Rating: 
Summary: It's so good i read it at night
Review: " Catcher in the Rye" is simply...brilliant. Holden is extremely funny when he calls everyone phony and a prince. The Ackley guy also adds humour to the story but there is also a great deal of sadness in this story. The way Holden phones everyone up and they are not in or don't want to meet him is depressing. I do not agree with some of the comments on this book, such as this is a book for rapists or killers. If I wasn't misinformed the guy who killed John Lennon read this book just before commiting that terrible crime. But that guy was CRAZY he could've picked some other book, even if Holden did mention killing. Every person on Earth should read this book and believe it can never be over rated.
Rating: 
Summary: This book needs a Warning Label
Review: This is not your ordinary book. It is both good and bad. It is written very well, very realistic, and is a book I might've enjoyed had I chosen to read it myself. The point is, there is no physical plot. Holden Caulfield is a 16 year old teenager, as am I, and the reason I think those who give this book a horrible review do so because it strikes to close to the mark. No, I'm not an alcoholic, and I don't even swear, but it still strikes true on the depression level. If you want a good book with a plot, this book is not for you. Forget that, if you just want a good book this is not for you. This book is for you only if you have forgotten what it is like to be a teenager and think the world's against you, scratch that /know/ it is against you. This book is not for those that think every book needs a plot, of which I am one. I really identified with Holden, too much in fact. If you do not fully understand what depression /is/, not just the definition, but what i! t truly /is/, read this book. Read it anyway. But don't expect this book to come out allright in the end or anything, because it won't. It's a slice of the life of someone I personally wouldn't want to meet. I'm sure if you've read it you'll argue that he has some good, but you're just saying that to argue. Almost every review of the 267 I've read is polarized between Good or Bad. This book is a dark gray ppl, don't be prejudiced! I can see both ways right now, and I choose the side that says this book shouldn't be read without knowing about it beforehand. That is why this book needs a Warning Label, to let you know what you're getting into. END
Rating: 
Summary: Through the Eyes of the Depressed
Review: Unfortunately, I had to read this book for school as an assignment, and of course, I had do those review questions for tests and so forth. Well, I have to be honest, I don't like this book. I mean, I think the plot is powerful and the point of view is, but it's not only confusing, but it gets on your nerves. Holden Caufeild is the most irritating character I've ever read in a book! Every word he says is like hearing nails being scratched against a blackboard. If I knew this guy, I would say to him, "Look, if you want to see a real phoney, look in the mirror and you'll see him!"
Rating:
Summary: It's a guy thing
Review: I was introduced to Salinger by a female friend. She recommended I read "Franny & Zooey," which I enjoyed so much I went to the bookstore the next day and read all of "The Catcher in the Rye." I liked it much better.Salinger resembles Vonnegut (one of my other favorites) in his ability to make the characters the plot. This book has no real bad guys. It's the story of a 16 year old trying to make sense of his world, as he's moved beyond the affectations and prejudices of his peers, yet doesn't have the age or the understanding to be accepted as an adult. There's no great action, no blatant mysteries to be solved. Salinger does an excellent job of making us see the world through his character's eyes, and in this case, as one reviewer mentioned, it is a very narrow view. This story evokes the wonderment one feels as that narrow view slowly expands. And that's the beauty of this book. It's like a painting, but of an entire stage in life I think we! all go through. Or maybe not all. When I told the girl who had recommended to me "Franny & Zooey" my preference for this title, she was surprised. I told her I thought it was a guy thing -- the social wrestling in the bars, the macho wrestling in the dorms, the confusing encounter with a prostitute -- all represent a different area in which any man must feel accepted and competent before truly feeling complete. Interestingly enough, another male friend to whom the same girl had recommended "Franny & Zooey" also had gone on to read "Catcher." And he too preferred it, claiming it was a "guy thing." Simple enough to read quickly through the first time, profound and real enough to read again and again. And to get something new each time.
Rating:
Summary: To all the phonies who hated this book ...
Review: The only dispassionate thing one can say about J.D. Salinger's THE CATCHER IN THE RYE is that it is a book that cannot be read dispassionately; both its numerous supporters and detractors are equally ardent in their respective admiration and disdain. The novel is already noteworthy on the strength of its style, which represents the culmination in the development of a distinctive American idiom--a process begun by Hemingway and continued by the likes of Hammett and Chandler. In the deceptively simple voice of Holden Caulfield, Salinger strikes a tricky balance between slanginess and profundity that many writers have since striven for, but rarely duplicated. Holden may or may not be "phony" himself, but his voice is most decidedly not, as it is free of pretention or self-consciousness. To call the novel a self-indulgent outpouring of "teenage angst" does it a grave disservice. Holden's problem is as old as Hamlet's, probably as old as mankind ! itself--a struggle to find purity of purpose amidst intense feelings of fright and confusion toward the perversity of human behavior. While Holden's various adventures alternately amuse and move the reader, the novel's real heart lies in his relationship with his sister Phoebe, who manages to be cute, earnest, and intelligent all at once; their climactic encounter has the force of genuine tragedy. In the final analysis, THE CATCHER IN THE RYE proves to be nothing less than one of the major literary achievements of the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: Most Captivating Piece of Literature Ever Written
Review: I must have read and re-read this book 10 times, and each time I read it again it just gets better. What is more amazing is that the experience you gain from the book changes with age. I first read it as a freshman in high school, and now, being a sophomore in college, I pick up more things and interpret them differently than before. Important to understand while reading the book is that Salinger did NOT write it to describe today's "rebellious" youth. He was writing in a much different time, so many of his stereotypes don't apply to today. What hasn't chagned is the deeper meaning of the book.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING. A real fun read.
Review: A popular review of the book states "Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent."". Based on a lot of the reviews I have read on Amazon.com, this seems to hold true! So many "students" gave it a poor rating. One reason may be because they are forced to read and spend days upon days analyzing it as a part of class. Jus read it for fun! I read it for the first time at age 32. I went to boarding school and could relate to a lot of the book and actually liked the character. But why analyze it? The only interpretation I would care to listen to is Mr. Salinger himself and fat chance of that happening.
Rating:
Summary: This book grows on you
Review: I first read this book my freshman year in high school and hated it. I thought it was boring, overly pessimistic, and stupid. However, I decided to give it another shot this year. This time, I loved it. It is one of the most interesting and original books that I have ever read. It reminds me a lot of Huck Finn, not in its writing style, but in the underlying message. This is what I got out of both the books: You cannot escape from society through idealism, the only thing you can do is go with the flow and pretend to enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: "The Catcher in the Rye": More Than Simple Reading
Review: I read "The Catcher in the Rye" for pleasure when I was in the seventh grade. Just about to enter my senior year in college, I decided to take another look at Salinger's book. I still remember the effect "The Catcher in the Rye" left upon me when I was in seventh grade, and indeed, years later, the book still has the power of affecting me the same way. Salinger's book is amazing in the sense that it moves you and influences you beyond your evening reading. That is, you find yourself almost tormented by his internal thoughts and may even find, as I have found, a change in your everyday language and internal thoughts. Salinger's book is amazing in the sense that it uses everyday "slang" to produce a true peice of literature. I love how it forces your to think, to analyze, and to be frustrated. That's an amazing power that few books are able to achieve.
Rating:
Summary: fiction or biography
Review: holden caulfield has a very narrow point of view of the world. but it is very real. sometimes i am caught up in the same way. i think of holden and i snap out of it. caulfield is so real that i wonder if this book is really fiction. salinger could be writing about himself or someone very close.
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