It’s been a classic since I was a teenager. Need I say more?
Okay. One more tidbit. My characters in Middle Ageish read Catcher. My main character, Sunny, is fascinated that Holden says “Girls lose their brains when they kiss,” although this isn’t a direct quote. It’s pretty close, though.
Sunny sure thinks she’s losing her brain.
Author
archangelmaja
2 years ago
mmm I really do like this book…sooo much…i hope you can love it also..so when you read it carefully…tell me how was your day with book..I d hope you will enjoy so..
Author
cjdaly
2 years ago
One of my all-time faves. I’ve read it at least three times.
Author
fredmiddle
2 years ago
Probably one of my favorite books of all time!
Author
sahealey
2 years ago
I was introduced to this book as a teen. It was love at first page. Since then, I’ve re-read this book so many times it’s not even funny. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
Author
germucito
2 years ago
Have yet to read it
Author
cecildzingayi
2 years ago
I really tried to like this book, to understand it, but I failed mainly due to the fact that nothing happens, of any significance at least. I’ve given it two stars and not one because there where times when i kind of enjoyed it.
I have one question though, what’s the moral of the story, what was Salinger trying to convey? Could it be that there are people such as Holden who fail to fit in to any social divide, who find everything and everyone utterly dissatisfying, true social rebels, misfits. Holden was aware of everything he was doing, he clearly understood why he’d left the schools he’d been enrolled in. Our persona was immune to adult confrontation though at times he appreciated why they did it. Holden was annoyed because he had already made up his mind as to what he was going to do and become. The future he saw for himself was not the one everyone else had in mind for themselves. I believe that’s why he left school, why he wanted to be alone, because he hated where he was at in life and Holden just desired so much to be someone else somewhere else even though he evidently couldn’t take care of himself out in the real world.
However, one thing he had in common with the rest was he wanted to belong, to be a part of something even if it meant leaving everyone else behind which was odd because the only people he loved and admire where those from his childhood, namely his deceased brother, his sister and Jane. They all have one thing in-common they’re all young children. His last memory of Jane was when they were younger. Maybe the reason he held such fond memories of Jane and adored his younger siblings was because he never understood older individuals and why they did what they did. It’s wouldn’t be shocking if Holden met Jane now he’d have disliked her.
Anyway, I guess where I’m going with this is that maybe Salinger like Holden hated society. Maybe that’s why he grew increasingly private, eventually erecting a wall around his property, because he wanted to be alone, maybe he never liked most people too, other than his family, I really don’t know, these are just my thoughts. I’ve been trying to understand the book, to understand Holden and sometimes to do that we need to go to the root, the author. Maybe Holden is Salinger’s innermost self. His dream could have been to go west too, stay in a cabin in the woods, live simple and free, and maybe that’s what imprisoned them both in the end; one was locked away in a house the other in their mind (I’d assume that’s why Holden didn’t tell us everything that happen, or tell his brother what he thought of everything that happened), both with the intention of keeping people’s thoughts and opinions out… who knows
With all this being said maybe I should give this book a better rating, seeing that I’ve found my own understanding of it and all of sadden it’s not as bad as I had first thought. 2.5 stars.
Author
breeza17br
2 years ago
damn near started crying when old Holden told his baby sister what he actually wanted to be, that one thing that he probably knew he would never be, would only be a fantasy, and he was okay with that. Read the title.
Author
genedesrochers
2 years ago
The greatest most inside-my-head novel I’ve ever read. Don’t know how he captured what it is like to live in this world with this one amazing, screwed-up person named Holden, but he did it. The tone, the angst, the humor, it’s all there. I cannot get enough of this novel.
Author
williamljgalaini
2 years ago
While containing a distinct narrative voice and providing a radical evolutionary first-person narrative, this book did not age well. Your enjoyment is strongly reliant upon your tolerance of the protagonist.
Author
villanelle
2 years ago
I’ve expected more. It has almost no story line but it was my fault that I expected something else. To read and enjoy this you need to feel some kind of anger towards the society to relate to the main character otherwise it won’t say much to you
Author
patches1626
2 years ago
I kinda don’t see the point in the book but it can be interesting
Author
madinicklaus
2 years ago
I don’t know where I would even begin to start when it comes to describing this book. Let’s just say, this is one of those books that is hard to put down. I’ve read it a few times now, and it never ceases to get old. The characters are amazing (especially Holden), as well as the message of the story. I know I will continue to read this book for ages because I get so into it every time. I would highly recommend this book!
Author
robertwilson
2 years ago
This is one of the few books that I’ve read multiple times.
I think Holden’s character is absolutely fabulous! His hypocrisy, his vulnerabilities, then he comes together in the end with his sister. Such a fun story. Hilarious too!
Author
cassandramalcolm
2 years ago
Just plain wonderful!
Author
davraham
2 years ago
This is one of my favorite books, yet, it’s hard for me to tell you exactly why. I think it’s the voice. It’s sincere, it’s real. there’s a lot of currents flowing through this book, and I find it enjoyable to read over and over again.
Author
mesafrankie13
2 years ago
Great Book.
Author
d0nnyb0nham13
2 years ago
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I have wanted to do so for a long time because it’s usually assigned for school but I was never required to read it. I wanted to take it upon myself and see why people either strongly adore this novel or find it abhorrent. I personally feel like Salinger flawlessly highlights how different the experience of a teenager is to the experience of an adult or a child. The style in which The Catcher in the Rye is written in shows that the author can convey really complex emotions like anger or disappointment in a very simple way and Salinger describes things very beautifully and poetically throughout the book without being overly flowery or formal. This story really captures the struggle of adolescence/young adulthood of wanting to regain a sense of childhood wonder and innocence but coming down to reality with the awareness that you can never go back in time. Another really intriguing aspect of this novel is how the time period is emphasized (without being overwhelming) through the main character’s vernacular and his activities. When Holden faces boredom he has to preoccupy himself by physically doing something, compared to now, people Holden’s age solve their boredom with technology. Salinger is able to write about that time period without the story being engulfed by the time period. This book is something people can read whenever because it relates to the human psyche so well. The Catcher in the Rye as a book itself has kind of become what it talks about—wanting to go back to a simpler time but being unable to. Readers today can read this book & relate to Holden but they know that they can’t go back to the way things were in that time period in the same way that Holden can’t go back to his childhood or project himself into the future as he talks about throughout the novel. The messages throughout the novel regarding teenage angst, and losing innocence, and chasing something you cannot have, among other things, cannot be conveyed in a single quote that encapsulates what the author is saying. The Catcher in the Rye as a whole has to be taken together.
Author
gabriellencouncil
2 years ago
I wasn’t a huge fan of this book, I think this mostly had to do with the age at which I read it. I went through my fair share of angst in my teens and early twenties, but reading it at 25 didn’t seem to have a strong impact on me because I could no longer directly relate to Holden. I do recommend reading this as a teen, I think it would be much more relatable.
By jdsalinger
Tale of growing up but in a twisted way.
It’s been a classic since I was a teenager. Need I say more?
Okay. One more tidbit. My characters in Middle Ageish read Catcher. My main character, Sunny, is fascinated that Holden says “Girls lose their brains when they kiss,” although this isn’t a direct quote. It’s pretty close, though.
Sunny sure thinks she’s losing her brain.
mmm I really do like this book…sooo much…i hope you can love it also..so when you read it carefully…tell me how was your day with book..I d hope you will enjoy so..
One of my all-time faves. I’ve read it at least three times.
Probably one of my favorite books of all time!
I was introduced to this book as a teen. It was love at first page. Since then, I’ve re-read this book so many times it’s not even funny. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
Have yet to read it
I really tried to like this book, to understand it, but I failed mainly due to the fact that nothing happens, of any significance at least. I’ve given it two stars and not one because there where times when i kind of enjoyed it.
I have one question though, what’s the moral of the story, what was Salinger trying to convey? Could it be that there are people such as Holden who fail to fit in to any social divide, who find everything and everyone utterly dissatisfying, true social rebels, misfits. Holden was aware of everything he was doing, he clearly understood why he’d left the schools he’d been enrolled in. Our persona was immune to adult confrontation though at times he appreciated why they did it. Holden was annoyed because he had already made up his mind as to what he was going to do and become. The future he saw for himself was not the one everyone else had in mind for themselves. I believe that’s why he left school, why he wanted to be alone, because he hated where he was at in life and Holden just desired so much to be someone else somewhere else even though he evidently couldn’t take care of himself out in the real world.
However, one thing he had in common with the rest was he wanted to belong, to be a part of something even if it meant leaving everyone else behind which was odd because the only people he loved and admire where those from his childhood, namely his deceased brother, his sister and Jane. They all have one thing in-common they’re all young children. His last memory of Jane was when they were younger. Maybe the reason he held such fond memories of Jane and adored his younger siblings was because he never understood older individuals and why they did what they did. It’s wouldn’t be shocking if Holden met Jane now he’d have disliked her.
Anyway, I guess where I’m going with this is that maybe Salinger like Holden hated society. Maybe that’s why he grew increasingly private, eventually erecting a wall around his property, because he wanted to be alone, maybe he never liked most people too, other than his family, I really don’t know, these are just my thoughts. I’ve been trying to understand the book, to understand Holden and sometimes to do that we need to go to the root, the author. Maybe Holden is Salinger’s innermost self. His dream could have been to go west too, stay in a cabin in the woods, live simple and free, and maybe that’s what imprisoned them both in the end; one was locked away in a house the other in their mind (I’d assume that’s why Holden didn’t tell us everything that happen, or tell his brother what he thought of everything that happened), both with the intention of keeping people’s thoughts and opinions out… who knows
With all this being said maybe I should give this book a better rating, seeing that I’ve found my own understanding of it and all of sadden it’s not as bad as I had first thought. 2.5 stars.
damn near started crying when old Holden told his baby sister what he actually wanted to be, that one thing that he probably knew he would never be, would only be a fantasy, and he was okay with that. Read the title.
The greatest most inside-my-head novel I’ve ever read. Don’t know how he captured what it is like to live in this world with this one amazing, screwed-up person named Holden, but he did it. The tone, the angst, the humor, it’s all there. I cannot get enough of this novel.
While containing a distinct narrative voice and providing a radical evolutionary first-person narrative, this book did not age well. Your enjoyment is strongly reliant upon your tolerance of the protagonist.
I’ve expected more. It has almost no story line but it was my fault that I expected something else. To read and enjoy this you need to feel some kind of anger towards the society to relate to the main character otherwise it won’t say much to you
I kinda don’t see the point in the book but it can be interesting
I don’t know where I would even begin to start when it comes to describing this book. Let’s just say, this is one of those books that is hard to put down. I’ve read it a few times now, and it never ceases to get old. The characters are amazing (especially Holden), as well as the message of the story. I know I will continue to read this book for ages because I get so into it every time. I would highly recommend this book!
This is one of the few books that I’ve read multiple times.
I think Holden’s character is absolutely fabulous! His hypocrisy, his vulnerabilities, then he comes together in the end with his sister. Such a fun story. Hilarious too!
Just plain wonderful!
This is one of my favorite books, yet, it’s hard for me to tell you exactly why. I think it’s the voice. It’s sincere, it’s real. there’s a lot of currents flowing through this book, and I find it enjoyable to read over and over again.
Great Book.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I have wanted to do so for a long time because it’s usually assigned for school but I was never required to read it. I wanted to take it upon myself and see why people either strongly adore this novel or find it abhorrent. I personally feel like Salinger flawlessly highlights how different the experience of a teenager is to the experience of an adult or a child. The style in which The Catcher in the Rye is written in shows that the author can convey really complex emotions like anger or disappointment in a very simple way and Salinger describes things very beautifully and poetically throughout the book without being overly flowery or formal. This story really captures the struggle of adolescence/young adulthood of wanting to regain a sense of childhood wonder and innocence but coming down to reality with the awareness that you can never go back in time. Another really intriguing aspect of this novel is how the time period is emphasized (without being overwhelming) through the main character’s vernacular and his activities. When Holden faces boredom he has to preoccupy himself by physically doing something, compared to now, people Holden’s age solve their boredom with technology. Salinger is able to write about that time period without the story being engulfed by the time period. This book is something people can read whenever because it relates to the human psyche so well. The Catcher in the Rye as a book itself has kind of become what it talks about—wanting to go back to a simpler time but being unable to. Readers today can read this book & relate to Holden but they know that they can’t go back to the way things were in that time period in the same way that Holden can’t go back to his childhood or project himself into the future as he talks about throughout the novel. The messages throughout the novel regarding teenage angst, and losing innocence, and chasing something you cannot have, among other things, cannot be conveyed in a single quote that encapsulates what the author is saying. The Catcher in the Rye as a whole has to be taken together.
I wasn’t a huge fan of this book, I think this mostly had to do with the age at which I read it. I went through my fair share of angst in my teens and early twenties, but reading it at 25 didn’t seem to have a strong impact on me because I could no longer directly relate to Holden. I do recommend reading this as a teen, I think it would be much more relatable.