Rating: 
Summary: I'm so glad I finally read this!
Review: Another Crimson Sky book club special. "The Catcher in the Rye" was not taught at my high school. It was replaced by "The Lord of the Flies" before I started my senior year. No political reasons, we were encouraged to read it, I just never did. Reading this book now in the wake of John Hinkley, Mark Chapman, and the Columbine teens, I searched for insight on why this book appeals to asocial young men. Now I know why. I really enjoyed this novel and I feel it is an important book to read and discuss. This novel is more than just a glimpse of teen angst. It's a look into the alienation, depression, and delusions of an outsider. The funny thing is that Holden has the potential and opportunity to be accepted but his choices and actions keep him back. So the question is, how much of our own angst do we inflict on ourselves? One of many questions, you can take from this book. Definitely recommended for reading. Absolutely recommended for discussion.
Rating: 
Summary: Should be called 'Much Ado About Nothing II'
Review: Another good title for the book could be 'The Dopey, Immature Kid with a Lousy Attitude'. I read this book twice, once as an immature teenager and the second time as an immature adult. The reason I read the book again as an adult was to find the so-called 'great meaning and powerful ideas' that are supposedly contained in the novel. I found absolutely nothing of significance and meaning that would qualify this novel as a classic or masterpiece.
Basically, this novel is simply about an immature, screwed up, mentally disturbed, brat with a terrible attitude. The only thing the kid needs is a good, hard kick in his butt. Don't get me wrong. It's an interesting read and somewhat enjoyable, but that's all there is to it. If you want to read a great novel with real significance and superb insight about our world then read '1984' by George Orwell, the greatest novel I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Review Number 1050
Review: Any book that elicits this much of a response is certainly powerful. Is it a good book? This IS a good book. Why? Holden is one of the most believable characters ever written. He sees that adults are "phony," and he doesn't want to be one of them. Who can blame him? He is sometimes whiny, but I think he knows it and the sincerity of his pain is absolutley devastating. He is immature, but he is fighting against the loss of his innocence. He's a very perceptive, if not always very articulate, sixteen year old. If you never had any doubts about the truthfulness of the way adults represent themselves, or if you think prose should always be lyrical, you might not like this book. If you are interested in an honest representation of a youth's struggle with his impending adulthood, you probably will. Either way, you should read The Catcher in the Rye, just so you will know what everyone else is talking about.
Rating:
Summary: Just J.D. and Me
Review: Anyone who has yearned to tell a spontaneous, elaborate lie to a total stranger, just for the heck of it, will love the character of Holden Caulfield in this book. That's OK as far as it goes, but when assassins of popular cultural icons, like John Lennon's killer, seek to relate their motives for evil actions by referring to this book, what does that mean? It means this book can also function as a magnet for the unhinged, who wish to be free by reinventing themselves. The whole catching image articulated by irresponsible young Holden is hard to understand, too, and who really knows what a field of rye looks like anyway? Why the cliff image? Could it be that being caught in a big whopping lie is like suddenly falling over a cliff? No way to repair it? Just time for sudden, dramatic consequences? Salinger is a riveting personality, and also a great anti-hero, exemplified by his resolution to never talk to a single critic about this book, with the sole exception of a girl writing for her high school newspaper. Maybe he was tired of over-serious, over-credentialed literati types, who are too late and too ill-equipped to redeem their heavy, boring lives from their earlier failure to embrace a little more spontaneity, a little more fun, a little more high school newspaper derring-do. Whatever it is, it's still fun to read. Buy this book and carry it around and just watch the looks you get. Especially airports and bus stations, teeming with would-be foils for the next Holden Caulfield to play with.
Rating:
Summary: This is just sad.
Review: Anyone who rates "Catcher in the Rye" less than 5 stars is a sad excuse for a literary minded American. "Catcher in the Rye" is the definition of 5 stars. Get with the game here, folks.
Rating:
Summary: Great for every age!!!
Review: Anyone, boy or girl, can relate to Holden and the situations that he goes through. And I believe that we all know somebody just like him too. This is a book that you just can't put down.
Rating:
Summary: Open-minded Teenagers Will Like It
Review: Are you a high school student who isn't in the "cool" group? Are you constantly ridiculed and/or picked on? Or are you just cynical and mad at the world? If you are any or all of these things, this is the book for you. It is your bible. Holden Caulfield IS you. Sorta. And he IS me. Sorta. We can relate. That is what makes the book so good, it is realistic and believable. It could happen to anyone. In fact, it happens, more or less, to hundreds, maybe thousands, of teenagers every year. Out of all the characters in popular literature, Holden is probably the most "real" to his readers, with the possible exception of Sherlock Holmes. I know people who thought this was a true story and wondered why the author's name didn't match Holden's. All this is not to say that only teenagers will like the book. They are more likely to like it, but anyone could like it. It is a realistic description of the world. Many of the things said in the book about human nature are so dead-on accurate that is it damn near scary. SPOLER ALERT. The sad ending, where Holden ends up in a mental ward is depressing. One can only wonder what would've happen if he had gotten his cabin in the woods like he wanted...
Rating:
Summary: The Catcher in the Rye: Teens can relate
Review: As a 14 year old new Freshman, I have just read the Catcher in the Rye for my summer reading. It was really by chance that this was the book I choose. I had heard it was a classic and basically had no good reason for choosing it. After reading this book though, I can truly say that I am happy that it is the one I decided to read. Although I haven't been around for very long, I must say that J.D. Salinger expresses a degree of literary genius higher than anything I have ever read before. I feel that teenagers can definately relate to the Holden Caufield character in many ways. Although most are not as fully "crazy" or distraught as Holden may seem, I think that all teenagers can at least relate to one aspect of Holden's personality. I think the way that Holden seems to believe that as you become an adult you lose your innosense and ultimately become a "phony" is the way that a lot of young people feel.
Rating:
Summary: I Can Relate to Holden
Review: As a fifteen year old, I understand the problems that Holden Caufeild undergoes in the few days that the story takes place. The way he states his opinions are exaclty the way I state my opinions in my mind. He has a true, down to earth character that most teenagers can understand. He is a strong individual who is not afraid to speak his mind and does what he wants to do, which is a hard quality to find in most people my age.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Breathtaking
Review: As a reader I found it to be a well thought out book that had a lot of information that is true within today's society. Especially with the difficulties that teenagers go through these days; it justify's their situation!!!!
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