Rating: 
Summary: Sadly misunderstood
Review: I was recently paging through a new book by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy) where he offhandedly comments on various works of literature he has been reading-- it seemed like a clever idea, and I was bored. Apparently, Mr. Hornby read through the entire work of Salinger in a week. Though he was largely satisfied with Salinger's collection of stories, he complained that these last two entries in the Glass Family Saga (which I am reviewing here) were tedious. Hornby noted that he wasn't very interested in the character of Seymour, and he especially didn't care about how Seymour shot his marbles.
Well, I'm afraid that if you've read any of the Glass family stories and don't care much for Seymour, then you had better avoid this two story collection. Salinger's work (including Catcher) is permeated with the loss of an older brother who meant the world to his family. Every crease and crevice of his face was meaningful, every sigh and utterance. The way he shot his marbles as a boy DOES have relevance, because his philosophy of not aiming (a variation on the Zen practice of archery) is one of the central themes of the stories.
Thus, if the appearance of aimlessness bothers you (the narrator of these two stories, Buddy, is a strong adherent-- so watch out), then you might want to stick to more conventional fiction. I found the entire five story cycle to be the one of most profound pieces of work I have ever come across, but then again-- Seymour isn't for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Different but not bad -- just different
Review: Definitely "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction" is not J. D. Salinger's most popular and most read work. People who read this book are die-hard fans of this writer and really like the Glass family and are interested in knowing more about them. Those who want to read only one or two Salinger books should stick to "The Catcher in The Rye" and either "Franny and Zooey" or "Nine Stories".
To begin with "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction" is not an easy book. Its rhythm is like a roller coaster, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes up, sometimes down -- but always difficult and inaccessible to those who are not familiar with the Glass's mythology and history. Even Salinger habitués may find some difficult in reading this work.
"Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" tells the story of Seymour's wedding. But, the main character here and narrator is Buddy Glass, the groom's brother, who is the only member of the family to attend the ceremony. All the narrative deals with the fact that Seymour abandon's his bride in the church and doesn't show up.
Buddy is forced to deal whit the situation. He is forced to be with some guests, who happen to be bride's relative. And most of the time he pretends not to be Seymour's brother. Like most Salinger's work, the most important thing in the narrative is the character's thoughts rather than his actions, words etc.
While considering this event, Buddy recreates most of his family's history. And this is a valuable account to those are interested in learn more about the Glasses. So far, sort of a typical Salinger writing.
The second part "Seymour: An Introduction" is more difficult and problematic to those readers. First thing is that is not an introduction -- at least not our typical introduction. First off, because the reader is already familiar with Seymour, from "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters", or from "A Perfect Day the Bananafish" (from "Nine Stories", which happens to be paradoxical, since the short story tells an event that happens later on in the character's life).
Buddy who describes his older brother -- who he happens to admire-- again narrates the story. The narrative this time round is like a labyrinth rather than a roller coaster. The images are formed without a correlation, the narrator jumps from topic to topic making the understanding of his words rather difficult.
Those who are interested in only one Seymour story should go straight to "A Perfect day for Bananafish". It is short, but you'll learn a lot about the character -- actually almost everything you need to know is there. Those who like Salinger and his Glass family, are welcome to read "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction", but be advised that it is different (not bad, just different) from what you've read from him, about them.
Rating: 
Summary: raise high
Review: I half-way expect to see a collection of Seymour's poems sitting on the shelf every time I walk past the poetry section in the bookstore. Am I alone on this?
Rating:
Summary: Salinger is Salinger is Salinger
Review: This is not " The Catcher in the Rye" and this is not " Nine Stories " and this is not the very best of Salinger. But it is quintessential Salinger and perhaps more of what he really wanted to get at , than anything else. The two stories are about the Glass family, the one "The Raise High The Roofbeams" story about Seymour's wedding day which takes place during the Second World War. The ceremony never takes place, and the story told by the Salinger alter ego Buddy Glass recounts his effort to get to the wedding, his riding to the ceremony with a group of wonderfully depicted characters. It also contains ( as does the ' Seymour story') material connected with the effort to build the Seymour character as a kind of mythic center of the Salinger world. He is the Glass' poetic genius who invents a kind of double- haiku which shows not only his love of the East, but his being a true child of upper West Side Manhattan. "John Keats, John Keats, John, Please put your scarf on/ is one small example that Salinger gives us of Seymour's supposed very great poetry . The effort to build the Seymour legend is made by the number two brother Buddy , and his correspondance with his brother and his brother's criticism of the stories Buddy is trying to write is also part of the story.
I am wandering here , and not in the best way, and certainly not in a Salinger way. And I could go on and on because I have read and loved these stories many times. Salinger depicts Seymour as a kind of Kafka Kierkegaard Van Gogh ringding poetic truthteller, authentic genius, burned by the pain of the world. He also in doing this gives much in his wonderful colloquial language of the Manhattan world of this time.
My review here is poor and rambling, but Salinger's two long stories however filled with wonderful digressions they are, are true- to - the mark real literature.
Don't let anyone tell you that Salinger is letting you down here. He is just being himself and as he is he is one of the true geniuses of twentieth- century American Literature.
Rating: 
Summary: SHOULD BE READ FOR COMPARISON
Review: While, I will grant you, this is not this author's best work, it nevertheless needs to be read, if for not other reason than comparative purposes. Lets face it, this is one of America's greatest authors, but like a baseball star, you just know you cannot hit a home run each time up to bat. That being said, I, myself, enjoyed this work. There is some very good writing here and it does need to be noted. I really do not recommend that all of Salinger's work be judged by this one particular book, but it is certainly worth the read when you put it into context with the rest of his work.
Rating: 
Summary: (The stars are for "Carpenters")
Review: Several reviewers here have gotten to the heart of the matter, but I'm going to state it once again as plainly as possible: "Seymour: An Introduction" is the worst thing Salinger ever published. Not only that, it's the only bad thing he ever published. It's so far below the level of his other writing that it doesn't even seem like it's by the same author.
What's true of all other Salinger works, from Catcher through all the stories, is (1) they're immensely readable, (2) by indirect methods, they capture something that's hard to capture with the written word, and (3) they seem real---they ring true---they don't seem made up. I believe Salinger DID make them up, but like a master craftsman, he doesn't leave any seams showing. (There are a few exceptions: Zooey's dialogue seems forced at times ... "Teddy" gets a little heavy-handed ... but this doesn't ruin anything.)
By contrast, "Seymour" is NOT readable (from the first sentence, it flows like literary diarrhea), it does NOT capture anything elusive (only the feeling that you've spent an interminable afternoon with a boozy, impotent windbag), and it DOES seem made up ... hopelessly, uninspiredly made up. (Well ... except for the 85% or so that just consists of the author blathering about himself.) Salinger can't even write his big finale, when Seymour settles the Devega bicycle fiasco (he tells us he "won't describe [it] in detail"---actually, he doesn't describe it at all); and a hundred lesser illustrations refuse to blend & solidify themselves in a genuine character. Seymour's statements are hackneyed, New Age-y, corny, and tedious.
Compare any of Seymour's dialogue here with the journal entries quoted in "Carpenters." The latter are incomparabley superior. The Seymour revealed in "Carpenters" rings true; he really shows some of the originality and genius of a Great Man. Also, he makes a striking contrast to Buddy. "Carpenters" is Salinger writing like Salinger---5 stars, easily---but "Seymour" stinks up the whole thing.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say but.....
Review: One of the most ingenious books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. "Seymour" is the perfect example of a story giving back exactly what you put into it. I believe the greatest testament to this book is that there are 2 things that I not only will never forget, but which I use almost daily. First, I believe one of my all-time favorite characters is the little grinning man in the car. To this day I see him sitting politely and grinning ear to ear. Whenever I need a laugh, I think of him. The second, and most important element is from "Seymour" and his explanation to his brother about shooting marbles. If you get excited at hitting the mark, then somewhere inside, you didn't expect to hit it. When you KNOW you can hit it, you just do it, then go on with your life. Truer words have never been spoken. Thanks for the inspiration JD.
Rating: 
Summary: Super Unpleasant!
Review: For some reason, probably because I'm an idiot, I read this after reading Franny and Zooey. I had already read everyone else Salinger wrote and decided to finish off his career. His nine stories are much better, especially when compared to this. Compared to this, a kick in the crotch seems nice. Like Franny and Zooey, these two stories are about the Glass Family, which is made up of very intelligent siblings that used to be on a radio quiz show. Salinger's style here is not simplistic and lucid like in Catcher in the Rye, but instead is pretentious and convoluted. It's as though he took everything about Catcher in the Rye that was good and did the opposite. The narrative is extreme stream of conscious, almost at the level of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. I don't remember what the premise of the story is because it was barely there. I know it has something to do with Seymour's marriage, but the stories are more about the characters than their setting. However, since the writing is so unpleasant this makes it very difficult to read. I don't recommend this book to anyone and thinking about it makes me feel bad inside in a way I imagine one would feel after doing something terrible, like killing a man or breaking a prized possession. The reason for the latter maybe because the time spent reading this book was wasted. I gained nothing from the experience except a hatred for these characters who, if they ever make the mistake of physically manifesting themselves in my presence, I will beat with such fervency that they will be sent into a coma from which they will never recover.
Rating:
Summary: My Second Review - Salinger again!
Review: I think this is the first book Salinger wrote about the Glass Family. Seymour is the eldest and wisest member and he is like the most perfect older brother anyone could have. Unfortunately his ghost hovers over all of the Glass family. The Glass family were all precocious children starring in an American TV show. They all looked like the ideal American family, but behind the curtain they were all deeply dissatisfied with the shallow adulation they received. A main theme throughout the story is search for truth, search for something satisfying in such a shallow and patronising culture. Just as relevant now as it was when written.
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