You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

1.37k reviews for:

Nine Stories

J.D. Salinger

4.11 AVERAGE


First introduction to Salinger short stories and highly pleased. Enjoyed the tone of heavy cynicism mixed with spirituality. Still thinking about Teddy.

“After I go out this door, I may only exist in the minds of all my acquaintances. I may be an orange peel.”

This was on a "What to read when you are stressed out" book list. Easy to read, quick, short stories that keep your mind otherwise occupied. Some of the stories are a bit bizarre.

My favorite thing about this book is not the content itself, but the notes that previous owners left on the inside of the front cover. In lovely, cursive script, someone wrote: "Bobby, what do you think of the titles?"
Bobby responded, in messy print: "Just plan stupid they are redickuluss and dumb."
The cursive script wrote, "I hath finded it under This Desk."
Bobby said: "you better put it back there or burn it."

Honestly, the stories itself were alright, I liked some more than others, and they were very Salinger. But none of them particularly stood out to me, and the ones I disliked were a bit boring.

Liked these stories but not as much as Catcher in the Rye.

All of these stories have such a beautiful message. It's interesting to read some of Salinger himself in each of his stories - I think he definitely projected himself amongst the characters and plots. My favorites are "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," "For Esmé - with Love and Squalor," and "Teddy."

Love the banana fish story
dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was a quick read for me. I enjoyed every story in its own way, but many of them had me creeped out. I guess that's the mark of a good short story, when it makes you feel something by the end.
adventurous dark funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I have read the stories of J.D. Salinger's Nine Stories anywhere between five and ten times, depending on the story. Whenever I go back to them it always feels oddly comforting, despite the dark subject matter of many of the stories, following characters contending with the aftermath of the war, and the ripple effect it has on society -- and most importantly, the individuals dealing with this trauma. Salinger was among these people, a veteran himself, so it is interesting to see his perspective. The stories and characters are quirky and very funny. I think every story had me smiling or laughing to myself, even after so many times reading them. The stories within this collection are wonderful -- from Bananafish to For Esme and Teddy. It's always lovely to be reacquainted with the Glass family, and it is intriguing to go back and read this after going through Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters, Seymour: An Introduction and Franny and Zooey. What makes Salinger's writing so engaging? The scenarios, the dialogue between characters, the feeling of depth and history that everyone has with each other and the world they live in, or the sensitivity many of the main characters have, which would later find its way into Salinger's most famous story Catcher in the Rye and character, Holden Caulfield. I'm exceedingly glad that no movie adaptation has, to date, tarnished the majority of Salinger's work. I think it would be a disservice to the material, and his stories and novels are so readable that I'd challenge anyone even vaguely interested to give them a shot. This is a wonderful, charming collection that will continue to be one of my comfort reads, probably forever. 

Read as a teen, this was my favorite book for years. There are few collections of short stores that I can enjoy the way I enjoyed Nine Stories. I'm a Salinger fan as it is, but something about these bits of story worlds gripped me. I basically preached the sweetness of Salinger through high school. Years later, I can't remember one story line. The way it made me feel though? Won't forget that.