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jashegerova's review against another edition
5.0
(July 2017) I loved Seymour in Perfect Day for Bananafish. Finding out that there was a whole book concerning him and the Glass family made me really excited to read these two short stories. I am now even more enamoured with his character, with the whip smart poet that was so happy and so loved.
The first one was what I expected, what I have been longing for since reading about Seymour shooting himself. The scene is funny and charming and hearing Buddy's short quips about the wedding and Seymour, getting to read all the intimate details Salinger discloses, is a real treat. The second part is like trying to chew a gum you find hidden in the pocket of an old, recently unworm coat. I had fallen asleep on all the occassions I tried to read it, and ended up being mocked for taking two naps before lunchtime on two consecutive days. Other than being longwinding and partially boring, the second part is lovely too.
However, if you only want a follow up of Perfect Day, skip Seymour: an Introduction.
ON SECOND READING (Sept 2019): I am so sorry. I was wrong. I don’t know what was wrong with me (age????) but I will heartily attest to enjoying both parts of the book in equal measurey. I might even suggest that I enjoyed Seymour: An intro more than Raise High the Roofbeams, this time around.
(Sept 2022): stupidly beautiful comfort book. I love Buddy and his love for S. Such a treat. Read like a real person’s account of their sibling(s) and I kept having to snap myself out of it, remind myself that all the layers of Salinger’s writing (excluding the Holden stuff) are, in fact, made up - unsure if I realised the first (two) times round that Buddy alludes to himself writing the short stories I so love. Good stuff.
The first one was what I expected, what I have been longing for since reading about Seymour shooting himself. The scene is funny and charming and hearing Buddy's short quips about the wedding and Seymour, getting to read all the intimate details Salinger discloses, is a real treat. The second part is like trying to chew a gum you find hidden in the pocket of an old, recently unworm coat. I had fallen asleep on all the occassions I tried to read it, and ended up being mocked for taking two naps before lunchtime on two consecutive days. Other than being longwinding and partially boring, the second part is lovely too.
However, if you only want a follow up of Perfect Day, skip Seymour: an Introduction.
ON SECOND READING (Sept 2019): I am so sorry. I was wrong. I don’t know what was wrong with me (age????) but I will heartily attest to enjoying both parts of the book in equal measurey. I might even suggest that I enjoyed Seymour: An intro more than Raise High the Roofbeams, this time around.
(Sept 2022): stupidly beautiful comfort book. I love Buddy and his love for S. Such a treat. Read like a real person’s account of their sibling(s) and I kept having to snap myself out of it, remind myself that all the layers of Salinger’s writing (excluding the Holden stuff) are, in fact, made up - unsure if I realised the first (two) times round that Buddy alludes to himself writing the short stories I so love. Good stuff.
a_schwa's review against another edition
5.0
Raise High the Roofbeams was the last piece of Salinger I hadn’t read (I had to read Seymour years ago to justify my tattoo of blooming parentheses). With this my knowledge of the Glass family has reached it’s apex and I can continue to read and reread and create a palimpsest of annotations forever. :)
frankanalysis's review against another edition
2.0
Raise High... is quite good. Seymour is really, really awful. It dragged and went nowhere.
trhodg's review against another edition
4.0
Both stories are narrated by Buddy Glass and deal with Seymour Glass, the main character in “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”—my favorite story from “Nine Stories.”
The first one, “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters,” is classic Salinger—a quotidian story with emotionally devastating subtext. Each line and moment, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, keys in on a theme or clues you into a character’s mindset. I really enjoyed it.
The second story, “Seymour: An Introduction,” was a rambling description of its titular character. Though parts of it were somewhat uninteresting, I still found it to by and large be a touching story radiating with love and admiration.
It just makes me sad that I have no more novel-length Salinger works to discover.
“For your own sake, don't make me proud of you. I think that's exactly what I'm trying to say. If only you'd never keep me up again out of pride. Give me a story that just makes me unreasonably vigilant. Keep me up till five only because all your stars are out, and for no other reason.”
The first one, “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters,” is classic Salinger—a quotidian story with emotionally devastating subtext. Each line and moment, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, keys in on a theme or clues you into a character’s mindset. I really enjoyed it.
The second story, “Seymour: An Introduction,” was a rambling description of its titular character. Though parts of it were somewhat uninteresting, I still found it to by and large be a touching story radiating with love and admiration.
It just makes me sad that I have no more novel-length Salinger works to discover.
“For your own sake, don't make me proud of you. I think that's exactly what I'm trying to say. If only you'd never keep me up again out of pride. Give me a story that just makes me unreasonably vigilant. Keep me up till five only because all your stars are out, and for no other reason.”
trin's review against another edition
4.0
And that’s it! I’m done with Salinger. I can’t believe it. Well, there are still a few stories that were published and have been collected in weird, hard to find places, and I am working to find them. And [b: Hapworth 16, 1924|915081|Hapworth 16, 1924|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1396325669l/915081._SY75_.jpg|3199125] is supposedly finally coming out next year. But now I’ve hit that inevitable point, moving through such a slim oeuvre—it’s over. I’m sad.
Raise High/Seymour wasn’t my favorite collection or duology—I loved [b: Nine Stories|4009|Nine Stories|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554892563l/4009._SY75_.jpg|1839377] best, definitely. But there are some wonderful things in both these tales. They are both narrated by Buddy Glass, but are incredibly different in tone: Raise High could almost be a madcap comedy, except for the shadow of what everyone knows Seymour will do hanging over it. And An Introduction is a long, meta, confused lament—I’m not sure I fully got every aspect of it, but I was moved nonetheless. Salinger’s prose is so beautiful, and the world he’s created—in sketches and brushstrokes that don’t always fully connect—is one I am desperate to keep exploring. It feels huge and ever-expanding, like real lives, like the history of a real family would be.
I hope that when Salinger dies, much much much more will be released into the world. I will refrain from hoping that this happens soon. I can wait.
Raise High/Seymour wasn’t my favorite collection or duology—I loved [b: Nine Stories|4009|Nine Stories|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554892563l/4009._SY75_.jpg|1839377] best, definitely. But there are some wonderful things in both these tales. They are both narrated by Buddy Glass, but are incredibly different in tone: Raise High could almost be a madcap comedy, except for the shadow of what everyone knows Seymour will do hanging over it. And An Introduction is a long, meta, confused lament—I’m not sure I fully got every aspect of it, but I was moved nonetheless. Salinger’s prose is so beautiful, and the world he’s created—in sketches and brushstrokes that don’t always fully connect—is one I am desperate to keep exploring. It feels huge and ever-expanding, like real lives, like the history of a real family would be.
I hope that when Salinger dies, much much much more will be released into the world. I will refrain from hoping that this happens soon. I can wait.
lunagfns's review against another edition
3.0
2,5 Heb niks onthouden van wat ik gelezen heb, maar ik hou van Salinger’s schrijfstijl
oak_55's review against another edition
4.0
i measure my self worth by how well i would fit into the glass family
katja00's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ynnctz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.0