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For Esmé — with Love and Squalor and Other Stories
A collection of nine exceptional stories from the acclaimed author of The Catcher in the Rye
'This is the squalid, or moving, part of the story, and the scene changes. The people change, too. I'm still around, but from here on in, for reasons I'm not at liberty to disclose, I've disguised myself so cunningly that even the cleverest reader will fail to recognize me.'
This collection of nine stories includes the first appearance of J. D. Salinger's fictional Glass family, introducing Seymour Glass in the unforgettable 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish'.
'The most perfectly balanced collection of stories I know' Ann Patchett
'This is the squalid, or moving, part of the story, and the scene changes. The people change, too. I'm still around, but from here on in, for reasons I'm not at liberty to disclose, I've disguised myself so cunningly that even the cleverest reader will fail to recognize me.'
This collection of nine stories includes the first appearance of J. D. Salinger's fictional Glass family, introducing Seymour Glass in the unforgettable 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish'.
'The most perfectly balanced collection of stories I know' Ann Patchett
- GenresFiction
149 pages, Paperback
About the author
J.D. Salinger
143 books16.4k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Works, most notably novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), of American writer Jerome David Salinger often concern troubled, sensitive adolescents.
People well know this author for his reclusive nature. He published his last original work in 1965 and gave his last interview in 1980. Reared in city of New York, Salinger began short stories in secondary school and published several stories in the early 1940s before serving in World War II. In 1948, he published the critically acclaimed story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" in The New Yorker, his subsequent home magazine. He released an immediate popular success. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield especially influenced adolescent readers. Widely read and controversial, sells a quarter-million copies a year.
The success led to public attention and scrutiny: reclusive, he published new work less frequently. He followed with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953), of a novella and a short story, Franny and Zooey (1961), and a collection of two novellas, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). His last published work, a novella entitled "Hapworth 16, 1924", appeared in The New Yorker on June 19, 1965.
Afterward, Salinger struggled with unwanted attention, including a legal battle in the 1980s with biographer Ian Hamilton. In the late 1990s, Joyce Maynard, a close ex-lover, and Margaret Salinger, his daughter, wrote and released his memoirs. In 1996, a small publisher announced a deal with Salinger to publish "Hapworth 16, 1924" in book form, but the ensuing publicity indefinitely delayed the release.
Another writer used one of his characters, resulting in copyright infringement; he filed a lawsuit against this writer and afterward made headlines around the globe in June 2009. Salinger died of natural causes at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire.
Works, most notably novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), of American writer Jerome David Salinger often concern troubled, sensitive adolescents.
People well know this author for his reclusive nature. He published his last original work in 1965 and gave his last interview in 1980. Reared in city of New York, Salinger began short stories in secondary school and published several stories in the early 1940s before serving in World War II. In 1948, he published the critically acclaimed story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" in The New Yorker, his subsequent home magazine. He released an immediate popular success. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield especially influenced adolescent readers. Widely read and controversial, sells a quarter-million copies a year.
The success led to public attention and scrutiny: reclusive, he published new work less frequently. He followed with a short story collection, Nine Stories (1953), of a novella and a short story, Franny and Zooey (1961), and a collection of two novellas, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963). His last published work, a novella entitled "Hapworth 16, 1924", appeared in The New Yorker on June 19, 1965.
Afterward, Salinger struggled with unwanted attention, including a legal battle in the 1980s with biographer Ian Hamilton. In the late 1990s, Joyce Maynard, a close ex-lover, and Margaret Salinger, his daughter, wrote and released his memoirs. In 1996, a small publisher announced a deal with Salinger to publish "Hapworth 16, 1924" in book form, but the ensuing publicity indefinitely delayed the release.
Another writer used one of his characters, resulting in copyright infringement; he filed a lawsuit against this writer and afterward made headlines around the globe in June 2009. Salinger died of natural causes at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire.
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March 12, 2011
It has been a long time since I read Nine Stories. For once I don't care about getting older. This wasn't about that. So I started rereading Nine Stories in my car on my work lunch breaks. Getting through the day necessities stuff. I really needed an old friend. I was at a loss in a bad depths of despair kinda way that I cannot put in a meaningful way that will mean shit to anyone else. I remembered Nine Stories was good to me. I'm in no mood for anything more than that. Friends.
This probably won't make any sense to people who don't struggle with stupidity. There's a sick cloud feeling in my head that I get when I try to understand math, or something like that that requires logical thought. I never read instructions, either. I've been feeling this sick, cloudy feeling of anxious stupidity for no math related reasons. Just in general. It really sucks.
So Salinger is my breath of fresh air from that feeling. I find I don't want to read anything but short stories right now.
And other feelings... (I have a feeling I've mentioned this elsewhere on goodreads. Oh well.) When I was a kid (four?) I read this Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown was struggling to explain his mixed up feelings of being sad, happy, angry, all those free-range emotions, all at one time. I quoted that to my family to try to explain how I was feeling. They laughed their asses off. I slunk off to mood all by myself. It's really not about getting older. I'm still doing that. I've never found a better way than Charlie to explain that stuff. All of my moods are Peanuts broods... Anyway. Those feelings led to my reread. I needed them all. (You already wrote a review intro, Mariel. I can have more than one! Picking books is serious business! All at once!)
I remembered four of the nine stories well, the rest not at all. Shit. This throws new light on the ethics of my memory and reviewing books I read a long time ago. It's not a comfortable feeling. (Not that I won't still do it.) I'll include my old thoughts if I remember any.
A Perfect Day for Bananafish:
Confession: I totally got into J.D. Salinger because of Robert Smith of The Cure. (According to youtube, there is a band named Bananafishbones.) Bananafishbones - The Cure
I did remember this story. Of course I did.
Old Mariel thoughts: This Muriel girl sucks. (I'm interested in all literary Mariels, Muriels, d other avariations on that theme. I draw the line at Mary. Mary-Ellens need not apply either. Who has the time?)
I don't remember my old thoughts well enough. Did I relate to Seymour more? I think I relate to him more now just because I remember that old me had a massive inferiority complex when it came to precocious kids. Not that I enjoy the company of three year old girls (I've spent enough time in the company of ones related to me). Now? She wasn't all that precocious. Seymour is the permanently precocious.
My ex once told me that kids stared at me because they sensed that I was one of them. I don't like him for saying that.
I know too well the feeling of talking to people who respond as Seymour and Buddy do to their young girl friends. I get exactly those kinds of responses. It actually feels really lonely.
This wasn't what was in my head while I was rereading in my car. What is special about the precocious? The ability to surprise. It isn't lack of artifice, or knowing rules. That simply isn't true. (The little girl reminded me of mind games that older girls would play on a boyfriend with her jealousy of the younger girl he was friends with.)
It isn't good, the preoccupation with what other people notice. I don't want to think about relating to Seymour being offended when he thought the girl in the car was looking at his feet.
I've said it all before about this thing about strangers. The great things about kids is that they are all strangers. There's something about talking to strangers who don't know all other threads to heap onto everything else to the point they can't listen to the point of what you're feeling.
Maybe I don't really want to talk about suicide on goodreads. It has been in my life. There's a part of my brain that splits: 1. The person who dies. It's not up to me. Why would anyone want to go on living if they CAN'T go on living? 2. The people left behind. I've almost been them. I don't want to be them. That stuff I wrote earlier about threads... It's too much. This time... I was only feeling Seymour side. It's that kinda story.
I didn't feel less lonely reading this one. I'm not sure what I felt except... I don't know. There's a time when leading someone else to look at bananafish isn't enough, when raising yourself isn't enough. Potential for what, anyway?
Ruh roh, Raggy. If they are all this long this is gonna be a long ass review...
Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut
Confession: I can't spell Connecticut without cheating.
I didn't have invisible friends. I made friends out of inanimate objects. I've never really and truly stopped doing that. To myself I describe it as my Tom Hanks in Castaway with Wilson the Volley Ball moments. I'll stop ever doing it when I don't feel like that. Castawayed.
I loved it when Jimmy gets killed and the little girl immediately replaces him with a new best friend. When a little kid I maimed my paper Care Bear doll (cut his leg off) and then couldn't stop crying over the loss of his leg (with vows of never hurting him again). I feel an affinity with Ramona. I'm sure she killed him for the tragedy of it all. (Or it really was the dog's fault.)
I had a depressing feeling off this one. Maybe I get this from other Salinger females, like their good times end when they pretend not to be young anymore? I loved it when the mom, Eloise, wants reassurement of her past from her college friend, Mary Jane. What is the fun in being a dinner party person, anyway? Cocktails, dinner parties: same difference.
Just Before the War with the Eskimos:
No confessions. (I'm not admitting to once writing a really bad story about an eskimo.)
I found reassuring so much the details like Selena coming back in a dress when she had been wearing shorts. (Even if it didn't annoy Ginnie as it normally would have.) I'd have been steamed. I hate waiting. I hate waiting soooo much. I hate it when people know you are waiting and run errands and shit. It gives me a sick and frustrated feeling. Anyway.
I hope Ginnie will appreciate others noticing the interesting details, and how they put them, in more worthier people than Selena, her brother or his friend. What a shame. Younger me probably felt sad that she crushed on a guy who liked her (probably) prettier and more socially at ease sister. I probably also noted that Eric spoke like someone Holden would find annoying (his "grand" and all). I've always wanted to save people in stories from uninteresting characters. "You can do better!"
P.s. The Eskimos will go after the French first. Maybe they don't wanna be named after a dessert cake any longer.
The Laughing Man:
Confession: Talk of athetlics of any kind usually make my eyes glaze over. I admit to having an "Oh fuck" moment. I'm a jerk.
I loved this story. I feel so much impatience with stories about beautiful people. It means fuck all to me to read the word beautiful. In this story the Chief and his Mary Hudson are beautiful like heroes of memory, and of stories. I feel embarrassed trying to describe this. I loved the Laughing Man stories that he told the kids.
You know what? I haven't done a list in ages.
Coolest bus drivers:
1. Chief
2. Bus-Driver Stu from The Adventures of Pete and Pete
3. Otto from The Simpsons
It occurs to me now that Bus-Driver Stu holding the kids hostage to his relationship problems might've been a nod to this story. Awesome. Pete and Pete makes me happy like almost nothing else does. It's like ideals like how The Laughing Man does beauty. Not definitions, just living as day to day without reading the rules first. I suck at describing this. If I were them I'd never forget those stories either.
Down at the Dinghy:
My confessions are embarrassing. I'm not gonna tell the story of when I tried to run away. It's not a nice story like this one.
I didn't remember this story despite once naming a bird I took care of after Boo Boo.
It must be great to have a mom like Boo Boo.
For Esme- with Love and Squalor:
I liked this story much more as an adult than I did as a teenager. I was too close in age to Esme, perhaps. I was probably jealous of Esme because she was so smart for her age (I may as well confess that smart kids make me feel really bad about being a dumb adult). No poise either. But that doesn't matter at all. Old me! It was so sweet the way the brother and sister were with each other. How Esme missed her father (she was likely jealous of her mama so I wasn't that unusual as a teen, I guess)... Anyway, it made me happy how happy Buddy is to have his letter. I'm glad that he wrote his story and engaged more than his brother did with his girl friends. Friendships should be more than something the other cannot understand.
Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes:
I am losing steam with this one. I felt bad for Arthur... but I didn't want to spend time in their marriage problems. It makes me uncomfortable to hear about them. There's nothing I can do for them. You know?
I did read that PJ Harvey made a nod to this story title in her song Angelene. This is one of my all-time favorite Peejay songs. Thanks, wikipedia trivia!
De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period:
"The fact is always obvious much too late, but the most singular difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is a solid and joy a liquid."
I feel disconnected with much of this story, as with 'Pretty Mouth'. Blame my desperate impatientness for something... Maybe I want a life affirming day that beats any bananafish day, or anything. Something more sustaining. What the hell is gonna happen next?
Teddy:
Teddy is right. It isn't so good that way, loving for the sake of loving. Sighs. But I do think too much. I wonder how Seymour would like talking to Teddy. He'd meditate and not give practiced answers, for sure. No pet nothing. Number two reasons this time. The little girl... Number one too. It's complicated.
It did help. I'll always need more. I think, though, that Salinger didn't owe anybody to publish anything. (I'll always need more. That's exhausting.) Not any more than Seymour did with what he put out. I guess it's not always a perfect day for bananafish. I'm so glad these were published, though. I needed them like Buddy. It's not all a smile. I've already said that lame-o stuff about my Peanuts emotions. That's the best I've got. I wish I had better. Number one and number two reasons.
This probably won't make any sense to people who don't struggle with stupidity. There's a sick cloud feeling in my head that I get when I try to understand math, or something like that that requires logical thought. I never read instructions, either. I've been feeling this sick, cloudy feeling of anxious stupidity for no math related reasons. Just in general. It really sucks.
So Salinger is my breath of fresh air from that feeling. I find I don't want to read anything but short stories right now.
And other feelings... (I have a feeling I've mentioned this elsewhere on goodreads. Oh well.) When I was a kid (four?) I read this Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown was struggling to explain his mixed up feelings of being sad, happy, angry, all those free-range emotions, all at one time. I quoted that to my family to try to explain how I was feeling. They laughed their asses off. I slunk off to mood all by myself. It's really not about getting older. I'm still doing that. I've never found a better way than Charlie to explain that stuff. All of my moods are Peanuts broods... Anyway. Those feelings led to my reread. I needed them all. (You already wrote a review intro, Mariel. I can have more than one! Picking books is serious business! All at once!)
I remembered four of the nine stories well, the rest not at all. Shit. This throws new light on the ethics of my memory and reviewing books I read a long time ago. It's not a comfortable feeling. (Not that I won't still do it.) I'll include my old thoughts if I remember any.
A Perfect Day for Bananafish:
Confession: I totally got into J.D. Salinger because of Robert Smith of The Cure. (According to youtube, there is a band named Bananafishbones.) Bananafishbones - The Cure
I did remember this story. Of course I did.
Old Mariel thoughts: This Muriel girl sucks. (I'm interested in all literary Mariels, Muriels, d other avariations on that theme. I draw the line at Mary. Mary-Ellens need not apply either. Who has the time?)
I don't remember my old thoughts well enough. Did I relate to Seymour more? I think I relate to him more now just because I remember that old me had a massive inferiority complex when it came to precocious kids. Not that I enjoy the company of three year old girls (I've spent enough time in the company of ones related to me). Now? She wasn't all that precocious. Seymour is the permanently precocious.
My ex once told me that kids stared at me because they sensed that I was one of them. I don't like him for saying that.
I know too well the feeling of talking to people who respond as Seymour and Buddy do to their young girl friends. I get exactly those kinds of responses. It actually feels really lonely.
This wasn't what was in my head while I was rereading in my car. What is special about the precocious? The ability to surprise. It isn't lack of artifice, or knowing rules. That simply isn't true. (The little girl reminded me of mind games that older girls would play on a boyfriend with her jealousy of the younger girl he was friends with.)
It isn't good, the preoccupation with what other people notice. I don't want to think about relating to Seymour being offended when he thought the girl in the car was looking at his feet.
I've said it all before about this thing about strangers. The great things about kids is that they are all strangers. There's something about talking to strangers who don't know all other threads to heap onto everything else to the point they can't listen to the point of what you're feeling.
Maybe I don't really want to talk about suicide on goodreads. It has been in my life. There's a part of my brain that splits: 1. The person who dies. It's not up to me. Why would anyone want to go on living if they CAN'T go on living? 2. The people left behind. I've almost been them. I don't want to be them. That stuff I wrote earlier about threads... It's too much. This time... I was only feeling Seymour side. It's that kinda story.
I didn't feel less lonely reading this one. I'm not sure what I felt except... I don't know. There's a time when leading someone else to look at bananafish isn't enough, when raising yourself isn't enough. Potential for what, anyway?
Ruh roh, Raggy. If they are all this long this is gonna be a long ass review...
Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut
Confession: I can't spell Connecticut without cheating.
I didn't have invisible friends. I made friends out of inanimate objects. I've never really and truly stopped doing that. To myself I describe it as my Tom Hanks in Castaway with Wilson the Volley Ball moments. I'll stop ever doing it when I don't feel like that. Castawayed.
I loved it when Jimmy gets killed and the little girl immediately replaces him with a new best friend. When a little kid I maimed my paper Care Bear doll (cut his leg off) and then couldn't stop crying over the loss of his leg (with vows of never hurting him again). I feel an affinity with Ramona. I'm sure she killed him for the tragedy of it all. (Or it really was the dog's fault.)
I had a depressing feeling off this one. Maybe I get this from other Salinger females, like their good times end when they pretend not to be young anymore? I loved it when the mom, Eloise, wants reassurement of her past from her college friend, Mary Jane. What is the fun in being a dinner party person, anyway? Cocktails, dinner parties: same difference.
Just Before the War with the Eskimos:
No confessions. (I'm not admitting to once writing a really bad story about an eskimo.)
I found reassuring so much the details like Selena coming back in a dress when she had been wearing shorts. (Even if it didn't annoy Ginnie as it normally would have.) I'd have been steamed. I hate waiting. I hate waiting soooo much. I hate it when people know you are waiting and run errands and shit. It gives me a sick and frustrated feeling. Anyway.
I hope Ginnie will appreciate others noticing the interesting details, and how they put them, in more worthier people than Selena, her brother or his friend. What a shame. Younger me probably felt sad that she crushed on a guy who liked her (probably) prettier and more socially at ease sister. I probably also noted that Eric spoke like someone Holden would find annoying (his "grand" and all). I've always wanted to save people in stories from uninteresting characters. "You can do better!"
P.s. The Eskimos will go after the French first. Maybe they don't wanna be named after a dessert cake any longer.
The Laughing Man:
Confession: Talk of athetlics of any kind usually make my eyes glaze over. I admit to having an "Oh fuck" moment. I'm a jerk.
I loved this story. I feel so much impatience with stories about beautiful people. It means fuck all to me to read the word beautiful. In this story the Chief and his Mary Hudson are beautiful like heroes of memory, and of stories. I feel embarrassed trying to describe this. I loved the Laughing Man stories that he told the kids.
You know what? I haven't done a list in ages.
Coolest bus drivers:
1. Chief
2. Bus-Driver Stu from The Adventures of Pete and Pete
3. Otto from The Simpsons
It occurs to me now that Bus-Driver Stu holding the kids hostage to his relationship problems might've been a nod to this story. Awesome. Pete and Pete makes me happy like almost nothing else does. It's like ideals like how The Laughing Man does beauty. Not definitions, just living as day to day without reading the rules first. I suck at describing this. If I were them I'd never forget those stories either.
Down at the Dinghy:
My confessions are embarrassing. I'm not gonna tell the story of when I tried to run away. It's not a nice story like this one.
I didn't remember this story despite once naming a bird I took care of after Boo Boo.
It must be great to have a mom like Boo Boo.
For Esme- with Love and Squalor:
I liked this story much more as an adult than I did as a teenager. I was too close in age to Esme, perhaps. I was probably jealous of Esme because she was so smart for her age (I may as well confess that smart kids make me feel really bad about being a dumb adult). No poise either. But that doesn't matter at all. Old me! It was so sweet the way the brother and sister were with each other. How Esme missed her father (she was likely jealous of her mama so I wasn't that unusual as a teen, I guess)... Anyway, it made me happy how happy Buddy is to have his letter. I'm glad that he wrote his story and engaged more than his brother did with his girl friends. Friendships should be more than something the other cannot understand.
Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes:
I am losing steam with this one. I felt bad for Arthur... but I didn't want to spend time in their marriage problems. It makes me uncomfortable to hear about them. There's nothing I can do for them. You know?
I did read that PJ Harvey made a nod to this story title in her song Angelene. This is one of my all-time favorite Peejay songs. Thanks, wikipedia trivia!
De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period:
"The fact is always obvious much too late, but the most singular difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is a solid and joy a liquid."
I feel disconnected with much of this story, as with 'Pretty Mouth'. Blame my desperate impatientness for something... Maybe I want a life affirming day that beats any bananafish day, or anything. Something more sustaining. What the hell is gonna happen next?
Teddy:
Teddy is right. It isn't so good that way, loving for the sake of loving. Sighs. But I do think too much. I wonder how Seymour would like talking to Teddy. He'd meditate and not give practiced answers, for sure. No pet nothing. Number two reasons this time. The little girl... Number one too. It's complicated.
It did help. I'll always need more. I think, though, that Salinger didn't owe anybody to publish anything. (I'll always need more. That's exhausting.) Not any more than Seymour did with what he put out. I guess it's not always a perfect day for bananafish. I'm so glad these were published, though. I needed them like Buddy. It's not all a smile. I've already said that lame-o stuff about my Peanuts emotions. That's the best I've got. I wish I had better. Number one and number two reasons.
April 15, 2024
I love this book so much that it soared into one of my top reads ever. Salinger is such a genius. I particularly loved bananafish, esme, and teddy, but all the short stories were so filled with symbolism and perspective. Going to be hard to find a book to top this for the rest of the year.
January 31, 2021
Hadn't read this one in years and had completely forgotten at least two stories, plus the fact that every tale is in large part about estrangement and fraudulence. Bananafish and the title story are still extraordinary -- and still impossible to fathom in terms of just how they work their magic.
''The worst that being an artist could do to you would be that it would make you slightly unhappy constantly. However, this is not a tragic situation, in my opinion. The happiest day of my life was many years ago when I was seventeen. I was on my way for lunch to meet my mother, who was going out on the street for the first time after a long illness, and I was feeling ecstatically happy when suddenly, as I was coming in to the Avenue Victor Hugo, which is a street in Paris, I bumped into a chap without any nose. I ask you to please consider that factor, in fact I beg you. It is quite pregnant with meaning.'
''The worst that being an artist could do to you would be that it would make you slightly unhappy constantly. However, this is not a tragic situation, in my opinion. The happiest day of my life was many years ago when I was seventeen. I was on my way for lunch to meet my mother, who was going out on the street for the first time after a long illness, and I was feeling ecstatically happy when suddenly, as I was coming in to the Avenue Victor Hugo, which is a street in Paris, I bumped into a chap without any nose. I ask you to please consider that factor, in fact I beg you. It is quite pregnant with meaning.'
July 16, 2022
A PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH - 5 stars. sometimes, i think i'm being overdramatic when i say that J.D Salinger was perfect, perfect, perfect. but then i reread this collection and i'm like, nevermind, i was right. he Gets It.
UNCLE WIGGILY IN CONNECTICUT - 3.5 stars. Eloise and Mary Jane drinking themselves into a stupor and weeping and pining after companions that are no longer with them/don't exist feels a little bit too relatable right now...
JUST BEFORE THE WAR WITH THE ESKIMOS - 3.5 stars. i still want more from this.
THE LAUGHING MAN - 4 stars. *shudders*
DOWN AT THE DINGHY - 3.5 stars. Booboo used to be my favourite Glass family member. i think this story is the most underwhelming for me though.
FOR ESMÉ - WITH LOVE AND SQUALOR - 5 stars. it's just SO funny to me that i STILL read this story while picturing ASOUE Esmé Squalor as Salinger's Esmé in my mind...i'm so sorry Salinger, but i knew Lemony Snicket first since i was like.....well, 8 years old. anyways, this story is still so goddamn good.
PRETTY MOUTH AND GREEN MY EYES - 5 stars. i read this story and the quote, "I don't love her anymore, either. I don't know. I do and I don't. It varies. It fluctuates," first at age 14 and i've literally never known peace since.
DE DAUMIER-SMITH'S BLUE PERIOD - 4 stars. i love art, i love agony, and i love this story.
TEDDY - 5 stars. aaaaaaaand we finish on my absolute favourite story from the bunch (and just in general). noBODY knows how to write manic depressive, neglected youths better than Salinger. this story still haunts me.
i can't really say anything that is coherent or concrete because J.D. Salinger is one of my die-for-all-time-favourites so obviously i am biased. however, in my opinion, these stories should be read by everyone at least once because they are beautifully written, dark, funny at times, and just perfect, perfect, perfect. can the Salinger estate release the rest of his secret stories now? please? i am Begging...
UNCLE WIGGILY IN CONNECTICUT - 3.5 stars. Eloise and Mary Jane drinking themselves into a stupor and weeping and pining after companions that are no longer with them/don't exist feels a little bit too relatable right now...
JUST BEFORE THE WAR WITH THE ESKIMOS - 3.5 stars. i still want more from this.
THE LAUGHING MAN - 4 stars. *shudders*
DOWN AT THE DINGHY - 3.5 stars. Booboo used to be my favourite Glass family member. i think this story is the most underwhelming for me though.
FOR ESMÉ - WITH LOVE AND SQUALOR - 5 stars. it's just SO funny to me that i STILL read this story while picturing ASOUE Esmé Squalor as Salinger's Esmé in my mind...i'm so sorry Salinger, but i knew Lemony Snicket first since i was like.....well, 8 years old. anyways, this story is still so goddamn good.
PRETTY MOUTH AND GREEN MY EYES - 5 stars. i read this story and the quote, "I don't love her anymore, either. I don't know. I do and I don't. It varies. It fluctuates," first at age 14 and i've literally never known peace since.
DE DAUMIER-SMITH'S BLUE PERIOD - 4 stars. i love art, i love agony, and i love this story.
TEDDY - 5 stars. aaaaaaaand we finish on my absolute favourite story from the bunch (and just in general). noBODY knows how to write manic depressive, neglected youths better than Salinger. this story still haunts me.
i can't really say anything that is coherent or concrete because J.D. Salinger is one of my die-for-all-time-favourites so obviously i am biased. however, in my opinion, these stories should be read by everyone at least once because they are beautifully written, dark, funny at times, and just perfect, perfect, perfect. can the Salinger estate release the rest of his secret stories now? please? i am Begging...
December 10, 2013
Salinger is great isn't he? Ever since my initial reading and love affair with "Catcher" three summers ago I've been meaning to read more of his work. I liked this collection of nine stories. My favourites? A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Down at the Dinghy, For Esmé - With Love and Squalor, De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period, and, of course, Teddy. The others were good but just... forgettable. If you enjoyed Catcher then read this!
January 12, 2022
Read in 2019. Of Salinger's 4 primary works, this is the weakest. Though some are fairly enjoyable short stories, nothing particularly stands out. The first has a reputation above the others. The greatest benefit for me was further, slight, insight into several members of the Glass family.
March 2, 2025
For Esmé - with Love and Squalor: And Other Stories... Otherwise referred to as Salinger's "Nine Stories".
I will not say much about the stories themselves as they were mostly short and I wish to avoid accidentally spoiling anything for those who have not read this book yet. Alas, this shall not be one of my usually larger, more detailed and unintentionally ostentatious reviews. Instead, I will keep things short and sweet.
I certainly have enjoyed reading these stories. Admittedly, some more than others. However, each story, in some form or another, possess their own individual merits.
Below, I have rated these stories individually.
1. A Perfect Day for Bananafish (1948) - 4/5
2. Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut (1948) - 3.5/5
3. Just Before the War with the Eskimos (1948) - 4.5/5
4. The Laughing Man (1949) - 4.5/5
5. Down at the Dinghy (1949) - 3.5/5
6. For Esmé – with Love and Squalor (1950) - 5/5
7. Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes (1951) - 3/5
8. De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period (1952) - 2.5/5
9. Teddy (1953) - 4/5
I will not say much about the stories themselves as they were mostly short and I wish to avoid accidentally spoiling anything for those who have not read this book yet. Alas, this shall not be one of my usually larger, more detailed and unintentionally ostentatious reviews. Instead, I will keep things short and sweet.
I certainly have enjoyed reading these stories. Admittedly, some more than others. However, each story, in some form or another, possess their own individual merits.
Below, I have rated these stories individually.
1. A Perfect Day for Bananafish (1948) - 4/5
2. Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut (1948) - 3.5/5
3. Just Before the War with the Eskimos (1948) - 4.5/5
4. The Laughing Man (1949) - 4.5/5
5. Down at the Dinghy (1949) - 3.5/5
6. For Esmé – with Love and Squalor (1950) - 5/5
7. Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes (1951) - 3/5
8. De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period (1952) - 2.5/5
9. Teddy (1953) - 4/5
January 28, 2010
What is there to say? Salinger is brilliant. His ear is impeccable. The way his characters talk!! Ah me, it's just perfect. And the children! Goodness, these are the people for whom the word precocious was invented. Earnestly, touchingly, achingly precocious. And I don't even like children!
But the real point, of course, is that everyone and everything is just so sad. These are some of the saddest characters in literature, maybe. Everyone drinks too much, smokes too much, talks too much, cries too much, hurts too much.
Like most of my friends, really.
But the real point, of course, is that everyone and everything is just so sad. These are some of the saddest characters in literature, maybe. Everyone drinks too much, smokes too much, talks too much, cries too much, hurts too much.
Like most of my friends, really.
September 1, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed Salinger in a shorter format. I still feel like an idiot when I read it, but still. The latest stories in this collection have been particularly impactful.
I've read all four of Salinger's books now, but I know I've only understood about 15% of each, so I'm now going to come back to them very soon (maybe a little more attentively this time).
I've read all four of Salinger's books now, but I know I've only understood about 15% of each, so I'm now going to come back to them very soon (maybe a little more attentively this time).
October 20, 2019
This collection is hit and miss.
Here's my rating of the nine stories from worst to best, each with a small synopsis and a seperate rating:
9th: De-Daumier Smith's Blue Period. Horney artist hits on a nun through the mail.(2/10)
8th: Pretty Mouth and Green my Eyes. Jealous man calls up a friend to talk about his unfaithful wife (3/10)
7th:Just Before the War with the Eskimos. Girl is forced into a conversation with her friend's brother after a tennis match. Vague mention of Buddy Glass (5/10)
6th: Down and the Dinghy. Boo-Boo Glass talks to her son about possibly getting off the dinghy and not running away. (6/10)
5th: The Laughing Man. The break up of young love through the eyes of a child (7/10)
4th: A Perfect Day for Bananafish. Seymour Glass' honeymoon. (8/10)
3rd: Teddy. Just read it. (9/10)
2nd: Uncle Wiggly in Conneticuit. Highballs and ennui anyone? (9/10)
1st: For Esmé - with Love and Squalor. A litte girl, a lady, an invasion, a watch and a wedding gift. It's so good, I don't actually believe this to be fiction. No, I won't look it up. I like not knowing.(10/10)
Edit: came back because I realised I gave it too high a score
Here's my rating of the nine stories from worst to best, each with a small synopsis and a seperate rating:
9th: De-Daumier Smith's Blue Period. Horney artist hits on a nun through the mail.(2/10)
8th: Pretty Mouth and Green my Eyes. Jealous man calls up a friend to talk about his unfaithful wife (3/10)
7th:Just Before the War with the Eskimos. Girl is forced into a conversation with her friend's brother after a tennis match. Vague mention of Buddy Glass (5/10)
6th: Down and the Dinghy. Boo-Boo Glass talks to her son about possibly getting off the dinghy and not running away. (6/10)
5th: The Laughing Man. The break up of young love through the eyes of a child (7/10)
4th: A Perfect Day for Bananafish. Seymour Glass' honeymoon. (8/10)
3rd: Teddy. Just read it. (9/10)
2nd: Uncle Wiggly in Conneticuit. Highballs and ennui anyone? (9/10)
1st: For Esmé - with Love and Squalor. A litte girl, a lady, an invasion, a watch and a wedding gift. It's so good, I don't actually believe this to be fiction. No, I won't look it up. I like not knowing.(10/10)
Edit: came back because I realised I gave it too high a score
September 18, 2022
I feel like now that I’ve read 2 books by Salinger I can officially say I am a fan. When I was reading analysis and reviews of A Perfect Day for Bananafish trying to understand what was going on someone said that Salingers short stories are elliptical which means you kind of have to/get to fill in a lot of details from context based on dialogue, and I thought about that a lot for the rest of the stories. I think it’s kind of a similar thing to what the Russians have going on where it’s spare but also rich. Favorites were A Perfect Day for Bananafish, For Esme with Love and Squalor, and Teddy.
Oh also, I convinced myself to buy this bc there was an Ann Patchett pull quote on the back that said “the most perfectly balanced collection of stories I know” and I was super hoping to come out of reading it knowing exactly what that meant and I don’t think I achieved that
Oh also, I convinced myself to buy this bc there was an Ann Patchett pull quote on the back that said “the most perfectly balanced collection of stories I know” and I was super hoping to come out of reading it knowing exactly what that meant and I don’t think I achieved that
January 12, 2022
Not my favourite Salinger, but then again I think short story collections are always a bit hit-and-miss. The first couple stories and the last held my interest (the latter being quite eerie), but the rest in between were pretty forgettable.
February 9, 2021
You fall in love with some of the characters within the space of a few pages. You want a whole book about them. There isn't any.
February 10, 2022
I'm a simp for Salinger's books
October 12, 2012
Found myself reading the first story - A Perfect Day for Bananafish - again. The nuances are amazing!
*
The quality of the writing never sags. There are a couple of weak stories, weak because the content they wish to cover is too broad for the form. In most cases though, the stories carry an endearing, captivating quality - the quality of sublime art.
My favorites:
The Laughing Man (for the brilliance of the narration; and the unnerving ending)
For Esme - With Love and Squalor (for the scene of the meeting between the soldier and Esme, and her little brother)
A Perfect Day for Bananafish (for the sea scene; and the unnerving ending)
Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut (for its fleeting quality, the way it deceives you into thinking it is about nothing at all, and then suddenly wants you to reread it)
PS - The word 'scene' is important for any critical analysis of Salinger, for he writes a scene as well as a screenplay. He creates very visual set-ups for two (only two and seldom more (as an exception I can only remember the opening scene in 'Teddy', when there are three people in the conversation)) people having a conversation. This is what Salinger is an absolute genius at, especially if one of the two characters is a child.
Only two stories - 'The Laughing Man' & 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period' - rely less on the power of Salinger's 'scene'. This may be because these are the two of the three stories (the other being 'For Esme - With Love and Squalor') in the first person.
*
The quality of the writing never sags. There are a couple of weak stories, weak because the content they wish to cover is too broad for the form. In most cases though, the stories carry an endearing, captivating quality - the quality of sublime art.
My favorites:
The Laughing Man (for the brilliance of the narration; and the unnerving ending)
For Esme - With Love and Squalor (for the scene of the meeting between the soldier and Esme, and her little brother)
A Perfect Day for Bananafish (for the sea scene; and the unnerving ending)
Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut (for its fleeting quality, the way it deceives you into thinking it is about nothing at all, and then suddenly wants you to reread it)
PS - The word 'scene' is important for any critical analysis of Salinger, for he writes a scene as well as a screenplay. He creates very visual set-ups for two (only two and seldom more (as an exception I can only remember the opening scene in 'Teddy', when there are three people in the conversation)) people having a conversation. This is what Salinger is an absolute genius at, especially if one of the two characters is a child.
Only two stories - 'The Laughing Man' & 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period' - rely less on the power of Salinger's 'scene'. This may be because these are the two of the three stories (the other being 'For Esme - With Love and Squalor') in the first person.
July 26, 2023
“Answer Professor Mandell’s letter when you get a chance and the patience. Ask him not to send me any more poetry books. I already have enough for 1 year anyway. I am quite sick of it anyway. A man walks along the beach and unfortunately gets hit in the head by a cocoanut. His head unfortunately cracks open in two halves. Then his wife comes along the beach singing a song and sees the 2 halves and recognizes them and picks them up. She gets very sad of course and cries heart breakingly. That is exactly where I am tired of poetry. Supposing the lady just picks up the 2 halves and shouts into them very angrily “Stop that!” Do not mention this when you answer his letter, however. It is quite controversial and Mrs. Mandell is a poet besides.”
July 11, 2024
Wow, such a wonderful language 😍
June 28, 2025
“are you at all acquainted with squalor?”
for esmé - with love and squalor is my favorite salinger short story by far. it’s both deeply sad and remarkably uplifting. an amazing depiction of mental health for post-war soldiers, but really just humans in general.
"you take a really sleepy man, esmé, and he always stands a chance of becoming a man with all his fac — with all his f-a-c-u-l-t-i-e-s intact."
for esmé - with love and squalor is my favorite salinger short story by far. it’s both deeply sad and remarkably uplifting. an amazing depiction of mental health for post-war soldiers, but really just humans in general.
"you take a really sleepy man, esmé, and he always stands a chance of becoming a man with all his fac — with all his f-a-c-u-l-t-i-e-s intact."
June 21, 2020
Salinger's a really exceptional writer, and this collection has no filler material, it's all rock solid. The interesting thing, besides the language and voice, is how, while dwelling (if not quite explicating) on subtly disturbing issues, the fun somehow manages to hold up. That's a trick I would really love to learn, in writing or in life, but preferably both.
June 2, 2021
"He took a cigarette from a pack on the table and lit it with fingers that bumped gently and incessantly against eachother."
Only Salinger can describe the shaking of one's hand with such rawness and finesse.
Only Salinger can describe the shaking of one's hand with such rawness and finesse.
January 21, 2026
My top 2 stories are probably Perfect day for banana fish and Teddy from this collection . I just loved the existential crisis Teddy gave me.
In summary Ill eat up any J.D Salinger book handed to me and have a crisis afterwards.
In summary Ill eat up any J.D Salinger book handed to me and have a crisis afterwards.
November 13, 2019
Very unique writing style. Got me addicted and wanting to read more from the author.
March 13, 2026
3,5
Teddy foi a minha short story preferida
Teddy foi a minha short story preferida
February 26, 2025
“I prayed for the city to be cleared of people, for the gift of being alone—a-l-o-n-e:… and in no time at all everything I touched turned to solid loneliness” ~ De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period
September 14, 2025
One of the best reading surprises of this year - running to buy my own copy asap
Read
June 17, 2024I made the rookie mistake of going into this with no context. well mostly no context
My exposure to Salinger was from The Catcher in The Rye in eighth grade which,, no one is surprised, I didn’t actually read. He definitely has an MO which was comforting to pick up as the short stories progressed. His writing style of using ‘innocent’ characters to bring together a specific idea through his themes was common in most of his stories. The way he is also able to write dialogue as it actually happens with correct twang on certain words to prove emphasis, was cool.
I was planning on killing this in one sitting but the stories needed a day to marinate so I only read one or two at a time.
A perfect day for banana fish;
See more glass
Seymour Glass
The themes did not land during the first read through. But obviously, Salinger is trying to (maybe too subtly), relay a message of miscommunication and the out of touch intimacy between those that went to war and those that didn’t. More so, there’s a generational miscommunication and lack of understanding between Muriel and her mother, between Sibyl and her mother, between Seymour and Muriel, and between Seymour and every other person not physically present over seas during WWII
Muriel is a clear representation of the post war prosperity of the American and ‘winning’ side- she shops at sax, paints her nails, enjoys tanning and her silk robes, lounging at the hair salon and waiting around by the phone as she seemingly has nothing more pressing to do. She even hints at a classist point of view when she questions the degree of wealth of the other people at the hotel. Even Seymour tells Sybil that his wife could possibly be in a thousand different places at the moment, because there is endless consumeristic activities that she is likely to spend her days partaking in.
Salinger argues against the prosperity of the ‘winning’ side- for how can someone view Seymour as a winner. He suffered unknowable horrors, as did all participants of the war, as did all soldiers. The only people that know what happened are the people that were there.
Seymour is out of touch with reality and cannot find a way to continue in this new society- but it can be argued that this society continued on and it was Seymour that changed. He begins to notice consumerism and tries to take back his old self through a search for innocence. He converses with Sybil in a perfectly protective and kind manner, feeding off her childish naivety of the world around her, yet teaching her to continue on her path by thinking of the care and love that should be shown onto others, like the case of the dog in the hotel lobby. Maybe he’s warning her through a made up metaphors about the banana fish with no choice but death once it decided to eat all the bananas and block its own path back out to freedom.
Honestly the end took me for a loop, but it makes sense? Because the moment our main man (who ironically enough was not even thought by me to be the main character until my second read through- but maybe that’s the point?), steps into the elevator, he loses touch with the world and has discourse with a random lady about nothing. His final failed attempt to reengage in society is represented by this interaction. Him and his wife never exchange any words, she doesn’t try to read his poetry book- or appear to care about it at all. The way her and her mother talk of him on the phone would lead you to believe that the man we meet on the beach is another new character and not in fact her husband Seymour. Muriel’s perception of her husband did not match my perception of him as the reader, and I’m sure continues to not match the characters own perception of himself.
Endless lack of understanding between the different classifications of people, Seymour’s search for innocence in a culture consumed by the material and recovering what was lost in the war was the main theme I would say.
ALSOOO, don’t even ask me what the meaning of Salinger’s made up banana fish was, I don’t know and I fear that was the whole point of the story 😭
For Esmé- with Love and Squalor
I’m choosing to pretend that this story was a real life actual interaction that a soldier (Salinger himself?), had with a kid while he was on base and this short story was the result. It was a beautiful sentiment that her letter reached him many months later when he was in such a bad place in life. This story was most certainly filled with squalor and moving, and love.
Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes
Not to be that girl but I knew the person with the grey haired Lee was Joanie the whole time. The themes delved into receipt and childlike grasping? Or something of the sort. Why does Salinger have a pull towards the youthful. He uses lines like grown child, kid and boy to refer to his characters or his characters referring to each other. They see each other as kids, or they are constantly trying to impose childlike behaviours on the other characters. The significance here could be that both men are claiming wisdom on one another and to belittle the other in this sense reaffirms their superiority. Lee acts ‘above’ Arthur throughout their phone call, yet Lee is the deceptive one acting as a bad friend by gaslighting him about his wife’s whereabouts when in reality she’s with him in bed. In the end, Lee (sort of), acknowledges his hypocrisy by being short with Joanie when she tried to help him grab his cigarette.
Anyways, we see the realistic human dialogue, the symbolism of smoking, and the themes of nostalgia for childhood, the past and adult deception.
One short story a day keeps the doctor away
De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period
This one was my favourite story- or maybe a perfect day for banana fish. Our main character, his mother, the step father’s girlfriend and the lady in the store front are never named, perhaps purposely. The man posing as De Daumier, who can be assumed to actually be Smith, is struggling through an identity crisis, which is narrated to the reader in two layers. Firstly, it’s about the 19 year old French American who spends his summer in Canada, posing as a 29 year old French aristocrat. It’s written by the current main character as his is now a 31 year old grown man. He is able to humorously reflect upon his past younger self and bring self awareness to his obnoxious and over compensating personality of a kid lost in the world. I think that what was different between this charterer and Caulfield’s character is that the narrator is the older and mature self, who can bring a light hearted acknowledgment to his ridiculously phony actions, whereas Caulfield is acting and narrating in the moment, as its happening, which takes away the endearing aspect
Teddy
This one was a bit jarring I must say.
My exposure to Salinger was from The Catcher in The Rye in eighth grade which,, no one is surprised, I didn’t actually read. He definitely has an MO which was comforting to pick up as the short stories progressed. His writing style of using ‘innocent’ characters to bring together a specific idea through his themes was common in most of his stories. The way he is also able to write dialogue as it actually happens with correct twang on certain words to prove emphasis, was cool.
I was planning on killing this in one sitting but the stories needed a day to marinate so I only read one or two at a time.
A perfect day for banana fish;
See more glass
Seymour Glass
The themes did not land during the first read through. But obviously, Salinger is trying to (maybe too subtly), relay a message of miscommunication and the out of touch intimacy between those that went to war and those that didn’t. More so, there’s a generational miscommunication and lack of understanding between Muriel and her mother, between Sibyl and her mother, between Seymour and Muriel, and between Seymour and every other person not physically present over seas during WWII
Muriel is a clear representation of the post war prosperity of the American and ‘winning’ side- she shops at sax, paints her nails, enjoys tanning and her silk robes, lounging at the hair salon and waiting around by the phone as she seemingly has nothing more pressing to do. She even hints at a classist point of view when she questions the degree of wealth of the other people at the hotel. Even Seymour tells Sybil that his wife could possibly be in a thousand different places at the moment, because there is endless consumeristic activities that she is likely to spend her days partaking in.
Salinger argues against the prosperity of the ‘winning’ side- for how can someone view Seymour as a winner. He suffered unknowable horrors, as did all participants of the war, as did all soldiers. The only people that know what happened are the people that were there.
Seymour is out of touch with reality and cannot find a way to continue in this new society- but it can be argued that this society continued on and it was Seymour that changed. He begins to notice consumerism and tries to take back his old self through a search for innocence. He converses with Sybil in a perfectly protective and kind manner, feeding off her childish naivety of the world around her, yet teaching her to continue on her path by thinking of the care and love that should be shown onto others, like the case of the dog in the hotel lobby. Maybe he’s warning her through a made up metaphors about the banana fish with no choice but death once it decided to eat all the bananas and block its own path back out to freedom.
Honestly the end took me for a loop, but it makes sense? Because the moment our main man (who ironically enough was not even thought by me to be the main character until my second read through- but maybe that’s the point?), steps into the elevator, he loses touch with the world and has discourse with a random lady about nothing. His final failed attempt to reengage in society is represented by this interaction. Him and his wife never exchange any words, she doesn’t try to read his poetry book- or appear to care about it at all. The way her and her mother talk of him on the phone would lead you to believe that the man we meet on the beach is another new character and not in fact her husband Seymour. Muriel’s perception of her husband did not match my perception of him as the reader, and I’m sure continues to not match the characters own perception of himself.
Endless lack of understanding between the different classifications of people, Seymour’s search for innocence in a culture consumed by the material and recovering what was lost in the war was the main theme I would say.
ALSOOO, don’t even ask me what the meaning of Salinger’s made up banana fish was, I don’t know and I fear that was the whole point of the story 😭
For Esmé- with Love and Squalor
I’m choosing to pretend that this story was a real life actual interaction that a soldier (Salinger himself?), had with a kid while he was on base and this short story was the result. It was a beautiful sentiment that her letter reached him many months later when he was in such a bad place in life. This story was most certainly filled with squalor and moving, and love.
Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes
Not to be that girl but I knew the person with the grey haired Lee was Joanie the whole time. The themes delved into receipt and childlike grasping? Or something of the sort. Why does Salinger have a pull towards the youthful. He uses lines like grown child, kid and boy to refer to his characters or his characters referring to each other. They see each other as kids, or they are constantly trying to impose childlike behaviours on the other characters. The significance here could be that both men are claiming wisdom on one another and to belittle the other in this sense reaffirms their superiority. Lee acts ‘above’ Arthur throughout their phone call, yet Lee is the deceptive one acting as a bad friend by gaslighting him about his wife’s whereabouts when in reality she’s with him in bed. In the end, Lee (sort of), acknowledges his hypocrisy by being short with Joanie when she tried to help him grab his cigarette.
Anyways, we see the realistic human dialogue, the symbolism of smoking, and the themes of nostalgia for childhood, the past and adult deception.
One short story a day keeps the doctor away
De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period
This one was my favourite story- or maybe a perfect day for banana fish. Our main character, his mother, the step father’s girlfriend and the lady in the store front are never named, perhaps purposely. The man posing as De Daumier, who can be assumed to actually be Smith, is struggling through an identity crisis, which is narrated to the reader in two layers. Firstly, it’s about the 19 year old French American who spends his summer in Canada, posing as a 29 year old French aristocrat. It’s written by the current main character as his is now a 31 year old grown man. He is able to humorously reflect upon his past younger self and bring self awareness to his obnoxious and over compensating personality of a kid lost in the world. I think that what was different between this charterer and Caulfield’s character is that the narrator is the older and mature self, who can bring a light hearted acknowledgment to his ridiculously phony actions, whereas Caulfield is acting and narrating in the moment, as its happening, which takes away the endearing aspect
Teddy
This one was a bit jarring I must say.
March 16, 2026
I do not understand the mid-century American short story. There’s a character, a bit of mundane nothing happens, and by the end everything has changed.
I may not understand it but I can recognise when it’s done well, and Salinger does it exceptionally. He’s really good at setting expectations and completely turning them around - which seems to be the common theme of these stories. What makes this an interesting collection instead of a repetitive bunch of "a-ha! you misjudged the situation!" moments is the versatility of Salinger’s writing, who seems as comfortable being funny as he is being serious and stern.
Favourites: A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Down at the Dinghy, The Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period, and For Esmé.
I may not understand it but I can recognise when it’s done well, and Salinger does it exceptionally. He’s really good at setting expectations and completely turning them around - which seems to be the common theme of these stories. What makes this an interesting collection instead of a repetitive bunch of "a-ha! you misjudged the situation!" moments is the versatility of Salinger’s writing, who seems as comfortable being funny as he is being serious and stern.
Favourites: A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Down at the Dinghy, The Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period, and For Esmé.
February 23, 2026
Did not enjoy that Icl found it boring
February 21, 2026
Confusing yet settling and comforting
A Perfect Day for Bananafish- For Esmé — With Love and Squalor - Teddy, favorites
A Perfect Day for Bananafish- For Esmé — With Love and Squalor - Teddy, favorites
October 24, 2024
Glimpses of perfection in Salinger’s short stories. Even if the topics may appear to be repetitive —the prodigy child, the overly sensitive man, the talkative young woman— there is a truthness and a tenderness in them so unusual in literature that one can’t help but to enjoy and revere. Of course some of these are better than others —how sad and strange Seymour’s death was, wouldn’t you say?— but again, there’s much to learn from his way of slowly building up characters, of constructing stories that add up to an ending that is more epiphanic than cathartic which reminds me, naturally, of Joyce. Bien sûr many of these stories adopt fastly the dialogic form and are, therefore, easily adaptable to the theatrical scene, yet their endings surpass anything that can be conveyed by mere action and instead light a spark in our minds, drop our jaws, heat our hearts. How beautiful and terrible —is this what Rilke talked about?— his honesty is.
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