I'm in a little situation right now, as my favorite book in the whole world would be The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, but my mom won't let me read any of the other books that I've heard to be like it. (Girl interrupted, The virgin suicides, Valley of the Dolls, etc) The only approved thing that I have found and read so far, (that I enjoyed) was The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I'm in a total slump and need to come out since no book has been the same. Please help!
by Friendly_Coat_1037
12 Comments
Sybil
You might like Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow. It’s YA so maybe more likely for your mom to approve
I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
I read both of these at around that age, loved and still love them both dearly
Then possibly Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky?
She probably won’t let you read them, but adding to your list anyway because I think 14 is old enough to read what you want <shakes my cane in the air – back in my day YA books really weren’t much of a thing, so everyone I knew was reading adult books almost exclusively by 11 or 12.>
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
The New Me
Girls with Long Shadows
Carrie
Possibly approved by your mom, if you just want young girl in the big city and not darker vibes, try:
City of Girls
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Rules of Civility
Also, see if she will approve Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Edit: Also, she lets you use reddit, but not read books you want . . . ummm
Challengers Deep by Neil Shusterman has many of the same themes
Have you read anything by Laurie Halse Anderson? She writes for young adults so that might help get her by your mother, but some of her books have similar themes to some of those you listed. Wintergirls in particular, and perhaps also Speak (it deals with the aftermath of sexual assault so idk if your mom would approve it specifically though)
You might also enjoy Circe by Madeline Miller if that’s possible for you to read
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
You might like speak by laurie halse anderson and the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Trigger warning, both include characters grappling with sexual assault.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
*I Who Have Never Known Men* by Jacqueline Harpman
*Girl, Interrupted* by Susanna Kaysen
I really loved that book too.
You might really love A.S. King’s books. They rekindled a love of reading for my oldest daughter when she was around your age. I’d start with *Please Ignore Vera Dietz.*
Another I think is absolutely worth checking out is *The Lives of Girls and Women* by Alice Munro. I studied that book in the same course as *The Bell Jar.* It was written a few years after *The Bell Jar* and there are definitely some overlapping themes.