Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest First-Person Novel Ever Written
Review: ... Simply put. Read it at least once a decade, if not once a year. All first-person narratives pale in comparison to Salinger's cynical watershed. The only bad thing about this book is that it doesn't make you feel any better about your own place in this world; that is, if you happen to be one of the many who see lies and corruption everywhere they turn. It will, though, give you peace in the knowledge that you are not alone.
Rating:
Summary: From a 15 year old who does not like to read...
Review: ... this was a great book! And for me to say that it was a great book, trust me, it's gotta be interesting. I won't say much more, the other 800+ comments sum it all up, but I just had to add my comment. If you're not going to be forced to read it in high school, go out yourself and read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Vulgar lingo and ill placed phrases
Review: ... This work is a compilation of ruined sentences and ill placed phrases which are so out of sync
with each other that the reader becomes bored before finishing the sentence. I was of the
fortunate few, who weren't forced to read this debauchery as a teenager, thank God for Catholic
school. Unfortunately as an adult I ran across a copy. I wound up throwing it in the trash as that
seemed the logical resting spot for the waste of paper the writing had become. The book was flat,tasteless, and Holden seemed more like a cardboard character than a real teenager. So much for this piece of so called "classic literature."
Rating: 
Summary: This isn't literature, this is a teen's diary....
Review: .... but maybe the author intended that. It isn't that well written, the language is simple, and if it weren't for the every-other-words-a-swear-word style I would recommend this to fourth graders ... it is that easy a read. But the content is really for teenagers.The story all takes place from a teenage boy's point of view. He talks the way a teenage boy would talk, and he writes the way a teenage boy would talk. The more I read it the more it sounded like one big long diary entry. Not that great a book, the whole thing takes place in something like one night. And it doesn't go anywhere. The guy doesn't learn anything, the guy doesn't regret anything, look at something different, or anything. He stays the same and the character never grows or changes. Through the whole book he keeps the same views. And I know that you can't really change views in one night, but the book doesn't go anywhere. Another thing that really got on my nevers was the narrator was very repetitive. He said every other sentence twice. He would just put an "I mean" or something before he repeated it. "I really did. I mean it, I really did," for example. He must have done that a hundred times. And a lot of things were in italics. I know the author is trying to emphasize things, just as someone would talk, but it got excessive. And annoying. Not really the best literature out there, I wouldn't call it a classic either. It's one big long diary entry. Not very well written and it doesn't go anywhere. A mediocre 3.75 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Catcher in the Rye- a review
Review: ..........A 1950s teenager kicked out of his fourth prestigious prep school. A teenager who runs away to live on the streets of New York City. A teenager who undergoes countless adventures, from aggravating his roommates while still at school, to other antics after running away, such as hiring a prostitute and fighting her pimp, sneaking drinks from bars and getting drunk, irritating cab drivers with trivial questions, making girls cry, and running away from the only man who will help him in his troubles due to homophobia, before finally returning home. He is a teenager recounting his endeavors from the confines of a mental institution. If this sounds exciting to you, then perhaps you should consider reading J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye.
.........Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year-old student at Pency Preparatory School. Or rather, was a sixteen year-old student at Pency Prep. You see, he has gotten "the ax" due to his poor grades - failing every subject except for English. In a fit of agitation, fear, and sheer spontaneity, Holden runs away from Pency Prep a few days earlier than when he is supposed to leave, and spends the extra time essentially a fugitive, bearing it out on the streets of New York City.
.........Although Salinger's mind-blowing epic novel of teen angst and juvenile delinquency was an innovation in the literature of the time (thus keeping it on banned book lists even today), the novel's poor organization and second-rate language mechanics detract from the overall thrilling nature of the story. The book, itself, is overrated. But if you, the reader, can get past the shoddy writing, you will find Catcher in the Rye to be a very enchanting tale, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Perfection
Review: ...A shocking portrayal of a dimented child's thought processand views of society...The book may seem a trifle monotonous and evenoffending to the everyday moralist. However, the true reader can look beyond the estranged character of Holden Caufield and grasp a more meaningful theme. Being able to understand the thought procedure and opinions of others is a powerful ability to possess (i.e. Prince Hal in Shakespeare's 1 King Henry IV). We do not need to agree with the anti-social, "phony-hating" character of Holden, we only need to understand his reasoning for such a display of social anxiety. In doing this, you have captured the pathos of the work. If we let our moral values and beliefs stand in the way of appreciating art, we are not capturing the full value of literature. This is a great piece and we must appreciate it for what the author intended the novel to be: A portrayal of an anti-social child.
Rating:
Summary: There is much to learn to understand the book completely...
Review: ...and though some of the previous reviews stated 16 year olds could not read and understand this book (I must admit, the majority probably can only do so to an extent) it SHOULD be understood and seen as an incredible truth. I believe that everyone goes through a stage such as Holdens', even if subconciously, and it passes by rapidly. "The Catcher In the Rye" reflects insecurities and situations all teenagers (and still many adults) have or will face. Its life, and though we cannot change it, we can only understand it better. How many times have you wanted to get away from all the phonies in your life? I read this book twice, once this past summer, another for class this year, and I would definitely recommend it. BUT, only to people who dont mind the layed-back, rambling story-telling from Holden, and of course who dont mind thinking of more than just how irrationally this (perhaps--but I have my doubts) "insane" kid faces life. This story I can relate to, I can understand, and it inspires me. Its said that JD Salinger wont be publishing anymore, so you might as well read what he has been kind enough to share with us! And think about it, it will all make sense, eventually.
Rating:
Summary: A little disappointing...
Review: ...considering all the praise that has been garnered upon this novel. By no means is this a bad book, but I just thought that it would be much better than I found it to be. I'll skip the full synopsis, but suffice to say that there is not really much of a storyline here. While this didn't bother me, some people may find the lack of action (or anything) dull. No, what bothered me was Holden's constant half-complaining. Honestly, I get enough of that at school to last me quite a while; I don't need to read about it in a book. I found the first third or so of The Catcher in the Rye dull, but that may have been because I was still expecting something significant to happen. I was also informed before reading this book that Holden Caulfield embodied the average teenager. Revision: he embodies the average underachieving teenager. Not to blow my own horn here, but I'm not an underachiever, and it bothers me when people who don't try to do anything complain about everything and everyone else. But on to the positives... Salinger's conversational style of writing is very easy to understand and read, making it seem as if Holden were sitting right there telling you his story (which I suppose was the point). While the first several chapters drag a little, the pace picks up once Holden gets to NYC and starts meeting new people. And although I complained about Holden's complaining, there were times when I was startled by how similar my views were with his. But at the same time, I'm sure those same opinions are shared by the majority of free-thinking teenagers in the world today. So while its main character may not be very unique or inspiring, The Catcher in the Rye is a novel that, if anything, enlightens you to the fact that there is probably someone out there that feels the same way you do.
Rating:
Summary: there's more to this than incessant whining...
Review: ...despite many reviews of this book i've seen and heard. this book is about holden, an unbelievably controversial character; many hate him for his hypocrisy and "whining", but i believe that these people are simply unwilling to read farther into the book, for whatever reason. i know that holden is hypocritical, i know that he whines, i know that he is immature; i am willing, though, to see what he has to teach me. this book is not striking for its plot, no. salinger gives the reader a look at the world through holden's eyes, the running commentary that is his thoughts, because salinger obviously thought that holden had something to tell us. i read this book in an english class, and it is possibly more enjoyable that way, taken in doses of a few chapters at a time and constantly analyzed throughout. however, yes, holden does have a lot to say if you're up to listening to him, and he is heartbreakingly human and adolescent for all his faults. he is not, though, a typical teen, even though i'm sure many teens see themselves reflected in him. it's not every teen who so vocally detests the "phony" adult world, and perhaps holden makes us more aware of the part of ourselves that recognizes this more socially accepted behavior as pretense and helps us decide to reject pretense.
Rating:
Summary: The "NEW" Catcher in the Rye
Review: ...One of the cover notes caught my attention. It said that WILL, who's this medicated Holden-type, just entering freshman year in college, is like Thomas Pynchon's "Crying of Lot 49" told by Holden Caufield. WILL's world isn't like Holden's New York, which is where I'm from. WILL lives right now, with malls and cell phones and laptop computers and Prozac. But WILL's still looking for meaning, like Holden did. Only the references in WILL are more contemporary. And it's funnier than Catcher! Check the online reviews. WILL cracks up just as badly as Holden does. I won't tell you why. And he's failing everything, too. Plus, the "meds" they prescribe for him don't make the world seem any less meaningless. But the book is so funny that you just kind of forget how bad things are... for awhile. Like another reader of Catcher says, it's "additive." You can read WILL two or three times. it sticks with you. And how many other books really do?
|
