Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Catcher in the Rye

This book is one of the few books where I felt like mental illness was shown from the perspective of the person experiencing the mental illness in a very accurate way. Holden's superiority complex is precisely how it is to have one in real life, you feel justified to point out everything you find wrong in people while excusing your even worse faults. You act rashly because everything seems to lack value and time zooms by or stretches on forever in your mind. Unlike most books, there's not a final destination or moment in someone's life that completes the book. The book is a snippet of the plain but complex days in someone's life. There is no happy or sad ending just a pause and let's see what happens. It portrays how life isn't a story with a perfect beginning to end and how you never know what's next.

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alisonnicholslol's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

Holden is a whiny bitch.

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sunny_not's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Just a weird teenage boy hating everything, being sexist, racist and homophobic at the same time. Definitely of its time.

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maliciouslesbian's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kxtekss's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Truly, this is one of my favorite books of all time. We read it for English last year, and I decided to re-read it because of some things going on in my life at the time. I really connect with Holden's desire to preserve the innocence of those who still have it because he lost his so abruptly, and at least personally I was hoping that he could recover even though all of that was happening to him. His story just breaks your heart.

And I think at the end, when he watches Phoebe go around on the carousel and grab for the golden ring, it shows he'll get better. He realizes that even when kids reach for that golden ring, even when they make risks that threaten their innocence and even fall or lose their innocence, they still have that same heart on them that wants to go around the carousel even if they're too old for it. He can't save everyone from losing their innocence because it's inevitable, but there's still that same heart on everyone, no matter how innocent they are. That ending to chapter 25 always makes me cry because it feels like to me he realizes there's a way out of his emotional struggles, and I feel so happy for him.

. Also, it would be a crime to talk about this book and not talk about the symbolism, how "everything means something" in this book as someone once told me. It really challenges you to employ your highest levels of thinking with every sentence Holden says, and that's one of my favorite things a book can do. Overall, I do think this is a worthwhile read, especially for those who are in a place or have been in a place where they can relate to Holden's need to preserve innocence to a fault.

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