The Catcher in the Rye

Rating:
Summary: Confusing and Thought Provoking at the Same Time
Review: Directly after finishing Catcher in the Rye, I had many negative thoughts about the story. At the time, it seemed to be pointless dribble, describing a young boy's problems with life and how he couldn't deal with them. On top of that, the fact that the book did not feature a "plot" in the sense that other books do, bothered me. At times, I was extremely annoyed with Holden's ignorance, which caused me to think this way. Also, it seemed poorly written to me. On several occasions, words were spelled incorrectly which caused the book to appear unpolished. On the other hand, it made the story seem like it was written as a diary.

Instead of producing a flat character, J.D. Salinger managed to show the reader a character that acted much like real people. This included a temper, mood swings, and on top of that, small aspects to Holden that seem very realistic. At one point, he acted like a particular character was his best friend, but several pages later he would consider them an enemy. If I were to relate his personality to someone in another story, I would say that he is a lot like Gene in A Separate Peace. While the plots do not parallel one another in any particular way, each character has many similar qualities. Both youths have mental problems to an extent and because of this, pity themselves. They both have difficulty interacting with others too.

It has been several weeks since I finished reading the novel. Since then, I have thought about how Holden acted throughout the story. He definitely is not a normal youth; in fact, I feel he can be quite demented at times. However, I also believe that there are pieces of him that every reader can relate to. It felt reassuring to know that there are other youths that can be just as cynical as I am. I also feel that it is fairly close to how I think and act at times. There are some very humorous parts, which help keep you entertained. The simplistic sentence structure, fairly easy vocabulary, and laid back writing style add to the idea that a good book does not need to be eight hundred pages long.

One aspect of the book that impressed me from the start was its ability to capture my interest. Compared to a recent book that I have read, Dracula, it never had a lull and always managed to keep my interest intact. I am not an avid reader, yet I found myself reading it longer than the time that I had allotted each night. Its friendly, yet strikingly amusing tone, managed to keep the story flowing well. I did not care for the excessive vulgar language, because at times it seemed out of place. At some instances in stories, the language can add feeling to the story. However, when over-used, it makes the story seem cheap and unattractive in some respects.

Overall, it is a very good story that is definitely worth reading. It is not a very long story, so even if you do not like it, you will not have wasted a good portion of your life. Then again, I thought that this book was very interesting and presented many ideas that cause you to think about your life and the way that you think. It is definitely worth reading once in your life.

Rating:
Summary: It is the best book I have read during high school.
Review: This book was really interesting. I thought it would be boring at first, but as I continued reading it I started to enjoy it. Holden Caulfield was a very complex character. I felt that he contradicted himself a lot in the book. Sometimes he would say he didn't like a person or a thing and the next minute he would change his mind. It was a funny book too. I never laugh aloud while reading, but this book was funny in some parts. The things Holden said would make me giggle. In a way the book was depressing. It was about a confused teenager. I thought that Holden lied a lot throughout the book. He would come up with outrageous stories. Overall, I would suggest reading it sometime.

Rating:
Summary: This book ROCKS!
Review: Holden Caulfield may have been placed in a mental institution, but his views on the world are more dead-on than those of any of the "phonies" out there who place themselves on pedestals. The novel's dark and seedy style is not for everyone. However, I am a 17-year old boy, just like Holden was at the time he told his story to the psychiatrist, and I can honestly say this book is a must-read for any teenager disgruntled with the self-righteous hypocrites pervading the adult world.

Rating:
Summary: This book was kickin'
Review: Man, this book is PHAT! This is the most wonderfuly wubulus whacky worded cool school down wit' da homies makes you wanna do da oggie boogie kind of paper wit' some bad boy lyrics. I feel like readin' dis book as many times as Da' Prez gets jiggy wit' it.

Rating:
Summary: Okay, when does the 'Classic Literature' start?
Review: A very good friend told me that I MUST read this book. That it was a 'literary classic' and was her favorite book of all time. So I buy the book and start reading, waiting for the new insights to start rolling in. And waiting, and waiting......AND WAITING. I guess this pointless dirvel may appeal to the "awwww, nobody understands me" baby boomer generation but to me it was a complete waste of time. By the end of the book, you can't decide if you are more irritated with the character (Holden Caulfield) or yourself for wasting your time on this twaddle. Don't become another victim of hype, skip this book and read something 10 times more insightful, like "The Cat in the Hat".

Rating:
Summary: It was very different from most other books that I have read
Review: This book was very different from all of the others that i have read. It eas different though, in a good sense. I would definately reccomend it to everyone... around the age of 14-15 so that the person can at least understand it. Even if you do not have to read it for school...take the time to read it....it wont kill ya and you might just actually like it. This whole deal though with this banning stuff -- screw it...those people wouldn't know a great piece of literature if it slapped them in the face for g-d sakes!! This book is so good...but I think that the best thing that I can say ... is to just pick up a copy, or go to your library and read it for yourslef. Don't cheat tiwht the Cliffs Notes though...just use them if you need help understanding the book! -- MB

Rating:
Summary: Not the greatest American novel, but close
Review: I'm a 14-year-old girl, and frankly I'm disgusted whenever people dismiss Holden as whiny or sick. I think the Catcher in the Rye is one of the most sensitive books I've read in a long time. I myself am tired of optimistic self-help writers and objectivity. I mean, sure, Holden complained a lot, but at least, when he was confronted with phoniness and mediocrity and perversion, he didn't form a little optimistic cocoon like those writers whom most people enjoy. And, as a teenager, I can tell you that most of the behavior Holden observed or succumbed to is very real, and when Salinger confronted it in his novel he wasn't making it up or being overdramatic. Holden never found perfect human behavior, or even managed to attain it himself, but at least I know that someone else tried to do that, rather than lying and saying everything was fine with society.

Rating:
Summary: Most interesting, boring book ever written
Review: The Catcher In the Rye held my attention throughout the entire book, yet when I reached the end, I found myself thinking: why was this book written? This book is about how someone perceives teenagers to be clueless and finding fault in everything in his world. I do not believe that all teenager are in fact this way. The writing style of Salinger is fresh, with good wit and power, but the story line is not in-depth enough to have any substance. Holden offers few real insights into a teenage world.

Rating:
Summary: The book is o-so great and very amusing.
Review: I chose the novel as my term paper book and I chose to study about Holden's behavior and way of thinking and responding to situations. The novel is full of learnings and very down-to earth. Salinger made a very unique teenager which we can all relate to.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Breathtaking
Review: As a reader I found it to be a well thought out book that had a lot of information that is true within today's society. Especially with the difficulties that teenagers go through these days; it justify's their situation!!!!