Amazon.com Review Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins,
"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them."
His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.
Product Description Ever since it was first published in 1951, this novel has been the coming-of-age story against which all others are judged. Read and cherished by generations, the story of Holden Caulfield is truly one of America's literary treasures.
The Catcher in the RyeMarch 10, 2010 Francine Scism(NASHVILLE, NC, US) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The subject matter of the book was disappointing. The writing was excellent but I did not enjoy it because of the subject matter. I should have read it in high school but waited too long and I seriously wanted to give that kid in the book a kick in the butt!
WHAT A PIECE OF CRAPMarch 10, 2010 William Fulkerson 1 out of 3 found this review helpful
We were required to read this drek in high school. It made me sick then, and it makes me sick now, 45 years later, that so many morons could act like lemmings in calling this tripe a masterpiece. If it is a coming of age story, it is about humanity itself coming to an age of self-loathing and self-pity; constantly the victim. Never responsible for their own shortcomings in failure to appreciate the privelege of existance. As I said; a first class moping piece of crap. Teachers should be fired for even suggesting an adolescent child or teen read it.
A True ClassicMarch 7, 2010 Geoff Hasler(Santa Barbara, CA) A Genuine, True Classic. Once you read it again, you realize what a profound effect it had on American literature at the time. What a tragedy that Salinger went into seclusion and deprived the world (except his family) of his talent. Hopefully a family member will publish his work soon. The Catcher in the Rye
I remember it well!March 6, 2010 H. Beutler-Cruise(Milwaukee, WI) Talk about going back in time! I remember reading this in school over 50 years ago...and what memories it brings back. Good stuff...I feel like a kid again!
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerMarch 5, 2010 amazon aficionado(USA) After J.D. Salinger died, my 92-year-old mother expressed interest in reading The Catcher in the Rye, so I ordered a used copy of the book The Catcher in the Rye through Amazon.com and had it sent to her. She really enjoyed reading it and gave a review of it at her retirement home book club. She told them she loved the book. I asked for her comments for this book review, and she said:
"I was curious because I heard that after J.D. Salinger died the book is deemed a classic. I hadn't read it because at one time it was banned. I learned a lot about Holden Caulfield--coming of age. I laughed a lot when reading great descriptions of characters. I could gloss over swear words. A fun book open- ended."
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