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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
This collection contains the very memorable "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" among other perfect little gems. I went on a J.D. Salinger binge in high school and wrote an English paper about him.
Sometimes I get frustrated with short stories. I enjoy getting to know characters and hanging out with them for a good long time. I didn't have that problem with Nine Stories. Each story was brilliantly constructed and perfectly timed.
If you haven't yet, read this collection. It has the potential to be a quick read. It took me a bit longer because I had to take some time after each story to figure out and digest.
:)
If you haven't yet, read this collection. It has the potential to be a quick read. It took me a bit longer because I had to take some time after each story to figure out and digest.
:)
I've never been a big Salinger fan but wanted to give this a read when a friend gave it to me. I can certainly see why people enjoy his characters and commentary on society but it just isn't my cup of tea.
I gave this five stars in high school and I’ll give it six today. So happy I finally reread this. I had forgotten the last two stories entirely. They’re all so tragic and yet so damn beautiful. All of the characters are so pathetically human. Promising myself to reread this again.
I'm always torn on Salinger and his weird, distracting legacy. Are these great stories? Of course. Do they achieve the preeminence ascribed to practically all of his work? In my opinion, not so much. I wouldn't have sat outside Salinger's house in New Hampshire just to get a glimpse of the man. But if you can ignore all the baggage of Salinger the author, these stories are damn good and worth the read.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I once heard JD Salinger's writing described as "rich people complaining about being bored." I think that description is remarkably apt for this book. Nine stories, every single one of which was of upper class being bored in a way that makes the reader bored. At one point, I stopped reading this to go burn through a more exciting book, and the only reason I could make myself return to it was because I was down to a single story (incidentally, the closest any story comes to being the "best" one of the group).
The writing was bland, the dialogue repetitive feeling without actually being repetitive, the characters empty and flat, and the stories went absolutely nowhere. I kept trying to assign meaning where there was none, and trying to imagine excitement where, again, there was none. I normally like Salinger, but this one? Only read it if you really feel the need to have read it. Otherwise, you won't have missed anything particularly important. Or interesting, for that matter.
The writing was bland, the dialogue repetitive feeling without actually being repetitive, the characters empty and flat, and the stories went absolutely nowhere. I kept trying to assign meaning where there was none, and trying to imagine excitement where, again, there was none. I normally like Salinger, but this one? Only read it if you really feel the need to have read it. Otherwise, you won't have missed anything particularly important. Or interesting, for that matter.
Its hard to review a book that is made up of 9 unique stories, but with jd salinger’s distinct tone it somehow all fit together. The stories were detached, surprising, and left a lot of space open for imagination. My favorites were “a perfect day for bananafish” and “Teddy.” If you like Catcher in the Rye than this is definitely the next book for you.
