Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

145 reviews

amradio's review against another edition

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reflective sad 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

3.75

Somewhere between 3.75 and 4 stars

Holden is just such an unenjoyable character than halfway through the book I start hating how phony it is (little joke there)

I get he's supposed to be depressed and all but damn like
he's clearly depressed never got over his brother dying and has had pedophilic encounters multiple times in his life which yes no wonder he's how he is
it's just not written in an enjoyable way and ik people will argue depression isn't enjoyable but whatever 


It was a nice enough read in that I like when the character is the focus but it ultimately feels like it goes nowhere especially the ending
like oh boy Holden got institutionalized big whoop


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katharina_s's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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letiross's review against another edition

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

3.0

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reallyitsrudi's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

0.5

Holden Caulfield is a LOSER and Phoebe, his 10 y/o sister, is the only character that has common sense in the whole story. also, do yourself a favor and don't read the final ¾ of a page after the carousel scene.
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brandolini's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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c_lizziebeth's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny reflective tense 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

The suicidal urges, the violent thoughts, the hate he’s internalized for himself— people around him— the world— the impulses, the urge to just make things worse. He’s miserable. There’s just this glimmer of hope and love that keeps him hanging on. And I understand why some people think all of these thoughts are unrealistic… but as someone living With depression… it’s the most realistic thing I’ve ever read. This book is so important to me. I only wish it didn’t come from the point of view of a terribly sexist kid. But it does. So it’s complicated. But it’s important. 
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mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition

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sad medium-paced

2.0

This one just wasn't for me. I found it difficult to stay engaged in the story and felt sad for the main character.
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miitine's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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avareadsoccasionally's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny 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

I thought this book was really interesting to read. A lot of people don't like it because they don't like the main character. However, for me, I think not liking the main character is kinda the point. Holden is mentally ill with seemingly no one in his life who he feels as though he can trust/confide in. I think that by trying too hard to like him, people miss the point of the story and his journey with his mental health and relationships throughout the book. 
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75sol's review against another edition

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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

3.75

This book gets a lot of hate because the main character is incredibly unlikable, however I think that’s a vital part to this book. The catcher in the rye is a story about a mentally ill boy who has no access to any parental figure that even remotely cares about him. His parents his teachers: no one is really there for him which causes him to spiral and eventually have a breakdown. The catcher in the rye is a little time capsule of what life was like in the 60s for boys but also what it’s like for boys now and they’re afraid of being able to talk about what they’re going through mentally. I think it’s incredibly important everyone reads this book to understand what it’s like for people who are unable to talk about mental health struggles and what they may have seen when they were younger and had no one to talk to it about, and why certain people may act certain ways.
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