The Catcher in the Rye

Rating:
Summary: The best book i've ever read
Review: "The Catcher in the Rye," is one of the books in my life that I had actually taken the time to read and enjoy. I first heard about the book from a friend, and he told me it was one of the most enjoyable books he had ever read. I was shocked to hear this, because my friend is one of those kids that only reads a book if he has to, and he usually doesn't enjoy anything he reads. So, I took his advice and read "The Catcher in the Rye" and to my surprise, I wasn't able to put the book down. The reasons I couldn't stop reading was that I enjoyed the fact that I was reading about a kid who is roughly my age who has a lot of problems and events going on in his life, just like any other teenager.
Holden, who is the main character in the story, is one of the reasons why I liked the book. Holden is someone who I would say to be a semi-normal teenager. He is normal in the fact that he isn't sure about the world, and he always wants to experience what others are experiencing. He constantly feels the need to be sexually involved with a woman, and goes to such extent as to flirt and dance with women that are 3 times as old as he is. Holden's character is very entertaining, because he is so rebellious. One way he is rebellious is the fact that he has failed out of three schools, and when the story begins, he has just failed out of his fourth. He entertained me because, he is always mad about something. He likes a girl named Jane Gallagher, who he has dated in the past, but his roommate Stradlater is dating her now. This angers Holden, because Stradlater is constantly teasing Holden about what he does with Jane. Holden attempts to fight Stradlater, but Stradlater is to strong and the fight ends up with Holden getting a bloody nose, which shows Holden's cocky side.
Even though Holden is going through a tough time in his life, he still has time for his sister Phoebe, who is the one person that makes him happy. Holden's love for Phoebe is another reason why I enjoyed the book. I liked the fact that being a big brother to his sister was important to him, it helped show Holden's softer side. When he got kicked out of school, his sister Phoebe was the only family member that he personally told. He never even told his parents that he was kicked out of school. That proved to me that Phoebe was very important in Holden's life, and that he was most comfortable around her.
Overall, I would have to say that "The Catcher in the Rye" is a great book. I was glued to the book the whole way through. The only aspect of the book that I didn't completely enjoy was the ending. When the book is concluded, it leaves the reader without a conclusion of Holden's story. Instead, it allows the reader to decide and predict what will happen to Holden as he journeys to his new school and how the rest of his life turns out. "The Catcher in the Rye" is a very easy book to read and will be able to keep your attention throughout the whole story.

Rating:
Summary: Why do we force children to read this garbage?
Review: Who decides books are classic? What school board comprised of ancient individuals so out of touch with children decided that this book was literature, and therefore had to be forced down the throats of every teenager? This book is TERRIBLE. It is hundreds of pages of mindless garbage about a psycho teenager. Holden Caulfield is a delinquent who decides that the world is full of phonies. Along the way, he decides that he needs to save the innocents, like his sister Phoebe (That's just gross, he's in love with his sister). He also hires a prostitue, then decides that he just wants to "talk" with her. (I thought this book was supposed to be realistic and "in touch" with what children are like. You tell me what teenage boy wants to talk with a prostitute). The rest of the book is the rantings and ravings of a lunatic, and it is a waste of paper, and truly an insult to the trees that were cut down to print it.
Avoid this book at all costs!

Rating:
Summary: Beating my head with a rock would have been more fun
Review: I had to read this for english. I'm a cynical 16 year. If any thing this shows your the complete illogic in cynicism. This is the only book that ever frustrated me to the point of throwing it across my room. If you like a pointless story about some hipocrit who does nothing but complain then read it. If you prefer something atleast mildly entertaining that isnt page upon page of literary B*TCHING then go read a real book.

Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: Catcher in the Rye is the story of Holden Caulfield's three days that he spends in New York, by himself, as a 16 year old. It's near impossible to give a good summary of it because there are so many subplots and tangents in the book, but this is part of the fun. To get as much as you can out of the book you must discuss it with people. If you're able to understand what Salinger was trying to get across you will enjoy it more. I think the age of the reader has a lot to do with the enjoyment one gets from it. The closer one is to the age of Holden, the more they will enjoy it. They can see how he is so similar to them or people they know. I believe most everyone knows someone who is like Holden and if people can somewhat understand Holden, they may be able to understand other's in their lives. It's just a flat our good story and is easy to read. It'll go by quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Who is Holden Caulfield
Review: "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield stuff, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth," Holden states (Salinger 1). That's how J.D. Salinger starts off his book The Catcher in the Rye. Have you ever heard or read a book or anything for that matter that starts like that? I don't know about you, but that's the thing that got me to want to continue reading this book, and it's also what made me like it. The whole story takes place in the late 1940's and happens in less than 7 days. Holden Caulfield is our main character and throughout the story he struggles with being an outsider, phoniness, and the pains of growing up. For me, it's really hard to connect to a book; however I connected with Holden's character because we have a lot in common. People in the book keep asking Holden pressing questions and his response is," It's such a stupid question, in my opinion. I mean how do you know what you're going to do till you do it? The answer is, you don't," (Salinger 213). I don't know about you or anyone else who has read or will read The Catcher in the Rye, but I enjoyed this story and connected with what Holden did, the choices he was faced with, and the decision he made. A great book. Another book that I enjoyed a great deal is called The Losers' Club by Richard Perez. Without a doubt, these are my 2 favorite books, so far.

Rating:
Summary: Small Book with a Big Story
Review: This Book by J.D Salinger is one of his finest (if not shortest).
It tells the tale of adolesance in its most cynical and sarcastic form... in the form of a soon to be expelled prep school boy to be exact.
You watch the young character work through his emotional problems and spiritual problems in his own unique cynical matter. The story is well developed and is witty to the ending... with a slightly disturbing surprise ending that leaves you thinking for days after you've read the book.
This is one of the most well developed and complicated characters to ever be presented in literature, and his story is one worth reading about.

This book is recommended to anyone as a good read and good example of fine literature.

Rating:
Summary: If a body catch a body...
Review: As one of the "great books", and one that a former consumer I worked with listed as her favorite, I felt a certain obligation to read <em>Catcher</em>, at least once.

Alienation? You betcha.
Amazing insight on the part of the Narrator? No.
Interesting insight on the part of the author, into cynical teenage angst? Somewhat.

I didn't particularly enjoy reading Catcher, nor did I see, at the time, what the "greatness" that was supposed to be mined from the pages. Reflecting on it now I can begin to see a little of it. Perhaps this is one of those books that was meant to be read and discussed as a group, rather than consumed in a solitary mode.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and sad
Review: Holden Caulfield cocks a skeptical eye on everything "phony" in mid-20th century American life. He's a flawed but funny narrator.

Also recommended: Too Much of Nothing, by Michael Scott Moore, for a sharp take on pretense and high school in the mid-1980s.

Rating:
Summary: A great book, but not for all
Review: This book explores the feelings of a young, cynical teenager who is struggling with understanding the world as he grows into adulthood. He is kicked out of many prep schools, and really has no sense of belonging anywhere. He gets away from school and travels to New York City to try to figure out what he wants to do, and how he will accomplish his tasks.
The Catcher in the Rye is one of those books that a person will either think is a great read, or a bunch of unimportant events that ultimately lead to nothing. To truly understand the book, a reader must do a little outside thinking on what is being said, rather than just read and wait for things to be explained. One must admire the writing style of Salinger in this book, even if they do not care for the story. Salinger writes The Catcher as if straight from the mouth of a teenage boy in the 1940's-50's. He keeps this idea the entire book, and as I was reading I felt like a friend was relaying his thoughts to me, just as he would say, and not worrying about being literarily correct. (Although all/most of it is) Basically, if you like to see the world from a completely different point of view, if you can get into a book that does not have so much action or explosions, and if you have ever been a teenager trying to understand who you are and where you fit in, then I suggest you read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Boring.
Review: That's about it .... I read this when I was a teenager and I read it again later on, trying to figure out what exactly was supposed to be so great. Both times I was amazingly bored. With the character, with the whole plot or lack thereof, whatever. It's well written, it's a perfect portrait, but I just didn't care... sort of like the Basketball Diaries. Again, didn't really care, and that had lots of drugs in it to make it interesting.

Everyone I know had a more interesting real life than these people. Maybe it's just the way it's described; if someone were really telling this story I'd be interested, but it's just so blandly written. It's like he took some great event and turned it into porridge.

I just don't relate ... I must be some sort of freak. Three stars because I'm afraid someone would come beat me up if I gave it less, and after all I've read worse written books.