Catcher in the Rye

Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read!
Review: I first read this book in 10th grade. I am now almost 30 and it remains one of my favorites. It's a classic and I think everyone should read it at least once.

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Book Ever, Hands-Down
Review: I first read this book in 11th grade, and I instantly fell in love with it. I first owned the paperback and just recently purchased the Hardcover. I was going to give away the old paperback, but I am too attached to the old copy now. That physical book, not to mention the storyline and characters, has been through everything with me, and I don't think I will ever give it away. Reading the paperback is like reliving the first time I read it. Call me a psycho, but any true fan of this book can understand my attachment. If anyone reads this and would like to share thoughts about the book, please do so. E-Mail at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Since 1959, Catcher In The Rye has never left my nightstand.
Review: I first read this book in 1959 because a teacher in my high school was fired for putting it on his Required Reading List and I wanted to know why. There has been a copy on my night stand ever since. I can only feel pity for anyone who did not grow up in the "fifties" when the world learned, through Salinger, that teenagers were people too

Rating:
Summary: Haunting and Familiar
Review: I first read this book in 7th grade--I picked it up on my own. I think that's the best thing I could have done for myself at the time. I again read it in 8th grade on my own, and then in 10th we read it for my English class. I have picked it up since then, and have read it about 5 times now. I guess the question always remains: What draws people to this book? What makes them read it over and over? I answer because it's good. Such a simple word, but true. In 11th grade this book played a major role in my life again. I wrote my term paper on JD Salinger. In some ways understanding the author helps you understand this book. I think the most important aspect that everyone must remember is the impact this book can and will have on certain individuals. And it seems so far that most of it has been received well, and I'm glad. I would recommend that young teens read this book--all of them. The main character's personality is easy to identify with. In some form I believe that deep down we all see a little of Holden in ourselves. And some people have a hard time dealing with it, but it can't be denied. I believe what's so compelling about this character is his honesty--brutal honesty. I think a lot of us think what he is saying, although we would never say it outloud, and we would never admit it, but we can all understand and feel where Holden is coming from and to a certain degree we all see the phonies in this world and we all miss our age of innocence. Holden called it like he saw it and that's what I respected most about his character. He said the things I was thinking, he put those thoughts into words I could never have imagined, and my life changed and grew as his did throughout the book

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite
Review: I first read this book in 8th grade. I was still slightly ignorant in the "ways of the world" you might say and, while I understood what Holden was saying, I didn't want to believe it. I read it again in 10th grade and then again this year, my senior year. This year is the year I finally clicked with the book. It's sad that some reviewers disliked this book because it "had no plot." It's not about what Holden is doing, it's about Holden's reactions to the world around him. After reading some of these brilliant reviews I feel like reading the book again.

If anyone feels like intelligently discussing the book feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail].

Rating:
Summary: Best Piece of Literature
Review: I first read this book in 9th Grade English (to be fair, I still AM in 9th grade English). All i do is keep reading it over and over and over again waiting until my birthday when I'll get the rest of the J.D. Sailinger books. Including of course the memoirs about him by Margret Sailinger. Until then I relate almost every to something from Catcher in the Rye to my everyday life. Like, that annoying book who sits next to me in Math to Holden's classmate at Pencey Prep, Ackley. All in the is by far the best piece of literature anyone over the age of 12 could read. I Loved it! Read it!

Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Classic - Masterpiece of adolescence
Review: I first read this book in college in a class about banned books. I immediately fell in love with it. It was an assignment that was delightful and thought provoking. Over the years I still go back to this book and discover new insights every time I read it.

Catcher is a tale of an ordinary teenager (and a quite sensitive one) trying to make sense of the world. I truly wished it was longer because I didn't want to stop reading about Holden.

Ok, if I haven't convinced you yet, I named my son Holden!

This is a must read!

Rating:
Summary: This book should only be read once and only in high school
Review: I first read this book in high school about 11 or 12 years ago. It had a great reputation in my mind, for back then, in high school, I could identify with Holden Caulfield, someone who was isolated, a bit of an outcast, surrounded by "phonies", and sensing his lack of independence. These things I too felt in high school

Now, after graduating from college, I reread the book. The second time wasn't as exciting or enjoyable; this story definately lost its luster. I don't know if this was because I am older, more mature, and have had some life experiences or if was because I read more classics in college but I now feel that this Holden is a self-absorbed, disturbed, socially-maladjusted adolescent who is critical of everything and everyone, and hates his situation, yet can't seem to do anything about it except complain. I've met people like this in college; people who find fault with everyone they meet or middle-class brats who bitch and moan because not everything goes their way. They weren't pleasant people to be around.

And I tire of Salinger's contrived writing style. Too many "he really was", "...no kidding", or "...if you want to know the truth..." It's like what Holden said about some of the performers that he saw - Salinger tries too hard to make the narrative sound like it was from a juvenile.

The one part of the story I can still relate to though is when Holden tells Sally Hayes why they can run away now but not after they become adults and live a middle-class life. Being a youth does give you a certain sense of freedom that you lose when you hit the "real world" and have pressures and responsibilities to deal with.

As a side project I think I'll list all the things that Holden hates.

Rating:
Summary: page 118
Review: I first read this book in my final year of school and now my band is called old spencer.This is the most honest, unsure and caring book. every one wants to be like Holden .there is really no explaining, now one thinks the same.

Rating:
Summary: This book grows on you
Review: I first read this book my freshman year in high school and hated it. I thought it was boring, overly pessimistic, and stupid. However, I decided to give it another shot this year. This time, I loved it. It is one of the most interesting and original books that I have ever read. It reminds me a lot of Huck Finn, not in its writing style, but in the underlying message. This is what I got out of both the books: You cannot escape from society through idealism, the only thing you can do is go with the flow and pretend to enjoy it.