I really did not enjoy most of this book. I'm not kidding. But the ending was pretty good ngl ( )

This book was repetitive to the EXTREME. Words like, and all, goddamit, horse around, crumby etc get driven into the ground and just make you mad. The character is completely annoying in his repetitiveness, selfishness, un-founded misery etc. Just a horrible person to have to listen to for the entire book.

I don't even know what the point of this book is. All of his opinions just got on my nerves - in the words of the Schwarzenegger - STOP WHINING! ( )

J.D Salinger cuts the bone and whets the knife-blade. His tactful biting conversational dialogue of intrigue captures the epitome of callous childhood and adolescence. To be passing back and worth between quips and frills like so many region-less mind matter. Our character is the regret of living not like our urge. The urges to ‘kill people’ but with the silver tongue of infancy. Tough exterior but a rage of light- come sit and observe the delinquency of heart peoples. ( )

This was assigned in my English class many decades ago, so I was surprised to learn that English teachers are still assigning it all these many years later. My high schooler got through it, barely, and said it was stupid and depressing, and that the story didn't represent young people at all.

Come on, teachers. There's been thousands of good books published since then. Find something a little more uplifting, hopeful, encouraging. My kids already get a steady diet of teenage angst and suicide from their YA books from the library. They know what "reality" is. But they need to see some positive reality too, once in a while. ( )

I am grateful that this was not required reading for me in high school. Interpreting Holden’s angst and fear of the dull/phony adult world was satisfying in a reflective state, but would’ve bored me as a youth who couldn’t fully relate.

When I was Holden’s age, I dreaded becoming a full fledged adult, but never postured myself in the adult way he does in this novel. Now that I’m older, I pine for the innocence of childhood often, feel like I’m faking it as a mature adult who has their life figured out, and can fully relate/appreciate this book.

I have zero desire to assassinate a president or member of the Beatles though. That’s lost on me. ( )

Like many people, I first read this book in a high school English class. I liked it the first time through, especially because 16 is the perfect age to "get" Holden, but I didn't really enjoy picking the novel apart and analyzing things like symbols and themes in class. This is just not that type of novel- this is best enjoyed on a gut level. It's all about feelings-- love or hate Holden his exaggerated emotions make him a perfect teenager. He loses a lot of people because he's negative/pissed off/sarcastic/wanting to throw up most of the time, but I like Holden because of his "sad as hell" side- there's lots of sensitivity underneath the bitter exterior.

A lot of people say that this book is immature but I think it's a good thing for teenagers to read. You don't have to agree with everything Holden says, but I think there's a lot in here that teenagers and even grown ups might relate to because, honestly, who doesn't feel like everyone's a phony once in a while? ( )

J. D. Salinger is a good writer and all, I mean he's a good writer, but old Holden is a lot, if you want to know the truth. I just get depressed as hell spending time with him. Reread. ( )

It was a huge struggle to get to the end of this book. The kid is pretty messed up and his foul language and strange thoughts were just confusing and rambling most of the time. I'm not sure I gained anything by reading this book. ( )

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger is one of those classics that everybody says you have to read, Well I have read it and it just didn’t have any impact on me at all.

Three things about this Novel annoyed me, Firstly the repetitive use of words like phoney, goddam, madman, crazy and sore, I know that these words accurately reflected the teenage colloquial speech of the time however the over use of this vocabulary really got on my nerves.

Secondly, Salinger presents The Catcher in the Rye through a first person point of view. I found this really interesting to begin with however I found myself getting tired of the narrator Holden Caulfield as he is not really a reliable character in his understanding and reporting of events.

Thirdly and most importantly Catcher in the Rye lacked a proper plot. I felt you have to dissect this book to really get the true meaning of what J.D Salinger wanted to get across with this story, and for me the book really is not worth the effort for that.

For me a 5 star read and a classic worth reading is
[b:To Kill a Mockingbird|2657|To Kill a Mockingbird|Harper Lee|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327879116s/2657.jpg|3275794] ( )

I read this book 2 or 3 times, I just skimmed over it. I love this book and the characters in the story. My opinion, Salinger is top notch. ( )

***NO SPOILERS***

When I think of a love-it or hate-it book, The Catcher in the Rye comes to mind immediately. I read this book in my early twenties and what impressed me so much about it was how well Salinger captured the indifferent, lackadaisical mentality of so many teenagers. That's what protagonist Holden Caulfield is--just a teenager trying to make sense of his life and his own self. The Catcher in the Rye is about that journey.

Loving this book seems to be dependent on how much the reader enjoys cynical narrators. I adore them, and so it made sense that I'd instantly love this slim classic. Those who hate cynical narrators will use the term "whiny" to describe Holden and will likely hate the book. Non-fans may also be haters of teenagers--but then, I can't stand teenagers (couldn't stand them when I myself was a teenager), yet I loved every word of The Catcher in the Rye. In my eyes, it's a masterpiece and completely deserving of its place as a classic and as Salinger's strongest work.

The bottom line is, "Your mileage may vary" couldn't apply more to this book. Holden's voice and point of view is so strong from the first page, and holds so steadily throughout, that readers don't need to read beyond that to know whether they'll like the whole thing. ( )

this is a perfect book and I feel disconnected from pretty much everything people say about it. I don't really understand how it has become 'the teenage angst book' and I especially don't understand why so many people love it as teenagers but hate it as adults. I read it for the first time when I was fourteen and expected it to change my life, and I liked it, but not as much as I (smiths fan, aspiring writer, recreationally miserable, etc) was supposed to. I did like it, though, and I was afraid of ever rereading it because, from the general consensus around it, I thought it was a given that the moment I turned eighteen the wool would fall from my eyes and I would realise how much holden sucked. but curiosity got the better of me and I've read it at least once every year of my life and, if anything, it started to mean even more to me once I was able to view it at a distance from adolescence.

you could call this a case of arrested development but I don't think this book is *meant* for teenagers, which isn't to say that teenagers shouldn't read it or don't get it but that it's completely mischaracterised as some kind of standard coming-of-age novel. I don't think holden is having an ordinary teenage experience, he's clearly having a mental breakdown throughout the novel, do people miss that? genuine question. it's really weird to me, it's like characterising the bell jar as relatable to every 19-year-old girl.

but as well as holden's personal trauma, it's about how the world demands cruelty and individualism as we enter adulthood, how alienating it is to be empathetic and sensitive in such a world. and ironically it seems like the people who supposedly loved it as teenagers but hate it as adults have been corrupted by these processes. still, I can't help but judge people who emphatically hate holden because I don't understand it at all - he is such a sweet boy, who has gone through horrible things, and he just wants to look out for others the way nobody looked out for him. I guess I can see why people find him grating or egotistical, but you're not supposed to agree that other people are fundamentally phonies, and he so obviously doesn't believe it either

but, anyway, perfect book, litmus test for empathy ( )

This slice of life is told over three days by sixteen year old Holden Caulfield. He is about to be kicked out of his 3rd boarding school. Through his introspection and interactions we get a picture of a kid who is very misunderstood and hasn’t a clue how to really communicate or fit in. Many of his asides about people and events in his past gradually give you an idea of how he’s gotten to where he is and why he is so mixed-up. It made me wonder how much of this novel was really Salinger’s personal life perspective. ( )

Wow, what a trip rereading this as an adult! I have such fond memories of this book from high school. The adult in me looked at the book as a whiny manifesto of a spoiled, immature little twerp.

What a difference a day (or decade) makes! ( )

The Short of It:

Read back in high school and re-read today for book club, and it’s just as wonderful as I remembered.

The Rest of It:

The Catcher in the Rye is of course, a classic. Everyone’s heard of it but I’ll tell ya, not everyone will love it. Why? Because Holden Caulfield is a piece of work! Tossed from private school for failing nearly all of his classes, Holden goes on a three day sabbatical from life. Delaying the inevitable, when he has to return home to his family for the holidays and clue them in to the fact that he has once again been kicked out of school.

Holden packs up his belongings, smokes a lot of cigarettes and ponders life as he hits bar after bar, considering his options. He’s underage but wise beyond his years so he goes from place to place making observations and hoping, longingly for people to spend time with him. He makes a few calls. Meets a few friends. Feels a bit homesick for his baby sister Phoebe, but mostly just flits from one interaction to the next, lost.

Holden is ALL of us. That’s what makes this such a good read. His insecurities are balanced by his overblown opinion of himself. Minus the bluster, the fancy hat, the cigarettes and booze and what you have is a teenage boy desperate for love. His loneliness screams at you while turning those pages.

Funny story. When I was pregnant with my first child, the name Holden was a frontrunner. We decided to go with Evan, instead. But after reading this classic again, my son really IS Holden in real life. I highlighted many passages because they could have actually come right out of my son’s mouth. I shared this observation with him and he wasn’t impressed or compelled to read the book. See? He is Holden.

What stays with me after reading this book is Holden’s voice. Salinger creates this living, breathing, sometimes seething Holden. He’s not the most well-liked guy but he can be charming, and often is, when not overcome with loneliness and doubt.

If you haven’t read this classic, or you read it long ago. I mean, I was 16 the last time I read it, I highly recommend you pick up a copy. ( )

This book was repetitive to the EXTREME. Words like, and all, goddamit, horse around, crumby etc get driven into the ground and just make you mad. The character is completely annoying in his repetitiveness, selfishness, un-founded misery etc. Just a horrible person to have to listen to for the entire book.

I don't even know what the point of this book is. All of his opinions just got on my nerves - in the words of the Schwarzenegger - STOP WHINING!
( )

I believe this may be one of the most misunderstood books. Yes, Holden is one of the most insufferable, irritating, and whiny narrators, but he is also a traumatized, mentally ill teenager who is dealing with finding his place between childhood innocence and the "phoniness" of adulthood. I will defend this book forever. ( )

I did not actually read this book in high school like most people did. I'm not sure if that affects how I feel about it? I love the voice of Holden and how real he feels to me when I read it, like he's just talking to me. I think he's a sweet character who is just learning what it's like to grow up, and he's understandably a little disappointed. This seems like a pretty universal thing, in my experience. ( )

Book 65
Catcher in the Rye.
J D Salinger.
Eleanor Conway
I read this book out loud to Peter probably 30 years ago and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The outstanding memory and we say this fairly regularly is when he became "depressed as hell" because old Mr Spencer's wife gave him some hot chocolate. Peter quotes a lot from Monty Python but this must be our joint number 1 quote?
9.5/10. ( )

I should have read this as a teenager: I would have loved it then, maybe. Forty-four year old me, can't cope with the self-absorbed whining of the evolving mind. I will re-read in ten years and see if something changes. ( )

This book was repetitive to the EXTREME. Words like, and all, goddamit, horse around, crumby etc get driven into the ground and just make you mad. The character is completely annoying in his repetitiveness, selfishness, un-founded misery etc. Just a horrible person to have to listen to for the entire book.

I don't even know what the point of this book is. All of his opinions just got on my nerves - in the words of the Schwarzenegger - STOP WHINING!
( )

I was one of the few who didn't read this in high school. At sixteen or seventeen, I wonder if I'd have identified significantly with Holden. Certainly, I wouldn't have been as utterly disengaged with everything, but I might have found some common cause.

Now, many decades later, I finally got around to reading it. I don't identify with him at all, gritting my teeth at the incessant whining and puerile responses to life's situations.

However, that doesn't mean I think it's a bad book. I do not.

I don't have to identify with ... or even like ... a character to find him three dimensional and interesting to read. The stream of consciousness, immature language, and obsessive behavior worked for me to give Holden a vivid "voice." And, while the intellectual pondering over Holden's desire to be keep youth safe from adulthood that permeates so much commentary about this book neither particularly interests me nor even resonates, pondering the role of the outsider in our society does. And certainly Holden is an outsider from mainstream American values.

It's eminently readable (in my opinion), evocative, and thought-provoking. Recommended. ( )

Tentei ler algumas vezes mas o principal é muito chato, melhor deixar na lista de dropped mesmo

This book was repetitive to the EXTREME. Words like, and all, goddamit, horse around, crumby etc get driven into the ground and just make you mad. The character is completely annoying in his repetitiveness, selfishness, un-founded misery etc. Just a horrible person to have to listen to for the entire book.

I don't even know what the point of this book is. All of his opinions just got on my nerves - in the words of the Schwarzenegger - STOP WHINING!
( )

This book was repetitive to the EXTREME. Words like, and all, goddamit, horse around, crumby etc get driven into the ground and just make you mad. The character is completely annoying in his repetitiveness, selfishness, un-founded misery etc. Just a horrible person to have to listen to for the entire book.

I don't even know what the point of this book is. All of his opinions just got on my nerves - in the words of the Schwarzenegger - STOP WHINING!
( )