The Catcher in the Rye
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Recommended By
Neferjeane, Nikki, siguy, Max Brodsky, Daniela Latner, alma, Edgard Arakaki, suraj, Aleks, Harold Jenkins III, Avid, Ten Taxis, Bob, Deepti, Ennui, Kimber, Plebean, matt, Yttrai, refusejesus@hotmail.com, Bill, elise, cantbeatgravity, Emily, Holly, and Lin Snow.
Planning on Reading
Paige, William, Ben Chis, Ugleeduck, and kim thornton.
Book Details
Written by J.D. Salinger.
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Editorial Review (from Amazon.com)
Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them." His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.User Reviews (4) Login or create an account to write a review.
refusejesus@hotmail.com thinks this book is Excellent.
I have yet to meet anyone my age who can say this is a bad book. Salingers classic tale of one adolescents rite of passage.
Caitra thinks this book is Nothing Special.
Having heard so much about this book I had been looking forward to reading Catcher in the Rye but once I did I was very disappointed.
I found it hard to stay interested in the story. I didn't feel that it flowed very well and it wasn't too descriptive. Some variety in the use of adjectives would also have been quite nice. I got quite sick of everyone being described as old. 'Old Phoebe', 'Old Sally', 'Old Jane' etc.
I can see why this book was banned in the 1950's but in this day and age I didn't find the plot too rebellious and it left me cold.
Donna thinks this book is Nothing Special.
The vast majority of people my age read this book because it's either required in school or simply because its a famous work of classical literature. The book however prooves to be nothing but a disappointment to those reading it mearly for the read rather than the pretentious stature one recieves upon finishing such a highly noted piece of literature. Many my age find this book lacking becuase the contraversy so definined during its time is gone. The main characters problems are nothing unusal for todays youth.
Nikki thinks this book is Excellent.
Even though I had to read this book for a class in high school, I actually really enjoyed it. It's not often a book uses the word "crap" on the very first page. I think it really captures the inner thoughts of a boy who is lost in the world that surrounds him. While it may seem slow in some places, I think this story of a day in the life of a young man in New York is very interesting.
The dialect is really great, and you really get a feel for the voice of the main character. It uses a lot of slang words from the 50s, which makes it seem so much more real.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys something a little edgier, with a narriator that thrives on bending the rules.