What do you think?
Rate this book
Fänger, gefangen
Nach der erschütternden Diagnose: Leukämie, sieht der 15-jährige Daniel Landon eine Parallele zu sich in den Worten von JD Salingers Der Fänger im Roggen. Inspiriert von Holden Caulfield, beginnt Daniel, die Absichten und die Autorität der Menschen um sich herum in Frage zu stellen, während er – dem Tod ins Auge blickend – nach seiner eigenen Identität sucht. Gelangweilt von seiner beengten Umgebung und den alternativen Behandlungsansätze seiner Hippie-Eltern, folgt er den Spuren Holdens nach New York City auf der Suche nach den gleichen immerwährenden Wahrheiten, um letztendlich die Bedeutung des Zuhauses zu entdecken, speziell wenn einem der Tod droht.
Fänger, gefangen ist ein Roman über das Erwachsenwerden, eine Liebesgeschichte und ein neuer Klassiker - er regt die Phantasie gleich mehrerer Generationen an, auf der Suche nach bleibenden Werten.
Fänger, gefangen ist ein Roman über das Erwachsenwerden, eine Liebesgeschichte und ein neuer Klassiker - er regt die Phantasie gleich mehrerer Generationen an, auf der Suche nach bleibenden Werten.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2010
72 people are currently reading
588 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Honenberger
6 books34 followersI like to say I write about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Pen/Faulkner chose my third novel, CATCHER, CAUGHT, for its Writers in Schools program. It was a semi-finalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. My other novels include WALTZING COWBOYS, a 2009 nominee for the Library of Virginia Fiction Award, and WHITE LIES: A TALE OF BABIES, VACCINES, and DECEPTION, the story of one mother’s quest for the truth about the childhood vaccine that injured her son, and MINDING HENRY LEWIS, another river story about the unlikely alliance between the sister of a boy who drowns and her white neighbor recovering from cancer. Other prize-winning fiction has appeared in Antietam Review, New Millenium, SouthLit, Pedestal, the HooK, and other literary journals. I speak and teach creative writing at seminars and conferences to students of all ages. Oprah used my essay, ‘Gathering Rosebuds: A Working Woman’s Manifesto,’ in one of her book club segments.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
November 6, 2019
Daniel hat Leukämie.
Er ist zum ersten Mal verliebt aber empfindlich und ständig müde. Und lebt abgeschieden auf einem Hausboot um ihn von Keimen fernzuhalten. Seine Eltern wollen auch nicht, dass er weiter zur Schule geht, was ihn nicht nur sozial ausgrenzt, sondern auch das Jugendamt aufmerksam macht.
Seine Eltern sind Hippies, besonders seine Mutter radikal alternativ und lehnt Chemotherapie ab. Deshalb mischen sich die Behörden ein. Eltern dürfen Kindern notwendige medizinische Behandlung nicht verweigern.
Das er krank ist zieht Aufmerksamkeit auf sich. Aber alle reden über ihn, nicht mit ihm. Keiner fragt wie er sich sein Leben, oder das was davon bleibt, vorstellt.
Und sein Held, Holden aus "der Fänger im Roggen" inspiriert ihn dazu seine Familie und sen Umfeld zu verstehen und nachzuvollziehen aber auch ihr Denken, Handeln und Motive zu hinterfragen.
Und dazu, sein Leben und eine mögliche Behandlung selbst in die Hand zu nehmen.
Nicht nur für Jugendliche, eine wirklich starke Geschichte, die berührt. Die junge Liebe ist wirklich süß und perfekt dosiert, verkitscht das Ganze nicht. Insgesamt ist die Geschichte tragisch aber in einem relativ neutralen, nicht allzu sentimentalen Ton erzählt.
Das liegt vor allem an Daniel. Bei so exzentrischen Eltern und der Situation in der er ist, ist es authentisch, dass er nüchtern und sachlich darstellt.
Von seiner ersten Begegnung mit Meredith (die so süß ist) über seine Familie und die Rollenverteilung, wie alle immer Rücksicht auf seine ökologische Mutter nehmen. Viel mehr als auf ihn, der die Unterstützung eigentlich braucht. Bis zu seinen Gedanken, Gefühlen, Erlebnissen und kleinen Erfolgen. Sein Leben und seine Familie sind anders aber dadurch lässt sich alles nachempfinden.
Sogar das seltsam offene Ende hat mir gut gefallen.
Und die eingebaute Kritik am amerikanischen kaputten, zweifelhaften Gesundheitssystem, in dem den Eltern Chemotherapie aufgezwungen wird, die sie selbst zahlen müssen - wie interessiert den Staat dann nicht mehr.
Er ist zum ersten Mal verliebt aber empfindlich und ständig müde. Und lebt abgeschieden auf einem Hausboot um ihn von Keimen fernzuhalten. Seine Eltern wollen auch nicht, dass er weiter zur Schule geht, was ihn nicht nur sozial ausgrenzt, sondern auch das Jugendamt aufmerksam macht.
Seine Eltern sind Hippies, besonders seine Mutter radikal alternativ und lehnt Chemotherapie ab. Deshalb mischen sich die Behörden ein. Eltern dürfen Kindern notwendige medizinische Behandlung nicht verweigern.
Das er krank ist zieht Aufmerksamkeit auf sich. Aber alle reden über ihn, nicht mit ihm. Keiner fragt wie er sich sein Leben, oder das was davon bleibt, vorstellt.
Und sein Held, Holden aus "der Fänger im Roggen" inspiriert ihn dazu seine Familie und sen Umfeld zu verstehen und nachzuvollziehen aber auch ihr Denken, Handeln und Motive zu hinterfragen.
Und dazu, sein Leben und eine mögliche Behandlung selbst in die Hand zu nehmen.
Nicht nur für Jugendliche, eine wirklich starke Geschichte, die berührt. Die junge Liebe ist wirklich süß und perfekt dosiert, verkitscht das Ganze nicht. Insgesamt ist die Geschichte tragisch aber in einem relativ neutralen, nicht allzu sentimentalen Ton erzählt.
Das liegt vor allem an Daniel. Bei so exzentrischen Eltern und der Situation in der er ist, ist es authentisch, dass er nüchtern und sachlich darstellt.
Von seiner ersten Begegnung mit Meredith (die so süß ist) über seine Familie und die Rollenverteilung, wie alle immer Rücksicht auf seine ökologische Mutter nehmen. Viel mehr als auf ihn, der die Unterstützung eigentlich braucht. Bis zu seinen Gedanken, Gefühlen, Erlebnissen und kleinen Erfolgen. Sein Leben und seine Familie sind anders aber dadurch lässt sich alles nachempfinden.
Sogar das seltsam offene Ende hat mir gut gefallen.
Und die eingebaute Kritik am amerikanischen kaputten, zweifelhaften Gesundheitssystem, in dem den Eltern Chemotherapie aufgezwungen wird, die sie selbst zahlen müssen - wie interessiert den Staat dann nicht mehr.
January 29, 2011
Sixteen year-old narrator Daniel Landon has leukemia, and may only have a year to live—even if he does have the chemotherapy treatment his doctors suggest. But his hippie parents decide to give him alternative herbal treatment instead, and pull him out of school (too many germs being around other kids). Shouldn't he have a say in his own life, and what treatment he receives? Isn't it important, too, to be around his school friends and have a social life as his life winds down? Will his parents ever acknowledge his opinions? Even with the weight and worry of his own mortality on his mind, author Sarah Collins Honenberger does a good job of reminding the reader that young Daniel can still have plain old teenage worries. Like, does that new girl (Meredith) in the neighborhood actually like him? And what Halloween party should he attend, his best friend's or the rich kid's, who may have eyes for the same girl Daniel does.
Feeling more and more isolated—both because of his illness and his removal from school—Daniel turns to the voice of The Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caulfield for guidance. Holden, of course, is the unhappy, cynical sixteen year-old kicked out of his prep school, and trying to find himself in New York City before returning home to face the music. But Holden has his whole life to figure things out—Daniel has only a year. Honenberger's teenage protagonist never allows himself to become cynical like Caufield, even though he has every reason to. Daniel instead seeks to gain control over his life (or death), and wants the responsibility—whatever the result. He loves his parents, but what if they are making the wrong decision?
Written in the first person (as is Salinger's book), author Honenberger does a good job getting into the head of her lead character. Sometimes his music and film references may seem too old fashioned for him, and I wish an important, emotional phone call between Daniel and Meredith toward the end of the book (right before he sets out for New York City) had been shown, and not just mentioned in passing. But those are just nit picks, really. In the acknowledgments, Honenberger is thankful for the chance to honor J. D. Salinger and Holden Caulfield. And what better way to honor them than by inspiring a new generation to read The Catcher in the Rye, and an older generation to rediscover the classic?
Feeling more and more isolated—both because of his illness and his removal from school—Daniel turns to the voice of The Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caulfield for guidance. Holden, of course, is the unhappy, cynical sixteen year-old kicked out of his prep school, and trying to find himself in New York City before returning home to face the music. But Holden has his whole life to figure things out—Daniel has only a year. Honenberger's teenage protagonist never allows himself to become cynical like Caufield, even though he has every reason to. Daniel instead seeks to gain control over his life (or death), and wants the responsibility—whatever the result. He loves his parents, but what if they are making the wrong decision?
Written in the first person (as is Salinger's book), author Honenberger does a good job getting into the head of her lead character. Sometimes his music and film references may seem too old fashioned for him, and I wish an important, emotional phone call between Daniel and Meredith toward the end of the book (right before he sets out for New York City) had been shown, and not just mentioned in passing. But those are just nit picks, really. In the acknowledgments, Honenberger is thankful for the chance to honor J. D. Salinger and Holden Caulfield. And what better way to honor them than by inspiring a new generation to read The Catcher in the Rye, and an older generation to rediscover the classic?
May 11, 2011
See, this book is a perfect illustration of everything that is wrong with the publishing industry. It boggles the mind that a book that is as wonderful as this one is has not received the recognition it deserves.
I can’t say enough good things about it. The writing is top notch, with the fluidity that is telling of a talented writer. The main character, Daniel, is someone who stays with you long after the last page, you worry right alongside his parents for his health to return. His voice is so fresh, so young and yet surprisingly wise. There is always a danger when writing a book about someone with a terminal disease, that it can get melodramatic, but the author never fell into that pitfall, always managing to maintain the breezy tone going.
The storyline is tightly crafted with no un-tucked threads to leave you wondering. All the characters are lifelike and people you can sympathize with even if you don’t agree with everything they do.
This is a book I long for everyone to buy and read. It was a revelation and I am very glad I was lucky enough to get a chance to read it.
I can’t say enough good things about it. The writing is top notch, with the fluidity that is telling of a talented writer. The main character, Daniel, is someone who stays with you long after the last page, you worry right alongside his parents for his health to return. His voice is so fresh, so young and yet surprisingly wise. There is always a danger when writing a book about someone with a terminal disease, that it can get melodramatic, but the author never fell into that pitfall, always managing to maintain the breezy tone going.
The storyline is tightly crafted with no un-tucked threads to leave you wondering. All the characters are lifelike and people you can sympathize with even if you don’t agree with everything they do.
This is a book I long for everyone to buy and read. It was a revelation and I am very glad I was lucky enough to get a chance to read it.
May 11, 2011
There may be spoilers, but perhaps not more than the back of the book itself + your own intellect...
Earlier this year, I had read a string of books that I didn't like much before picking up this one. I was almost afraid to hope that it would break my string of bad luck/choices/pickiness. Whew. String broken.
I really enjoyed this book. I had a trusty copy of Catcher in the Rye sitting next to me as I read it, wondering if I should be reading them in tandem, or rereading Salinger before beginning Honenberger. It turned out to not be necessary, as Honenberger's weaving of Holden's story is done with enough detail and link to the narrative that it all makes sense.
Daniel is a sympathetic character. He's wrapped up in the world of high school just when he has to be excluded from it. We learn that he has been diagnosed with a tricky form of leukemia, and his parents have refused conventional treatment. Having read the book Deadline by Chris Crutcher, which has a similar opening scenario, I was set for a ride. This was a completely different book however (and perhaps a completely different form of leukemia?). I don't pretend to be an expert on leukemia, but I thought it was generally one of the more fightable forms of cancer. My biggest problem with the book was that Daniel's liberal, hippie parents wouldn't talk to him about the reality of the situation. As Daniel's strength and physical wellbeing obviously deteriorate, I didn't understand why the parents were adamant to make this unconventional decision without trusting their son to be a part of the dialogue or understand what was happening to him. (In contrast, the narrator in Deadline is already 18, so he makes all the decisions without informing his parents...)
Overall though, I thought that Daniel was believable. I would have liked it if he had stood up to his parents early after his diagnosis, but I could see how he could be passive about it and believe they were doing the right thing for him. His relationships with peers were heartbreaking for different reasons. I loved Meredith and would love to read a book from her perspective. Mack is interesting too, especially because it is hard for Daniel to see things from Mack's perspective.
The ending of this book must have been quite a challenge. How to finish a story of a kid with cancer? I think she did a fine job managing all of the personalities and giving us readers a satisfying ending.
This was the first ARC I ever received for free through the Goodreads First Reads program. Bring 'em on.
Earlier this year, I had read a string of books that I didn't like much before picking up this one. I was almost afraid to hope that it would break my string of bad luck/choices/pickiness. Whew. String broken.
I really enjoyed this book. I had a trusty copy of Catcher in the Rye sitting next to me as I read it, wondering if I should be reading them in tandem, or rereading Salinger before beginning Honenberger. It turned out to not be necessary, as Honenberger's weaving of Holden's story is done with enough detail and link to the narrative that it all makes sense.
Daniel is a sympathetic character. He's wrapped up in the world of high school just when he has to be excluded from it. We learn that he has been diagnosed with a tricky form of leukemia, and his parents have refused conventional treatment. Having read the book Deadline by Chris Crutcher, which has a similar opening scenario, I was set for a ride. This was a completely different book however (and perhaps a completely different form of leukemia?). I don't pretend to be an expert on leukemia, but I thought it was generally one of the more fightable forms of cancer. My biggest problem with the book was that Daniel's liberal, hippie parents wouldn't talk to him about the reality of the situation. As Daniel's strength and physical wellbeing obviously deteriorate, I didn't understand why the parents were adamant to make this unconventional decision without trusting their son to be a part of the dialogue or understand what was happening to him. (In contrast, the narrator in Deadline is already 18, so he makes all the decisions without informing his parents...)
Overall though, I thought that Daniel was believable. I would have liked it if he had stood up to his parents early after his diagnosis, but I could see how he could be passive about it and believe they were doing the right thing for him. His relationships with peers were heartbreaking for different reasons. I loved Meredith and would love to read a book from her perspective. Mack is interesting too, especially because it is hard for Daniel to see things from Mack's perspective.
The ending of this book must have been quite a challenge. How to finish a story of a kid with cancer? I think she did a fine job managing all of the personalities and giving us readers a satisfying ending.
This was the first ARC I ever received for free through the Goodreads First Reads program. Bring 'em on.
January 5, 2011
In her third novel, Sarah Collins Honenberger pays homage to the classic Salinger novel, Catcher in the Rye. Catcher, Caught is her way of hoping to reconnect this generation with the story of Holden Caulfield and his coming of age journey. To accomplish this, she employs the narrative of Daniel Landon, a young man who has been diagnosed with leukemia and in his effort to deal with his illness uses Holden's journey as a guide book of sorts.
The story, told in Daniel's voice is fresh and incredibly engaging. The unique perspective given by his illness gives his voice a poignancy that touches the reader from the opening pages. The parallels between Daniel's and Holden's struggles are strong at times. They both experience a fundamental disconnect with their parents; Holden's disdain for the upper crust phoniness of his parents and Daniel's periodic impatience with his parents hippie lifestyle and the problems it causes him. (Chief among those problems is Daniel's parent's resistance to conventional Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy.)
Daniel and Holden are each trying to understand the world with all its complexities and contradictory values and are each trying to reconcile their desires with their responsibilities. All of this in a world that tells them in one breath to act responsibly and in the next tells them they are still children.
While Catcher, Caught will stir memories for those who fondly recall reading Salinger's classic in their youth, it is not necessary to have read it to fully enjoy Honenberger's latest effort. As far as my personal experience goes. I read Catcher in the Rye for the first time when I was thirteen, and found myself identifying with Holden's feelings of alienation and frustration in the way only a teenager could truly do. When I read it again later, as an adult, I found that I couldn't connect with him in quite the same way.
My perspective had, of course changed and it was a different experience. As I read Catcher, Caught, I was able to recall quite vividly that first experience through Daniel's eyes. More importantly, I was able to know Daniel's character in a way that might not have been possible without his insights into Holden.
Daniel Landon and the way he deals with his illness, his family and the people and things that are important to him touches you in a way that Holden Caulfield's struggles may not have. Perhaps it is because of Daniel's illness and his urgency to experience all life can offer into a finite period of time. Possibly it may be that Daniel seems more invested in the life and feelings of others than Holden appears to. Whatever the reason, you will find yourself cheering for Daniel and hoping with all your heart that he finds his way and wins his personal struggle- not only with his illness, but with his need to understand and embrace everything life has to offer.
-------
Review by Brenda Seward, Simple Pleasures Books & Gifts
www.simplepleasuresbooksandgifts.com
The story, told in Daniel's voice is fresh and incredibly engaging. The unique perspective given by his illness gives his voice a poignancy that touches the reader from the opening pages. The parallels between Daniel's and Holden's struggles are strong at times. They both experience a fundamental disconnect with their parents; Holden's disdain for the upper crust phoniness of his parents and Daniel's periodic impatience with his parents hippie lifestyle and the problems it causes him. (Chief among those problems is Daniel's parent's resistance to conventional Cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy.)
Daniel and Holden are each trying to understand the world with all its complexities and contradictory values and are each trying to reconcile their desires with their responsibilities. All of this in a world that tells them in one breath to act responsibly and in the next tells them they are still children.
While Catcher, Caught will stir memories for those who fondly recall reading Salinger's classic in their youth, it is not necessary to have read it to fully enjoy Honenberger's latest effort. As far as my personal experience goes. I read Catcher in the Rye for the first time when I was thirteen, and found myself identifying with Holden's feelings of alienation and frustration in the way only a teenager could truly do. When I read it again later, as an adult, I found that I couldn't connect with him in quite the same way.
My perspective had, of course changed and it was a different experience. As I read Catcher, Caught, I was able to recall quite vividly that first experience through Daniel's eyes. More importantly, I was able to know Daniel's character in a way that might not have been possible without his insights into Holden.
Daniel Landon and the way he deals with his illness, his family and the people and things that are important to him touches you in a way that Holden Caulfield's struggles may not have. Perhaps it is because of Daniel's illness and his urgency to experience all life can offer into a finite period of time. Possibly it may be that Daniel seems more invested in the life and feelings of others than Holden appears to. Whatever the reason, you will find yourself cheering for Daniel and hoping with all your heart that he finds his way and wins his personal struggle- not only with his illness, but with his need to understand and embrace everything life has to offer.
-------
Review by Brenda Seward, Simple Pleasures Books & Gifts
www.simplepleasuresbooksandgifts.com
March 28, 2011
Allows for good discussion of how much say teens should have of their own medical treatment.
Often Daniel would bristle at being left out of the loop or maybe he was just so disgusted by not being consulted that he would stalk off and avoid the discussion. But then he would go along with his parent's decisions without question. I guess he's showing his teen-ness - being caught between wanting to be treated as an adult but also being afraid and wanting his parents to know what is best and that they will always be able to take care of him.
Often Daniel would bristle at being left out of the loop or maybe he was just so disgusted by not being consulted that he would stalk off and avoid the discussion. But then he would go along with his parent's decisions without question. I guess he's showing his teen-ness - being caught between wanting to be treated as an adult but also being afraid and wanting his parents to know what is best and that they will always be able to take care of him.
April 17, 2011
I liked the characters of Daniel and his older brother joe, but really struggled with the Hippy parents making crazy decissions based on some imagined spiritual beliefs. Fine if you want to do that with your life, but maybe not use your child as a guinea pig.
February 20, 2012
Daniel Solstice Landon is a 15 year old diagnosed with luekemia who is trying to grow up quickly before the disease incapacitates him. At school he has identified with the character Holden Caulfield from Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye' and wishes to chuck his ordinary life in rural Virginia and head to the boundless possibilities of New York City.
Daniel lives in a Houseboat on the Rappahannock with his former hippie parents and his little brother. He is well enough at the beginning of the story to go to school and has a best friend Mack who he hangs out with.
One day twin sisters move in next door to Mack and Daniel finds he likes Meredith very much. They fall in love even though Meredith knows their time together may be short. I think their relationship holds the story together even more than Daniel's fixation with Holden and New York.
Daniel's health deteriorates and he has to drop out of school. His Mom is a big believer in homopathic and Natural remedies and Daniel doesn't respond to them well. There is a fight between the state social services and the Landon's over his Cancer treatment.
Daniel tired of others controlling his decisions in life finally decides to follow Holden to New York and enlists Meredith and Mack's help to follow his dream. He tries to make that journey from childhood to maturity with what time he has and we root for him to live, to love Meredith, and to grow old with her but we know as he does the chances of that are not great.
Honenberger takes the potentially depressing subject of end of life matters and makes Daniel's story sad but natural. Death is a part of life and all of us may face it eventually. I enjoyed Daniel's journey into adulthood. In many ways he is more mature than either of his parents or his siblings.
The only negative I have is that the story is set today, but both of Daniel's parents seem way too young to have been hippies during the Vietnam era. Otherwise it is a great book.
Daniel lives in a Houseboat on the Rappahannock with his former hippie parents and his little brother. He is well enough at the beginning of the story to go to school and has a best friend Mack who he hangs out with.
One day twin sisters move in next door to Mack and Daniel finds he likes Meredith very much. They fall in love even though Meredith knows their time together may be short. I think their relationship holds the story together even more than Daniel's fixation with Holden and New York.
Daniel's health deteriorates and he has to drop out of school. His Mom is a big believer in homopathic and Natural remedies and Daniel doesn't respond to them well. There is a fight between the state social services and the Landon's over his Cancer treatment.
Daniel tired of others controlling his decisions in life finally decides to follow Holden to New York and enlists Meredith and Mack's help to follow his dream. He tries to make that journey from childhood to maturity with what time he has and we root for him to live, to love Meredith, and to grow old with her but we know as he does the chances of that are not great.
Honenberger takes the potentially depressing subject of end of life matters and makes Daniel's story sad but natural. Death is a part of life and all of us may face it eventually. I enjoyed Daniel's journey into adulthood. In many ways he is more mature than either of his parents or his siblings.
The only negative I have is that the story is set today, but both of Daniel's parents seem way too young to have been hippies during the Vietnam era. Otherwise it is a great book.
January 18, 2015
I love this book. So much so that I wrote an article about it.
... One of the best books I've read this year. "Catcher Caught" is about Daniel a boy diagnosed with cancer and his parents who refuse to give him traditional medical intervention that may save or prolong his life. We've all seen the news reports. They're "those parents" the ones who run to Mexico for experimental treatment instead of going for chemo. The ones who force social services and the courts to get involved. You've judged them. I've judged them. Catcher, Caught goes behind all that and explores the other side to the story. Daniel is wonderful and the author doesn't make him into a martyr. He's still a normal kid- he makes his mom cry, he meets a girl, all that coming of age stuff...
For the rest of the review, please visit CBS Local New York after 1/19/15 at http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists... .
... One of the best books I've read this year. "Catcher Caught" is about Daniel a boy diagnosed with cancer and his parents who refuse to give him traditional medical intervention that may save or prolong his life. We've all seen the news reports. They're "those parents" the ones who run to Mexico for experimental treatment instead of going for chemo. The ones who force social services and the courts to get involved. You've judged them. I've judged them. Catcher, Caught goes behind all that and explores the other side to the story. Daniel is wonderful and the author doesn't make him into a martyr. He's still a normal kid- he makes his mom cry, he meets a girl, all that coming of age stuff...
For the rest of the review, please visit CBS Local New York after 1/19/15 at http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists... .
January 16, 2011
Don’t let the “young adult” label fool you. This is an extremely entertaining and gripping book for adult readers, too. The protagonist, Daniel, admires J.D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield, but is dealing with issues Holden never had to face, including his own mortality, his parents strained finances, and some life-and-death decisions that are out of his control. The voice here is a lot like Holden Caulfield’s, but much less cynical. Daniel is trusting and rather innocent, and likeable in every way. As he battles leukemia, you’re going to be rooting for him. Honenberger has written a touching and timeless novel.
February 4, 2011
Picture a 15-year-old with cancer, given a year to live and trying to lead a normal life – or rather, trying to lead a life worthy of his hero, Holden Caulfield. That’s Daniel Landon, the Holden-esque narrator of Catcher, Caught. Set in the post-Y2K, pre-9/11 period, the novel paints a vivid picture of Daniel’s life, his family and friends, from his unique point of view as a teenager who sees his foreshortened future more clearly than those around him and struggles with courage and intelligence. It’s a story infused with hope and laughter, against all odds. (And yes, it did prompt me to dig up my dusty old 50c Signet paperback copy of Salinger, Twenty-Fourth Printing, December 1962.)
March 4, 2011
daniel landon has leukemia in this young adult novel. his hippie parent eschew regular doctors in favor of some strange alternative herbalist. danial is quite taken with holden caulfield (catcher in the rye) and identifies with him. daniel finds love, experiments with drugs and has a teen age boy summer experience albeit a strange one. living on a houseboat i could not help but think of all of the health hazards associated with his living conditions and his illness. did not ring totally true for me.
April 19, 2011
Good text to accompany Catcher in the Rye for adolescents. Excellent exploration of issues such as the law in terms of choice to accept or deny cancer treatment - bit Jodi Picoult. Characterisation of narrator and changes are sound. Appropriation of Catcher in the Rye is relevant and gives the novel intertextual resonance. I enjoyed it.
August 23, 2011
What a good book! I thought that if there was a way to portray the internal dialogue of the main character, that this would make an excellent movie! This book was so real and sad, and tormenting. It really shows how hard some choices in life are, and how there is never just a simple answer.
January 18, 2011
This book slew me.
Read
March 18, 2011not finished with it, but its pretty interesting. Its one of those books, as a teen, that you don't want to put down. Even if you disagree with the idolization of Holden Caulfield.
August 5, 2011
Sarah Collins Honenberger will be reading from this novel at Fall for the Book in September. I won a free copy.
October 24, 2011
Truly unique story written in a 15 year old boys voice, purposely done a la Holden Caufield style. For anyone who loved Cather in the Rye and/or identifies with Holden...this is a must read.
December 4, 2010
Check my blog beginning of January for review as this is an ARC....
December 13, 2017
I had mixed feelings going into this book and started reading it on a whim. Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books of all time, so I worried that this book wouldn't live up to the same expectations. I was curious about the quality of the storyline and characters in this book and hoping that it wouldn't rely too heavily on Holden's story. I didn't want an exact copycat of Holden's voice, or some type of diehard wannabe Holden Caulfield that just felt cheap and shallow (although the few hints of 'chrissake' and other sayings reminiscent of his unique tone was a solid touch). But main character Daniel was so expertly crafted that you invested yourself in him so fervently - while also overlooking his somewhat immature and naive desire to find inspiration in a book character as notorious as Holden. Most of the time I forgot about the Catcher in the Rye aspect of the book, but it came as a pleasant reminder whenever it resurfaced. It made the book whole - took just another story filled with struggle and heartbreak, frustration and pain, and made it all come full circle in a unique way.
Despite Daniel's continuation of a somewhat normal life throughout most of the book, the Catcher addition was what made him the most real to me. He was just a lost teenager, looking for solace in a fiction story. He saw himself in Holden, and he used him as inspiration that likely provided the most motivation toward his will to live (aside from Meredith).
Regarding Meredith - although I would've like a little more elaboration and expansion of her character, since I think a teenage girl who delves into a relationship with a dying person without a single inhibition deserves a little more backstory - I genuinely appreciated her presence in the novel. While Daniel was hopelessly lovelorn at times, and it was obvious that he saw Meredith in an unrealistic light, it felt excusable given his circumstances. But the most important part of Meredith's character was that she never once felt like a dreaded Manic Pixie Dream Girl sent purely for the purpose of helping Daniel find happiness in his life. She felt fleshed out enough to be a real and redeemable character outside of their relationship. I was genuinely intrigued by her as a sole person, not as Daniel's love interest. Mack was also well done, and his storyline made sense. Less than popular guy loses one of his only and closest friends and turns to the wrong crowd to deal with the repercussions. In the end, you wanted to root for Mack no matter what. Mack and Daniel's friendship made sense and even in the moments that felt like Mack was slipping away, you knew he always cared about Daniel.
The setting and description of teenagers in the novel was also well done. No matter what disease Daniel was crippled with, the reader never lost touch with the fact that he was still just an average sixteen year old boy at the root of it all. I especially appreciated the snippets of flashbacks to his former glory days of swimming in the river and being the complete opposite of someone as sick as he is now. He still thought and felt like a teenage boy, and didn't let any of his circumstances change his desire to find love or simply go on a double date like any normal teenager would.
Most importantly, Daniel never came across as whiny, even in spite of his circumstances. Holden Caulfield was even whiny in his respective story, and he wasn't dying of cancer in his story. Daniel was a respectable character, and that's what made his story so poignant and interesting. As a reader, what happened to Daniel truly mattered because at the end of the day he was just a kid caught up in the backlash of his parent's muddled thinking and unwise decisions. He wasn't severely crippled by his diagnosis - he still attempted to live the life he had left to the fullest.
The writing in this book was excellent. The figurative language was magnificent and effective. I can't tell you how many times I stopped to underline an especially notable simile or metaphor that just fit so perfectly and set up the scene expertly. I enjoyed Daniel's take at first person POV, and was actually grateful that he didn't take on the same level of uncaring stream-of-consciousness that Holden Caulfield had. The ending was perfect to me - even as someone who craves finality. Although I had been rooting for Daniel the whole time, I felt fulfilled by the last page. I didn't need to know whether he lived or died or if he and Meredith ever ended up having kids like he wanted to. It ended at just the right moment, once I'd had enough of the story and was content with it living on under the assumption that death wasn't necessarily the end.
Despite Daniel's continuation of a somewhat normal life throughout most of the book, the Catcher addition was what made him the most real to me. He was just a lost teenager, looking for solace in a fiction story. He saw himself in Holden, and he used him as inspiration that likely provided the most motivation toward his will to live (aside from Meredith).
Regarding Meredith - although I would've like a little more elaboration and expansion of her character, since I think a teenage girl who delves into a relationship with a dying person without a single inhibition deserves a little more backstory - I genuinely appreciated her presence in the novel. While Daniel was hopelessly lovelorn at times, and it was obvious that he saw Meredith in an unrealistic light, it felt excusable given his circumstances. But the most important part of Meredith's character was that she never once felt like a dreaded Manic Pixie Dream Girl sent purely for the purpose of helping Daniel find happiness in his life. She felt fleshed out enough to be a real and redeemable character outside of their relationship. I was genuinely intrigued by her as a sole person, not as Daniel's love interest. Mack was also well done, and his storyline made sense. Less than popular guy loses one of his only and closest friends and turns to the wrong crowd to deal with the repercussions. In the end, you wanted to root for Mack no matter what. Mack and Daniel's friendship made sense and even in the moments that felt like Mack was slipping away, you knew he always cared about Daniel.
The setting and description of teenagers in the novel was also well done. No matter what disease Daniel was crippled with, the reader never lost touch with the fact that he was still just an average sixteen year old boy at the root of it all. I especially appreciated the snippets of flashbacks to his former glory days of swimming in the river and being the complete opposite of someone as sick as he is now. He still thought and felt like a teenage boy, and didn't let any of his circumstances change his desire to find love or simply go on a double date like any normal teenager would.
Most importantly, Daniel never came across as whiny, even in spite of his circumstances. Holden Caulfield was even whiny in his respective story, and he wasn't dying of cancer in his story. Daniel was a respectable character, and that's what made his story so poignant and interesting. As a reader, what happened to Daniel truly mattered because at the end of the day he was just a kid caught up in the backlash of his parent's muddled thinking and unwise decisions. He wasn't severely crippled by his diagnosis - he still attempted to live the life he had left to the fullest.
The writing in this book was excellent. The figurative language was magnificent and effective. I can't tell you how many times I stopped to underline an especially notable simile or metaphor that just fit so perfectly and set up the scene expertly. I enjoyed Daniel's take at first person POV, and was actually grateful that he didn't take on the same level of uncaring stream-of-consciousness that Holden Caulfield had. The ending was perfect to me - even as someone who craves finality. Although I had been rooting for Daniel the whole time, I felt fulfilled by the last page. I didn't need to know whether he lived or died or if he and Meredith ever ended up having kids like he wanted to. It ended at just the right moment, once I'd had enough of the story and was content with it living on under the assumption that death wasn't necessarily the end.
April 1, 2020
This book has a special place in my heart.
What would Holden think or do in my place? That's something I ask myself all the time and though this book I'm not alone in it.
I expected just that, thinking of my favourite character, but this book contains more than that. Daniel has leukemia and hippie parents who are against treatment. I forgot how hard it is for teens to express their opinions and have a word in their life.
Very good one! I spent way too much time in this book for a day, but worth it all!
What would Holden think or do in my place? That's something I ask myself all the time and though this book I'm not alone in it.
I expected just that, thinking of my favourite character, but this book contains more than that. Daniel has leukemia and hippie parents who are against treatment. I forgot how hard it is for teens to express their opinions and have a word in their life.
Very good one! I spent way too much time in this book for a day, but worth it all!
June 11, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I may have enjoyed it more had I brushed up on my Catcher in the Rye before I read it. I enjoyed the different writing style - including incomplete sentences, imperfect grammar, etc. I wouldn't have minded a more conclusive ending though.
February 26, 2020
I wish I had liked this. I read it because catcher is my all time fav book, but this was just terribly boring and unrealistic.
June 9, 2013
Der 15-jährige Daniel, als mittlerer von drei Brüdern ein "Sandwichkind", ist an Leukämie erkrankt. Seine Chancen die Krankheit zu überleben könnten gut sein, hätte er nicht eine radikalökologisch denkende Mutter, die eine Chemotherapie entschieden ablehnt. Ohne Chemotherapie wird Daniel nicht länger als ein Jahr zu leben haben. Zu Beginn der Handlung ist die Familie mit zwei Söhnen auf ein Hausboot gezogen, der ältere Sohn studiert schon. Die unkonventionelle Lebensweise wird damit erklärt, dass Daniel wegen seines geschwächten Immunsystems unbedingt vor dem Kontakt mit anderen Menschen geschützt werden soll. Ein weiterer Grund könnte sein, dass die Familie Landon nicht krankenversichert ist und sich mit Daniels bisheriger Behandlung finanziell übernommen hat. Am Ende der in einem Dorf in Virgina sterbenslangweiligen Sommerferien wird Daniel klar, dass die Ansteckungsphobie seiner Mutter das Ende seiner Sozialkontakte sein wird, wenn sie sich damit durchsetzt, Daniel am Beginn der 10. Klasse von der Schule abzumelden. Bewusst wird ihm seine Situation, als ins Nachbarhaus seines besten Freundes Mack ungeheuer hübsche Zwillingsschwestern ziehen, die ebenfalls in die 10. Klasse gehen werden. Eine der Schwestern für Mack, eine für Daniel, das Leben könnte nicht besser sein, wenn da nicht die Krankheit wäre und die sonderbare Art, in der Daniels Mutter damit umgeht. Meredith, eine der Zwillingsschwestern, spricht es direkt an, ein fast Sechzehnjähriger sollte ein Recht auf Privatsphäre haben und nicht alle Arztgespräche in Anwesenheit seiner Mutter führen müssen. Doch die Rollenverteilung liegt fest, bei den Landons muss Rücksicht auf die Gefühle der ökologisch korrekten Mutter genommen werden, nicht etwa auf die Vorstellung Daniels, wie er sein letztes Lebensjahr verbringen möchte. Die Unterstützung, die Daniel fehlt, sucht er sich bei seinem Idol Holden Caulfield aus "Der Fänger im Roggen". Meredith hat es durchschaut, wenn Eltern die nötige ärztliche Behandlung ihrer Kinder verweigern, können sie per Gerichtsbeschluss dazu gezwungen werden und die Behörden können ihnen das Sorgerecht entziehen. Als das Jugendamt darauf aufmerksam wird, dass Daniel nicht zur Schule geht, wird das Gerichtsverfahren gegen Daniels Eltern eingeleitet - nur Daniel hat immer noch niemand gefragt, wie er sich die Behandlung seiner schweren Krankheit vorstellt.
Fazit
Sarah C. Honenbergers Roman über einen jugendlichen Leukämiepatienten berührt seine Leser mit einer taktvoll erzählten Liebesgeschichte und den exotischen Lebensbedingungen der Familie auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen. Mich hat die altkluge Art sehr angesprochen, in der Daniel seine exzentrischen Eltern beschreibt und die typisch für schwerkranke Kinder ist. Daniel erzählt so, als müsse er in der Rolle des Erwachsenen seinen Mitmenschen die Wahrheit über seine Krankheit rücksichtsvoll beibringen. Die tragische Geschichte des Jungen hat auf mich nicht rührselig gewirkt. Die Auflösung des Konflikts lässt sich vermutlich aus der eigenen schweren Erkrankung der Autorin erklären. Zum Glück haben sich Autorin und Übersetzerin dagegen entschieden, Daniel in auffälligem Jugendslang sprechen zu lassen. Sehr gelungen fand ich die Szenen, die die Atmosphäre auf dem am Steg vertäuten Hausboot schildern. Etwas verloren habe ich mich ohne weitere Informationen gefühlt, ob Daniels Schicksal auch in Deutschland möglich wäre oder eine typisch amerikanische Angelegenheit ist.
Fänger, gefangen ISBN 978-1611097467
Fazit
Sarah C. Honenbergers Roman über einen jugendlichen Leukämiepatienten berührt seine Leser mit einer taktvoll erzählten Liebesgeschichte und den exotischen Lebensbedingungen der Familie auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen. Mich hat die altkluge Art sehr angesprochen, in der Daniel seine exzentrischen Eltern beschreibt und die typisch für schwerkranke Kinder ist. Daniel erzählt so, als müsse er in der Rolle des Erwachsenen seinen Mitmenschen die Wahrheit über seine Krankheit rücksichtsvoll beibringen. Die tragische Geschichte des Jungen hat auf mich nicht rührselig gewirkt. Die Auflösung des Konflikts lässt sich vermutlich aus der eigenen schweren Erkrankung der Autorin erklären. Zum Glück haben sich Autorin und Übersetzerin dagegen entschieden, Daniel in auffälligem Jugendslang sprechen zu lassen. Sehr gelungen fand ich die Szenen, die die Atmosphäre auf dem am Steg vertäuten Hausboot schildern. Etwas verloren habe ich mich ohne weitere Informationen gefühlt, ob Daniels Schicksal auch in Deutschland möglich wäre oder eine typisch amerikanische Angelegenheit ist.
Fänger, gefangen ISBN 978-1611097467
August 21, 2012
I read this book at the suggestion of my aunt, who lives in Tappahannock, VA - the setting of the book. I have had family in the area all my life and many of the locations in this book were familiar to me.
The author states that "...when I heard that today’s teenagers weren’t connecting with Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, I thought that was a tragic loss. Holden’s story, his sadness, was a crucial part of my youth, seeing how quickly someone could feel lost and disconnected. I hoped by letting Daniel tell his story that today’s teenagers might connect with Holden’s issues..."
So she writes a story where the protagonist (Daniel) loves Catcher in the Rye and explains how he relates to it and draws inspiration from it.
Another theme of the story is a young person's right to choose. Daniel is diagnosed with cancer, and his parents eschew the standard medical treatments in favor of a more holistic approach. Naturally Daniel commences dying. The idea of the story is to see how Daniel goes from accepting his parents' approach to rejecting it.
Unfortunately, we don't see much of his thoughts on the matter. His decision to strike out on his own comes very late in the book, and I did not feel much of the build-up. He doesn't seem to slowly come to a realization as much as suddenly decide, almost out of nowhere, that he's going to run away to New York, visit some of the places Holden went, and seek treatment himself. The dual purpose of his visit may somewhat weaken the idea that he wants to seek treatment against his parents' wishes. In fact, he only finds himself in the hospital when he winds up there after collapsing while trying to visit landmarks from the Catcher in the Rye.
Perhaps part of my problem connecting with Daniel is that I have absolutely no respect for alternative medicine with no basis in science, and I couldn't understand why no one ever seems to question his parents' crazy ideas. Eventually the law gets involved, but no one person in Daniel's life, no one he knows, ever ONCE says - gee, maybe you should seek treatment. His older brother asks him once if he wants treatment, but Daniel's mom speaks for him and no one ever pursues it, not his parents or his brothers or his friends or his friends' parents. This seems unbelievable to me.
So far I've said nothing complimentary about this book, and that's not how I meant this to go. The author has a very noble purpose in trying to revive Catcher in the Rye for a new generation and she does a pretty good job. That the theme of child vs. crazy parents doesn't work for me may be more a reflection of my own beliefs than an honest assessment of the work.
I would recommend this book, actually, and I think there are probably others out there who would enjoy it more than I did.
The author states that "...when I heard that today’s teenagers weren’t connecting with Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, I thought that was a tragic loss. Holden’s story, his sadness, was a crucial part of my youth, seeing how quickly someone could feel lost and disconnected. I hoped by letting Daniel tell his story that today’s teenagers might connect with Holden’s issues..."
So she writes a story where the protagonist (Daniel) loves Catcher in the Rye and explains how he relates to it and draws inspiration from it.
Another theme of the story is a young person's right to choose. Daniel is diagnosed with cancer, and his parents eschew the standard medical treatments in favor of a more holistic approach. Naturally Daniel commences dying. The idea of the story is to see how Daniel goes from accepting his parents' approach to rejecting it.
Unfortunately, we don't see much of his thoughts on the matter. His decision to strike out on his own comes very late in the book, and I did not feel much of the build-up. He doesn't seem to slowly come to a realization as much as suddenly decide, almost out of nowhere, that he's going to run away to New York, visit some of the places Holden went, and seek treatment himself. The dual purpose of his visit may somewhat weaken the idea that he wants to seek treatment against his parents' wishes. In fact, he only finds himself in the hospital when he winds up there after collapsing while trying to visit landmarks from the Catcher in the Rye.
Perhaps part of my problem connecting with Daniel is that I have absolutely no respect for alternative medicine with no basis in science, and I couldn't understand why no one ever seems to question his parents' crazy ideas. Eventually the law gets involved, but no one person in Daniel's life, no one he knows, ever ONCE says - gee, maybe you should seek treatment. His older brother asks him once if he wants treatment, but Daniel's mom speaks for him and no one ever pursues it, not his parents or his brothers or his friends or his friends' parents. This seems unbelievable to me.
So far I've said nothing complimentary about this book, and that's not how I meant this to go. The author has a very noble purpose in trying to revive Catcher in the Rye for a new generation and she does a pretty good job. That the theme of child vs. crazy parents doesn't work for me may be more a reflection of my own beliefs than an honest assessment of the work.
I would recommend this book, actually, and I think there are probably others out there who would enjoy it more than I did.
October 3, 2017
This one was disappointing, although I realize in retrospect that my expectations may have been a bit too high. Catcher, Caught seemed to have all the right ingredients to do the original much justice. Daniel Solstice Landon is an intelligent teenager living on a house boat with his family in a small town who feels a connection to Holden Caulfield, has a trouble-making best friend, is falling in love for the first time ... and just so happens to have a leukemia. His parents don't believe in medicine, so Daniel is treated with only natural remedies, none of which are working. He has to figure out a way to deal with his sickness, the guilt he feels for bringing this struggle onto his parents and brothers, along with the emotions he feels for the new girl in town, Meredith, and worry about the poor choices his best friend Mack is making.
I thought that this book would quickly join the ranks of my other angst ridden boy favorites but I just couldn't relate to Daniel like I can to the Holdens and Charlies of the literary world. I barely felt any emotion at all, except for one passage toward the very end of the book where Daniel contemplates writing up his Last Will & Testament. The other issues that arise with Daniel and Mack were unnecessary to me, along with the addition of school mate Yowell and Meredith's sister Juliann. As for Meredith, I appreciated Daniel finding love in the midst of his sickness, and I relished the connection that they could make, which in other novels is beautiful and inspiring. Here, though, I felt like it was cheapened. We get to see very little conversations between Daniel and Meredith and their whole relationship becomes mostly just a sexual connection, which, for a story about a 15 year old was slightly out there...and talk of pregnancy and birth control and rushed sexual encounters just seemed to miss the mark entirely for me.
This book was also really terribly billed on the back cover, as the story of a boy who goes to New York City to follow in Holden's footsteps. Daniel doesn't make his way into the city until the last two chapters of the book and even then gets to see none of it before he faints in an alleyway. What I wanted from this book was insight and emotion and big views of the world from a small perch. I wanted to hear things that would resonate with me, things about the human condition. I wanted to see a story that was strongly connected to Catcher... a boy trailing the steps of one of the biggest characters in literary history, weaving his way through New York City, changed from when Holden knew it, making his own way and making his own story. What I got was an okay book about a dying boy. Nothing more.
I thought that this book would quickly join the ranks of my other angst ridden boy favorites but I just couldn't relate to Daniel like I can to the Holdens and Charlies of the literary world. I barely felt any emotion at all, except for one passage toward the very end of the book where Daniel contemplates writing up his Last Will & Testament. The other issues that arise with Daniel and Mack were unnecessary to me, along with the addition of school mate Yowell and Meredith's sister Juliann. As for Meredith, I appreciated Daniel finding love in the midst of his sickness, and I relished the connection that they could make, which in other novels is beautiful and inspiring. Here, though, I felt like it was cheapened. We get to see very little conversations between Daniel and Meredith and their whole relationship becomes mostly just a sexual connection, which, for a story about a 15 year old was slightly out there...and talk of pregnancy and birth control and rushed sexual encounters just seemed to miss the mark entirely for me.
This book was also really terribly billed on the back cover, as the story of a boy who goes to New York City to follow in Holden's footsteps. Daniel doesn't make his way into the city until the last two chapters of the book and even then gets to see none of it before he faints in an alleyway. What I wanted from this book was insight and emotion and big views of the world from a small perch. I wanted to hear things that would resonate with me, things about the human condition. I wanted to see a story that was strongly connected to Catcher... a boy trailing the steps of one of the biggest characters in literary history, weaving his way through New York City, changed from when Holden knew it, making his own way and making his own story. What I got was an okay book about a dying boy. Nothing more.
October 19, 2012
"After an earth-shattering diagnosis of leukemia, 15-year-old Daniel Landon sees a reflection of himself in the words of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Inspired by Holden Caulfield, Daniel begins to question the intentions and authority of those around him in his own search for identity as he faces death. Tired of his cramped surroundings and hippie parents’ alternative approaches to his treatment, he follows the footsteps of Caulfield to New York City in search of the same eternal truths, only to discover the importance of home when death looms." -Amazon.com
I was very excited to read this book when I heard about it. Like the main character, Daniel, The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books. There was a lot to like about this story. Daniel was a realistic enjoyable character. Although he seemed a bit complacent with regard to his parents' decision not to use traditional western medicine to treat his cancer, it's at least understandable considering the way he was raised. However, being a parent and having been a cancer patient myself, I found myself becoming frustrated and angry at Daniel's parents for allowing him to get worse when there were treatments available to help him.
I liked Daniel's girlfriend Meredith, and all their "firsts" together were very sweet. Daniel's best friend Mack probably deserves a book of his own, there was potential for a lot of story involving him. The houseboat was a nice change of pace for a setting, the descriptions of the river and the surrounding area painted a vivid picture.
**SPOILERS**
I was disappointed with the ending of this book. Daniel does not "follow the footsteps of Caulfield to NYC", he makes a rushed, last minute, runaway trip there. It's one chapter at the end of the book. There is no great revelation, just an alley robbery that lands him in the hospital. Then we are led to believe it was his plan to go to NYC to get treatment all along. Suddenly Daniel's parents and brothers show up at the hospital and the whole family is med-flighted back to Virginia to start some kind of treatment, what it is exactly we are never told. That's were the book ends.
Honestly, I am not a fan of a happy ending with all loose ends tied up. That's not my issue with the end of the book. It just feels like the end was too rushed. There were too many loose ends. After becoming so emotionally invested in Daniel's character it would have been nice to have a more conclusive ending one way or the other.
I was very excited to read this book when I heard about it. Like the main character, Daniel, The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books. There was a lot to like about this story. Daniel was a realistic enjoyable character. Although he seemed a bit complacent with regard to his parents' decision not to use traditional western medicine to treat his cancer, it's at least understandable considering the way he was raised. However, being a parent and having been a cancer patient myself, I found myself becoming frustrated and angry at Daniel's parents for allowing him to get worse when there were treatments available to help him.
I liked Daniel's girlfriend Meredith, and all their "firsts" together were very sweet. Daniel's best friend Mack probably deserves a book of his own, there was potential for a lot of story involving him. The houseboat was a nice change of pace for a setting, the descriptions of the river and the surrounding area painted a vivid picture.
**SPOILERS**
I was disappointed with the ending of this book. Daniel does not "follow the footsteps of Caulfield to NYC", he makes a rushed, last minute, runaway trip there. It's one chapter at the end of the book. There is no great revelation, just an alley robbery that lands him in the hospital. Then we are led to believe it was his plan to go to NYC to get treatment all along. Suddenly Daniel's parents and brothers show up at the hospital and the whole family is med-flighted back to Virginia to start some kind of treatment, what it is exactly we are never told. That's were the book ends.
Honestly, I am not a fan of a happy ending with all loose ends tied up. That's not my issue with the end of the book. It just feels like the end was too rushed. There were too many loose ends. After becoming so emotionally invested in Daniel's character it would have been nice to have a more conclusive ending one way or the other.
January 24, 2016
I really liked this book, but I found it really frustrating as well. I really liked Daniel and his brothers and I thought that Meredith was an amazing character. I see the need for Daniel's best friend Mack, but not Mack's descent into drugs. Daniel's parents are self-centered jerk-offs who, instead of getting their son chemotherapy that might save him, investigate and pursue new-age, "crunchy" alternatives. They are educated adults that can't even hide behind misguided religious beliefs. Although they would deny it to the end, I believe that everything revolves around money for them. They don't have the money for treatment (although we find out towards the end that they "worked the system" to qualify for Medicaid) and they have two perfectly healthy other sons so they see Daniel as kind of an unnecessary third wheel. The author even alludes to the fact that they only have room for two of the boys because when Joe comes home from college he either has to sleep on the floor or on a cot. Without Dan there, they would have room for Nick and Joe. I wish that the character of Meredith was explored more. Why would she choose to become involved romantically with someone she knows might only have months to live? We know how Daniel feels about her, but what is going on inside of her? How does she tolerate and even become friends with Daniel's mother, knowing that her hippie ideals are killing her son? Daniel's dreams of having children and growing old with Meredith would seem childish in any other story, but here his thoughts and descriptions are both valid and beautiful. His parents come around by the end and I respect them for honoring Daniel's choice to seek chemo treatment (I only hope that it is not too late) and I like that his entire family comes to New York to bring him home, I only wish that Meredith (who, I think became his reason to seek treatment) had been present as well.
August 23, 2016
Ein außerordentlich berührendes Buch über einen US-amerikanischen Teenager, der, an Leukämie erkrankt, seine Gedanken, Gefühle und Erlebnisse, seine kleinen Erfolge und seine tragischen Rückschläge in einer überaus bildhaften und niemals sentimentalen Sprache erzählt. Was mich ein bisschen wütend gemacht hat, sind die Auswirkungen des amerikanischen Gesundheitssystems, das Eltern sich verschulden lässt, wenn ihr Kind an einer schlimmen Krankheit leidet. Der Staat zerrt sie wegen Vernachlässigung vor Gericht und zwingt ihnen die Chemotherapie auf. Jedoch wissen sie nicht, wie sie die bezahlen sollen. Gut, Dans Eltern bzw. vor allem seine Mom haben es nicht so mit der Schulmedizin. Sie lassen sich lieber von Naturheilern beraten und nehmen damit in Kauf, dass es dem kranken Sohn immer schlechter geht. Dan würde gern die Chemo probieren, allerdings ist sein Gesundheitszustand nicht mehr stabil genug dafür, als das Gericht sich schließlich durchgesetzt hat. Es bleibt ihm, nach der Flucht in eine mexikanische "Wunderklinik", zu der ihn seine Mom gezwungen und die ebenfalls keine Verbesserung gebracht hat, nichts weiter übrig, als seinem Vorbild Holden aus "Der Fänger im Roggen" nach New York zu folgen, um dort irgendwie zu versuchen, doch noch eine Chemo zu bekommen. Dafür lässt er sogar seine große, erste Liebe Meredith zu Hause zurück. Geradezu herzzerreißend, die Szene, in der Dan sein Testament macht! Und seine Erlebnisse in NY sind ebenfalls nicht ohne Heulfaktor, aber nicht wegen gefühlsduseliger Sprache oder so. Nein, Dan ist in allem sehr sachlich und nüchtern. Es ist die dagegen stehende Ausweglosigkeit, die einem die Tränen in die Augen treibt. Leider - oder vielleicht doch gottseidank - erfahren wir nicht, ob Dan durch die Chemo doch noch eine Chance auf ein Leben bekommt. Ich wünsche es ihm und seiner Familie, die durch dick und dünn zu ihm hält, von ganzem Herzen!
March 18, 2021
Fifteen year old Daniel Landon tells his own story since he has been diagnosed with leukaemia and given just one year to live. Daniel is a bright boy, and while his anti-establishment hippie parents being suspicious of Doctors' intentions are intent on pursuing a course of natural treatment for Dan, he begins to question their insistence on the avoidance of the obvious treatments, and eventually takes matters into his own hands. Encouraged by his literary hero, Holden Caulfield of J D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, whom he defers to at every turn, he eventually heads off for New York from his sleepy Virginia home town of Tappahannock to seek his own solutions.
Through the course of the account in addition to getting to know Dan very well we get to know his parents, his younger brother Nick and older brother Joe, his best friend Mack and the twin girls who move in next door to Mack, one of whom Dan gets to know very well. Dan's narrative is honest and revealing, both about himself and others, if he speaks often with a voice more mature than one would expect for a fifteen year old boy we can forgive him for the warmth and candour his words convey.
Reading Catcher in the Rye is not a prerequisite for enjoying this book - I read it so long ago in the early 1960s that while it remains with me as a landmark book I have forgotten its content (but I will have to read it again now!) - although it does provide a framework for Catcher, Caught; at least I can remember Holden's character which is perhaps what is most important.
I found Catcher, Caught an engrossing read, Dan is a most endearing character, his laid back father and high-strung mother set each other off well, and his brothers who clearly love him but at the same time give him no slack despite his illness are convincing; and his relationship with one of the twin girls is touching for its sincerity. Catcher, Caught is a moving and believable read.
(Review of pre-publication copy)
Through the course of the account in addition to getting to know Dan very well we get to know his parents, his younger brother Nick and older brother Joe, his best friend Mack and the twin girls who move in next door to Mack, one of whom Dan gets to know very well. Dan's narrative is honest and revealing, both about himself and others, if he speaks often with a voice more mature than one would expect for a fifteen year old boy we can forgive him for the warmth and candour his words convey.
Reading Catcher in the Rye is not a prerequisite for enjoying this book - I read it so long ago in the early 1960s that while it remains with me as a landmark book I have forgotten its content (but I will have to read it again now!) - although it does provide a framework for Catcher, Caught; at least I can remember Holden's character which is perhaps what is most important.
I found Catcher, Caught an engrossing read, Dan is a most endearing character, his laid back father and high-strung mother set each other off well, and his brothers who clearly love him but at the same time give him no slack despite his illness are convincing; and his relationship with one of the twin girls is touching for its sincerity. Catcher, Caught is a moving and believable read.
(Review of pre-publication copy)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews