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megandanger's review against another edition
2.0
I read this book in high school and thought I was enjoying it...until I reached the end. It was the first time I ever shut a book, rolled my eyes and thought, "wow, that was the stupidest thing I've ever read." It's a lot of whining and griping, more than I would be able to tolerate from a friend, let alone a character I have no personal relationship with. Overall would not recommend but I wouldn't say it's the worst thing I ever read.
swagkermit's review against another edition
4.25
I think of this as the quintessential "red flag" book and after reading, I don't understand. I need to get off social media.
I've heard that it's best to read this for the first time when you're a teenager, as you can relate more to Holden's mindset, but I didn't have too much trouble (maybe that was the red flag all along). Holden just seemed like...an aimless teenage boy? There wasn't much he did that was extreme. I thought the last quarter of the book was especially good.
I loved Phoebe, these truly are the things to care about in life:
- What has our government done to make life easier for the Alaskan eskimos?
- Shirley you said you were sagitarius but your only taurus
Anyway, it took me a while to get through this but it was really worth reading! I was not expecting to enjoy it at all but it surprised me :)
I've heard that it's best to read this for the first time when you're a teenager, as you can relate more to Holden's mindset, but I didn't have too much trouble (maybe that was the red flag all along). Holden just seemed like...an aimless teenage boy? There wasn't much he did that was extreme. I thought the last quarter of the book was especially good.
I loved Phoebe, these truly are the things to care about in life:
- What has our government done to make life easier for the Alaskan eskimos?
- Shirley you said you were sagitarius but your only taurus
Anyway, it took me a while to get through this but it was really worth reading! I was not expecting to enjoy it at all but it surprised me :)
20dollarnosebleed's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jenni_elyse's review against another edition
1.0
I’ve wanted to read The Catcher in the Rye for a very long time. So when we decided to read it for book club, I was really excited! I don’t know what I had in mind for The Catcher in the Rye, but what I read was definitely not it.
I thought The Catcher in the Rye had absolutely no plot and was completely pointless. I’m not sure why it’s even considered a classic. And, I absolutely hated the writing style. I hated how Holden thought/spoke (other than the colloquialisms). His thoughts were rambling and unfiltered, and I had a really hard time with it. It added to my being adamant that there is no point to this story.
I understand why teenage boys would like it because they probably relate to Holden really well. But, since I’m neither a teenager nor a boy, I couldn’t relate to him, even with thinking back on my teenage years. With that being said, I could see why Holden felt the way he did in some circumstances. He really seemed to like kids because they were genuine and hadn’t been jaded yet. And, on the flip side, he hated adults (or anyone nearing adulthood) because they all seemed like they were phonies. I actually kind of agree with him on that point.
I hated Holden at first, but I felt sorry for him in the end. I felt like he was crying out for help and no one could see that he was. He was so depressed, suicidal even, and he didn’t know how to deal with his little brother’s death. And, of course, none of the adults in his life really showed him how to grieve, cope, or even live. I wished he had found someone to help him; I think that would’ve made the book better and at least given a point to the story.
Even though Holden grew on me a little bit by the end, I just still didn’t like The Catcher in the Rye. I tried to like it and I even tried to see why my book club cohorts liked it. And, while I agree with a lot of what they said about it, I just don’t like this book for some reason.
Probably the only thing I truly liked about The Catcher in the Rye was Holden’s colloquialisms. It was fun to read things like, “I got a bang out of that” or “shoot the bull.” I also thought it was really interesting how he used the word “hell” in some instances. He said things like, “scared hell out of me” or “annoyed hell out of me” without “the” in front of “hell.” I thought it was a typo at first, but this happens very frequently throughout the entire book, while other times “the” is in front of “hell.” So, I’m not really sure if the way “hell” is used has changed or not since 1951, but I still found that fascinating.
Even though I didn’t like The Catcher in the Rye, I’m still glad I read it. I’m glad I know what it’s finally about, even if it isn’t really about anything.
I thought The Catcher in the Rye had absolutely no plot and was completely pointless. I’m not sure why it’s even considered a classic. And, I absolutely hated the writing style. I hated how Holden thought/spoke (other than the colloquialisms). His thoughts were rambling and unfiltered, and I had a really hard time with it. It added to my being adamant that there is no point to this story.
I understand why teenage boys would like it because they probably relate to Holden really well. But, since I’m neither a teenager nor a boy, I couldn’t relate to him, even with thinking back on my teenage years. With that being said, I could see why Holden felt the way he did in some circumstances. He really seemed to like kids because they were genuine and hadn’t been jaded yet. And, on the flip side, he hated adults (or anyone nearing adulthood) because they all seemed like they were phonies. I actually kind of agree with him on that point.
I hated Holden at first, but I felt sorry for him in the end. I felt like he was crying out for help and no one could see that he was. He was so depressed, suicidal even, and he didn’t know how to deal with his little brother’s death. And, of course, none of the adults in his life really showed him how to grieve, cope, or even live. I wished he had found someone to help him; I think that would’ve made the book better and at least given a point to the story.
Even though Holden grew on me a little bit by the end, I just still didn’t like The Catcher in the Rye. I tried to like it and I even tried to see why my book club cohorts liked it. And, while I agree with a lot of what they said about it, I just don’t like this book for some reason.
Probably the only thing I truly liked about The Catcher in the Rye was Holden’s colloquialisms. It was fun to read things like, “I got a bang out of that” or “shoot the bull.” I also thought it was really interesting how he used the word “hell” in some instances. He said things like, “scared hell out of me” or “annoyed hell out of me” without “the” in front of “hell.” I thought it was a typo at first, but this happens very frequently throughout the entire book, while other times “the” is in front of “hell.” So, I’m not really sure if the way “hell” is used has changed or not since 1951, but I still found that fascinating.
Even though I didn’t like The Catcher in the Rye, I’m still glad I read it. I’m glad I know what it’s finally about, even if it isn’t really about anything.
andrearapuzzi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
stelasanderova's review against another edition
informative
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
2.5
mreddy17's review against another edition
3.0
“ I don’t even know what I was running for—I guess I just felt like it. After I got across the road, I felt like I was sort of disappearing. It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything, and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road.”
hollypatience's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mgaff57's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75