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Summary: I love Holden
Review: I'm glad I didn't find and read this book before I did. I was 21 when I first read it and I could REALLY identify with Holdens pov. Holden is a dreamer and he pursues pleasure - he loves people and he hates them, what makes him different from most is his sophistication, the depth of his insight and his analysis of other people and their motives. I have the same sort of wavelength but not his sort of insight. If I had've read this book at 16 I would have been really disturbed and changed by it. I've tried to get my friends to read it but they didn't "get it" - this book does not appeal to everyone. I think you have to be an emotional and deep sort of person to understand his pov. I have always been irked because he never does end up talking to Jane.
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Summary: Loss of Innocence
Review: This book is about the loss of childhood and innocence. It is about trying to stay a child and delay or reject adulthood. The book recognizes that adulthood presents problems that are not clean or easy and involve compromising ones values and beliefs. It's about the recognition of how the loss of childhood leads to a potentially less enjoyable life. That adulthood is not all it's cracked up to being and it mercilessly shows the hypocrasy and games that adult's play including the denial of who they actually are. It is a stunning and extremely honest book in it's portrayal of an adolescent's observations of adulthood.
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Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: I checked this book out at the library the other day and finished it that very same day. I believe it is now my new favorite book. Holden Caulfield is such a great character who narrates the book with a mix of humor, cynicism, and nostalgia. Holden has trouble making the transistion from childhood to adulthood due to the phoniness of it all. Longing to be a "catcher in the rye", he wishes he could save children from "falling" of a cliff into adulthood. This book should be read and reread by everyone. A true masterpiece.
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Summary: Read it again and again
Review: Like so many others, I first encountered this book in high school. I can't really remember what I thought about it then; as cynical and distrustful of authority as I was, it didn't have much impact on my life. When I reread it recently, I experienced all the things that people who love this book have already described to the point of cliche. I couldn't put the book down. I can't think of another book where I was so impressed with colloquial writing often filled with poor grammar. It's one of those rare books that change on further readings, and I'm sure it will be rewarding when I revisit it later on. There's an irony to the censorship this book often calls for. Holden tries to do some censoring himself near the end of the book. He keeps finding a particular vulgarity written on the walls, even on a glass case in a museum. He wants to protect the innocence of children, but he can't go on erasing this word from walls forever. And you know that he has grown up, if only a little bit, when he realizes that you have to let kids do what they want, and "if they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them. I wish the censor-crazed would grow up a little too.
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Summary: The Catcher in the Rye Book Review
Review: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger proves to be a novel about nothing more than the depressed misadventures of flunkout, Holden Caulfield. Holden through out the entire novel complains about nothing more than the whole world and how everything in it is phony. Listening to his on-going bouts with depression is not the most enjoyable thing to read.
Holden's views of the world and the people living in it are a little less thoughtful than the average description. Holden just flat out judges people on something as simple as the way someone carries themself in their profession. He comments on the piano player Ernie, who is so good, that if he were to talk to he wwouldn't give you the time of day! This is totally wrong and extremly childish of Holden to consider someone phony if they are a master at their profession. Holden does comment himself as being childish, (pg.9) so these type of views,although prejudice, should be expected. Defining prejudice in the case of Holden would be thathe is obviouslly jealous of those who can be considered phony. If being phony means being someone who has made a living for themself and has achevied what most people would consider sucsess, all Americans, or at least mostAmericans, would want to be phony! The list of phonies goes on and on. Ernie, Mrs. Morrow, Stradlater, the boys at Pencey and the boys at Holden's other schools. It seems that the only people who are not phonies are, Phoebe, Holden's sister, Allie, Holden's dead brother and Holden himself.
Holden through out the novel struggles with his depression, this prehaps the largest conflict of the book. All other disputes seem to disappear compared to Holden's on going battle with himself.
Salinger uses flashback like descriptions of Holden's brother, Allie,who died of cancer. Salinger used memories of the baseball glove to give us some insight into what exactly is going on in Holden's head. Maybe, just maybe, the reader can make some connection between Holden's past and his depressed present state.
The theme is simply this; nothing can destroy your life faster than you can. If you can not come to terms with your own struggles, no other problems can be resolved.
A catcher can not catch without the glove. Allie's glove is one of the things that Holden remembers best about Allie. Allie died as a young child. The child singing on the street is a direct connection for Holden. The field symbolizes life, when a field runs of out to a cliff, the vegatation slowly dies out, once the rye is completly gone the only place to go is off the cliff. Falling off the cliff, in Holden's mind, is death. Holden feels if he can catch the children, he can save someone from the pain that he felt at his brother's death. Although he may not relize it, he is saving more than the cchildren, by commiting himself to others, he is saving himself.
I think if you are looking for a book that's underlying message is something you must figure out yourself, this one is for you. If you tend to become offended by course language, prostitutes and underaged drinking, you might want to steer clear of this one!
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Summary: The Catcher in the Rye
Review: The Catcher in the Rye is a great book for teenagers to read because it is a story about a boy's attempt to leave his past in hopes to find his place in the world. Holden, the protagonist of the story, is a troubled teenager who gets kicked out of prep school. Throughout the story, Holden experiences different things while being out on his own. The story takes place in New York City where Holden is forced to deal with many issues of the world such as alcohol, depression, prostitution, suicide, and love. Leaving behind D.B., Phoebe, and Allie (members of his family), who are the antagonists of the story, he tries to understand the world the best he can. There are a few external conflicts that take place, like when Holden and his roommate get in an argument over a girl and the brawl between Holden and Maurice over a prostitute. The central conflict of the story is inside of the main character. Holden struggles to find his true self and tries not to see the world as good and evil but as a whole. As for the ending you will have to read and find out whether or not this young teenager can overcome the problems of the world and realize the true meaning of life.
J.D. Salinger uses a number of metaphors in order to help you visualize the story more accurately. He also uses irony, symbolism, and many flashbacks that allow you to see the story from the characters' point of view. Salinger's vivid details help the reader to understand the full impact of the story. The author wrote this book in order to show the many different paths chosen by people for their lives. Many authors show only the 'good side of town' but as for Salinger he decided to reveal the not so good side. The language used in this book is quite rough, but Salinger uses this in order to display the world as it is in real life. Despite the language, I think this book was well written and interesting for people my age. I am positive many teenagers will be able to relate to the lifestyle of Holden. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to sit down and read a great book about the hardships of life.
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Summary: A funny perky coming of age novel
Review: Catcher in the Rye is one of the best book's I've ever read. The story tell the life of Holden Caulfeild when he is 16. Droping out of college, going to NYC, that is some poeple's dream! When you are 16 you want independance and freedom to choose what you do and when you do it. Thats why Holden is like every person.
Though you may have issues about Holden's language (he swears a lot) I think the language adds a bit of color to the book. What 16 year old doesn't swear when he gets stolen from.
For the first part of the book Holden is in NYC drinking, and playing with girls. Then he gets 'tired' of NYC (he also runs out of money) so he goes home. That is most peoples defeating point. They need help. Not Holden. Yet again he suprises you in what he can and wants to do. There he vists he 'kid-sister' Phoebe. She is the portral of innocence. Then Holden comes and turns her into a school cutting kid. Not that this is bad, but for the few days that Holden is there Phoebe is different than what Holden portrays her as.
Freedom over dependence. Living life to the fullest to living life like a mummy. Be independant. You are who ever you want to be. Those are some of the messages that the book trys to tell you. Always remember that no matter how independant you are, being dependant of someone else can be nice.
The Catcher in the Rye is a great, funny, coming of age novel for poeple young and old.
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Summary: A little disappointing...
Review: ...considering all the praise that has been garnered upon this novel. By no means is this a bad book, but I just thought that it would be much better than I found it to be. I'll skip the full synopsis, but suffice to say that there is not really much of a storyline here. While this didn't bother me, some people may find the lack of action (or anything) dull. No, what bothered me was Holden's constant half-complaining. Honestly, I get enough of that at school to last me quite a while; I don't need to read about it in a book. I found the first third or so of The Catcher in the Rye dull, but that may have been because I was still expecting something significant to happen. I was also informed before reading this book that Holden Caulfield embodied the average teenager. Revision: he embodies the average underachieving teenager. Not to blow my own horn here, but I'm not an underachiever, and it bothers me when people who don't try to do anything complain about everything and everyone else. But on to the positives... Salinger's conversational style of writing is very easy to understand and read, making it seem as if Holden were sitting right there telling you his story (which I suppose was the point). While the first several chapters drag a little, the pace picks up once Holden gets to NYC and starts meeting new people. And although I complained about Holden's complaining, there were times when I was startled by how similar my views were with his. But at the same time, I'm sure those same opinions are shared by the majority of free-thinking teenagers in the world today. So while its main character may not be very unique or inspiring, The Catcher in the Rye is a novel that, if anything, enlightens you to the fact that there is probably someone out there that feels the same way you do.
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Summary: "...that killed me"
Review: Unlike the norm, Holden Caulfield is an anti-hero protagonist. This book is a document of the first few days before Holden suffers a mental breakdown. Holden is obsessed with "phonies" and "bastards," which are just about the entire adult and adolescent community with a few exceptions. The innocence of childhood are the only things in his world which is truly pure. Adulthood totally destroys this fantasy of his as he grows up, still holding on to his own lost childhood. Basically, Holden doesn't not want to grow up at all and enter the 'phony' world of adulthood. Holden knows he has to grow up, but that's the thing that scares the hell out of him, like anyone else. Holden's a brave coward with his futile attempts to keep childhood=innocents and ward off adulthood= vile. Throughout the book however, Holden meets some adults who aren't phony at all that scares the hell out of him because it brings his set world into a state of flux. Which is very ironic because Holden ( who is only 16 years old but sounds like a grumpy old man) himself is a phony too, a phony in his perspective of one. He is "yellow", a liar, shallow even and wants to be accepted like anyone else his age. There is so much connections and truly natural human qualities throughout this novel which I couldn't possibly list. Now I know why we have to read this in my school. I have never read any other book in my 16 years of life that was even similar to the feeling I had when I closed this book. It was very odd and didn't understand it at first which is why I didn't like it at first, but that really changes. It was definitely something new to read and urge anyone to read this book and really analyze it. We are, in fact, Holden Caulfields oureselves.
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Summary: The Immortal Disenchanted Catcher
Review: The Catcher in the Rye is an amazing novel. I was fortunate enough to discover this book in New York when I was 14. It was so amazing that I finished it in a day.
Basically, if you have not read The Catcher in the Rye, read it. It will be one of the best books you have ever read. The opinions Holden Caulfield, the main character, voices in the novel are simple and true, but they are also revelationary. If I explained much more, I'd give away too much.
The Catcher in the Rye will open your eyes to the complexity of society and the joys of life. It is the tale of a disenchanted youth, trying to evade responsibility and preserve the few pieces of innocence he has left.
The book is great, the character is great, everything about the story is great. I'm not some crazy hyper-obsessive geek writing this review to impress his literature-obsessed buddies, I'm a normal person (as much as I hate to admit that after reading this book.)
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