Reviews

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

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aydon's review against another edition

4.0

i didn't go into this with high expectations and found it kinda annoying at first, but you have to meet this one at its level. once i did, i started to really enjoy it. i still don't think i was in the proper mindset for most of it, but i can tell there's something really special here. holden's actually kinda funny at first, but what i like most is how salinger progressively clues you in to how tragic it all is. and not to turn it into a "literally me" thing, but it helps that i can see my younger self in him. he's a good kid. i hope he's doing alright

8/10

lars_k's review against another edition

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adventurous

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

2.25

book_busy's review against another edition

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5.0

This book, whilst not exactly action packed, had a really distinct and comforting voice. Holden Caulfield may be a bizarre and sometimes pretentious guy; I still felt his juvenile inner monologue had a lot of heart and I really enjoyed giving this book a read due to the peculiar protagonist's voice giving me reason to follow the story through. I was very satisfied in having read this peculiar book about nothing and everything.

zuomiriam's review against another edition

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5.0

I've read this book a couple of times, and it's one of my favorite novels. It's been a little while since I last read it, so I decided to revisit it last night.

The Catcher in the Rye is quite a controversial classic; some people can't stand Holden Caulfield: they think he's insufferable/petulant/hypocritical/etc. but I belong in the second camp of readers, those whom this book speaks to. I find myself relating to Holden, not in his tendencies to lie and smoke and do things for the sheer heck of it, but rather in his distaste for phonies and mean people and his uncertainty towards the future. Yes, Holden at times embodies the traits he dislikes in other people; for example, he congratulates himself on being able to shoot the bull without thinking and he does things like saying "nice to meet you" to an Admiral because that's what he thinks people need to do in life. But, after these actions, Holden tends to feel sorry that he's done them in the first place; he's got weak impulse control and a strong sense of morality - I think Salinger's greatest success in this novel is creating such a three-dimensional character out of Holden, who is deeply imperfect but, in being so, becomes human. Teenagers aren't exactly known for being the most rational and clear-headed thinkers among us (after all, their brains are still developing). I actually find myself liking Holden. To me, Holden is stuck somewhere in-between childhood and adulthood, and, unable to go backwards but unwilling to go forwards, he moves around from one physical place to another because he can't quite find his place within himself.

ritaralha's review against another edition

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5.0

Diverti-me duplamente porque o li em português e em Inglês.

Holden Caulfield ♥️

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born ... and all that David Copperfield kind of crap.”

“I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful.”

“People always clap for the wrong things.”

“The thing is, it's really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs.”

“The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was”

“I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.”

“Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.”

8/198 - Estados Unidos da América