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] ( )