Rating: 
Summary: Not a bad story line but...
Review: If Salinger had a broader vocabulary this book would probably be a worthwhile read. The insight into an adolescent boy's thought and emotion is interesting. Parts of it are pretty humorous. Unfortunately almost every paragraph of the first 5 chapters is rife with unnecessary cursing and swearing. (Yes, I know some kids do talk that way, but the story would have been just as potent without the bad language.) I stuck it out through the ninth chapter, and gave up. I don't want Holden's "edgy" language in my thoughts, or my speech.
Rating: 
Summary: Catcher In The Rye
Review: The "Catcher In The Rye" is one of the best books that I have read in my young, well-balanced life. This book was fun and very, very entertaining. When reading the book, I compared the book to my own life style, in that Holden Caulfield, the main character in the book, is a teenager in High School. I can actually think and feel what Holden was thinking and feeling. That was one of the big reasons that I really enjoyed this book because it felt like I was in it. When reading, I found that Holden was feeling alot of pain and agony throughout the novel with a ton of problems. I recongnized many hurdles that Holden and I have faced as young teenagers. Once I picked up the book and started to read, it was pretty hard to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: great!
Review: I love this book. I was not required to read this book, but I chose to because it is said to be a classic. I think this book touches all the bases of life, and it is simple to identify with Holden at many points. I could read this book again and again. It's one of the best I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Must be be for teens only.
Review: At 20, I was too young for Jane Austin. At 43, I must be too old for "Catcher in the Rye". Either that or this book did not survive the 90's. It was 214 pages tedious, annoying drivel about pretty much nothing. Considering the real world concerns of Americans in the 1940's, it's not a wonder the author advanced the time frame to well after World War II. How could anyone at that time, even the young emphathize with this character's petty pet peeves. About half way through, I was struck by it's similarity to a bad episode of Seinfeld - tedious, annoying, not funny. At times it was depressing, so I'd call it "Clinical-Seinfeld". The only thing I got out of it, was being able to say I read it.
Rating:
Summary: It'll catch you from despair
Review: I walk through this life in a sea full of strangers, a world without compassion and innocence. I wanted to drown, and just when I thought I would drown, this book came along, and it's as if a hand extended itself to pull me out. Four years ago, I was 16 just as Holden was in the book. But unlike him, I excelled at school and it's as if I had everything going for me. And during all that time I felt completely and utterly alone because I was in a world were popularity was everything, where the f word was used more times than you can ever count, and where purity meant nothing. I respect Holden because despite his flaws he realizes his imperfection, and his only dream and comfort would be to save innocent children from falling. In a way he has achieved that dream 'cause for everyone whose failing spirit was revived by this book, Holden already became that saviour. So thank you Holden for catching me.
Rating:
Summary: find-and-discover-yourself type of book
Review: Why is The Catcher in the Rye so amazing? Because we've all been there. I have never met a person who can't somehow identify with Holden Caulfield. The brink of adulthood. We have all been there, but no one captures it quite like Salinger. Even as an adult, there are still those days when no one can relate, things don't seem quite right, and you want to walk around forever and never go home. Holden Caulfield is about being real. He knows no other way. The Catcher in the Rye is a find-and-discover-yourself type of book.
Rating:
Summary: inspiring
Review: this book will change the life of any thinking being that absorbs it from cover to cover. your worldview will change....it's as though, suddenly, everything is much clearer.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I read "Catcher" during my sophomore year of high school... it was one of those books they force you to read so you can "become more knowledgeable about the 'real world'." Well, I went home and I read it in one night -- cover to cover. The book was phenomenal. Never have I read a more compelling piece. 4 years later I find myself buying my own copy because of something I realized: as you get older and reread it, you see Holden's life from different perspectives. You grow with him and you learn from him. He changes as you change. Salinger is a credit to his profession as proven in his first (and most successful?) book. Note: I would actually give this book 10 stars because of it's growth potential, but this form only allows 5.
Rating:
Summary: a perceptive study of the human condition
Review: Holden Caulfield is angry, afraid and frustrated, but most of all, he's human. Holden possesses a quality that every human being can relate to- be it rage, fear, love, or the need to protect everyone from everything- including themselves. Holden needs love, and he strives to preserve innocence. He feels he has to be the savior- a catcher in the rye. The Catcher in the Rye addresses many issues. It is a commentary on the insensitivity of modern society. Holden is a hero who stands against the hypocrisy that almost all others accept. As much as he would like to accept the world and be comfortable like almost everyone else, he can't pretend that his society is worthwhile. The novel is about a boy who struggles to remain faithful to what he sees as the truth. His version of truth, however, is very subjective, and not necessarily correct. In his mind even good or beautiful things can be tainted because of the true motives of their creators. But primarily, this is a novel about a disturbed teenager who refuses to grow up, and let go. He has a fixation on childhood, which shows itself in his glorifying of children, his inordinate admiration of his younger sister, his idealization of his dead younger brother, and the joy he gets from reminiscing about his own childhood. He brings on his illness so he won't have to face his approaching adulthood. He's afraid of what lies ahead in his life, and clings to what he knows will protect him- that innocence that all children possess.
Rating:
Summary: holden speaks to me
Review: in spite of the things that others have said about this book, I believe it is the best book I have ever read. Holden seems sad to think that what has happened to him will happen to other children. when I say "what has happened to him,"I mean losing that childlike essence in all of us, forever. I particularly like that after dropping out of prep school he faces his parent's wrath to go see his little sister Phoebe. it is a cool book and a must read for anybody who liked white oleander. if you liked this book, you should also read white oleander.
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