Reviews - The Catcher in the Rye

23.6k reviews for:

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

3.58 AVERAGE

jen_schmidt's review against another edition

2.5

challenging slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

How is this a classic? I had to force myself to finish.

103115's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring 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

drbalzac's review against another edition

1.5

reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

dashwoodj's review against another edition

4.0

When I read this as a teenager I thought it was fascinating and very relevant. In re-reading it as an adult it didn't hold up. I kept trying to keep in perspective that this book was written in 1945.

bahar0's review against another edition

5.0

inspiring relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

bajoingo's review against another edition

5.0

2.95/5.
i was really about to give this book a solid 2/5, but the ending saved it. i read this book back in 7th grade and it's been a while so i gave it another shot. gooood was this book irritating! holden is so annoying and so repetitive and hypocritical. he wonders why people act so negatively towards him, but he's not a good person. i wouldn't want to hang around him and i'm his own age. back when i first read it i'm pretty sure i was in love with him, but being in a different mindset (and being sick) made this a really depressing read.
i loved his and phoebe's relationship the most, i really looked forward to that part of the book granted it was towards the second half of it. and i almost only reread it for the part with mr. antolini but when i got to that part it pissed me off so much. calm down!! he was probably just worried about you "for chrissake!!"
also i didn't annotate this book as much as my other ones and that's a sign. i only dogeared about 3 pages which is nothing compared to the damage i could do if i liked the book. i dunno, maybe this'll be an annual thing? im almost convinced to reread it right now but i want to save myself a headache. sorry. [a:J.D. Salinger|819789|J.D. Salinger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1288777679p2/819789.jpg][bc:The Catcher in the Rye|7178|The Catcher in the Rye|J.D. Salinger|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1554406349s/7178.jpg|3036731]

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third time's a charm, amirite???
Reading it over again, I wonder if I even read it the first two times. And I don't mean it in I missed the meaning, I mean it in that I found one of the delights of this story is that I can read it over again a thousand times and still be shocked by the mayhem Holden gets himself into. Now that I can say I've analyzed and studied the book as I read it has helped me shape a more informed opinion on it and I can say that it's great for a reason. While I can't quite say it's one of my favorites, I can say I read it at a time parallel to Holden's where I can relate to his struggles and fears and that has impacted my reading experience immensely.
3.5/5 stars.

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4th update: this book is a FIVE OUT OF FIVE i don’t understand my contentions at all.
i literally reread this book as much as i can and it’s “not a favorite” ??? ridiculous, i am. i love holden more than life. i’d only read this book if it came down to it.