Catcher in the Rye

Rating:
Summary: Freedom of speech? What?
Review: All I can say is thank you, "freedom of speech". What's that I hear? "What is this 'feedom of speech' of which you write?" Ahh, I could tell that most of you 1-rating reviewers had never heard the term. I apreciate the intelligent negative commentary; I didn't love the book myself. But those who say it shouldn't be taught because it's "vulgar language" shouldn't be allowed to "poison another child's mind" oviously don't know any children. Children, I hate to say it, can be the most visciously cruel and vulgar things on the planet... The Catcher in the Rye is quite mild compared to some of the things that I have heard out of the mouths o' babes. I guarantee that the average fifth-grader (there are OF COURSE exceptions) knows at least as many "dirty" words as you do. What else could a child be "poisoned" by? The insanity here adressed? Oh look, the prevailing American attitude once again rears its ugly head: if we ignore it it will go away. Sorry, welcome to the real world. Lets not pretend we're doing kids a favor by keeping them ignorant. And, as I said before, don't assume that kids don't already know about these things. They do, especially by the age that a child reaches the reading level necessary to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Kinda boring.
Review: All I can say is that if a school makes you read this book, it's not that good. Also I have been told by my fellow classmates that they agree. Read the other posts to see what I mean.

Rating:
Summary: *Gets evil ideas*
Review: All I can say is this is by far one of the best books I've ever read, and probably will stay that way. JD's style of writing is so amazing, and I simply love listening to Holden. This is the kind of book that, after reading it, you're never the same.

Rating:
Summary: Catcher in the Rye is a book of profound simplicity. Real.
Review: All in all, this book made me want to know the author, as Holden would have put it. I loved every page of this book because I felt as if I knew Holden. I identified with him to some extent and I wanted to know more once the story ended. He was so real, which was refreshing to read for it is so often difficult to attain such an intricate level of emotional simplicity, it was as if we were let into the sore mind of this teenage boy. His private thoughts there for us, thoughts that made me read many lines and paragraphs over and over again. This is the first book that I have read more than once. A unique way of story-telling.

Rating:
Summary: A life-saver
Review: All my life I have read hundreds, possibly thousands of books, and i have not had a book affect me as much as this book. All the books that i had read prior to this one had been a means to escape life and reality. As other people turn to drugs to escape unhappiness, i turned to books to do the same.

However, CITR made me face reality, made me question my disillusionment and my anger. The first time i read this book at age 13 i was too young and immature to see the significance of it. I read it again three years ago when i was 17. During that reading i felt chills at the back of my neck...i felt Holden was me personified.

Since then i've learnt the reasons for my depressive episodes. Ive learnt to deal with the imperfections of society and the weaknesses of humans. Like Holden I too, am recovering.

I wish all people could see the love in this book, the love Holden had for innocence, for the purity of life and for the goodness in people.

This book is great to me because it has incited such passion in one whom thought she was passionless.

I feel a sense of futility in writing this review. One tiny review amongst many, some of which captures the essence of CITR much better than i have. But i feel compelled, as with many others, to defend this book, and maybe to hope that at least one person reading this will find it helpful. Please email me if u have any questions. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: I finally caught up with a "classic"
Review: All throughout my adolesence I had been told to read this book and that I would enjoy it immensely. I never did though, as I was always busy with sci fi, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and Stephen King books at the time. Then fast forward a few years and I'm in my early 20's and realizing I don't read for my personal enjoyment nearly as much as I used to anymore. I finally ordered this mass market paperback version of this J.D. Salinger "classic" and gave it a read and was very happy with it.

Salinger has a style of writing that is one of the most fluid and easy to read of any author I have ever read. He is able to be descriptive to the point that you can truly see everything the character does, yet at the same time does so in such a manner that it doesn't bog down the pacing or bore the reader which is quite hard to do. Catcher In The Rye is one of those page turners that will keep you up until 4 am because you can't put it down, you are always wanting to read just one more page and see what happens in young Holden's life.

The story itself is well known, Holden Caufield is a troubled teenager being kicked out of a prep school and spending a few days in New York before going home. The book follows Holden and his adventures along the way from a first person point of view. Holden a very very cynical young man, and his character is the reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5. I myself was a teenager who was quite cynical and untrusting of other people, but nowhere near the degree this character is, and at times the overuse of him finding everyone to be "phonies" got a bit annoying.

Overall I highly reccommend this book to anyone, particuarly teens and 20 somethings who have yet to read it for whatever reason. It's not very long, at about 220 pages and can be read in one long sitting or a few shorter sittings if need be.

Rating:
Summary: Holden is, for all time, the summation of adolescent angst.
Review: All to frequently, reviewers tend to look at Holden as the voice of a post war generation. It would seem more appropriate to say Holden is the voice that so many of us, no matter what generation we are, wished that we had while going through the growing pains of adolescence.

Rating:
Summary: A book for the ages.
Review: Alright, well I'm also a teenager and seeing as all the other ripped this book apart, I think I'll go ahead and support it. This is simply the best book I have ever read. I admit, I go to prep. school and it's sometimes rough and Holden realistically portrays that. The character of Holden Caulfield does NOT represent all teenagers and that stereotype. He represents so much more. A teenager sick of the world before he has even reached manhood. This may be a critically acclaimed book and I'm sure it has won many awards before. Now forget that for a moment and simple read the book. Holden's wryness and the extremeness of his character well represent a person searching for who he is and in doing so what the world is around him is like, "phonies" and all. J.D. Salinger has simply outdone himself.

Rating:
Summary: A J.D. Salinger Masterpiece
Review: Although Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is a popular classic literature novel, it is still enjoyed today by people of all ages. Holden Caulfield demonstrates perfect adolescent behavior through his angry tones, bitter actions, and negative attitudes.
The story begins when Holden is 'given the axe' at his prep school in New York, which leads him to a few days of freedom out on the streets in NYC. Personally, the idea is genius. A sixteen-year old boy struggling with adulthood and responsibilities needs nothing more that time alone to clear his head. This is where J.D. Salinger throws much adventure and excitement into his novel. I wouldn't exactly call it suspense, but I always had to keep reading on into the next chapter because I just had to know what Holden would do next.
Possibly another reason I think so highly of Salinger's novel is because I closely relate myself to Holden. I am a sixteen-year-old kid who is facing adolescence, and I share some of the same characteristics as Holden. When I decided to read a classic, I thought it would bore me to death, but I realized that fifty years ago teens talked and acted much like they do today.
Through Salinger's brilliant ideas, relating characterization, and humor, I was drawn into the fact that Catcher in the Rye is one of the best novels I have read. Even though it was written fifty years ago and is considered a classic, I don't think its popularity will ever fade.

Rating:
Summary: Not for me
Review: Although considered a classic, I would not rate this book highly. It has no plot and becomes tedious to read after the first 70 some pages. I think I know why so many people rate the book highly; it does a good job of showing the thoughts of an adolescent on the verge of becoming an adult. But the lack of plot and meaning just ruined it for me. I would compare this book to an abstract painting. I liked it at first because I thought it was original, much like the way abstract painting was original at one point. But after reading the whole thing, it was like I had spent a day going through an abstract art museum.