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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
These nine stories are, one and all, variations on a single theme: the idealization/fetishization of childhood innocence. Put another way: all nine of these stories touch upon Salinger's pet topic --- the tragic demise of emotionally fragile man-children who are unable to come to grips with such stresses as modern warfare and the depersonalization of 20th-century urban living.
This recurring theme is handled with tenderness, humor, and, often, undeniable genius. Salinger's amazingly lifelike portrayals of young children, his ability to empathetically intuit and to resonantly communicate how young children think and feel and speak and behave, is perhaps the crowning virtue of his writings (and wasn't the carousel scene the most vivid and affecting scene in The Catcher in the Rye?).
On the flip side, Salinger's depictions of adult women seem to be, for the most part, horribly mean-spirited caricatures, liable to leave the reader with the impression that Salinger was a misogynist who believed all adult women are superficial, artificial, soulless, bickering, bitchy harpies (see: "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut"). Really, the only adult female character in this collection whom Salinger treats with real non-condescending sympathy is Boo Boo Tannenbaum nee Glass, the lovable mother-figure in "Down at the Dinghy." Characters like Boo Boo Tannenbaum and Rye's Jane Gallagher at times seem more like idealized imaginings than closely observed flesh-and-blood women, though (at least when compared with Salinger's more fully realized male characters).
These caveats aside, this is really a good book, and I recommend the story "For Esme, With Love and Squalor" unreservedly to everyone.
This recurring theme is handled with tenderness, humor, and, often, undeniable genius. Salinger's amazingly lifelike portrayals of young children, his ability to empathetically intuit and to resonantly communicate how young children think and feel and speak and behave, is perhaps the crowning virtue of his writings (and wasn't the carousel scene the most vivid and affecting scene in The Catcher in the Rye?).
On the flip side, Salinger's depictions of adult women seem to be, for the most part, horribly mean-spirited caricatures, liable to leave the reader with the impression that Salinger was a misogynist who believed all adult women are superficial, artificial, soulless, bickering, bitchy harpies (see: "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut"). Really, the only adult female character in this collection whom Salinger treats with real non-condescending sympathy is Boo Boo Tannenbaum nee Glass, the lovable mother-figure in "Down at the Dinghy." Characters like Boo Boo Tannenbaum and Rye's Jane Gallagher at times seem more like idealized imaginings than closely observed flesh-and-blood women, though (at least when compared with Salinger's more fully realized male characters).
These caveats aside, this is really a good book, and I recommend the story "For Esme, With Love and Squalor" unreservedly to everyone.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Gran colleccion de relatos con personajes de gran calado, con reflexiones muy interesantes y con sobre todo una maestría en la prosa que me deja anonada. Es fluida, tiene diálogos maravillosamente escritos, llenos de humor y de misterio, con múltiples interpretaciones y sus finales son siempre sorpresivos y de los que te hacen pensar. Verdadera maestría.
I can't decide which I like more: this or Catcher in the Rye.
When most people see Salinger, they only see Catcher in the Rye. But Nine Stories is just as much a gem, which seems to be hidden for a lot of people.
Like he said in Catcher in the Rye, Salinger just seems like an author you'd like to call up.
Although I imagine he wouldn't pick up the phone since he's a complete recluse.
When most people see Salinger, they only see Catcher in the Rye. But Nine Stories is just as much a gem, which seems to be hidden for a lot of people.
Like he said in Catcher in the Rye, Salinger just seems like an author you'd like to call up.
Although I imagine he wouldn't pick up the phone since he's a complete recluse.
I really liked this book! The short stories were enertaining to read, and they left a lot to think about, I had to look up some of the symbolism/motif on sparknotes and other online analysis of this book. It is definitely worth reading though.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
Many of my friends recommend "Nine Stories" as the best way to truly understand Salinger. We are talking about nine short stories, each with its own style, theme and characters. What I really love about Salinger is the "ambiguity".
We always have enough room to interpret his stories. This is what makes us feel close to the stories. Salinger reached a kind of intimacy with the reader that many writers still struggle to reach.
The only way to understand Salinger is reading. And reading Salinger is as important as learning Math.
We always have enough room to interpret his stories. This is what makes us feel close to the stories. Salinger reached a kind of intimacy with the reader that many writers still struggle to reach.
The only way to understand Salinger is reading. And reading Salinger is as important as learning Math.
I read because I want to touch god. I touched god in this book, especially with the last story, teddy. wow. what an ender.
was on the phone w my boyfriend trying to explain one of these stories, hitting the events in order but not the “point,” which made me consider what I thought a short story should do — I’ve read really bad and really good ones recently and I also sometimes write them myself but I have not gotten the groove right, because I am too invested in making sure the reader understands me and my reason for writing. but short stories, I think, should make you reach some unspeakable knowledge or emotion beyond a conclusion that is obvious or straightforward. this is beyond the author too—to write a good short story I believe you must *reach* for something. they should do this even more than books, because books have several purposes—character studies, plot, and whatnot. but short stories and poetry need to get down to the essentials of writing, the very barest reason to do it. to reach god.
by god I mean “everything” or the “truth” or these unspeakable knowledges, not the christian capital-G God. I kept this book in the back of my jean pocket, it was small enough to fit. so much knowledge and emotion in such a small container. last I read this was my senior year of high school and I think I stole it from my favorite teacher’s classroom by accident. but maybe that accident was for a reason, because I forgot the plot and purpose of all these stories, and I mostly reread them while in the ICU waiting room, waiting on my grandpa, who is close to death or could pull through, we don’t know. everything is uncertain. I think there was some comfort in reading stories published during his time of coming of age. I was on edge and reflective and therefore close to god anyway. in general, I think we are closer to god when we are born and when we are around death. I have experienced so much reframing in the past few years, smack after smack. like teddy says, I want to vomit up logic, stop my apple-eating, and many things have forced me to do this, temporarily. but I want to remember the things I knew in childhood, return to my intuition. I was a strange child with weird predictions and philosophies and I dreamed the future and then lived it again and I lost that. I lost it bc people told me that wasn’t real. now I feel it only in flashes, only in nature, by the threshold to life, or when I listen to certain music or read certain stories or most powerfully, when I write.
was on the phone w my boyfriend trying to explain one of these stories, hitting the events in order but not the “point,” which made me consider what I thought a short story should do — I’ve read really bad and really good ones recently and I also sometimes write them myself but I have not gotten the groove right, because I am too invested in making sure the reader understands me and my reason for writing. but short stories, I think, should make you reach some unspeakable knowledge or emotion beyond a conclusion that is obvious or straightforward. this is beyond the author too—to write a good short story I believe you must *reach* for something. they should do this even more than books, because books have several purposes—character studies, plot, and whatnot. but short stories and poetry need to get down to the essentials of writing, the very barest reason to do it. to reach god.
by god I mean “everything” or the “truth” or these unspeakable knowledges, not the christian capital-G God. I kept this book in the back of my jean pocket, it was small enough to fit. so much knowledge and emotion in such a small container. last I read this was my senior year of high school and I think I stole it from my favorite teacher’s classroom by accident. but maybe that accident was for a reason, because I forgot the plot and purpose of all these stories, and I mostly reread them while in the ICU waiting room, waiting on my grandpa, who is close to death or could pull through, we don’t know. everything is uncertain. I think there was some comfort in reading stories published during his time of coming of age. I was on edge and reflective and therefore close to god anyway. in general, I think we are closer to god when we are born and when we are around death. I have experienced so much reframing in the past few years, smack after smack. like teddy says, I want to vomit up logic, stop my apple-eating, and many things have forced me to do this, temporarily. but I want to remember the things I knew in childhood, return to my intuition. I was a strange child with weird predictions and philosophies and I dreamed the future and then lived it again and I lost that. I lost it bc people told me that wasn’t real. now I feel it only in flashes, only in nature, by the threshold to life, or when I listen to certain music or read certain stories or most powerfully, when I write.
At first, I was put off by how all the stories just seem to end suddenly, like a student realizing they reached the required length of a report or, as in this case, an author publishing their work in a periodical. Then, through some of the better short stories, I began to realize Salinger was allowing the reader to use their imagination to create an ending
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