A review by salem0
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

first read: july 2020
reread and reviewed by: sept 13 2023

honestly, it's kind of a bittersweet type of book. i like the commentary on the 'innocence' of childhood and the adolescent experience. holden is pretty flawed since he's a bit shallow at times and he's clearly got anger issues and a little misogyny, but i did feel for him and what he was going through. his views on the people around him reminded me a bit of me when i was 16 with some mental health issues. i sorta got what he was saying about phoniness too. the part at the end where he said 'god i wish you could've been there to see it' kinda got me pretty sad. the part i liked best was where he explained why he wanted to be the catcher in the rye tho. i came out of the story genuinely wishing that this guy got better after the events of this book. 

overall, i really enjoyed this book, and while it's no favorite, i think it'll still stick with me. and even if people are often divided on this book, i'd still recommend this. also now i've gotten into saying goddamn as often as possible because of this goddamn book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings