The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)

Probably not fair for me to review this, as I've never read it, but I tried...2 or 3 times, in fact. Let me say that it is very, VERY rare for me to start a book and not finish, even if I don't like it (the only other book that I can remember not reading beyond one chapter, in fact, was one of Tom Clancy's military fantasies). I don't know if that makes me obsessive compulsive or anal or what, but that's how it is. In high school, I had heard that this was a book that appealed to troubled teens, and I was certainly that. I have to say, though, that I found it pretty boring and uninspiring, and gave up somewhere into the 2nd chapter. I figured it had to be me and not the book, so I tried it again...twice...but just could not get into it. At the time, I thought it indicated something lacking in me, some obtuse quality that couldn't recognize genius and instead wanted to read E.C. Horror Comic re-prints and watch re-runs of "Happy Days", but in retrospect, considering that a murderous scu... Read more

I don't know. I've never read it. I keep hearing good reviews from it though. William Moseley likes it! lol! but I also keep hearing that this book brings out the 'rebel' in some people. The dude who killed John Lennon read this book...it possessed him.

What can you say about a book that seems to surface as the treasured tome of every other homicidal geek with an imagined score to settle?  Well, whatever it has come to mean over the years to a few rather strange isolated individuals floating merrily along in their own little bubbles, Catcher in the Rye really is a fairly interesting, albeit surreal, literary experience.  The best way I can sum it up is that it was kind of like reading through the accounts of a mentally disturbed persons dream life over a period of months as he is working through a personal identity crisis (not that I have ever actually done this).  My conclusion was that, if he was anything, Holdon Caufield was certainly quite a unique mixture of conflicting emotions and ideas (in other words, a teenager).  His emotional repertoire included but was not limited to - sad, pathetic, heroic, self-absorbed, caring and scary.  He was off-putting and yet very often almost spookily easy to identify with.  And, it isnt always ... Read more

The ultimate teen-angst novel...BEFORE emos ever existed.

Holden Caufield, is a typical selfish shit.  Most people who suffer from depression usually are, they just don't notice how much that they naval gaze.  I always like the book, and find it an interesting read which is really well written.  HC is not a likeable character he makes peoples lives a misery taking no reposnsibility for his behaviour, exactly as manic depressives behave.  Good book, I would recommend it, just make sure you're not easily dragged down, cos this could do it!

I am just not as crazy about this book as I am apperently supposed to be.

I remember loving it, so it served its purpose when I was coming of age but probably wouldn't enthrall if I reread it.

J.D. Salinger makes Holden Caulfield seem as if he's just another one of your friends. The end is very subtle unless you take time to read it carefully, and you sympathize and empathize

I would give this a 3.5. I read it in my Senior year at High School. It was not as bad as some people made it out to be.

I didn't think it was as "classic" as everyone says it is, but it was a nice read. I liked it.

It amazes me that a single short book like Catcher in the Rye can have such a profound impact. Salinger wrote almost nothing else of lasting value (yeah, some of his short stories are OK, but they aren't classics), and yet he is consistently rated as one of the most popular U.S. authors ever. It's very easy to argue that more prolific American authors (e.g., Twain, Hemingway, Fitzgerald) should be revered above Salinger. But it's impossible to dispute the simple truth that Catcher in the Rye touches a raw nerve that eludes all but a few other modern novels. And Salinger's mysterious personal life makes him an even more interesting character. His status as a recluse is legendary. And I have yet to read a good analysis of Salinger's feelings about Eastern religions. It's clear from Catcher in the Rye that he has been influenced by Buddhism, but critics don't seem to write about that very much. Also, I'd be very curious to know if it's true that he's been writing and hiding manuscript aft... Read more

This was pretty bad.... the author was talented enough, but he wrote about a spoiled loser who gets wasted and buys a girl. Wait a minute..... there isnt any plot! When is he actually in a big problem that gets resolved at the end? Maybe.... never? The title had almost nothing to do with the novel, other than Holden's pedo dream job of catching children. And the story has many holes in it. It is enphasized that he looks older than he is, but every single time he tries something, for some reason nobody takes notice of that. Holden even had to point out to the mom on the bus that he had grey hair. I mean, teens always have grey hair, anybody could miss that. The girl he buys knows his age too. He calls everyone phoney, but he himself is phoney. The book makes no sense whatsoever funkytommyman

You should have been going to school in the fifties when this came out. Many monkeys who taught any kind of comp or writing class had the poor suckers under their thumb writing essays about Holden Caulfield and teenage angst. My advice to you. Avoid at all costs and if forced to read, start drinking heavily before picking up the book. I only suggest legal substances but I'm sure some of you could look to your other alternatives before you would be forced to read this tripe.

I first heard of this novel from the Greenday song Who wrote Holden Caulfield?, it sounded interesting so I purchased it this year. I am still in the process of reading it, but am almost done. This novel is hilarious. Kudos to Jd Salinger, he is one gifted writer. When this novel was written, some of the profanity, and lewd innuendos would have been considered just that, lewd. Jd Salinger did not care what the public thought, he wrote what he wanted to and had the courage to do so. Holden Caulfield is one hilarious character, even though he is fictional, he reminds me so much of myself.

I really take a beating for this one- but Catcher is very overrated. Holden is a loser who doesn't fit and takes it out on the world. Yes, the world is unfair. . .yes, the world judges you by appearance. . .give me a break. Holden should have done something, anything, except whine. A novel about some twerp who isn't tough enough to hack it in the world? (YAWN!) My nerdy Literature-friends always give me a verbal beat down for this one. The wife also gets defensive.

Good but not great. It was given higher status becuase of crazies that said they killed because of it. I had never heard of the book before Hinkley and the guy who killed Lennon.

I think the book was excellent. I notice people dislike its lack of a real plot but thats what makes it so real. Life is not some planned event. There are ups and downs. Salinger did this beautifully. I wish more authors would have been more hard hitting instead of constantly diving us into this fantasy world.

This book depresses me a little. Holden has some serious emotional problems, but salindger still manages to make him likable, mostly because he is striving to protect an innocence that he has lost. Good book, but not the landmark in literature that some make it out to be.

Years ago, the key word for me when I read this book was phonies. Today Salinger's word remains as true as ever - the world IS a cruel and superficial place.

One of the few books I would desribe as 'life-altering'.

I thought this was a tremendous book when I was eighteen. I've read it twice since, and I am far less impressed.

I remember reading this as a teenager years ago. because we had to. and then another 25 years later. It is a pretty good book about a teenager at a crossroads in his life. After being kicked out of yet another private school, Holden is on his way home with the dread of telling his parents. He is an unhappy teen not knowing what he wants with his life.A book written over 50 years ago can still stand today.I have a teenage daughter who just had to read this for her high school.{she thought it was boring}.Not one of my favorites, but pretty good.

Personally, I hated this one. It was an easy read with a good theme, but it had no plot. It just kind of rambles on, I hate my life... I hate my life... Oh, I guess life isn't that bad. Yeah, I get the theme, but a book has to have a plot to make the theme effective.

I didn't mind this book at all. I can see the symbolism,and I think that it is something most of us can relate to at one point or other,but I can also understand how it can be a little bit off-putting and annoying. Myself, I found Holden a bit over bearing,like so many teenage boys I know. But I think the quote used in the book by Wihelm Stekel marks a pivital point in Holdens conscience and the quote goes as follows:'The mark of an immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.' This presents Holden with what he is and what he has to become in order move along in his life. The duck pond is also a fascinating use of symbolism for society. He asks himself, and later the cab driver where they all go,the ducks that is,in winter when the lake has frozen over,which is Holden questioning his place in society. Very interesting really. So many GD's,almost drove me insane!

This is hands down the best book I have ever read! This is such a philosophical thought-provoking book! I love it! I think every school should teach this book in grade 12!

Its not great. It has its moments, but there are parts in it that are boring and anount to nothing. Holden was a good character the way he was a cynical teenager, but sometimes he went off topic for too long. It was annoying, even though that's the point.

over-rated. Why is it so great? Holden freaks me out.

I'm gonna give it 4 stars just because it is pretty entertaining. I could have done without all the GDs in it though. It's kind of a weird book though because it's interesting, yet it's really hard to point out what exactly is interesting about it; I dunno, hard to explain.....

I found this book of the utmost interest and felt i could really relate to the character...a story about growing up and learning to believe in yourself. The story tended to drag at some points and at times you grow a dislike toward the character. but all in all it was a good book.

I just reread this book last week and was more favorably impressed by it than I had been on my previous reading. It strongly evokes the feeling of living in the confused and repressed 1950s prior to the awakening of consciousness in the '60s.

Although I can see where those are coming from who say that this story is overrated, it has to be understood that this book was written at a time when many of the topics in it were considered sacred and vile to talk about aloud. This book was a huge turning point in literature and although it may be hard for us now to understand, it needs to be said. I belive that this was a great story about a boy growing up. Yes he does walk around a lot but I belive that there is more to it than just walking around, it is about self discovery and that is why so many teenagers connect with it. You should not go into this story expecting a story full of twists, turns and heavy climaxes but rather a story of human emotion and development. It is simple, and it is beautiful.

like i really want to read about some kid bitching and moaning

If it were possible to simply give this book a zero, I would have. I found Holden to be incredibly self-absorbed and hypocritical, the poor-little-rich-boy act not only failed to impress me but put me to sleep on about seven occasions. How anyone can find this book to be insightful or thought-provoking is completely beyond me. Throughout the book Holden contradicts himself, blames anyone apart from from him and whines about how he has it so tough because he can't pull himself together. The apparent symbolism in the book is obscurely placed and often in such a way that the concept is lost. Any deeper meaning behind this novel is simpley lost in the boring and aimless comments which are unfortunatley abundant throughout. Towards the end instead of Holden gaining some sort clarified perception we instead see how naive he really is, he reverts back to childish emotions and superficial comments and this is all on the very last page. This book is out of touch with modern appropriation, so mu... Read more

I loved this book! It's deffiantly my favorite!!!

A word of advice when reading this book. READ IT CAREFULLY. Most students I’ve met, who claimed the book was stupid and pointless only said that because they don’t appreciate the symbolism and deeper meaning behind this book. It’s a shame that many people don’t know how to read between the lines.

This is one of those books which should be read at a particular point in one's life (like Huckelbery Finn or Confessions of a Crap Artist or In the Name of the Father). Salinger captures the inner workings of a teenager's mind (at least some teenagers). People who liked this novel would also like "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" or the movie "My Own Private Idiho".

This book kills me. I want them to post this but they probably wont, they are the kind of people that never post stuff.

I loved reading this book in high school.I can really relate to it. Sometimes, I feel like a female Holden Caufield.

i cannot believe this worthless poece of crap is something we are all to want to read. horrible.

Most overrated book of all time. People like it because they think they are supposed to. People say they are affected by it because they think that is the smart thing to say. Truth is only scitzophrenics usually take an abnormal likeing to this book.

i had to read this book for english, and it was the most boring book i have ever read. no plot, no story, no nothing. never going to even touch this book again

Well...I read "Catcher in the Rye" because I didn't have much of anything else to read and I thought it might be worthwhile. Overall, it wasn't. Salinger makes some interesting observations about life, and the story was rather interesting in its one-dimensionality. BUT..its faults are more numerous than its merits. For one thing, as you probably already know from reading some of my other comments, I'm 15. And I can say with great assurance that Holden Caulfield is NOT the embodiment of teenage angst. I felt no real sympathy for him. I know some kids who are pretty dense, but nowhere near as obnoxiously pessimistic as Caulfield. Caulfield is just an ass who shuffles around complaining about everything, getting depressed easily and cursing a lot. Some of the other characters, like Ackley, were interesting, but Caulfield is just annoying. He's not a thing like my peers. And the book seemed to have little purpose. I understand that the whole part where Caulfield talks about wanting to be t... Read more

THIS BOOK RULES! this was the best book i've ever read. it's amazing how a book that was written in the 50's can fit so well to our time. when i read it i really thought it was written in the 90's or something like that. Salinger wrote about the teen age mind so perfectly, like he was a teen ager himself. it was like reading a teen agers diary. he thought like a teen ager when he wrote that and did'nt left out any thing. he rememberd all of those amotions a teen ager has- the feeling like you're alone, the hate you have for everything and everybody, the depression, the self hate. it was amazing in every way you can describe it. anyone who did'nt like it is probably stuipd or spoiled or just forgot what it feels like to be a teen ager.

This book is definetly my all time favorit! It was inspiring, expressive, and gave you a better understanding of life.

This is hands down my favorite book of all time. The narration is interesting. The ideas are appealing. Even if Holden does not speak the truth, the book does. You can see where he is right on some points and where he has things to learn on others. And that's what the book is about. The balance between the ideals of youth and the reality of growing up. One must discover where this balance lies and determine what ideals of youth can be compromised, what must be eliminated, and what must be held onto. I'm a big fan of payoffs and I have to say that discovering the meaning of "The Catcher in the Rye" was one of the best payoffs that I've ever read. Anyone who is or has grown up will enjoy this book. I read it when I was and then again now that I have (for the most part... I'm 20). And I loved it both times.

One of the best books I've ever read. Beautifully told through a young boy, so it has a certain naieve to contrast the very big ideas of alienation and frustration with society that the character is bothered by. The all time young anti-hero story.

Great book! Good to understand the character of a "lost" teenage boy, we all feel lost sometimes. It was a pleasure to read.

Even though this novel was written half a century ago, its themes of adolescent frustrations and internal struggles still hold true for the modern teenager. The style in which Holden Caulfield is written in causes the reader to instantly sympathize with understanding, and laugh along with him as he experiences a short adventure that proves to be very significant in his development of thinking about his life and circumstance. JD Salinger made the character great and the themes applicable to all readers capable of feeling the world around them. A great book!

This book is completely over-rated. It's written to appeal to a 60's type of youth glorifying individual. It gets a good mark for style - just not content.

This book is extremely entertaining. You get so involved that it makes for quick reading. The main character brings out some interesting points about our culture. The humor is cynical as is the entire story. Great work.