The Catcher in the Rye

An unusual telling of the need for every young person to find themselves where they are so they can then launch onward. Know who loves you so you can love yourself.

It is a great shame Salinger never did a follow up book. His type of literature voice, and the specific character of person he speaks to is scarcely seen in the world of books. If you enjoyed this try Plath ‘The bell jar’ or Dostoevsky ‘Crime and punishment’ they will speak to you as well :)

I read this book for summer reading (school) and I have to say it has definitely made its way to my favorites list. I loved the symbolism especially the context behind the title. There also was a part of the book that I deeply resonated with because it reminded me of one of my most fond memories in my childhood. Overall, this is definitely a book id recommend to anyone looking to explore some influential writing.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger started off rough, but grew on me as the book progressed. Simply put, the main character Holden is a terrible person, and a character that pains you to read about. A nihilist to the extreme, nothing ever seems to make him happy, that is, except for kids who have the one thing he wishes deep down he still has; innocence.

As Holden embarks on his journey home, you begin a journey yourself, and an emotional attachment begins to form. I found myself enjoying the moments he shared with Phoebe and the kids he encountered because that’s when I believe we saw the real Holden. The Holden from before his little brother passed, only he knew that version of himself could never exist again, and also just how fragile the innocence that came with it could be.

That internal struggle he was facing dealing with those thoughts was what intrigued me the most. I believe those headaches and pains he experienced were psychosomatic and that his true pain was knowing his shortcomings might not just affect him, but also Phoebe.

With that said, I found the beginning to be particularly rough to get through. Holden seemed incredibly rotten, and there didn’t seem to be any redemption in sight to make you want to stick with it. I found the ending to be lackluster as well. The book to me was really getting good, Holden was becoming someone whose motives I understood better, and then that was it. I imagine maybe this was intentional. Seems fitting for a character like Holden to never reach a satisfying conclusion. Regardless, an intended unsatisfactory ending is still simply an unsatisfactory ending.

I understand how it was ground breaking in the 50’s but it’s not something I would recommend 70 years later.

I hadn’t read this book since high school. Once I started, I could hardly set it down. I was anxious to find out what happened to Holden. I wasn’t disappointed.

Some may find the lack of action too boring, but I love the slow descent of Holden. We also share similar world views and a hate of anything “phony” and that’s probably why I enjoyed it.

Didn’t like the story

So I’ve heard about this book. Feel like it’s one of those books we’ve all heard of, but nobody except our English teachers have read. So I started it just to see what this famous book is all about.

This book was a bore. Holden, our main character, is a complainer, a narcissist, and just a disturbed person. He lacks any depth and is kind of a negative person the whole story.

I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. It was slow and the dialogue never really drew me in or was interesting. A flat out waste of time for me. Don’t read it, google what it’s about and you will be better off.

Holden (the main character) is the most annoying person ever. I had to read this for a school project and I hated every minute of it.