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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Uh, wait a minute, this is... it?
For whatever reason I thankfully escaped having to read this as an assignment in H.S. lit classes. On the indirect recommendation of Uki & the boys (in the ShakaLabbits' song of the same name, from the 2017 album "Her,") I finally sat down with it and... I'm having a real hard time understanding how this thing became designated as a "classic," because from where I sit the book is The Mother Of All Empty Shells. Again, I'm glad I never got assigned this Golden Turkey in H.S. because I likely would've blown a gasket for criminally-wasted time.
[Spoiler alert: I'm going to be giving away what passes for a "plot" in this book, so leave now if you don't want boredom to be compounded by foreknowledge.]
We've got a narrative about an absolute loser with a contemptuous worldview, a foul mouth and zero redeeming qualities who a.) flunks out of school because he's too scatterbrained and inept to pass more than one of five classes, b.) subsequently goes on a slumming binge at random bars with random acquaintances over the space of a couple days by way of self-righteous self-pity, and c.) ...the end.
'Scuse my curiosity, but... what-the-hell is supposed to be the Grand Literary Payoff here?
I will grudgingly give Salinger a couple of points for character development and for painting vivid scenes, but both of those are just peripheral details. An admirable hero and a meaningful plot/theme are the essence of a novel and this book simply does not have them. The "protagonist" is a contemptible worm and he does exactly nothing of import from first to last page except wax profound on the rottenness of the world around him.
I feel sorry for the poor schmucks in school who thought they had to treat this trash like something special. It isn't. There's no "there" there. Next...
For whatever reason I thankfully escaped having to read this as an assignment in H.S. lit classes. On the indirect recommendation of Uki & the boys (in the ShakaLabbits' song of the same name, from the 2017 album "Her,") I finally sat down with it and... I'm having a real hard time understanding how this thing became designated as a "classic," because from where I sit the book is The Mother Of All Empty Shells. Again, I'm glad I never got assigned this Golden Turkey in H.S. because I likely would've blown a gasket for criminally-wasted time.
[Spoiler alert: I'm going to be giving away what passes for a "plot" in this book, so leave now if you don't want boredom to be compounded by foreknowledge.]
We've got a narrative about an absolute loser with a contemptuous worldview, a foul mouth and zero redeeming qualities who a.) flunks out of school because he's too scatterbrained and inept to pass more than one of five classes, b.) subsequently goes on a slumming binge at random bars with random acquaintances over the space of a couple days by way of self-righteous self-pity, and c.) ...the end.
'Scuse my curiosity, but... what-the-hell is supposed to be the Grand Literary Payoff here?
I will grudgingly give Salinger a couple of points for character development and for painting vivid scenes, but both of those are just peripheral details. An admirable hero and a meaningful plot/theme are the essence of a novel and this book simply does not have them. The "protagonist" is a contemptible worm and he does exactly nothing of import from first to last page except wax profound on the rottenness of the world around him.
I feel sorry for the poor schmucks in school who thought they had to treat this trash like something special. It isn't. There's no "there" there. Next...