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Summary: A few passing thoughts on "The Rye" from my dorm-room cell
Review: As long as you are not offended by what happened outside the Dakota building in 1980, you will love this book. Salinger's colorful descriptions and use of language make you feel like you are 16 years old, wandering around New York City. It is littered with thoughts and ideas that teenagers have in todays day and age. But the hardest part to figure out is where is Holden Caufield when he is telling this story? A guy asked me that once in Washington Square Park, and I absolutly coulnd't remember, so I picked the book up and read it again. Salinger out did himself on this one.
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Summary: If a body catch a body...
Review: As one of the "great books", and one that a former consumer I worked with listed as her favorite, I felt a certain obligation to read <em>Catcher</em>, at least once.Alienation? You betcha.
Amazing insight on the part of the Narrator? No.
Interesting insight on the part of the author, into cynical teenage angst? Somewhat. I didn't particularly enjoy reading Catcher, nor did I see, at the time, what the "greatness" that was supposed to be mined from the pages. Reflecting on it now I can begin to see a little of it. Perhaps this is one of those books that was meant to be read and discussed as a group, rather than consumed in a solitary mode.
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Summary: Holden really is a phoney!
Review: As one reviewer already noted, Holden is a phoney. I didn't read this book in high school, but many of my college friends did, and loved it. A few of them even started smoking because of this book! I wasn't so impressed. I like Salinger's voice for Holden, but the character isn't that likeable and nothing really happens. The book doesn't break any real ground other than its use of the vain saying "god damn." It's entertaining, but don't expect to find the meaning of life here.
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Summary: Has lost little of its luster
Review: As profoundly insightful as a novel can be, CATCHER IN THE RYE is the best novel I've read this summer, except for perhaps THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY, which has a protagonist that reminds me of Holden Caulfield. But I'll review Triumph on its own page. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE is just remarkable, a novel of such truth that only the finest works of Hemingway or Faulkner can touch it in recent American literature.
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Summary: What Speaks to You?
Review: As with all books, and music, poetry, etc. as well, certain ones will "speak" to you depending on your frame of mind, and in some cases, your gender. This is a book primarily for boys (of any age) who have not yet reached a level of maturity where they can move beyond the troubling issues of youth. While I thought it an interesting read, it does not speak to me. Rating a book is pointless, reading a review of a book is not. It is the only way to determine if a book may be something you wish to read.
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Summary: Disappointing to say the least.
Review: As with the beginning of any good book, (whether fiction or other), you begin to familiarize yourself with the characters and start to search for the underlying plot or story, if it's not already known, and then as that story begins to unfold, you continue to read with great anticipation and expectation for some kind of climactic conclusion which brings meaning and understanding to all that has preceded it, constituting a comedy, a tragedy, a mystery, a success, a failure, a moral statement, etc., or some combination thereof. The Catcher in the Rye exhibits essentially none of these qualities and leaves the reader confused - feeling that he/she has failed to grasp some symbolic meaning behind the story (when, in fact, there is none)- and longing for closure. The whole story revolves around a two or three day period (staged around the 1940's-1950's) out of the life of Holden Caulfield, a cynical, pessimistic, negativistic, complaining teenager who doesn't have even the slightest sense of direction in his life. You quickly learn to dislike this disturbed youth and wish to counsel him, which would probably be as much of a waste of time as it was reading this book. How on earth this book has come to be known as a Classic I don't understand. There are so many good books in this world - don't waste your time with this bad one!
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Summary: Must be be for teens only.
Review: At 20, I was too young for Jane Austin. At 43, I must be too old for "Catcher in the Rye". Either that or this book did not survive the 90's. It was 214 pages tedious, annoying drivel about pretty much nothing. Considering the real world concerns of Americans in the 1940's, it's not a wonder the author advanced the time frame to well after World War II. How could anyone at that time, even the young emphathize with this character's petty pet peeves. About half way through, I was struck by it's similarity to a bad episode of Seinfeld - tedious, annoying, not funny. At times it was depressing, so I'd call it "Clinical-Seinfeld". The only thing I got out of it, was being able to say I read it.
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Summary: I think this book is a lot deeper than we can perceive.
Review: At first Holden seemed to be the kid nobody liked but after a while you find yourself mad at people who try to hurt him.
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Summary: classic lit for evry1
Review: at first my eng teacher told me i had to read the book and i was the first one to run over to waldenbooks to pick up cliffs notes. which i, ahem, have done for every other book we read this year. but then one morning i was really bored and saw the first page where he totally blows off any apprehension that the reader might be holding. this boy has no reservations whatever for what people think, which is really cool and i wish i could do the same. so i abandoned all hope of patronage to cliffs and read the whole damn thing. i liked that he was honest and that he had feelings for people esp his sister and allie and i got a sweet laugh out of the idioticism of the other characters like jane and stradlater. i know far too many people that live in glass houses and it just made me thing about that. this is not a stupids book- in other words maybe i shouldnt be reading it but it gave me a little more insight into the life of a teenager. i definitely enjoyed it but i wish the ending had been a little more versatile.
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Summary: GRAND
Review: At first, the novel was really enjoyable to read, but as I got toward the end, it slowed down a bit. This is somthing I didn't enjoy and its why I didn't give it 5 stars. The most enjoyable part about the novel, was the way it was written. When you read, it like your talking to someone, which makes it really easy. Everything was very clear and easy to understand. Good writin' J.D.!
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