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Summary: Purity and inocence in a phony world
Review: J . Salinger - The Catcher in the Rye His first novel , The Catcher in the Rye published in 1951 established J.D.Salinger `s success as a novelist . Inspite of its success the novel was criticized because of the colloquial language used in it ,full with lots of slang words and expressions . The book describes a teenager`s weekend in New York .The hero , Holden Caulfield is not an ordinary teenager because he is a neurotic person and he cannot adapt to the complex society in which he lives . All he wants is a simple kid of life , in the country side , being a kind of modern Huckleberry Finn , in look for the American Dream .Holden is not a brilliant student , at school all he likes is the English literature . This is one of the reasons he is expelled from the school . After this event , Haulden decided to stay by himself in New York up to the moment holiday would start . Holden is a very sensitive teenager and after his adventures in New York he finally comes to reject the adult`s world , a world which he consider to be " phony " Under his bad manners and bad behaviour ,Holden hides an essential purity and innocence .
Rating: 
Summary: dramatic social criticism
Review: J. D. Salinger shows us a young man pushed over the edge by the shallow emptiness of social behaviour and by lingering grief for his dead younger brother which he has felt forced to bury. Holden Caulfield is perhaps not an immediately attractive character - he is hypercritical, edgy, self-absorbed and self-deceiving - which is understandable since the book chronicles his gradual emotional disintegration, ending with him 'getting pretty sick' and having to "rest up a bit" in an unidentified institution. Holden's desperate attempts to prevent his collapse start when he flees school and the book follows him round his hometown where his grip on reality begins to slip and he becomes increasingly emotional. I found it interesting that one of those giving this book a bad review seemed to think that Holden was a real person - Salinger's portrayal is certatinly realistic enough to make this understandable. Many of the reviewers have concentrated on the fact that its main character is a teenager - however I believe that people of all ages will identify with Holden's distress and the anger and despair he feels about society.
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Summary: A Classic for All Generations
Review: J. D. Salinger's, "The Catcher in the Rye," is a classic novel of an adolescent who discovers the truth of human nature when he leaves school early. The themes and observations expressed in this story are classic, for all generations. The characters are realistic, and well defined. They are also easy to identify with, especially the lead character Holden Caulfield. Holden tells us the story of what happened to him during the days after he left school, which he would soon be kicked out of, and went out into New York City on his own. During the time Holden is in school, and when he is out on the street, he meets many people. Holden is able to give a character depth and recognizable characteristics simply by telling a one story about the person. For example, the story of a boy he barely knew named James Castle. James refused to take back a comment he made about somebody; he was then ruthlessly beaten by the kid and his friends. When he could no longer take the abuse he gathered up the strength to run and jump out the window, killing himself instantly. James is only talked about this one time in the novel and doesn't contribute anything crucial to the plot. He does, however, show us different emotions of Holden (such as caring for others) as well as telling us about another interesting character who some may be able to identify with. There are so many characters Holden meets, even the small ones add to the story and leave an impression on the reader. Through Holden's short journey of self-discovery, he evolves as a character and goes through many emotional changes, ranging from depression to overwhelming joy. He starts as a depressed adolescent who's angry at the world and its "phonies." After meeting so many of these adult phonies, who he despises, and realizes that his dream is to protect the children, like his beloved sister, from becoming phonies. By the end of his journey, he realizes this dream is unrealistic, and that you must let children live and enjoy their innocence and freedom. This shows how people can change and how you have to take time to realize the truths of life. "The Catcher in the Rye" is told through the viewpoint of Holden Caulfield, a young teenager. When he describes the way people look, or an outdoor landscape, the descriptive language is limited to a teenager's vocabulary. Although he can observe people accurately, his description of his surroundings could be more detailed. If he did do this, the book may have not been as realistic. Though the story is great without the description of physical characteristics, I think they would have made the reader feel more connected to Holden by seeing the surroundings through his eyes. Today, "The Catcher in the Rye," is hailed as a classic for all time. This however, was not always so. When the book first came out in 1951, parents were afraid that their kids would leave school, and that the adult language would corrupt their young minds. This is highly ironic in that this is exactly what Holden wanted to protect from happening, and many people felt he was causing the corruption of children. "The Catcher in the Rye" has connected, at some level, with almost all of its readers. It is a timeless story of self-discovery and realization. The characters are memorable and captivating. This is one of the great American novels.
Rating:
Summary: perfection
Review: j.D Salinger's book, althoug nearly 50 years old, is a timeless piece which displays evrythign from the thought process to the mind patterns of a teenager to someone who is depressed, what's more even if you arn't either of these you'll be able to get inside of them. This book absorbs and takes over and you literlaly feel like you've know Holden (the protagonist) for years. You can go back and back.
Rating: 
Summary: well written but boring
Review: J.D. Salinger definitely knows how to capture voice and the whole essence of a character. Catcher in the Rye is a perfect example of this. He must have an excellent imagination to totally develop a character like Holden Caulfield. In the beginning of this book I did not like the main character, Holden. But after awhile I began to realize he wasn't so bad after all. I could not really get in to this american classic,though. Maybe because it was the first stream of conscience book I read.
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Summary: Well written, Salinger captures Holden perfectly.
Review: J.D. Salinger delveloped Holden wonderfully. Holden became a character any teenager could relate to. Holden became one of my friends throughout the book. Stream of conscience has always bored me until this book. I tried not to be too analytical, but Holden was easy to disect. He was thoughtful and intriguing. His hardcore attitude did not fully disguise his respect and interest in children. I admire Holden and could understand his points of view and his unreal justification for his actions. Overall, I loved this book. It's different and that is what makes The Catcher in the Rye spectacular!!
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Summary: Best and most down-to-earth book ever.
Review: J.D. Salinger has a very unique writting style. Instead of making his books sound perfect and boring he makes you feel like this is an actual person talking to you. The Catcher In the Rye is no exception.
Rating:
Summary: Entrancing
Review: J.D. Salinger has given the world, quite possibly, it's best novel; "The Catcher in the Rye". A glimpse into the mind of an enstranged teenager, made cynical by his circumstances, could easily become an unweildy mess of literature - but Salinger made the character of Holden Caulfield so believeable and truthful that it is impossible to discredit his views. "The Catcher in the Rye" follows absolutely none of the standard literary rules relating to plot or character development, but the novel can still hold it's own, and makes readers FEEL with Holden, and make them question if they themsleves are one of the 'phonies' that Holden fears so much.
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Summary: The Catcher in The Rye
Review: J.D. Salinger introduces a typical teenage boy in The Catcher in The Rye. Holden Caulfield, the main character, is much more than a teenager going through a tough time. He is a very special boy with special needs. He doesn't understand and doesn't want to understand the world around him as he calls everything he doesn't like a "phony". Holden doesn't express his normal thoughts or feelings. He doesn't trust his teachers and parents because he can't understand them, not because he doesn't like them or wants to separate from them. There is not much in Holden's world that he understands. The only people he trusts and respects are Allie, his brother D.B, and Phoebe, who is his younger sister. Everyone and everything else that he knows of are "phony". Holden uses the word phony a lot of times to describe his feeling about the people he doesn't like and things he rejects: his roommate Stradlater and Ernie for example. He also calls his school, Pencey Prep, a phony school because he doesn't like most of the students and the teachers. Holden said, "The more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has". Holden is being kicked out of Pencey Prep because he is failing four out of five classes. Although he's left with many memories, some are good but most are bad. Holden, being scared of going home from his parents, leaves school a few days early and travels to Downtown, New York. On his way, he runs into many people such as his sister Phoebe. Not only did Pencey Prep made him think it was a phony place to be, but Holden thinks the whole world is a phony place to be after seeing Downtown, New York. Holden's little sister, Phoebe, offers to help Holden because he wants to find out who he wants to be in the future of his life. Holden realizes what he really needs is to move out in the west and live in a cabin to escape from all the phony things in the world, and not be involved in anything with anyone. What he wants to discover is a relationship that will be suitable for him to live under. J.D. Salinger, the author of the book, wrote this book so well that when you are reading with your mind concentrated on the story, you imagine it as a reality. You think you are going through the phase that Holden is going through in the book. Salinger uses a unique style of writing because you imagine you are in the conversation yourself. I can't imagine this story having any weaknesses because of the way Salinger describes the scenes and the experiences of Holding. Thus, it has much strength as Salinger awaits you to find out impatiently what will happen next in the story. I would recommend this book to teenagers 14 years of age and older because The Catcher in The Rye is a interesting life story, for people who are confused about their lives, or don't know what to do with their lives and want to freshen up a bit.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: J.D. Salinger is a very interesting person. Although, he would not want you to know that. His views in Catcher in the Rye mirror his real life experience (i.e. his dream about escaping the real world and living in a log cabin in the middle of the woods). Salinger writes in the vernacular- a sure sign of what was to come in literature during the sixties. He writes about life as a teenager so convincingly that I thought at times he was writing about me, about my feelings, my emotions. Not that I am on the urge of a nervous breakdown like Holden; I am just saying that Salinger expressed his intelligence by writing fiction so eloquently that it seemed to be the truth. If you've never read Catcher in the Rye you are missing out. It will surely establish itself as one of the greatest American novels ever written.
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