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strawlico 's review for:
Nine Stories
by J.D. Salinger
After reading Catcher in the Rye in the summer, I wanted to stay aboard the Salinger train (which inevitably means that I'll probably be reading [b:Franny and Zooey|5113|Franny and Zooey|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1355037988l/5113._SY75_.jpg|3118417] by the end of the year as well).
What's funny is that I had actually already tried reading this collection 2 years ago and had strongly disliked it at the time, barely making it past 2 stories. Reading it this time around however, perhaps armed with a new perspective, gave me such a strong positive impression. It's interesting how our relationship to stories can completely shift from one year to another.
Anyways, back to the stories at hand here. The first thing I need to point out is that while I did have my favorites, namely [b:A Perfect Day for Bananafish|7875439|A Perfect Day for Bananafish|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1325887555l/7875439._SX50_.jpg|11061202] and [b:De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period|17206891|De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period|J.D. Salinger|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|23685977], I appreciated every single story here. The prose and especially the dialog present were consistently engaging and strong as well as the ideas at hand. We encounter a myriad of different theme which range from post-war trauma to fatigue associated with the consumerist American lifestyle and even zen teachings.
Without going into any spoilers, I appreciated A Perfect Day for Bananafish especially for it's story told in 2 perspectives. The worrying tone and the suspense built over the course of only 20 pages is absolutely a masterclass in writing. So much information and layered themes are included in here without it feeling much too heavy. It's a great start to the collection and sets the done of Salinger's themes as well as personal history, namely his experience in America as a veteran post-WW2.
De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period in contrast has a lighter tone and reminded more of The Catcher in the Rye. The main character is a narcissist and a hypocrite, so convinced of his own talent that he decides to lie about his age and identity to join an art academy as a Professor. It's here that I was reminded the most about what I liked so much about Salinger's writing. Funny details pop out here and there, such as the narrator's narcissism highlighted by him only painting self portraits, or his invented identity which leads him to share fake anecdotes about being Picasso's personal confidant. The true shine of the story however is the character's relationship and breakthrough with God.
I'll read these again for sure. It's such an easy read and no story is much longer in comparison to the others so it's also a very balanced read.
What's funny is that I had actually already tried reading this collection 2 years ago and had strongly disliked it at the time, barely making it past 2 stories. Reading it this time around however, perhaps armed with a new perspective, gave me such a strong positive impression. It's interesting how our relationship to stories can completely shift from one year to another.
Anyways, back to the stories at hand here. The first thing I need to point out is that while I did have my favorites, namely [b:A Perfect Day for Bananafish|7875439|A Perfect Day for Bananafish|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1325887555l/7875439._SX50_.jpg|11061202] and [b:De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period|17206891|De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period|J.D. Salinger|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|23685977], I appreciated every single story here. The prose and especially the dialog present were consistently engaging and strong as well as the ideas at hand. We encounter a myriad of different theme which range from post-war trauma to fatigue associated with the consumerist American lifestyle and even zen teachings.
Without going into any spoilers, I appreciated A Perfect Day for Bananafish especially for it's story told in 2 perspectives. The worrying tone and the suspense built over the course of only 20 pages is absolutely a masterclass in writing. So much information and layered themes are included in here without it feeling much too heavy. It's a great start to the collection and sets the done of Salinger's themes as well as personal history, namely his experience in America as a veteran post-WW2.
De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period in contrast has a lighter tone and reminded more of The Catcher in the Rye. The main character is a narcissist and a hypocrite, so convinced of his own talent that he decides to lie about his age and identity to join an art academy as a Professor. It's here that I was reminded the most about what I liked so much about Salinger's writing. Funny details pop out here and there, such as the narrator's narcissism highlighted by him only painting self portraits, or his invented identity which leads him to share fake anecdotes about being Picasso's personal confidant. The true shine of the story however is the character's relationship and breakthrough with God.
I'll read these again for sure. It's such an easy read and no story is much longer in comparison to the others so it's also a very balanced read.