adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

There are 2 kinds of people when it comes to their opinion of this book:

1 – Loves Holden, loves this book, relates to the protagonist's struggles, and if a teenager, there's a high chance they think all people are liars and hypocrites except them.

2 – Hates Holden, hates this book, doesn't understand its purpose, and hates the teenagers that think all people are liars and hypocrites except them.

I'm neither (I know, how un-phony of me).

I don't love Holden or this book, but I don't hate them either. I like the way Salinger portrays the fear of growing up and this idealistic memory of childhood, showcased through Phoebe. Holden's love of her is not only that of a big brother to his little sister, but also to the innocence he thinks is distinctive of a kid, even when Phoebe shatters that idea. She understands Holden's depression, she knows he seldom enjoys things, and she wants to escape with him not because she needs him, but because he needs her.

Another aspect I really liked was Jane Gallagher. She's never shown aside from what we hear from Stradlater, who only sees her through the lens of classic juvenile lust, and Holden, who sees her through the lens of classic childhood love, impossible of wrong and, more importantly, change, that he's afraid to face if he calls her and sees that he probably didn't know her as well as he thought he did.

Other themes such as grief, PTSD, and loneliness are also well written and probably relatable to many. That's why I'm afraid to say that I can't possibly give this book more than its current rating...

It served its purpose; it's a story that opens the doors for others. (For example, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which, surprise! I also thought was meh.) But I didn't connect with Holden, even when I'm just the right age, and that feels essential for even remotely caring about anything that happens in this story (which isn't a lot, to be honest).

I feel like the only reason it's this popular is because of the author's way of writing teen angst in such a realistic manner (or at least at the time—I can see why currently the way the protagonist talks can be quite annoying).

I appreciate the book's contribution, I understand why Salinger is seen as a "genius," and it is certainly a fairly easy-to-read classic. However, aside from that, I feel like it carries a not-so-deep or thought-provoking message about growing up that more young readers or adults who also had their rebellious-I-hate-everything phase might appreciate more.

Maybe I just don't get it.
I like Phoebe though, she's cool.


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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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slow-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

It’s clear from the writing style how this book has become a modern classic. I wish I still had my discussion questions from high school because there’s a lot about Holden and his story that needs unpacking. Overall, a fun, relatively quick, read. 

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reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy catcher in the rye at all. I picked it up on a whim, since I figured the summer before college would be the perfect time to read it. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much, the themes of innocence lost and struggling to find your place in the world really hit home. Maybe it’s a testament to Salinger’s writing. Maybe it’s just that I will never read anything like it again.
I’ll never understand why people call this a red flag book. Yes, Holden is not the easiest protagonist in the world, but he is also confused, depressed, young, and traumatized.

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is a character study. It focuses on being young and feeling the weight of people expecting you to have everything decided for the future, to know what career path you want to follow, when you might feel as if you know nothing. 

I have seen that many people dislike Holden. I agree that he is not someone that I'd like to hang out with but I don't hate him. I don't think I can, since his thoughts and behavior are affected by things he can't control. Firstly, I think he is autistic. Secondly, he found his dead brother's body when he was a kid and has been sexually harassed many times since a very young age. These are very traumatizing experiences for anyone, let alone a child. So that, combined with his autism, I believe explain why he thinks the way he does.

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My fav book of all time :)))) I want to shake Holden and yell "GET BETTER YOU POOR KID" he's a screwed up kid who has a good heart and the depiction of his thoughts and actions are unbelievably real to how I remember my adolescence. There is def some older language that wouldn’t be used if it was written today but it's compassionate to its characters and the situations they are in.

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fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

"Ich hätte beinahe geheult, so verflucht glücklich war ich, falls das jemanden inreressiert" -> Nein Holdeny niemandes interessierts.
Weil boah dieses Buuch nh...ich weiß ja nicht, ob mein intellektuelles Niveau einfsch nicht an das Buch heranreicht oder was das Problem ist, aber wArUm IsT dAs eIn KlAsSiKeR!?

Ich fands furchtbar, also wirklich. Und das lag zu 95% an Holden Caulfield. 
Die Erzählperspektive an sich udn auch den Schreibstil fand ich ja gar nicht schlecht, aber die Hauptfigur war ein Albtraum auf 2 Beinen für mich.
Meiner Meinung nach kann er sich definitiv hinter Faust und Harry Haller einreihen, udn das will was heißen...
Holden ist ein verwöhnter, selbstzentrierter, weißer junger Mann, der alles und jeden hasst, lustlos durchs Leben geht und alle anderen als Nichtsnutze, als dumm und hässlich beschreibt.
Müsste man eine Liste erstellen mit Dingen, die Holden hasst, wäre es leichter aufzuzählen, was er nicht hasst.
Holden hat keinerlei Antrieb und sein Leben läuft schlecht. Trotzdem kann er es nicht lassen, alles und jeden um ihn herum zu kritisieren.
Er kümmert sich überhaupt nicht um sein Umfeld, allein schon, dass er gefühlt 100 Leute nachts aus dem Schlaf reißt, nur weil ihm langweilig ist?!
In gewissen Belangen (sehr wenigen) konnte ich ihn ja verstehen, trotzden hab ich selten so wenig Mitgefühl udn Sympathie für einen Protagonisten empfunden.

Und was bitte ist jetzt die Moral von der Geschichte? Was soll dieses Ende? 
Insgesamt
Alles war absolut random, die Handlung merkwürdig, Holden war wie ausführlich geschildert einfach schlimm.
Der Typ ist 16?! Er sauft und raucht dauerhaft!? Was ist los mit dem!??!?🥲😭

Immerhin kann ich jetzt mitreden, falls irgendwer mal irgendwann dieses Buch besprechen will, aber hätte man sich meines Erachtens wirklich sparen können

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