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

The Catcher in the Rye had me feeling exasperated regarding Holden Caulfield, until of course I got to the midway and realised why the protagonist acts the way he does. While a short read, it's definitely not delightful, but more of a reflective piece making you think why a 16 year old teenager is acting this way, and will he ever become fine again.

Would just like to add that if someone ever tells you that The Catcher in the Rye is their favourite book, it is very important to clarify why since the main character is anything but likeable xD

Content Warnings

amy_s's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

3.0

I was told this book would change my life. Needless to say, it didn’t. I think the stale bagel I ate for breakfast changed my life more than this book, in fact. Yes, I relate to Holden’s teenage angst. But I am not a rich teenager living in New York who can escape from their problems temporarily while delving into their deepest, darkest traumas. There’s no plot here. It’s trauma dumping for the sake of it. Also there’s a ton of symbolism that went way over my head. Maybe I’d appreciate it more if I studied it in an English class. (Not that I think it should be studied anymore, the racial slurs are UNBELIEVABLY abundant.) Look, at the end of the day, this might have been groundbreaking for teens in the 60s, but to assume it carries the same weight today would be ridiculous. Some things just aren’t meant to be timeless.

Content Warnings

alexabu's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

senny's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.0

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benneth's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

melchior's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

This 16-years-old jerk really hates phonies on 1950's New York. Boy, does he hate them. He's really bitter and all, about flunking out of school, for one. Sad too. He pent up all this frustration and anger and all. So he spends a whole book complaining about phonies and himself and everything. He really does, no kidding. It's not even very coherent most of the time. Anyway, the thing is, this book really kills me, it really does. It's grand. But he'd hate it if I said that, he really would. And if you read this book, you'll also hate it too. But you'll kind of love it as well. You really would.

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awenaur's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.25

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aoifemarie's review against another edition

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reflective 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

2.5

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