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Summary: To all the critics:
Review: For those people who think Holden is shallow and believe this book is worthless: it is the exact opposite because Holden is so lovable for his genuine characteristics. He hates "phonies" because he simply wants to be true to himself. Personally, I can't stand it when people are so fake and superficial. Someone who believes that Holden is a jerk obviously has not tried to look at life on a deeper level--beyond the flaky surface of people...how people THINK they should act when what they are doing is much worse than communicating how you really feel. This book just hits the spot when expressing the frustrations of life during adolescence.
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Summary: The Poet in the Mist
Review: For those who don't know if they should read, you must. This is one of, if not the, greatest coming-of-age novels of all time. Holden Caulfield flunks from a prep school, but he doesn't want to come home early to tell his parents about it. So he spends four days in New York City on his own. Holden is perhaps one of the most intriguing characters ever written down. He has a "limited vocabulary," but is wise beyond his years. And he wasn't raised by the Disney Channel and others of naive, demeaning purposes. Salinger writes speeches in poetry. This is a classic. It looks at people from a distance with a racy glance. It's a savy, street smart stupendous sample of literature. Read it. Read it today.
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Summary: Sounds great hand me the book
Review: for what ive herd this book sounds great and i love it the chartecters are so alive and i have read this book a million times and i am willing to read it again
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Summary: I did not like this book at all
Review: For work over the summer fror an AP course i was taking, i was instructed to read this book. Everything that i found within the covers, i disagreed with. First, it lacked a plot. if someone found one, please email me and tell me what it is. Second of all, Holden Caulfield is totally unrealistic. I am 15, turning 16 soon and have NONE of the feelings that Holden does, except a profound love for golf. I have never desired to drink, get a whore or anything. Holden is a character that represents a bout .01% of this population, much like the Kids who attacked Columbine. It was just something about them. My suggestion to anyone looking for a book to readis this: stay away from catcher in the rye.
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Summary: obvious theme is a revelation??
Review: For years, when people were asked which book had the most impact on their lives, Catcher headed the list. When I finally got to read this gem, I was utterly perplexed. Although Salinger writes well, the book's lack of a plot and immature, plaintive hero drove me to hate it. I could have done without a plot if Holden Caufield had learned anything from his experiences. However, upon the conclusion of the book, he is still the same insecure, apathetic, sarcastic, slimy little toad that he is at the beginning. He undergoes no change which is the only thing that could have saved this zepplin of a book. After drawing out a weekend into pages and pages of ordinary, Caufield finally realizes that the world is fake?! Well, DUH!. I have to wonder about readers who found this a revelation. I suppose if one entered the world blind to people's true intentions and motivations that this fact could be elusive. However, to those of us whio dare to think independently, the theme of the novel is something we've known for years. If you choose to read this, be prepared for disappointment.
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Summary: unreadable and phony
Review: Forget the hype and the idiocy. It's a [false] book and the author's constant use of "and all" to keep reminding us that the main character is a teen begins to grate from the very first page. This is a book that I have attempted to read all the way through for the past 25 years and could never, ever get past the third page. I mean it was sheer agony. This guy Salinger is so overrated it's laughable, just like Dostoevsky and his Crime and Punishment. And as far as Salinger not wanting to be bothered goes--fine. Leave the man alone. I mean who cares what he does or how he lives his life? I never could be interested in this guy who has written a book I could never bring myself to finish anyway. What is the big deal? People (read gullible types) don't seem to get that this is nothing more than his publisher's ploy to keep book buyers buying the...Catcher... People (some people) wonder why Salinger hasn't written/published anything in forty years. Well, it's simple: he can't write and knows the stuff he has published isn't very good at all and certainly not worthy of the praise heaped on him...
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Summary: MOST ENJOYABLE BOOK EVER WRITTEN!
Review: From all the books I've read, this may be the one that allowed me to experience a wide range of feelings...from joy and fun to sadness and anger. The book presents Holden Cualfield, who is a character who constantly feels discontent towards society...I must confess...that by moments, I felt identified with him and his feelings (which is something you'll hear from anyone who has read it). Anyway, the book is one of the most enjoyable books ever written. With a great simplicity, Salinger expressed the most dark inner feelings people have. However, it is not a book to read for an analysis, just sit, relax, read it and have fun. This is a classic!
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Summary: Excellent! A book for anyone who was ever a kid...
Review: From page one to the back cover, J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a book that certainly holds your attention. This book shows the world through the eyes of sixteen year-old Holden Caufield, who has just been expelled from his third consecutive prep school and has yet to return home to surprise his parents with the wonderful news. From the moment the book begins, you travel to so many locations and experience so many different occurrences that by the time you are finished it seems like you have spent two years, not two days, inside the main character's head. In my opinion, it is Holden's personality that really makes this book as interesting as it is. He is a very "real" person, with deep emotions and a LOT of sarcasm, which is appreciated today as a realistic quality more than ever before. Without Holden's sarcastic comments, thoughtful observations, and detailed descriptions, the whole storyline would be completely boring. These facts combined with his relationships with his family, friends, and the opposite sex, make Holden a character teens can relate to, regardless of what generation they are from. While most of Holden's thoughts are typical of one his age, there are also a few of them that set him apart as somethat mature, (and somewhat "disturbed"), which is another interesting facet of the story thrown in by Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye is definitely a page-turner. At the end of every chapter you are left wondering what Holden will do next, or what quirky memory he is about to recall. After experiencing this book for myself, I can easily see why it is regarded as such a timeless classic amongst readers of all ages.
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Summary: Catcher in the Rye Review
Review: From the very first page this book was easy to get into. It's told from a sixteen year old boys point of view, over a course of about 4 days. The boy, Holden, learns he is flunking out of his private school, Pencey Prep. He decides to run away. During the four days he is gone, he encounters several unusual experiences. I did like this book, a lot actually, but certain times during the book it got confusing and sometimes a little annoying because some of the things Holden did, specifically the way he was judgmental of a lot of people before he even knew them. Throughout the book I appreciated the way he was against 'phoney' people. He wanted people to be real with him, but it seemed like whenever someone was being real with him, he was always thinking to himself about how that person was a phoney. I was left wondering what "being real" was with Holden, and it was hard to define because the only person he really didn't call a phoney was Phoebe. I didn't really like the ending, either. It was odd because he was kind of building up to the end of the book, and then he just said, "I don't feel like telling you what happened next." It was weird, but at the same time I expected that from Holden. Even though Holden sometimes was arrogant and unpleasant, I believe that is the way the book is supposed to be. It was overall a good book and I did like it very much. I do recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: funny book
Review: Funny book. I'd like to meet the kid who wrote it.
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