The Catcher in the Rye

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Summary: Read this...And read Saliger's Other,Equally Excellent Books
Review: I honestly hope that you'll get a chance to read this stunning book. It's... well indescribable. Holden Caulfield gets kicked out of a Prep School, and the rest is his cynical journey through New York to his own home and to... well you'll have to discover that itself. All I can say is please read this book. I first read it when I was 12 and it (along with other Salinger books) changed my life as I realized that there were other people liked me who thought like this and had views of this kind. However, if you read this book don't stop here by all means. READ ALL OF SALINGER. His other books are great, and I think better than TCITR. Anyway, read this, it will change your life.

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Summary: Alas, this is actually known as a "pop icon." Poor America.
Review: FIRST OF ALL, IGNORE THE ONE STAR, AMAZON DIDN'T HAVE A SETTING FOR NO STARS. I had to read this trash for school in my ninth grade year. I took a neutral approach, if not a little bit positive, for the book before I read it. I had one of those beatnik teachers who wanted to find the hidden meanings in this worthless waste of time. We were searching in a dark room for a black cat that wasn't there. There are no hidden meanings in this book, nor are there any sort of points or end destination. Nor will you find anything worthwhile except for the brief moments of shock value when the author uses curses or talks about sex. I have read many books and frankly, this is the worst trash I have set my eyes on. SAVE YOURSELF FROM THIS TRASH, READ CLASSIC LITERATURE!

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Summary: People and their Response to The Catcher in the Rye
Review: The Catcher in the Rye is a truly great book. There is just one problem: the readers. Readers, remember, YOU ARE NOT HOLDEN CAUFIELD. Yes, he is a cool character, but he is his own person. When people try to write or speak in the manner of Caufield's persona it comes off as conformist and uncreative. So read the book, absorb it, and let it develop you. But don't BECOME the book.

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Summary: Cynicism at its peak
Review: I'm not going to get into any detailed analysis of the great aspects of the book because that job has already been successfully done by the other reviewers. What I am going to say is that I highly recommend this book for teenagers, solely on the basis that I am one and I think this book has totally changed my viewpoints. Teens can really relate to Holden because of his sarcastic and cynical views on life. For me, it was amazing because I would read something from the book and then I would think, 'I can totally relate to how he's feeling or what he's thinking'. It was almost a revelation for me. No book has ever been able to capture my attention as much as this one has. So, to everyone, ESPECIALLY TEENAGERS, I highly recommend this book - Salinger's a literary genius.

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Summary: I do believe that we're all missing the point
Review: It is pointless to try to describe this book. It is something that is not human, but holy.

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Summary: Finally got around to this one.
Review: Having relied on Cliffs Notes in high school I finally decided to give this one a go. Holden's story is of course "dated" at this point but chances are I'll probably think of him on those days when I feel like I'm about to go over the edge myself.

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Summary: The Wonderfully Sad Houlden Caulfield
Review: Whether you have heard of the book or not is irrealavent. It has, for better or for worse, become one of America's pop-culture cornerstones -and for good reason. Salinger's "The Cathcher in the Rye" is, in fact, a magnificent read. It is at once funny, thoughfull, and even tremendously upsetting at some points. The cynical and loveable protagonist is a mere boy - and a delinquent at that. Not the type of kid that kills neighborhood cats or anything, but certainly not a boy scout, either. Everything about Houlden is a contradiction. He is a child. He has the thoughts of a man. He is in the prime of his youth. He is terribly jaded. He loves his ablility to live and learn, yet he hates his contemporary excuse for an education and scoffs at the materialism around him. He is all of us in one way or another. Houlden is the profound truth we all glimpse so suddenly. He is the frustration we feel when we see profanity scribbled on a public building's wall. He is the pain and confusion we all understand when we're isolated. In many ways, a variety of readers can relate to this child who is so much more. I find Houlden truthfull to the point of agony. He finds fault where fault is to be found -- everywhere. His inability to cope with the world is a sentament many are familiar with. So, while I respect and remain intrigued by him, I also imagine him to be utterly melancholy, completely alone. Upon my first reading of the novel, I found myself wishing to be as completely honest as Houlden. I thought that the world could use that sort of truth. Then, after thinking it over, I came to the conclusion that though the truth is honest (as by definition it must be) it is also the lonliest and hardest road to travel. We close our doors and Houlden comes knocking. We don't ask the questions we should ask while Houlden serves up nothing but those questions. You'll either love him or hate him. You'll either convince yourself that you are exactly like him, or that you're his antithesis. Either way, you'll hear what he has to say. That is all he ever seemed to want anyway.

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Summary: The Four Days of Delirium
Review: The Catcher in The Rye is about a young adolescent male named Holden Caulfield who loses his grip of reality. The theme of catcher in the rye is Holden wanting to be a catcher of children to save them from growing up to adulthood. He has not been able to make the transition himself. This is shown by his constant finding fault with everything (the phonies) but he then justifies the phonies to make them acceptable to fit into his life. He is constantly disappointed with people and things which creates a state of anger and frustration. For him things and people are either totally right or totally wrong. He can't find the balance of reality. Holden begins the story as a young man who is dealing with just being kicked out of Prep School. He is trying to deal with the reaction to how he feels how his parents are going to react and of the perception of others on him as well. His encounters with Mr. Spencer, Ackley and his roommate Stradlater present Holden finding fault with everything (the phonies) . Nothing is good enough for him. His ramblings on throughout the book is a dialogue to the reader (or therapist) demonstrating his inability to organize his thoughts in a logical and reality base. Just as he finds distaste for many things and people, he in turn justifies the events or people as to make them not so bad. His self-deception creates a false perception thus producing his distorted view of his reality. Holden leaves the stability of the prep school to go to New York City for many experiences that would be more typical for an adult than what a young boy of his age would normally experience. He sees himself as an adult capable of drinking, having sex and just being self-sufficient. He also thinks of himself as being better than others as in his relationship to his experiences with the nuns. He wants to experience the luxuries of adulthood but not the responsibilities. In the latter part of the novel, Holden is sick physically, because of lack of sleep and proper nutrition, as well as, mentally sick. His thought constantly returned to his sister and his perception of protecting her. He doesn't want to have things change as in his reaction to the items in the museum. They stay the same. The scene where Phoebe is on the merry go round Holden finally stops assigning absolute values to things and finally breaks emotionally. He cries releasing his tears of delirium The book Catcher in the Rye has many themes and underlying ideas but one basis of confusion. Holden sees adulthood as a cliff to fall off, instead of a mountain to climb. His pessimistic perception of the world is what really does him in. He is his own worst enemy. If Holden could only realize it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose...this is not a failure, just life.

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Summary: An interesting observation
Review: I loved this book, but since over a thousand people have listed why this book is so good, I won't go into it. This book has obviously influenced a lot of the current writers out there (I almost felt like I was reading Nick Hornby or Brett Easton Ellis), but the thing that gave me the biggest kick was when I finally made the connection between the characters named 'Holden' and 'Banky' in Kevin Smith's movie Chasing Amy. Obviously taken from this book. (Remember Ed Banky, with the car?) I love little bits of trivia like that. Read this book, and re-read it if you hated it, because it is truly hilarious. I read it at thirteen, at seventeen, and now at twenty five, and it is still awesome.

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Summary: My absolute personal favorite!
Review: Filled with teen angst, melodrama, humor, seriousness, bitterness, psychotic and not-so-psychotic behavior, and psychoanalysis, _Catcher in the Rye_ is a must-read for any serious book-lover. While I have noticed that some people hate this book, I have to wonder whether or not they're getting the real message. The real message isn't that the world is full of phonies, that Holden is a psychopath, that procrastination is evil, or that teenagers use a whole lot of dirty words-- take a good look at the title instead of picking at the "foul" language, and you'll be in for a real treat. Salinger took a very different approach with this novel than the typical formula of most tales, which makes it refreshing and much more interesting than modern bestsellers. Open your mind and allow yourself to get inside Holden's twisted psyche, and it will be your favorite too! Also recommended are _Franny and Zooey_ and _Nine Stories_.