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

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.

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_keelin_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

5.0

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halaagmod's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-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

3.0

I suppose for the time written, the contents in this book were groundbreaking and never seen before, and I can certainly appreciate the cultural significance that this book has had on Western literature and pop culture. However, in the era where much of the protagonist's antics are more-or-less seen as completely normal or expected teenage behavior, it falls flat in living up to its legacy and does little to give the reader anything entirely unique or of substance to chew on. There's little for me to dig my fangs into as far as analyzation since everything is just laid out for the reader (though this did help in English class; easiest A I've ever gotten on an assignment), and as far as an actual story, though it is dull and uneventful throughout the entire thing, it was still an enjoyable read thanks to Holden's pessimistic quips and the wonderful writing, hence my three star rating.

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samugranjo's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I know this book is known as a 'red flag' read and although I can see how it could be taken out of context and made into a shrine for thinking everyone else is fake and everything sucks. However, while reading this the only thing I could think of was how lonely and depressed Holden was, how much unprocessed guilt he had and how lost he seemed. Yes, it is full of teenage angst, because we are seeing the world through the eyes of a kid that just once again gave up on school and continuously fails to find joy in the world around him.
Although some of the middle part was a bit dull, this book and the Bell Jar are, in my opinion, some of the best portrayals of depression I have ever read and I need to give credit when credit is due.

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wuthrinheights's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

I first picked up this book when I was a teenager and I loved it since. It was the first classic book I read that wasn't assigned in class. And that was the birth of my love for classics. Reading it again in my 20's, it's even better than when I first met him.

Holden was witty and observant, sarcastic, and the biggest hater you've ever met. His narration was often so comical, I kept giggling or literally laughing out loud with tears in my eyes. Really, he killed me.

But as you read on, this story of his account of spending the night alone in New York City, in between meeting all kinds of people in his life who happened to be available to meet him that night, while his memories weaved in and out, and he tried his hardest to hang on, your heart gets broken piece by piece. Holden's voice will stay with you and you can't shake him out.

A full 5 stars for me. Heck, I'd give 6 out of 5 stars if I could. This is my favourite book and it holds a special place in my heart for it.

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emmiesbooks16's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-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

1.5

May I say I had to read this book for English class so yea. Anyways I truly did not enjoy this book most of the book I only really started to enjoy it was the last couple of chapters. I really did not like Holden because he was hypocritical and honestly a bit of a misogynist. I thought some of his ideas of life were a bit out there like his whole stance on movies. Though I can say I did enjoy how you could see how unstable he was at the very beginning of the book and how his mental health declined throughout the books, by the way he became more erratic, desperate, the way he spoke so fast and thought a million thoughts so fast. I also did enjoy some of the messages in the last few chapters and the interactions with his little sister Phoebe. Because if Phoebe I felt I saw more of Holden true character and what he could be. But it’s only really then ending with his sister that redeemed a bit of the book for me, for most of the book I was miserable at the least.

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jmorateck's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective 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

4.25

Throughout the book Holden is still a jerk. He does change a bit but then goes mentally insane. I would recommend the book if you like adventure stories since this book is very adventurous through New York. I would say if you don't like characters that don't really change this book is not for you.

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