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

Representation: Minor Asian character
Score: Seven points out of ten.

I wanted to read The Catcher in the Rye since I saw it circle my recommendations, and when I saw a library having this, I immediately wanted to pick it up. I couldn't glance at the blurb, since there was no blurb. However, I went in with high hopes. When I closed the final page, the book was enjoyable.

It starts with the first character I see, Holden, who had to leave school after his expulsion and now the only action he can do is to wander around New York. He spends all of the narrative doing that and contemplating others, and, most importantly, himself. I was in Holden's mind throughout the fictional composition, and initially, I was disconnected from him and couldn't relate. I feared I wouldn't enjoy The Catcher in the Rye. Eventually, Holden grew on me and I liked it more and more. However, I still have gripes with it. A less repetitive writing style would've added to The Catcher in the Rye. The author could've put as much effort into the other characters as Holden. But he did not, making it difficult for me to connect or relate to them. For a novel over 200 pages, it's slow-paced. There isn't a genuine conclusion to The Catcher in the Rye, but I delighted myself in reading it nonetheless.

Content Warnings

wrensandroses's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.0

Content Warnings

zeraphyr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

It started with a bit of a slouch (it wasn't to easy to adjust to 1940's New York slang at first), but I quickly found myself drawn to Salingers way of weaving the complex struggles of adolescence into the narrative through Holden's own conflicted perspective. And boy does he have a very strong perspective.

While Holden is certainly a very... idiosyncratic character (he's a bit of a dick, quick to pass judgment on others whilst falling short of identifying the same flaws in himself sometimes), he's also a character that's very true to the adolescent struggle of failing to fit in. To find a purpose in a world that places a lot of restrictions upon people while growing up. And how in trying to rebel against the confines of adulthood and this sense of alienation from ourselves, we can get lost just as well as when we're giving in.

There's a lot of other interesting themes and often dark topics (like sexual assault and trauma) that get brought up, but this one resonated with me the most.

Content Warnings