Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

122 reviews

joharrismay's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

This is one of my all time favorite books now. I really liked how the character spoke about things and it honestly felt like just speaking to a friend. I really loved the story because it was not overly dramatized and it also had elements of mental health in it which kinda brings things you can relate to.  I really enjoyed this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood

literaryinluv's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Minor: Blood, Cancer, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Suicide attempt

cherryfreckle's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Sexism

Minor: Pedophilia and Homophobia

bexi's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Sexism

Moderate: Cursing, Lesbophobia, Violence, Body shaming, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Misogyny, and Suicide

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Gore, and Sexual assault

julianh's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Suicide

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

0.75

I'm sure there are folks who relate to Holden Caulfield bc they read this as teens or idk and those people are valid but the people who felt despair at being forced to read this book for high school English class and forced themselves to read this drivel and analyze it and find meaning, but as they read on felt how their joy or love for reading vanished and subsequently never picked a book up again are equally, if not, more valid bc this book is stinking garbage. I can agree Holden is probably autistic, depressed and grieving for his dead brother, and is a traumatized teen boy for what he saw at Elkton Hills, but the way Salinger writes evaporated any bit of empathy I could have for this kid and I just don't care. If kids can relate to this guy, more power to them, but there's nothing ingenious or nostalgic enough in this book to justify reading it as an adult, or for any reason for that matter, and the TCITR haters are right. There are so many enjoyable books you could read! Don't make the same mistake I did. Never pick up this book or DNF it once you start feeling like bashing your head against something or crushing small things.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Death, Grief, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness

Minor: Child death

greenrequiem's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, and Mental illness

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Violence, Sexual assault, and Addiction

Minor: Murder, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Cancer, Child death, Religious bigotry, and Adult/minor relationship

pythonesque's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad 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

A youth with all of the marks of clinically depressed person in dire need of a help runs away from school for New York and trying to find any human connection for two days. 
Oh, Holden. You snotty, whiny, angsty miserable idiot of a guy, with such a massive emotional pain that it hurts me to even think about it. My heart breaks for him for the entire plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, and Suicide

lipka's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

(Maybe one day I can finally put into words how this book makes me feel.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Grief

Moderate: Mental illness, Alcohol, and Child death

Minor: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and War

grizzlysnack's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Based on the years of people telling me this book was terrible or it sucked, I believe it's because they didn't wrap their mind around the fact that this book is supposed to show you some form of empathy.

We're shown 3 days of 16 year-old Holden's life, and the text is trying to make you feel empathetic towards him, who is struggling with the loss of his innocence. Almost everyone can relate to that.

Salinger has a unique prose when it comes to Holden's perspective and how Holden sees the world. I think that those who dislike The Catcher in the Rye either couldn't grasp the idea of putting themselves in someone else's shoes when they read through it, or were expecting a completely different type of writing (like I said, Salinger's writing style is meant to be distant from the reader, it's what makes Holden relatable).

Holden Caufield has been treated so poorly by the 'adult world' that he is making terrible decisions to get the attentions of people who couldn't care less about his well-being. I think that's where the message gets blurred, and what leads to those poor reviews of the text.

Overall I think that The Catcher in the Rye is a wonderfully written novel, coming from a 19 year-old who never read it in high school (where/when most people read this book). If you're in the mood to reflect on a fictional character's life instead of worrying about the action that is happening, this would be a perfect read for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Sexual assault

Minor: Pedophilia and Homophobia