Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

102 reviews

berratrixie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.25

the extremely slow pacing of some parts in the book make it a slog to get through, but the catcher in the rye is overall still an intriguing story with lots of memorable and emotionally impactful highlights.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Abandonment, Child death, and Blood

Minor: Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Cancer, Vomit, Alcoholism, and Terminal illness

angelo_vossen's review

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.25

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger is a novel that has sparked intense debates and discussions since its publication in 1951. Set in the 1950s, it follows the story of Holden Caulfield, a disenchanted teenager expelled from his prep school as he navigates through the streets of New York City over a few days. Through Holden's first-person narrative, readers are taken on a journey through his inner thoughts, observations, and encounters, providing a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the mind of a troubled adolescent.

Salinger's writing style, characterized by its colloquial language and stream-of-consciousness technique, immerses readers in Holden's world, allowing them to experience his disillusionment, loneliness, and search for authenticity alongside him. The novel's title, inspired by a misinterpretation of a Robert Burns poem, reflects Holden's desire to protect the innocence of childhood—a theme that permeates the story as he grapples with the complexities of growing up in a world he perceives as phony and corrupt.

Holden Caulfield has been both celebrated and criticized as a protagonist. Some readers sympathize with his struggles and appreciate his honesty, while others find him to be whiny, self-absorbed, and unreliable. His cynicism and tendency to criticize the people and society around him can be off-putting to some readers, leading to divided opinions about his likability and relatability. I certainly am more on the critics‘ side. As far as I am concerned, Holden Caulfield is kind of hypocritical and pretentious. While complaining about everything being phony, he himself acts like a brat throwing money out of the window left and right.

Even though Holden Caulfield as a character aggregated me quite a lot, I have to admit that J.D. Salinger achieved to portray him as a caring brother. Despite his pretentious behaviour and tendency to be quite annoying at times, he shows to care a lot about the people he loves, especially his siblings. I even felt sorry for him during some parts of the book, because the lasting grief and sadness he faces due to his little brother‘s death comes through strongly between the lines.

I caught myself thinking that the character should try therapy once in a while to learn how to cope with all his struggles, so I was glad to realize he seems to be in a mental health clinic during the entirety of the novel while telling the reader about his crazy days.

The novel's exploration of themes such as alienation, identity, and the loss of innocence resonates with many readers, especially adolescents grappling with similar issues. Holden's quest for authenticity and his resistance to societal norms and expectations strike a chord with those who have felt out of place or disillusioned with the world around them.

However, "The Catcher in the Rye" is not without its flaws. Critics have pointed out its repetitive narrative, lack of plot development, and the meandering nature of Holden's thoughts, which can make it a challenging read for some. Additionally, its use of dated language and cultural references may distance modern readers and limit its relevance to contemporary audiences. I did not mind the language used in the novel too much. It definitely fit the time the book was published in and set the tone for the main character quite well.

Despite its shortcomings, "The Catcher in the Rye" appears to remain a significant work in literature, influencing countless writers and resonating with generations of readers as research allows me to say. Its exploration of the universal themes of adolescence, identity, and the search for meaning continues to make it a relevant and thought-provoking read for those willing to delve into the mind of Holden Caulfield and confront the complexities of youth and growing up. That‘s what it is in the end: A story about an adolescent who is being confused and lost in life and who is trying to figure out their own role in this world while doing reckless teenage stuff.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Suicide

rory_john14's review

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Alcoholism, Grief, Cursing, Alcohol, Suicide, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Homophobia, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, Classism, Child abuse, Bullying, Racism, Gore, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Ableism, and Murder

happysoullovesyou's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Misogyny

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Adult/minor relationship

wiktoria_bojda's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Cursing, Cancer, and Mental illness

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Sexual content and Homophobia

hannah_cogo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death

Moderate: Suicide, Cursing, Grief, Physical abuse, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexual content

wrensandroses's review against another edition

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

Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Mental illness, and Sexism

Moderate: Violence, Suicide, Homophobia, Child death, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Vomit

zeraphyr's review against another edition

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

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, Death, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Child death, Sexual content, and Child abuse

darcybeckett'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

3.0

Pretty neutral on this book. I don't have super strong feelings either way which seems to place me in the minority, as I feel like people tend to either really hate or really love this book. Similarly with Holden I didn't love him or hate him, I more just felt really bad for him.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexism

seanml's review against another edition

funny 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

Excellent. A kid on the verge of growing into a young adult tells us all about how the world works. Everyone is annoying - either they're sad and pathetic to think about. Or they're phony; so full of themselves. Every except Holden - Holden who hates movies more than anything but sometimes goes to watch them. Holden who knows all about how women work because he's decided how they work before he even says hello. Holden does have a lot of beautiful points to make about the world - they're just not the ones he intends. 9/10.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Sexism, and Grief

Minor: Blood, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Cursing, Gaslighting, Bullying, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Child death