Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - L'attrape-coeurs by Jerome David Salinger

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Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

L'attrape-coeurs by Jerome David Salinger by J.D. Salinger, J.D. Salinger

144 reviews

greenan26's review against another edition

2.5

reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

yourlocalredpanda's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

kimothay's review against another edition

5.0

dark reflective medium-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

This was my favorite book when I was in high school but I hadn’t read it in a decade, so I wanted to re-read it and see if I still enjoyed it and how my thoughts on it would change. I work in the mental health field now and the mental health themes always interested me as a teen, so it was incredibly interesting to read through that lens. Holden is a difficult character to like as he’s emotionally immature (but who wasn’t at 17?), cynical, and generally just hypocritical and whiny at times. Despite all of that, his character is still one of my favorites of any book I’ve read. The clear impact of trauma and how it shaped his worldview is intriguing, and I picked up a lot of different things that I didn’t when I first read it at 15 or 16.

Content Warnings

turidt's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad tense 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: No

Content Warnings

m_allardyce's review against another edition

1.75

funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Catcher in the Rye is the story of Holden Caulfield’s long weekend as a truant in New York City. Along the way he meets a cast of exotic characters including prostitutes, old classmates, and regrettable flings. He’s desperate to act more mature than his age, getting drunk in bars and flirting with older women, but the veneer is thin, and money is short so he soon has to return home to his parents and younger sister. The novel handles a lot of heavy themes such as grief, sexuality, adolescence, and depression, so I can see why it has become a canonical text.

I, unfortunately, hated it.

Most of the praise I’ve seen for the novel talks about the authentic portrayal of teenage angst that Salinger demonstrates throughout, praising the use of simplistic and repetitive language to contrast the mature themes. There’s the sense that Holden is every disenchanted youth looking to find himself and escape the constraints of school facing the realities of life.

Ultimately, I don’t think this is necessarily incorrect; I think my main issue with the novel is that Holden is /so/ sixteen and I am not. I think I’m too old (a morbid thought at 23) to really appreciate what the story is saying about youth and teenagerhood, and instead Holden just comes across as grating and immature. I don’t see him as an endearingly naïve protagonist growing into himself, but an insufferable child who learns little from his mistakes. The lack of overt growth by the end of the novel is a subversion of the coming-of-age genre and I feel that the story is the worse for it.

Content Warnings

perid0t's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

cinderblox_'s review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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

Those that get it, get it. Oh, and i get it. I read it in high school the first time and I related to Holden so much at the time. Rereading this as an adult, about 10 years later, it remains near and dear to my heart and i have a better understanding of it. It brought tears to my eyes. I cant even put into words what is going on through my mind about this book right now. Makes you think about grief, internal struggles, and growing up. But seriously, if it doesnt hit for you the first time, take a look at some analysis videos of it or try to reread it in the future. It doesnt deserve all the hate it gets.

Content Warnings