The Catcher in the Rye (Cliffs Notes)

Rating:
Summary: 4 stars
Review: The book, The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, tells of a series of events over four days of the protagonist's life. Holden Caulfield has numerous flashbacks as he narrates his story to a psychiatrist. The reader sees the main conflict between Holden and his inner self, as he is unable to handle the pressure of being a teenager and the rejection of society. The story is told in first person as Holden talks directly to the reader. This is an important literary device as the character begins to lose his mind as the story goes on. This way the reader knows what Holden is thinking and can see that his thoughts are troubled.
The story takes place in numerous settings beginning with a boarding school in Pennsylvania and ends with Holden wandering New York City. The story starts out in a comical mood as Holden makes various impressions of people he knows and he likes to get laughs from people. Yet, he is a rebel who does not want to conform to what everyone else does, and therefore is left out and isolated from the rest of society. One of the main causes of his depression is the death of his younger brother, Allie.
I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for great read. The book relates to kids in high school and is a funny, yet emotional book with a likable main character. The only weakness in the story is in-between the climaxes when there is a decline of action as Holden roams the city. The book includes profane language, sex, and violence and therefore is not appropriate for children under the junior high level.


Rating:
Summary: Four Stars For The Lazy
Review: Despite the fact that CliffsNotes has helped me through one too many an English Lit quiz, I believe that this is taking it a little too far. Catcher in the Rye is, by far, one of my favorite books of all time, and to create CliffsNotes for it requires something less than academic foresight. Talk about not being able to see the forest for the trees. The entire point of J.D. Salinger's one and only published novel is that though we do need to carry out our schooling, education isn't there to cloak the mind into believing that regurgitating facts onto meaningless scraps of wood pulp. It's there to take the free thought that we have and expand it, so that we can better express ourselves, and not bury who we are behind a pile of textbooks. The specifics of the life of Holden Caulfield are not important. The generalities of the life of Holden Caulfield are not important. What is important is the ideals expressed in the book--not where Holden went to school, not how many times he mentions the hunting hat, not where the ducks do actually go. Both teachers and students of today must learn that teaching others and yourselves that this is all that's important is like building a wall around yourself. So read the book. It'll bring you to something closer to happiness than an A ever will. And hell, if you actually read the thing, you might ace it anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Makes me want to cry.
Review: I think it's a travesty that they can make Cliffnotes on a book like "Catcher in the Rye." You can not possibly get anything out of the book from reading a chapter to chapter summary. Besides, the only people who use Cliffnotes are high school students who are too lazy to actually read the book, and every high school student should read CitR for their own benefit anyway.

Rating:
Summary: Makes me want to cry.
Review: I think it's a travesty that they can make Cliffnotes on a book like "Catcher in the Rye." You can not possibly get anything out of the book from reading a chapter to chapter summary. Besides, the only people who use Cliffnotes are high school students who are too lazy to actually read the book, and every high school student should read CitR for their own benefit anyway.

Rating:
Summary: A great guide
Review: I truly disagree with everyone who says that cliffsnotes are for lazy students who don't want to read the book, because I am an 18 year old who just graduated from high school and I can honestly say that I use cliff notes all the time, but I have never read them just to not the read the book. For instance, if you read a Shakespeare play, say the Tempest, and do not understand the first scene in act one, then you pull out the cliff notes to get the background of the work, the history, a summary of what happened, the themes, etcetera. For instance, I have read Catcher in the Rye three times and had not picked up on the symbolism and major themes until I read the Sparks Notes, Cliffs Notes, and literary reviews on it. Sometimes you need notes to help you understand a work fully. I know that there are lazy kids out there who use them instead of reading the book in school, but there are also smart kids who use them to further their knowledge of a particular work. I think that these cliffnotes have helped me understand the meaning of the book, some of the happenings in the book, the themes, the motifs, and the symbols!!! I have a greater understanding of the book now and I can see the true beauty of the novel all because of Cliffsnotes!

Rating:
Summary: A shame
Review: I was checking the comments on The Catcher in the Rye and saw that there were Cliff Notes on this book. I couldn't believe it! That someone would actually write notes on The Catcher in the Rye. This book should never be summarized into Cliff Notes. This book should be read in its entirety or not at all, regardless of how much time you have. This book can be read easily in a few hours, and it's the best book I've read in a while. It is a disgrace that this book was allowed to be put into Cliff Notes and these are for people who are too lazy or ignorant to pick up the actual book.

Rating:
Summary: A shame
Review: I was checking the comments on The Catcher in the Rye and saw that there were Cliff Notes on this book. I couldn't believe it! That someone would actually write notes on The Catcher in the Rye. This book should never be summarized into Cliff Notes. This book should be read in its entirety or not at all, regardless of how much time you have. This book can be read easily in a few hours, and it's the best book I've read in a while. It is a disgrace that this book was allowed to be put into Cliff Notes and these are for people who are too lazy or ignorant to pick up the actual book.

Rating:
Summary: totally unnecessary
Review: The only reason you would need cliff notes for this book is if you are lazy or short on time and theres a test the next day. Yet the cliff notes arent descriptive enough for you to get the whole book. I can understand needing cliff notes for the confusing dialect of "tale of two cities", or the background and analysis for "Brave new World", but going through the Catcher in the Rye is a breeze, and the book is enjoyable. Its one of my favorite books ever. Dont even bother with these cliff notes.