Rating: 
Summary: A Ho-Hum WASP Tragedy.
Review: I very much liked the image of the catcher who keeps those kids from falling over a crazy cliff. But I had to wade through a lot of slag to find that gem. The problem is that Holden is such an unsympathetic character. He's a rich, East coast WASP who has been given several opportunities for a free education. How does he respond? Well, he can't apply himself because everyone is too phony. Hell, Holden could find phoniness lurking in a fruit bowl. What passes for tragedy in Holden's life? Losing his fencing team's foils on the subway or discovering that a seedy hotel also has seedy clientele. How can you care what happens to a character like this?Perhaps, if Holden was freed from his parent's economic bondage he could finally toss off those golden manacles; become homeless and head downtown for the free eats; stand in a soup line three times a day and finally get hit with some Freakin Real! I hate Holden, Catcher and all, I really do.
Rating: 
Summary: It'll catch you from despair
Review: I walk through this life in a sea full of strangers, a world without compassion and innocence. I wanted to drown, and just when I thought I would drown, this book came along, and it's as if a hand extended itself to pull me out. Four years ago, I was 16 just as Holden was in the book. But unlike him, I excelled at school and it's as if I had everything going for me. And during all that time I felt completely and utterly alone because I was in a world were popularity was everything, where the f word was used more times than you can ever count, and where purity meant nothing. I respect Holden because despite his flaws he realizes his imperfection, and his only dream and comfort would be to save innocent children from falling. In a way he has achieved that dream 'cause for everyone whose failing spirit was revived by this book, Holden already became that saviour. So thank you Holden for catching me.
Rating:
Summary: Dull...
Review: I wanted to like this book. A few of my friends had recommended it and one in particular was obsessed and finding references to it in everything. I wanted to relate to Holden Caulfield, being sixteen and cynical.
But I couldn't.
Maybe it's because I'm a girl, but I'm fairly jaded in my views and I found Holden pretentious and boring. I also found him hypocritical; in his everpresent disgust towards the "phony" people around him, he himself became like them, a snotty rich New York brat who had nothing to complain about yet went on childish tirades about anything and everything. With everything I heard I expected this book to represent the pinnacle of unabashed teenage angst, but instead I wasted a couple of hours of my life listening to the rantings of an emotionally immature teen. No, I didn't think much of the swearing, but that wasn't a big problem in my opinion. It was the overused slang and refering to everyone as "old ______." It was the ludicrous events that Holden experienced that nowhere near stood the test of time. Most of all, it was the fact that I have known twelve year olds who had more rational thought processes than Holden ever had.
The only thing that kept this book from receiving one star from me was a.) his sister, who was the only genuine character, b.) Holden's Romeo and Juliet tirade, because I actually agreed, and c.) The incident with the swear word in the school and museum. But unless you have to read this book as an assignment, don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: mmmmmmmmmm''
Review: I was 41 years old when i first read this book, I have since read it many times. I my self am not a writer , I loved the book, But it did "get'' to me in a way no other book has before.(so much so) True , I want more of holden. etc. Thats all i have to say about that"....Thanks'
Rating: 
Summary: How could you not like this book?
Review: I was advised to read Catcher in the Rye after I got hooked on the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. Its a brilliant book, and it gets better each time you read it. Ok, so it babbles sometimes, but that just lets you into Holdens character even better. I think its a fantasic book. Pros' its a great book and theres maybe some Holden in all of us. Cons' Where do the ducks go in the winter? Hmmmmmm? Anyone who could only give this book 2 stars is obviously not mature enough to appreicate such classic writing... go on, read it!
Rating:
Summary: Classic. Classic. Classic.
Review: I was amazed to read in an earlier review where someone mentioned that the pilot character in that new WWII novel, "The Triumph and the Glory", reminded her of Holden Caulfield. I'd just read both books myself and was thinking the same thing, but figured it was just one of those perceptions one has that no one else on the planet ever has or ever will share because there isn't a shred of reality to sustain it. Anyway, The Catcher in the Rye is still, after all of these years, a monumental expression of human nature and the conditions budding adults face when they begin to fathom how the real world actually functions (or fails to function).
Rating: 
Summary: I'm sure it was great in 1951
Review: I was Caulfield's age when I read this (about a year and a half ago), and teachers and peers have classified me as a bitter, negative, cynical adolescent since the age of fourteen. For these reasons, I thought that a more recent perspective on this book might be worthwhile, that is, if anyone even notices this review amongst the eight hundred starry-eyed gushes that have already been posted on this page. I don't doubt for an instant that I would have been thrilled by this book in 1951, but in more modern times, I feel that the non-conformity issues are too simple for anyone who has done any more than dabbling in independent thinking. My intense negative reaction to the Catcher in the Rye was formed more by my observation of the degree to which the book is worshipped and revered, rather than the unremarkable content of the book itself. People who wish to be classified as "free thinkers" for the sake of social status swoon over this book in an embarrassing, lemming-like manner. The main character, Holden Caulfield, is intensely irritating, and his constant use of stupid phrases and interjections made me want to crack his head open like a ripe melon. Since the book is written from his perspective, all hopes for a satisfying narrative are in vain. On the positive side, this book is very simple and short, and one can get through it quickly and painlessly in a few hours. The same cannot be said for much of the insufferable trash which oozes its way onto the required reading lists of high schools across the nation. My condolences to those of you who consider this book your life's inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Human Portrait
Review: I was completely in awe of the way Salinger captured the human thought process and experience. I felt as if I was within the mind of Holden experiencing his stream of conciousness. The book had an increadible insight into the human mind and condition; that of uncertainty, hopelessness, self-doubt and anxiety. Through the eyes of a distraught and troubled teenager I was able to learn so much about myself. I would highly recomend this book to anyone who is facinated by humanity and has an open mind. What makes the piece so real is also what makes it so disturbing.
Rating:
Summary: This is a [...]!!!
Review: I was curious to see what all the hoopla was about, but was sadly disappointed after reading this novel. Salinger excelled in certain areas of the novel, bringing to life a post-war adolescent, catching the themes, settings, etc. of the day. Not bad writing, just not a classic, a la Hemingway, Steinbeck, etc. I will admit, I couldn't put it down: I was waiting to discover where all the "classic" was, but never found it, much like Holden never finds what he's looking for (at least as far as I could tell in one read).
Rating: 
Summary: You have to think to understand a thinker
Review: I was forced to read this book for school. In the begnning it was extremly hard for me to get past the cursing and randomness of the book. I'm very anti-profanity. But once the book progressed and began to gain more depth, I felt more drawn in. I think everyone, in some small way can relate to Holden. Even though I hate the constant repitions of the book, I do like his random deep thoughts about...well...odd things. Like ducks. He likes ducks a lot, and wants to know where they go in the winter time. But you have to go even deeper than what Holden thinks. You are forced to take on the role of the psychoanalizer and see what is REALLY going on in Holden's head. There is a lot of symbolisim in the book that makes it more understandable, and for me more enjoyable after you catch it. Though I probably wouldn't have read it on my own time, I have to admit that by the end of the book, I had been dealt a pretty satisfying read. One note to anyone who reads the book: Figure out what the title means. It's pretty deep.
|
