The Catcher in the Rye

Rating:
Summary: Starts well, but goes nowhere
Review: This book is like one of those Saturday Night Live skits that's entertaining when it's ten minutes long, but not so entertaining when it's stretched to fill enough time for a feature length movie. The book chronicles a few days in the life of Holden Caulfield, a 16 year old who's been kicked out of private school and decides to leave early for home. In the beginning, Holden's attitudes and observations, told in his own words, are amusing. Practically everyone he knows is either a moron or a phony. But his cynical attitude quickly becomes boring. Nothing of interest happens other than Holden going from place to place, meeting different people, having the same types of conversations, and making the same types of observations. It's a shame because the book could have worked on many different levels. As a character story, it would have been interesting to explore the source of Holden's cynicism, but that never happens. Holden mentions the death of his brother and of a schoolmate, which clearly had profound effects on him, but never really elaborates so the reader is left guessing. The dark humor of Holden's cynicism could also have sustained the story if there had only been some variety in his observations, but unfortunately there wasn't. Perhaps this book was edgy back in the 50s, but today it's just dull.

Rating:
Summary: Great book for teens!
Review: The first time I read this book was my first year of middle school...when everyone begins to grow up, question everything, and hate the world about 90% of the time. This was a perfect time to read this book because Holden Caulfield, the main character, is a teenager who is very relatable to most adolescents.

The book talks about subjects that most teens are interested in, including the opposite sex, parents, and college. Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old boy growing up in the 1950s who just got kicked out of prep school, and doesn't know how to tell his strict parents. He takes us through a few days in New York City, and shares with us his fast maturation after realizing how much he loves his little sister Phoebe.

The way that J.D. Salinger gave depth to Holden makes any girl want to marry this fictional character by the end of the book. He's sarcastic writing makes this book never a bore.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: Catcher in the Rye is about a troubled teen by the name of Holden Caulfield. At the beginning of the book, Holden is thrown out of his highly prestigious prep school. In fact, this the 4th school that he has been expelled from. Holden is very connected to his sister and sympathizes about his dead brother a lot in the book. I am also very connected to my sibling just like him. Throughout the book Holden refers to people as being "phony". I can relate to this greatly because nothing bothers me more than people expressing themselves differently than their true selves. Holden's struggles during the book were interesting to follow because at times they would remind me of my past. I specifically liked the ending because the author does not leave a definite ending. He allows the reader to create and ending in their own mind that would fit the way that they perceived the book.
J.D. Salinger does a magnificent job of creating a character that can relate to so many young people. He takes the reader on a 48 hour journey of Holden's life, and it makes you never want to never put the book down. I would suggest all teenagers to read this book. In fact, I would strongly recommend this book to be a must read in high school's across the country due to its extraordinary portrayal of a troubled teen in society. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Mrs. Spehar is the greatest teacher in the world!

Rating:
Summary: The Catcher in the Rye
Review: The Catcher in the Rye is one book I really don't know how to react to. Holden the 17 year old narrator of the novel is just plain "phony". I say this because all throughout the novel he is telling us about how he thinks everything and everyone is phony. He narrarated the novel in first person from a psychiatric facility months after the events in the novel occurred. His reactions to people are weird. At first I found them an annoyance but once I kept reading the novel his reactions became kind of humorous. The whole novel took place just about two days before his Christmas break. His sister Phoebe acts as his best friend and he tells her everything. Holden always seems to mess up his chances with the girls he goes out with and always makes dumb mistakes.
He never really thinks over what he does. One person who tries to help Holden out is Mr. Spencer who is a history teacher at his school Pencey Prep. Holden didn't want to listen to Mr. Spencer though because Holden thinks he did nothing wrong. Mr. Antolini was Holden's favorite teacher and when Holden went to visit him, he makes Holden feel uncomfortable. It seems that every time he tries to connect with someone there becomes a conflict. Nothing ever seems to go smoothly for him.
The meaning of the title "Catcher and the Rye" is a person who tries to catch little children as they are about to fall off of a cliff and this is what Holden's goal is in life. I think you can decide for yourself but in the end I think you will agree with me. Holden is a very odd character and you must have patients to read this novel. So that is why I rated it 3 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Catcher in the Rye Book Review - A Teen's Perspective
Review: This book, "Catcher in the Rye," by J.D. Salinger, accurately depicts the life of a student, Holden Caulfield, in the late 1940's, who has just side-stepped his educational career by failing out of high school. He then wanders around New York City, avoids going home with the one exception of visiting his sister, and does not tell his parents about flunking out.

I liked this book for a number of reasons. I felt it was easy to relate to his feelings, and Salinger easily shows what is going through this teen's mind. There were many times in the book where I just couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what would happen next. With so many twists and turns, the only way to find out was to read on.

However, the negative side of this book also revolves around the thoughts and emotions of Holden. Many times throughout the book, the same emotions are displayed, where Holden says the same reaction about people. It becomes annoying when he says the same phrase over and over again.

Despite those negatives, I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading again in the near future. This book was highly controversial in past years, especially in the late 1960's. Nevertheless, this book is compelling, and I recommend it for all who love to read over the age of 16 due to a high level of profanity.

Rating:
Summary: The Catcher In The Rye
Review: The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye was a enjoyable book. The book is told by Holden Caulfield and the days before his Christmas vacation break. He is a troubled boy with depression problems that will be visible encounter as the book is told by him. The part I thought was interesting is how a person can exclude themselves from the world and become depressed. Holden attended Pencey Prep, and all boys' school. This would be the fourth school he attended and got kicked out of or chose to leave. I believe if he is already on the fourth school, something must be wrong. I feel bad that this keeps happening to him, but it is also his fault for allowing it to happen. Holden is now being kicked out of Pencey Prep, he didn't apply himself so his grades where really poor and they asked him to leave the prep school. The major problem that he has with this world is that he thinks that everyone is phoniness. I think he is also phony because there is a guy Ackley who he can't stand but he still talks to and is kind of nice to. Holden decides to leave early from Pencey before Christmas break starts. He and his room mate got in a big fight over a girl. Holden gathers all of his belonging and catches a train to New York City where his family lives. He doesn't go home to his families' apartment. He decides to spend two days consuming alcohol and loneliness in New York. I think he should have gone home to get help from his family other then getting drunk and not solving any of his real problems. His problems were still there when he became sober the next morning. Also if he went home he wouldn't be lonely because he would have his little sister and his parents there with him. He decides once his money is gone, nothing can get any worst so he goes back home to his parent's apartment and visit his sister Phoebe. She seems to be the only person he is able to communicate with in the entire book. After talking to Phoebe he feels better and decides to see an older teacher of his before his parents get home. He visits with Mr. Antolini thinking that it would make him better but really he leaves his house feeling more depressed. He doesn't understand how hid world is so full of phoniness and thinks it is such a horrible place to grow up in. I feel bad for him because he needs help, his world can be bad but with his problem it is making it so much worst and harder for him to live in. He all the sudden decides that he is going to move West. The first person he thinks about telling first is Phoebe, he meets her in the park and watchers her with fright as she plays. Holden decides that there can be no catcher, that all you can do is hope kids develop in this harsh world on their own. Holden is now being hospitalized and recovering from his illness that had taken over him. I hope he comes out seeing the world differently and isn't as lonely, and is able to make a direction for himself. I thoroughly liked this book. It wasn't a happy cheerful book but you got to see inside someone with an illness of this kind. There are so many people suffering with this disease and it is so hard to understand how this could happen to a person but it occurs everyday.

Rating:
Summary: Cally's review
Review: "I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff- I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." This is a quote made by Holden Caulfield, the narrator of The Catcher in the Rye. He was explaining to his little sister, Phoebe, how he wants to protect children from being corrupted by adulthood.
Anyone who read this book would agree with me when I say that Holden Caulfield is a very unique individual. He uses the word 'phony' to describe just about everyone around him. Although I found him to be quite odd, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. It was, at times, comical, and exhibits the thinking process of this sixteen year old boy very clearly. He explains the method to his madness, and how much he dislikes all that is not genuine in this world. I felt like I knew Holden personally by the end of his story. He gave such an intimate description of his life from the time he got kicked out of Pency to his return home.
The way that the book was written exactly how he would have spoken, made it easy for me to read. I felt like I was having a conversation with Holden. The characters described in the novel were very realistic. I could just picture his family, teachers, the boys in his dorm, and all of the people he came in contact with while he was in New York.
The Catcher in the Rye is an excellent book. I would recommend it to teenagers; boys and girls. I think that especially that age group would find this book very amusing, and it will really make you think about the people around you

Rating:
Summary: Caught 5 stars.
Review: I recently read the book The Catcher in the Rye for English class. When I first started the book I thought it was going to be another boring classic. But I was wrong. I completely loved the book.

Holden Caufield is the main character and narrator of the novel. He is very cynical which I found amusing. He tells this wild story about 3 days of his life before Christmas break. As I was reading the book it seemed like a lot more than 3 days.

I think Salinger did an excellent job writing this book. He wrote this book and it wasn't really based on anything. It didn't have some huge plot structure or anything fancy. The book just had extremely well developed thoughts and characters. I simply couldn't just put the book down I read almost the whole thing at once. What made me stop was the fact that it was 3 AM!

On some levels I could relate to Holden's despair at being in a world full of weirdo's and wackos. And also highly dislike or hate most of the people around you. But you have to put up with them because they are the only ones around. The Catcher in the Rye is a good vehicle to demonstrate how society was taking a turn for the worse. Like in the one part he keeps talking about how sick it is how he keeps seeing "F@%$ You" written all over the wall.

Salinger uses a lot of popular slang consistent with the setting of the story, which made reading tedious at times because I didn't understand half of it. But other than that this is definitely a book to read!

Rating:
Summary: Catcher in the Rye review
Review: If you are a person who appreciates honesty, I believe Catcher in the Rye will appeal to you. This book is one of the most honest and true books I have ever read. Holden, the main character in the book, gives his thoughts about people and everyday life. Just reading about the reality of these thoughts kept me wanting to read more the whole time. You get caught up in his opinions and views and forget that he is only a sixteen-year old boy. It was refreshing to read something and to feel like it wasn't sugar coated or only part of the truth.
The book as a whole did not show an overwhelming amount of love or compassion, but there is one certain area when it did. Holden admits to not liking many people. However, the person to whom he cares most about, in my opinion, is his younger sister, Phoebe. When he shows his feelings for her, it makes the effect greater because he does not do this for anyone else. It provides an escape from all of the negativity and therefore makes you appreciate it even more so. He treats Phoebe with great love and respect, in spite of the fact that she is only a child. This warms you and lets you even more into the heart of Holden.
If you look deeper into the novel, you will notice that it is about loneliness as well as the need of others. Holden's loneliness strikes out at you as throughout the book he continues on his search for a girl. He mentions at several times that he does not like being with a girl names Sally, yet he creates this extravagant idea of them sneaking off and getting married together. This shows how lonely he actually is. I believe it is easy to relate to him because he shows how he is scared of change, and in some ways, relationships. I liked that aspect of the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading more about thought and feelings over a significant plot. I enjoyed reading it and believe many others will as well. I appreciated the truth in it and how easily it was to apply to your own life at times. Catcher in the Rye is definitely worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: I know why it's a classic
Review: Many people read this book and wonder why it's so popular, why it's still being read by today's generation when it was written over 50 years ago. But the people who wonder that obviously grew up with very little confusion in their lives, probably doing exactly as they were told and never wondering otherwise. You know you've found an incredible novel when teens understood it in 1951, and teens understand it in 2004. The title doesn't make much sense until you read the story, and once you do you have a whole new perspective on it. Holden holds nothing back, and doesn't tap dance around in circles. He tells it like it is and I like that. Many people are thrown off by the odd ending and Holden's whole situation, but those are pieces of the novel that make it timeless. If you haven't read it, you're missing out.