Rating: 
Summary: This is such a great piece of modern literature.
Review: I really liked this book because it just hit home with me. Most people can relate with Holden and what he is going through. I really like it when you can relate with the characters in books, that alone makes it worth reading. Overall, it is a great story and i really enjoyed it. Remember, don't tell anyone anything, or else you will just start to miss everything.
Rating: 
Summary: Good stuff
Review: Like Alex in "A Clockwork Orange," Holden jumps off the page due to the wonderful narration. The novel is just as relevant today for teenagers as it was when it was written, and the story is fun to follow as Holden begins to find himself.
Rating: 
Summary: A Vulgar and Disgusting Book!
Review: I am very suprised at why this book is considered a classic. The only reason I can muster up is the fact that J.D. Salinger was quite before his time. I was recommended this book by my ninth grade English teacher because she knows I enjoy classics. However, I was highly disappointed by the way this book was written. Sixteen year old Holden Caulfield has just endured expulsion from a prestigious preperatory high school and does not want to tell his parents of his extreme failure so he decides to head to New York for the carefree life he has always dreamed of. The language used in this book is quite improper for my taste and there really is no plot. I must admit that the author uses impeccable detail, yet there is not sufficient character development or plot growth. I forced myself to read the whole thing because I ALWAYS finish every book I start, but it was extremely difficult to refrain from cringing at every curse - used after every three words. When I reached the end, I still did not understand why the book's title is Catcher in the Rye. I found no hidden meaning or life-altering theme, I just found a long rambling of a jaded teenager. I also find that the book supports the age old stereotype that teenagers are whining ne'er do wells. Not all teenagers think or act like the teenager depicted in this book. I now offer some final advice: Save some money and do not buy this book. It is not worthy of all the praise that it has recieved and it certainly does not live up to its "good name".
Rating:
Summary: Awful - Vulgar, Disgusting, and Utterly Disappointing!
Review: My English teacher recommended this book to me becasue she knows I love classics. However, when I picked up the book and read the first sentence, I was disappointed. The book tells of three days in the life of Holden Caulfield, a sixteen year old former prep-school student. All I got from this book was a look into the world of a typical teenage boy with a big annoyance with the world. I thought this book was disgusting and horribly written. In fact, I only made to page twelve before throwing it in the trash. If you want to save money, DO NOT buy this book. It certainly does not live up to all the hype.
Rating:
Summary: A pathetic look at a jaded, phillistine med-student.
Review: In J.D. Salinger's over-hyped classic, we meet Holden Caulfied an overly sensitive, introspective, aspiring Ph.D. who goes underground in New York for two months to find enough money to finish med-school. Through several telephone conversations (the ultimate dramatic device) with his aggressive domineering father (one can only imagine the Kafka influence), we see Caulfied as an innocent lamb on the cusp of an emotional meltdown. He finds himself taking up many degrading jobs -from coroner to male escort- all in which he repeatedly and unconvincingly sees the dark side of humanity, until he ultimately finds himself in a nihilistic state of despair. Though his language may be course and even archaic by today's standards, the story, in its entirety, along with Holden himself, is not. His faux-naïf tone and attitude are unconvincing at best and utterly annoying at worst. The prototype of the cynical young adult, he has inspired generations of readers to avoid medical school -with all its 'pretense and pomposity'- and become summer camp counselors- the purported 'soul cleansing' career he ultimately chooses. We can thank this book for the surplus of unemployed camp counselors that continue to wound the economy. I think that what bothers me most about this book, is that being a med-student myself, I found the grad-school portrayed here -Pency school of medicine- to be an inaccurate, and potentially harming version of the seemingly sacred institution after which it was carelessly modeled (brief note in passing: possibly the most annoying part of the book was when he called the Pency school of medicine 'ennui-city'). Holden's dissertation on 'the correlation between alcoholism and small New England coastal communities' -as he put it- was absolutely absurd and preposterous in my opinion; almost bordering on sacrilege. My advice: skip this one kids; buy the cliff's notes.
Rating:
Summary: the gravy is better than the potatoes
Review: Many reviewers praise this novel based on its theme of lost innonece or the lack of ingeniousness in adult society as revealed through the eyes of a teenage boy that is defined as psychotic by the author (possibly due to the untimely death of a brother). I felt a bit cheated by the author's choice to give Holden an excuse for his perception of society. I believe the beauty and brilliance of this novel is not the portrayal of the challenging journey from adolescence to adulthood or the depiction of a society as seen by certain madmen, but instead by the portrayal of society as seen by many of us that are easily confused and disgusted by the norms of human behavior. Holden's minute by minute interpretation of social encounters is so well documented (the writing style used in this novel is unmatched) that the reader will frequently relate with his sentiments. Salinger's ability to capture these sentiments so precisely over and over again was enough to make Catcher in the Rye one of the best reads ever. Go ahead and try to find value embedded deeply in the story, but as far as I am concerned, the payoff is all on the surface - whether Salinger wanted it that way or not.
Rating:
Summary: An Example of Descriptive Writing
Review: Salinger epitomizes the art of descriptive writing. Holden's thoughts, though random, are so vividly displayed in front of the reader, it would be near possible not to see what he is feeling, seeing, experiencing. I was fortunate enough to have missed being forced to read this book in high school. Instead, three years later, I made the decision myself. I believe that made all the difference. I, now, can appreciate the magnificence of this work.
Rating:
Summary: A great book which details the struggles of young men!
Review: Although I have read this book 3 times in earlier years, I found it full of new surprises this time around as I read it for a class. I can identify greatly with the main character, Holden Caulfield, as he roams through the streets of New York, looking for anything to give him some self confidence in his life. You can't help but feel sorry for him as he puts on facades of swearing and acting tough to compensate for yearning and loneliness. He is expelled from his school, and decides to leave several days early and spend some time in New York city before he faces the music of explaining his recent mishaps to his parents. Holden encounters all sorts of situations in the few days before he finally goes home, all of which are detailed in this book. J.D. Salinger writes a wonderful representation of what a teenage boy feels inside many times throughout his life, searching for acceptance, and self realization all in one step. The symbolizm which gives the book its title is masterful and is one of the more analyzed aspects of this American classic novel. I would rate this novel very high on a list for young adults, but would advise against for those under the age of 16 because of the profanity. Pick it up if you havent already and I promise that you wont be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Standing the test of time
Review: The Catcher in the Rye has truly stood the test of time, being one of the most well known stories of all time. It isn't suprising how so many people can actually relate to Holden. He's the truth that most people can't even come close to admitting to. I read it for the first time when I was 15. I checked it out at the school library, just to see what the fuss was about. I am reading it again, absorbing more, feeling more, and coming to admit my own feelings of life and society. I personally believe that this should be a story that should be passed to adolescents at the coming of age, teaching them that life isn't as easy when you're out on your own. If you love deep reading, this is definetly worth the time. I read it better, and understood it more while I listening to Pink Floyd, but that won't work for everyone ;)
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: this is a great book that I could really relate to, and is powerful enough to have me look at life differently. "like Holden Caufield, I tell myself, theres got to be a better way.." -Dexter Holland
|
