Rating: 
Summary: Highly overrated
Review: I must say that this is one of the most pointless books I have ever read. It seems to appeal to the "typical teenager" who thinks the world is full of hypocrites. The book itself holds no redeeming qualities at all and served no purpose except to waste my time.
Rating: 
Summary: Intelligent and Cynical, a Fantastic Read!!
Review: I must say, I was awfully surprised at the number of negative comments that were left on this book. I happened across this book in the store and the clean-cut cover got my attention. I picked it up, knew it was a classic, and figured I ought to read it before I headed off to college. As soon as I started reading, I couldn't put it down! I was instantly drawn in to Holden's cynicism and wit. The book didn't have a twisting plot, but that is what makes it so great! It's a thought provoking book, for sure, so if that is what you are looking for in a book, read this! I must say, it's become my all time favorite book, right up there with To Kill a Mockingbird. This a fantastic classic, and after you read it, you'll know why.
Rating:
Summary: nice portrayal of teenagers but not completely accurate
Review: I myself being a teenager enjoyed this book immensly. It was a very truthfull and honest portrayal of teenagers in general. However I felt that the main charachter Holden Caulfield was to cynical and to mature. His philosophies on life are not that of a teenager rather of an older person who has seen how horrible life can be an has become cynical and bitter because of it. Although teenagers are at times very deppresed they always have a sort of idealistic hope.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a classic
Review: I never had to read this book in high school, but talking to friends of mine who had read it, the Catcher in the Rye was a "love it or hate it" book. So, of course I had to read it.I neither loved it nor hated it. Holden Caulfield was a memorable character, one that I would love to sit down and talk with, but a character does not make a great book. Salinger created a wonderful character, a cynical yet compassionate, tough yet insecure teenage boy, an outsider in a "phony" world. But then nothing happens. We see a portrait of a kid full of angst, a character that most of us can relate with to some degree or another ... and Salinger just has him spout cynisms when he's not suddenly crying because he feels lonely. He hatches crazy schemes about running away and then abandons them when he realizes that his kid sister needs him, and he needs her. So he hangs around, then eventually goes out to stay with his older brother, who (were he not his brother) would probably be termed a phony by Holden. And that's it. He runs back to family when confronted with a lifetime of loneliness. A realistic resolution, perhaps, but not really the stuff classics are made of. At no time does Holden ever feel despair or hopelessness. And why should he? Despite the situations he is in, he's always in control and active. While he's not loaded, he's got plenty of money. He's got friends, even if most of them are border-line phonies. He's got a family who loves him. So why on earth does he feel lonely? Great characterization wasted by a mediocre book.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I never read such a boring, depressing or un-captivating book in my life. Please tell me what's the point. And isn't Caulden such a phony himself? Pleeease... However, I do welcome constructive comments on my comment. Please help me find anything interesting about the book by sending me an e-mail.
Rating: 
Summary: The Intimate View of a Credible Fraud
Review: I never read this wonderful book until I got to college. Not because I was forced to for a class but because I wanted to see what all the hub-hub was all about. I did not see what the mentally impaired saw and I was not insulted by the language either, what I saw was lonely and scared , which is why he was so sarcastic, boy who was not what the WORLD saw him as! He was intelligent and caring but put up a front to protect himself from his cold enviorment. I could identify with this character and the places he was in even though I've never even been to New York or lived in the 50's. I think the Boomers and Generation X have a common bond more than they would like to think. I know my dad and I have one with this book. Both of are generations grew up in such a society that looked good on the outside but rotted on the inside and we were and are mad about it. I think high schoolers and college students should read it but I didn't give it five stars because I does get boring in the middle with him just repeating his ideas over and over. I liked his school life descriptions at the beginnings and his relationship with his sister at the end. Overall one of the best pieces of American Literature. P.S. I recommend Robert Burns the Scottish poet for anyone who liked this book. This book and "Of Mice and Men" Stienbeck, two of the greatest American authors both named their books after two of his poems.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like the commentary on our world
Review: I never really liked this book (probably because I was forced to read it when I was young). But reading the reviews here reminds me of my favorite book. If you like social commentary - GO READ STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. Check the reviews....you will find them equally as passionate
Rating:
Summary: Still the best
Review: I never thought I would actually have to review this book; I sort of assumed that everyone knew it was great. If some people deem it worthy of less than a five-star review, though, I have to come to its defense. Since it was written, no one has been able to achieve this level of complete absorbtion. It's every bit as relatable today as it was then. It's sacred. Some people claim to have outgrown it. These are the sort of people you don't want to know.
Rating:
Summary: i loved it
Review: i never thought that i would read a book that made me understand myself so well. i mean this book might have made people feel depressed, but it made me realize what i want in life. it was beautifully written, and i hope that someday i will read a book that is as amazing as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful
Review: I never wanted to read this book, but my friend pushed it on me. One day I had nothing to read on the subway, I had in my bag, I opened the first page, and I didn't stop reading it until it was finished. It's one of the best books I've ever read.
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