation, whining, or self-congratulation' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted is the autobiographical story of the author's time in a psychiatric award in 1967. Sylvia Plath was a patient at the same hospital in the early 1950s so inevitably comparisons have been made between Plath's The Bell Jar and Kaysen's novel--both recounting a young woman's descent into insanity. This, however, is where the similarities end--The Bell Jar is a haunting and lyrical book; Girl, Interrupted is a more hard-edged, documentary-style narrative. It has none of the beauty and poetry of Plath's prose and is more akin to Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation , an up-to-date memoir of a young girl's struggle with depression and drugs. Both these books offer a brutal and stark image of a life of mental illness. Kaysen's account goes further and questions the standard notions of sanity and insanity. Her plausible voice allows the reader to accept a world where time is distorted, chaos reigns and questions are left unanswered, capturing perfectly the sense of helplessness and frustration felt by these women. The book's gritty realism is also heightened by copies of the author's original medical reports lodged between the chapters. However, it is her penetrating insights into those around her, from those cared for to the caretakers, that make "Girl, Interrupted" so potent. Lacing her narrative with a hard-edged, sardonic sting, she introduces us to a cast of characters from the outrageous Lisa to the chicken-hoarding Daisy to the Martian's girlfriend: Daisy was a seasonal event. She came before Thanksgiving and stayed through Christmas every year ... "Would anyone like to share?" the head nurse asked ... "Me! Me! Somebody who was a Martian's girlfriend and also had a little penis of her own, which she was eager to show off, raised a hand; nobody wanted to share with her. "Girl, Interrupted" is a credible and creditable chronicle of the lives of women in the 1960s who, through the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of society, were contained and monitored for not fitting into the "norm", the mainstream.' Nicola Perry, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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55 Reviews 5 star:  (35) 4 star:  (16) 3 star:  (4) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (55 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and well written, 18 April 2008 By  B. "go on, take my advice - you know you want... - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    This review is from: Girl, Interrupted (Paperback) While GIRL, INTERRUPTED was unquestionably entertaining and well written, I felt it barely scratched the surface when it came to her mental illness. Painted with broad brush strokes, this novel (to me) read more like a screenplay than a book. It was almost too disjointed and random. Some chapters felt a little indulgent and contrived (velocity-v-viscosity & mind-v-brain both come to mind) - almost as if the author was trying to prove how clever she was. That said, there were some nice elements to the book. I enjoyed the conversational tone, almost as if Susanna Kaysen was sitting across the table telling stories from her past. I thought her description of the motives (or lack thereof) for suicide were fascinating and, scarily enough, probably true in most cases. In the end it was a mixed bag for me. If I could I'd give it 3.5 stars, but in lieu of that I'm going for 4 because I feel it's an interesting story - one that remains relevant through the passage of time. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   8 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Raised some interesting questions, 21 Jun 2007 By  MaryAnne "dubai-reader" (Dubai United Arab Emirates) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)       This review is from: Girl, Interrupted (Paperback) I enjoyed 'Girl, Interrupted', it was an easy, quick read. It was also interesting because I found myself asking a lot of questions: It did strike me that the difference between Borderline Personality Disorder and modern day teenage angst was a pretty fine line. If places like McClean Hospital were still around, would they be full of self-harmers, anorexics and ADHD sufferers? Surely Susanna would not have been interred if she had suffered with the same problems today? And was she really any better off after her treatment or just more mature and able to face the world. But how can you learn to face the world incarcerated like that? The day to day running of the hospital was fascinating, with descriptions of many of the inmates and staff and the constant conflicts between the two. The different categories of privileges that could be earned and the various treatments meted out. My one complaint was that the case histories dotted throughout the book were partly illegible, which was frustrating as I was genuinely interested in their content. I have not read either of her other novels, but good for her - she wanted to be a writer and that is what she has achieved. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   8 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Read this book, uninterrupted, 4 Mar 2004 By  Luanne (UK) - See all my reviews This review is from: Girl, Interrupted (School & Library Binding) Quite simply, I found this book an intensely satisfying read. Often I am wary of reading anything even remotely autobiographical because past experience has told me that many "real life" recollections can be badly written. However Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted is an exception. The writing style is fluid, a pleasure to read. I found it difficult to put down. The subject matter (a young girl's experiences in a mental institution) could have made the book an over-sentimental, depressing and self-pitying read. But Kaysen avoided falling into any of these traps. This is a thought-provoking, often humourous book and, months after finishing reading it, I still find myself thinking about it. I would recommend this book. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 55 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Biography It's a biographic piece.It will keep you alive,and it will make you more otpimist!If You are not already!!!! Published 2 months ago by Olga Sykaki 5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, sad, insightful... I read this in one sitting which is rare for me whatever the length of the book! This is not a long book though and it's written in a breezy casual style that's quick and easy to... Read more Published 3 months ago by Miss K 4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read This book is a short read, however it is one of a kind in its description of life on a psychiatric ward. Read more Published 5 months ago by C. Valcin 5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful without being morbid A lot of the books on mental illness I've read, although brilliant, have been quite depressing and negative. This, however, was completly different. Read more Published 12 months ago by Holly Ford 5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant! Before buying this book, i read a lot of these reviews and was worried that because they were all so good, it might have been a bit overhyped. Read more Published 17 months ago by M. Harman 5.0 out of 5 stars A girl, please don't interrupt If you watched the film and loved it then reading this book will make you love Susanna even more. The characters are captivating and so real on the pages that they leap out at... Read more Published on 28 May 2007 by Ms. Jade M. Scott-jones 5.0 out of 5 stars Am I sane or am I crazy?!!! This book has got to be one of my favourites.I love it.Having depression for years and feeling like your losing your mind is really traumatic. Read more Published on 25 Mar 2007 by vic 4.0 out of 5 stars important message I believe this book sends out a good message about mental health- just as I am trying to do with my novel 'suicide junkie'. Read more Published on 14 Feb 2007 by Professional Psycho 5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Account of Triumph Over Mental Illness Girl, Interrupted is, in my opinion a memorable read. Told with honesty, humour and an eye for detail, Susanna Kaysen writes with a profound talent that allows her characters to... Read more Published on 7 Jan 2007 by A Reader 4.0 out of 5 stars No Interruptions, I'm Reading! I've not seen the film, not really heard much about it, other then friends raving about it, but after a lot of browsing on 'amazon' and repeatedly coming across it with reference... Read more Published on 17 Jun 2006 by imla Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 55 customer reviews...

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