# Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom: A Story - Hardcover

by **Sylvia Plath** (Author)

**"\[Plath's\] story is stirring, in sneaky, unexpected ways. . . . Look carefully and there's a new angle here -- on how, and why, we read Plath today."-- Parul Sehgal, _New York Times_**

**Never before published, this newly discovered story by literary legend Sylvia Plath stands on its own and is remarkable for its symbolic, allegorical approach to a young woman's rebellion against convention and forceful taking control of her own life.**

Written while Sylvia Plath was a student at Smith College in 1952, _Mary Ventura and The Ninth Kingdom_ tells the story of a young woman's fateful train journey.

Lips the color of blood, the sun an unprecedented orange, train wheels that sound like "guilt, and guilt, and guilt" these are just some of the things Mary Ventura begins to notice on her journey to the ninth kingdom.

"But what _is_ the ninth kingdom?" she asks a kind-seeming lady in her carriage. "It is the kingdom of the frozen will," comes the reply. "There is no going back."

Sylvia Plath's strange, dark tale of female agency and independence, written not long after she herself left home, grapples with mortality in motion.

### Front Jacket

**A newly discovered, never-before-seen story by Sylvia Plath.**

Written while Sylvia Plath was a student at Smith College in 1952, _Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom_ tells the story of a young woman's fateful train journey.

Lips the color of blood, the sun an unprecedented orange, train wheels that sound like "guilt, and guilt, and guilt" are just some of the things Mary Ventura begins to notice on her journey to the ninth kingdom.

"But what is the ninth kingdom?" she asks a kind-seeming lady in her carriage. "It is the kingdom of the frozen will," comes the reply. "There is no going back."

Sylvia Plath's strange, dark tale of female agency and independence, written not long after she herself left home, grapples with mortality in motion.

\--**Parul Sehgal, _New York Times_**

### Back Jacket

**A newly discovered, never-before-seen story by Sylvia Plath.**

Written while Sylvia Plath was a student at Smith College in 1952, _Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom_ tells the story of a young woman's fateful train journey.

Lips the color of blood, the sun an unprecedented orange, train wheels that sound like "guilt, and guilt, and guilt" are just some of the things Mary Ventura begins to notice on her journey to the ninth kingdom.

"But what is the ninth kingdom?" she asks a kind-seeming lady in her carriage. "It is the kingdom of the frozen will," comes the reply. "There is no going back."

Sylvia Plath's strange, dark tale of female agency and independence, written not long after she herself left home, grapples with mortality in motion.

**Number of Pages:** 64

**Dimensions:** 0.6 x 7.7 x 5.2 IN

**Publication Date:** March 05, 2019

## Details

- **Price:** 15.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 15.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom: A Story - Hardcover

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