Catcher in the Rye

Rating:
Summary: A disgusting look at self hatred
Review: I dispise this book. It simply portrays a boy, not quite a man, who because he hates himself and has no redeeming qualities gets himself kicked out of various schools and then ends up in an insane assylum. he is pathetic. He has no drive or redeeming actions. He is an all talk yellow person. To use his own terms. Holden Caufeild nauseates me. I forced myself to finish this book simply because it was on one of my self prescirbed summer reading lists. Despite this books other properties it is well writen and does protray a certain time in America. But I will never sympathise with the protagonist.

Rating:
Summary: Catcher in the Rye
Review: I do not believe this is exceptional in meaning, nor do I think it revolutionized the world of literature and thinking, but it is a very good book. Though it does not touch upon incredibly deep topics, it does have meaning, and is certainly a classic novel. Perhaps the greatest aspect, though, is the main character, Holden Caulfield. Many people believe they can connect with this character and understand his troubles. The amount of depth to him is amazing relative to some novels. For this, I highly recommend the book.

Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life
Review: I do not think that I am exaggerating when I say that this book is the greatest work of art (in the broad sense of the term) ever created in the history of the universe.

Rating:
Summary: a great book! Read it..!
Review: I don't even know how to begin. It's hard to put my feelings into words. But this hyped book has really affected me, and I recognised myself a lot. I think it has affected many people. For example the person who assassinated John Lennon. He had read it several times before the assassination. I definitely can't see any reason for killing someone after reading this book!
I think many teenagers recognise themselves in the book, because this is a story about a young man who feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He just feels like a lost soul. That's the way you sometimes feel when you are in your teens. You try a lot of different trails before you find the right track. Many youngsters are most likely identifying themselves with Holden Caulfield -the main character in the novel. He is a normal teenager who has been kicked out of his school, Pencey Prep, because he flunked all his subjects except English. With fear of going home he spends some days in New York among bars, parks, cinemas and phoneys which he calls almost everyone. We follow him during his adventures in N. Y. It's a very tragic book, but at the same time it is very funny. Holden describes and remarks on everything in a way that makes you smile. But in a way it isn't right to smile at him, because he is a very depressed boy, who doesn't seem to like anybody or anything. It seems to me that the only things he really cares about is his little sister and being the catcher in the rye. He wants to save kids from falling from the edge of a cliff. That's what he wants to do all day.
It is his sister who convinces him to return home after the few days in N.Y., and that's also what he does. Well at home he is taken to a hospital and it's from a bed in the hospital he tells us the whole story.

The story contains loads of flashbacks which can make it a bit tricky to read. The language is also filled with lots of swearing and slang. It was written 40 years ago, (published 1959) but I'm impressed by how modern his language is. In the beginning it was a bit annoying with Holdens "americanisms", but after a while you get used to it. Then you don't bother about the "phoneys", the madmen or the other "helluva "stuff that just kills him.
The writer manages extremely well with making us sympathise with the honest Holden. You really can feel what he feels and sometimes you just want to crawl into the book and take him home with you, and show him how wonderful life actually is. But the outcast Holden can't see things like that. He's caught up in his cage and thinks everything is terrible. But I think that deep inside of him there's a great loving side. He just doesn't know where to search for it and how to express himself.

Rating:
Summary: Profanity???
Review: I don't get it. Holden freaks out so bad when he reads that cuss word on the wall in Phoebe's school. And yet, on virtually every page of the book, Holden is cussing! And the bit where he says he's really glad the atomic bomb has been invented... What a gaff! Apart from that, there were some amusing bits. There really were. But come on. It's not that great, people. Try reading 1984 or All Quiet On The Western Front. Get a taste of reality.

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad read
Review: I don't get it. I read the book in an honors English class, I studied it, I talked about it, I thought about it. It's not bad, but it's not particularly good either. I think maybe it's just that for many teens (not all!) it's the first "real" book they ever read and really get, and that's because there's not much to get. Weird.

Rating:
Summary: what's the big deal?
Review: I don't get it. What's the big deal? The plot is predictable; the language is uninspired and repetitive (goddamn it) and the character is adolescent -- so are most of the people reading this book. I suppose it has a place in the canon of 20th century American literature - but I'm not sure where..

Rating:
Summary: My absolute favorite-- it changed my life!
Review: I don't know how many times I've read it since my first time in high school, but seeing this anniversary occasion makes me know it's time to read it again. What a treasure. All hail J.D. Salinger.

Rating:
Summary: I hate this book
Review: I don't know why everyone tells you to read this book, IT SUCKED HUGE. The whole story was pointless, it should definatley not be listed as a classic anywhere. Holden is a spoiled brat who doesn't know a good thing when he has it. He reminds me of my little bratty sister, that just deserves a big slap in the face

Rating:
Summary: If -5 stars was an option, I would have picked it.
Review: I don't know, maybe it's just me, maybe I missed something, but I thought this was the most pointless, boring, and redundant book I ever read. There was no climax; there was no meaning. The supposed "conflict" was non-existent. Just heed my advice: Don't read the book. Heck, even if you do, I'm sure you'll throw it out after the first 10 pages.