Rating:  Summary: A must-read!! Review: This is simply a classic masterpiece, depicting a rich boy, Holden Caulfield, as he bums around New York City after being expelled from yet another prep school. The style of writing is honest and believable - it is told in the first person, by Holden, and his teenage dialect is both funny and realistic, as he uses the same few phrases over and over again throughout the book, as many teenagers do today. Although this book was written in 1945, the writing style allows it to take place in modern times. It is also a fairly quick read with many quotable quotes, and is the sort of book that can be read again and again. I highly recommend it for anyone but particularly adolescents, who are probably feeling many of the same emotions as Holden Caulfield.
Rating:  Summary: What's the big deal? Review: Maybe if I would have read this in high school it would have seemed cool. At 30, I don't get what is so great. Stream of conscious teenage ramblings. Is that hard to write?
Rating:  Summary: Different...in a good way Review: I have never read any other book like Catcher in the rye, yet it is one of the best books I have ever read. I can relate with Holden in so many ways...This novel was truly one of the best classics out there and If you have not yet..I would advise you to read it.
Rating:  Summary: I Will Always Remember This Book Review: This is one of the best books that I have read. I read it a short while ago, and I was mesmerized immediately. After hearing about Catcher in The Rye for many, many years, I finally went and got a copy. The Author seems to suck you into the characters' Spirit. I felt as if I knew Holden personally, as if he and I were both sharing these memories. This timeless book will always remain a favorite of mine.
Rating:  Summary: You gotta give it five stars Review: OK, so it may not be the deepest reflection on life, nor a profound search for the human soul. And neither is it written in an elaborate fashion nor exploring new ways for literary expression. But I would be shocked to meet someone, at least a XX century, not extremely poor, male, who wouldn't identify with Holden at least in some passages. Most of us went to some phase in our lifes which we can relate to his. Certainly not the typical "coming of age" story, this book has a very well-known plot: Holden Caulfield, a rich kid from Upper East Side, is expelled yet again from a preppy private school. It's Saturday, but Christmas vacation begins next Wednesday. So Holden takes off from school and goes to live to a hotel in NY. He hires a prostitute, drinks himself to unconscience, wanders around town, dates a girlfriend, and remembers his life. So what's the fuss aboout a few days in the life of a spoiled adolescent facing life and getting confused and depressed? Of course, it's the character. The character is the most accurate method to measure a novel's quality. Plot and wording may be good: if the character is not attractive, the novel bombs. At least as a pleasure. Caulfield is smart, sensitive and down-to-earth. His love for his young sister Phoebe is tender but never corny. The novel is hilarious because Holden is a very cool master of political incorrectness, an angry young man perfectly conscious of the phony characteristics of the game we all play. Something that surprised me a lot, not being an American nor a native English-speaker, is the amazing resemblance of 50's kid-speach with their 90's counterparts. The novel can be read like it was written last year, for Chrissake, with those annoying commonplaces, and all. No wonder it's still very much read.
Rating:  Summary: Hooray for Holden Review: I've read Catcher in the Rye over 20 times and I always find something new and fasinating about Holden's adventures in New York City. So vivid I found myself alongside Holden. It is a classic in its own right and deserves a place in everyone's bookshelf. He experienced his true feelings and got back in return. There is a bit of Holden in all of us and thank God for that. This book is dedicated to all phonies and for the rest of us.
Rating:  Summary: Classic or contemporary? Review: This book was an excellent read I don't remember too many details just the feelings I received from it. I'm 16 myself so I had to read this book in an English class. I remeber this girl I knew said that book [is terrible] all he does is whine and complain. I read the book and instantly felt kinship to Holden Caulfield. the first few lines were how I usually describe my life story. Later on I was felt he was like me in that everyone around him is phony but more importantly how he's not good at accepting changes in people. What struck me was how contemporary it could be. Holden's actions and feelings reflect those of any teenager today. It is not unusual to hear of us kids failing classes, slumming around on the streets, smoking, drinking,swearing, fighting, and talking about sex. That's what surprised me. Seeing that it was written in 1951 made me think that it would be all "gee whiz" but this book could tell the story of any other troubled introverted teenager. With this book I felt I could wallow in this self-exile and not be worried about what society thinks and just fly your own flag and take aim on those around me. And at the time it was relieving
Rating:  Summary: Read it. Review: Everyone loves this book, and everyone talks about it as THE book. Simple as that. If you haven't read it, you're missing out. If you do end up hating it, as some people do, at least you will know what everyone is talking about. But really, Salinger's voice is outstanding and personal. You're sure to love it.
Rating:  Summary: Holding On Holden Review: I always felt that J. D. Salinger was Holden Caulfield. In reading Catcher in the Rye we get a glimpse of J. D. Salinger through Holden's eyes and mouth and what he thought of the world in general. Holden's description is so vivid that I sometimes found myself in that exact moment in whichever place he happened to be. I could hear him in my head, but at the same time I'm not so sure that he and I could be friends, as I had learned long ago to expand my own vision and expectations on the real world. Yet I hold Holden Caulfield dear to my heart for honestly there have been thoughts that have reflected some of my past. Perhaps if I found a bit of Holden and some better realism in a man I would find the perfect Mr. Right...
Rating:  Summary: It's not a classic for no good reason. Review: When I read this book, I was Holden Caulfield. I myself am seventeen, and I can totally relate to what he was experiencing. Now, I imagine a field of rye where children gather to play, and I feel that it is my responsibility to protect those children from the increasingly unsafe world in which we live. Now, whenever I see the 'f-word' written on walls or tables, I do try to remove it. I feel that if everyone read this book, and took it to heart, then our world would be the better for it. Salinger has composed such an incredible amount of detail for this book. I found it especially interesting when Holden would comment on something so obscure that few people would even notice it, nevertheless mention it. The way I see it, Allie represents mistakes of the past. D.B. is the mistakes of the present, and sweet Phoebe represents the future that will repeat these mistakes. Holden is the only one that can do something to protect the future. He wants Phoebe not to be as bitter as he is. Holden represents us. You and I. We must change the world to protect the future for our kids. That's the ultimate message in The Catcher in the Rye.
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