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J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye and Other Works
Examines the life, times, and major works of J.D. Salinger, with special attention to his only novel, "The Catcher in the Rye" and its legacy.
158 pages, Library Binding
First published January 15, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 16, 2008
The Catcher in Rye
By J.D. Salinger
Review by Zack Emerick
When I first began to read The Catcher in the Rye I was hesitant about really “reading” it. I had heard several different opinions about The Catcher in the Rye ranging from absolute torture to being on some peoples top favorites of American novels. As I began to read The Catcher in the Rye, my bias views of book quickly changed directions. As I read deeper into the book, I could not put it down. You can’t help but to become memorized by this truly immense novel.
The Catcher and the Rye is a great novel written by J.D. Salinger in the early 1950’s. The story is told from the viewpoint of the main character, Holden Caulfield. The story reveals one of the most important times in his life. The time is when he is a young adult, faced with his life decisions, and shows how Holden uses isolation to protect himself as he excruciatingly faces the “phony” adult world.
This book stands alone in greatness, because it puts you right in Holden’s shoes. You feel like you are right there with him tangled around all the different people, the phonies and even the “flitty” ones. You feel as if you know all the people that Holden describes in his past, like you were there with them at the bars, schools and apartments throughout this story. Another major turn on for this novel is the great writing style of J.D. Salinger.
J.D. Salinger has a very attractive writing style. His main character Holden is very blunt. He doesn’t hold anything back and tells how it really is. Holden tells readers his true opinions of people. For example, Holden refers to Sally Hayes (a character whom Holden has dated for quite a while) as “stupid.” He is sometimes seen as rebellious in his style because of the way he bluntly curses as he feels necessary, which is very common. I thought this brought a lot of life to the book; the words jump off the page at the reader. This style brings the harsh realitys of the world to the reader’s eyes. There are several instances where Salinger’s writing style is humorous, but yet while it is humorous it still provides the reality of the situations that Holden is confronted with. From the writing styles it is very easy to see the atmosphere Holden is in. Holden is always talking about all kinds of different things going on all at once. It reveals just how busy life is, especially in the city.
Salinger is especially blunt when he is describing people who Holden sees as phony. Phony people drive Holden insane, and I feel the same way. Some of the worst kinds of people are those who act like phonies. You learn this about Holden right away, and you continue to see it throughout the novel. “Haas would just shake hands with them and give them a phony smile and then he’d go talk, for maybe a half an hour, with somebody else’s parents. I can’t stand that stuff. It drives me crazy. It makes me so depressed I go crazy. I hated that goddamn Elkton hills.” This is an example of the many different techniques and repetitive images that Salinger uses in Catcher in the Rye. This quote shows the rebellious cursing, blunt and honest in all aspects and you even see (from Holden’s eye’s) this person is really a phony. These few examples of the many writing techniques used by Salinger are just some of the contributing factors that make this book so great.
I strongly recommend J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye because it allows the reader to experience life in a place he or she has never been, in situations he or she has never been in, and it did all of this from the comfort of home. The Catcher in the Rye also dealt with real life situations that many people in the world face. It also showed decisions that Holden makes and the outcome of those decisions. The Catcher in the Rye allows one to see the world through the eyes of Holden Caulfield.
J.D. Salinger was born in New York. He began writing at a young age when he was only in high school. He also served in world war one which added a unique style to his stories. The Catcher in The Rye was Slingers first novel. It as you can see by the amount of schools still studying this book today, it is still a success. Salinger will always be remembered and forever studied in schools across the United States. It is a great book, you should find out for yourself.
By J.D. Salinger
Review by Zack Emerick
When I first began to read The Catcher in the Rye I was hesitant about really “reading” it. I had heard several different opinions about The Catcher in the Rye ranging from absolute torture to being on some peoples top favorites of American novels. As I began to read The Catcher in the Rye, my bias views of book quickly changed directions. As I read deeper into the book, I could not put it down. You can’t help but to become memorized by this truly immense novel.
The Catcher and the Rye is a great novel written by J.D. Salinger in the early 1950’s. The story is told from the viewpoint of the main character, Holden Caulfield. The story reveals one of the most important times in his life. The time is when he is a young adult, faced with his life decisions, and shows how Holden uses isolation to protect himself as he excruciatingly faces the “phony” adult world.
This book stands alone in greatness, because it puts you right in Holden’s shoes. You feel like you are right there with him tangled around all the different people, the phonies and even the “flitty” ones. You feel as if you know all the people that Holden describes in his past, like you were there with them at the bars, schools and apartments throughout this story. Another major turn on for this novel is the great writing style of J.D. Salinger.
J.D. Salinger has a very attractive writing style. His main character Holden is very blunt. He doesn’t hold anything back and tells how it really is. Holden tells readers his true opinions of people. For example, Holden refers to Sally Hayes (a character whom Holden has dated for quite a while) as “stupid.” He is sometimes seen as rebellious in his style because of the way he bluntly curses as he feels necessary, which is very common. I thought this brought a lot of life to the book; the words jump off the page at the reader. This style brings the harsh realitys of the world to the reader’s eyes. There are several instances where Salinger’s writing style is humorous, but yet while it is humorous it still provides the reality of the situations that Holden is confronted with. From the writing styles it is very easy to see the atmosphere Holden is in. Holden is always talking about all kinds of different things going on all at once. It reveals just how busy life is, especially in the city.
Salinger is especially blunt when he is describing people who Holden sees as phony. Phony people drive Holden insane, and I feel the same way. Some of the worst kinds of people are those who act like phonies. You learn this about Holden right away, and you continue to see it throughout the novel. “Haas would just shake hands with them and give them a phony smile and then he’d go talk, for maybe a half an hour, with somebody else’s parents. I can’t stand that stuff. It drives me crazy. It makes me so depressed I go crazy. I hated that goddamn Elkton hills.” This is an example of the many different techniques and repetitive images that Salinger uses in Catcher in the Rye. This quote shows the rebellious cursing, blunt and honest in all aspects and you even see (from Holden’s eye’s) this person is really a phony. These few examples of the many writing techniques used by Salinger are just some of the contributing factors that make this book so great.
I strongly recommend J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye because it allows the reader to experience life in a place he or she has never been, in situations he or she has never been in, and it did all of this from the comfort of home. The Catcher in the Rye also dealt with real life situations that many people in the world face. It also showed decisions that Holden makes and the outcome of those decisions. The Catcher in the Rye allows one to see the world through the eyes of Holden Caulfield.
J.D. Salinger was born in New York. He began writing at a young age when he was only in high school. He also served in world war one which added a unique style to his stories. The Catcher in The Rye was Slingers first novel. It as you can see by the amount of schools still studying this book today, it is still a success. Salinger will always be remembered and forever studied in schools across the United States. It is a great book, you should find out for yourself.
October 16, 2021
I might write a more detailed review of the book and post an analysis or two of the book in the future, but until then I’ll just say that the depiction of youngsters within the story was accurate, and it spoke of how the lack of passion can ruin a person.
It’s more of a story to understand than one that is to be liked.
It’s more of a story to understand than one that is to be liked.
May 19, 2008
I thought that this book was going to be amazing or something like that. I still do not really understand why this is as "American Classic," but i thought this book was alright. the story started off with Holden Caulfield introducing himself into the book. as he goes on, he like retells his story.
im not liable to tell what happens, but i tell this, holden is supposed to be a genius. he just gets all the worse luck in the world. like hes been kicked out so many schools, only for his parents to get mad every other time. so the story he tells, tells of the school he got kicked out of again. i, the reader found out that he really hates phonies. people who pretend are like the scum of the world to him.the only people he doesnt hate is his sister and basically kids because they are innocent and not liars.
anyway as the story goes on, he keeps realizing things about himself, its like he is his own shrink. the story actually tickled some of my fancy because he resembled a lot of people i personally know. so, if you want to be that person who comes out of their shell knowing that the whole world is full of people who lie and arent good at all, you should toally read The Catcher in the Rye>
im not liable to tell what happens, but i tell this, holden is supposed to be a genius. he just gets all the worse luck in the world. like hes been kicked out so many schools, only for his parents to get mad every other time. so the story he tells, tells of the school he got kicked out of again. i, the reader found out that he really hates phonies. people who pretend are like the scum of the world to him.the only people he doesnt hate is his sister and basically kids because they are innocent and not liars.
anyway as the story goes on, he keeps realizing things about himself, its like he is his own shrink. the story actually tickled some of my fancy because he resembled a lot of people i personally know. so, if you want to be that person who comes out of their shell knowing that the whole world is full of people who lie and arent good at all, you should toally read The Catcher in the Rye>
January 6, 2016
Okay, so i'd heard about this book being an american classic. As a lover of all things american i thought, wow this should exceed all expectations.
WRONG! I kept reading, though i had the urge to put it down, Sallinger did such a great job of promising you a great finish. The reason you can't keep it down is because it's got such a great reputation, it continuously promises you a great finish and you keep expecting.
But it's nothing more than a descriptive memo about how some juvenile bunked off school, and didn't go home because he had desires to sleep with a prositute and save his neck from his father yet again for being kicked out of school.
If you're still reading this, do not read this book if you value your time, better off reading Winnie the Pooh's great adventures.
Rocky out.
WRONG! I kept reading, though i had the urge to put it down, Sallinger did such a great job of promising you a great finish. The reason you can't keep it down is because it's got such a great reputation, it continuously promises you a great finish and you keep expecting.
But it's nothing more than a descriptive memo about how some juvenile bunked off school, and didn't go home because he had desires to sleep with a prositute and save his neck from his father yet again for being kicked out of school.
If you're still reading this, do not read this book if you value your time, better off reading Winnie the Pooh's great adventures.
Rocky out.
June 6, 2015
When I finished the book I wished here was an authority that could give me my time back. Not only I didn't learn anything from it, but the character of the book got me so annoyed, I wanted to slap him and just continue my life and completely forget about it!
June 27, 2022
I almost feel like I gave this an extra star because of societal pressures. I was once a young man going through the stages of growing up so I'm supposed to really relate to it, but I just don't. It's good writing, there's no arguing that, but I find the character so unlikable it's hard to want to continue reading. I also thought it was pretty anti-climatic... Perhaps I should give it another try or perhaps I was too old when I read it.
November 4, 2022
The Catcher in the Rye was an okay book. This book wasn't my favorite just because it was a little boring to me but it wasn't too bad. I liked watching Holden going through the different experiences that he did and seeing how he reacted to them.
April 7, 2013
The Catcher in the Rye is a classic book by J.D. Salinger. It is about 17-year-old Holden
Caulfield who gets kicked out of school once again. He has to leave the next wednesday which is the beginning of winter break, although he can’t wait that long. He hates everyone at his school, Pencey, including his roommate Stradlater, and the person in the room next to him Ackley. They are all a bunch of phonies according to Holden, just like almost every other person in the whole world. He decides to leave for New York City, until wednesday when he will go home So one night he does, and he goes to stay in a hotel. A lot of weird things happen in New York City though. J.D. salinger did a good job of adding a lot of parts that had a literal and symbolic meaning. I think the symbolisms and metaphors are very interesting and add a lot to the book. Also the narration was very interesting, because it it didn’t
just tell you what Holden was thinking, but how he was thinking it, but I still didn't like the book so much. I didn’t feel like there was much of a climax, just a bunch small climaxes.The small climaxes gave some suspense but they didn’t really connect to be one big climax. I recommend it to anyone who likes just reading about daily lives, with a little extra crazyness. I give it two stars out of five.
Caulfield who gets kicked out of school once again. He has to leave the next wednesday which is the beginning of winter break, although he can’t wait that long. He hates everyone at his school, Pencey, including his roommate Stradlater, and the person in the room next to him Ackley. They are all a bunch of phonies according to Holden, just like almost every other person in the whole world. He decides to leave for New York City, until wednesday when he will go home So one night he does, and he goes to stay in a hotel. A lot of weird things happen in New York City though. J.D. salinger did a good job of adding a lot of parts that had a literal and symbolic meaning. I think the symbolisms and metaphors are very interesting and add a lot to the book. Also the narration was very interesting, because it it didn’t
just tell you what Holden was thinking, but how he was thinking it, but I still didn't like the book so much. I didn’t feel like there was much of a climax, just a bunch small climaxes.The small climaxes gave some suspense but they didn’t really connect to be one big climax. I recommend it to anyone who likes just reading about daily lives, with a little extra crazyness. I give it two stars out of five.
May 16, 2010
To sum it up... I thought it was "eh". Reflecting back, the story gives you a unique perspective of a young boy reacting to his environment. Now, for my opinion: I'm not a big fan of the language, and got pretty bored with the main character being bored, tired, drunk, and impatient with everyone... Overall, just not my kind of book. I would not recommend it to my friends.
June 15, 2008
DIGRESSION - that one word perfectly describes this book. If you’ve read this book, you’ll get it.
Holden Caulfield has one serious case of ADD and is possibly bi-polar. But he's an interesting, endearing, and relatable character. This book is a class and a must read. Ahead of its time.
Holden Caulfield has one serious case of ADD and is possibly bi-polar. But he's an interesting, endearing, and relatable character. This book is a class and a must read. Ahead of its time.
January 25, 2022
I thought this book was very intriguing and it was very inciteful to see through a narcissistic perspective. In some ways I even found Holden, the narrator a bit refreshing and relatable as all I find all people closetedly compare and diminish one another in their heads. I found the plot very easy to follow and unpredictable. This book encapsulates a lot of ideas and mannerisms of an adolescent. Holden obviously has some mental health problems and is struggling with the grievance of his brother's death. A line I remember and thought was funny was "I'm always saying “Glad to have met you” to someone I'm not at all glad I met."
March 11, 2021
I had to read this for English and it was a little underwhelming. The ending was not as good as I thought it would be and there was a lot of background information that was not significant to the story. I thought the book seemed very rushed especially the end even if it was just for a short time period. I thought this book was interesting for something I had to read for English but not something I would see myself reading in my free time.
April 26, 2020
......meandering and pointless, like Salinger's brain and life. After Holden departs from school, the story plummets into a series of ridiculous mishaps and missteps punctuated by Holden's inner dreary long and boring ramblings. Salinger was probably trying to produce a sort of reverse "Candide," but failed in his attempt.
August 7, 2020
Simply put- I did not like it. I did not get what the book was written for. But I now understand that, just because it is a classic does not mean it is always a good book and will be liked by everyone. Two stars for occasional humor and originality of language
December 6, 2023
1. There is little to no plot
2. It is so insanely boring that reading it felt like a chore
3. Holden is so incredibly whiny with 0 character development
4. At the time, the language was controversial which made it interesting I guess, but now it just seems excessive
2. It is so insanely boring that reading it felt like a chore
3. Holden is so incredibly whiny with 0 character development
4. At the time, the language was controversial which made it interesting I guess, but now it just seems excessive
August 19, 2021
Classic
December 31, 2023
teenager discovers emotions for the first time as his daddy's money runs out
February 10, 2024
I hated this book so much and the ending pissed me off a lot ….
June 4, 2024
Honestly, this book I was reading in class, but overall it was pretty good. It had a lot of messages that I didn’t always pick up on but I thought it was a good book.
January 27, 2025
I just want to give Holden the biggest hug
April 28, 2025
mostly holden’s thoughts, “saving innocence”. a bit controversial but i didn’t love it.
September 27, 2025
Long story short, this novel knocked me out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2008
The Catcher in the Rye was written by J.D. Salinger and was great because it related closely to the rebellion of young people today. When young people reach a certain age they have a tendency to start to rebel against many things accepted by society. It has a large deal to do with them trying to find their place in society and becoming more independent. Rebellion is a normal reaction for people to feel when they reach a certain age because it allows them to dictate their own destiny and not let others steer them from that.
Catcher in the Rye was a book that talked about the rebellion of a young person named Holden. Holden rebelled throughout the whole book against rules, schools, and people that he met and encountered. Holden had been kicked out of four schools because he did not comply with the academic requirements and refused to show any effort. Holden also did not have many friends because he felt like everybody was phony and fake. Holden had this mind set that he was the center of the “normalcy” and everybody that was not like him was fake. Holden felt this way because he might have been uncomfortable with himself.
Holden also did not take advice from people that really loved and cared about him. This caused a downfall because Holden went throughout his life not listening to the right people and getting himself into bad situations he could have prevented. Holden was also rebellious and distant towards and from his family. Holden never allowed himself to get close to people because he says once you get close to them you start to miss them.
The only family member Holden was attached to was his little sister Phoebe. When Holden was in bad situations he would think of the times he spent with Phoebe and this would comfort him. He also would think of the times that he spent with his dead brother Allie. Allie was a big inspiration in Holden’s life because when Holden was in bad situations he would ask Allie to protect him from danger and not let him disappear. Salinger did a good job in creating the characters because he never allowed any of them to get too close to each other and left room for the reader’s imagination. This imagination allowed the reader to judge each character with his/her own credentials. Salinger’s first person point of view was also important because it allowed the reader to put themselves in his shoes and understand his true emotions towards different situations.
Catcher in the Rye was also good because it really showed that life was only a game and the moves that are made are very crucial. This book also showed a great life lesson because it taught the reader to be careful of the decisions he/she makes in his/her life. The audience for this book is usually young people going through this rebellious state in their lives. It teaches them a lot because it shows that if you make wrong decisions you will end up hurting yourself in the end.
Holden also acted like a rebellious individual on the outside but on the inside he was very sensitive to society and its surroundings. This caused a set back for Holden because he never opened up to people and this caused people to look at him as being pessimistic. Some people looked at Holden as always being negative and they felt that he could never see the good in things if he was always this way. Holden also views the world as being negative because he has encountered so much negative in his life he does not see the good in it.
Holden also is negative because he is resentful towards people for his brother Ali’s death. He wants Ali back so bad he is rebellious to people that have the “good” life. After Ali died Holden in a sense lost his innocence because this changed his perception of the good in the world. Towards the end of the book Holden starts to see what really matters to him in his life and he learns that his rebellion is pointless because he cannot do anything to bring his brother Ali back.
Catcher in the Rye was a book that talked about the rebellion of a young person named Holden. Holden rebelled throughout the whole book against rules, schools, and people that he met and encountered. Holden had been kicked out of four schools because he did not comply with the academic requirements and refused to show any effort. Holden also did not have many friends because he felt like everybody was phony and fake. Holden had this mind set that he was the center of the “normalcy” and everybody that was not like him was fake. Holden felt this way because he might have been uncomfortable with himself.
Holden also did not take advice from people that really loved and cared about him. This caused a downfall because Holden went throughout his life not listening to the right people and getting himself into bad situations he could have prevented. Holden was also rebellious and distant towards and from his family. Holden never allowed himself to get close to people because he says once you get close to them you start to miss them.
The only family member Holden was attached to was his little sister Phoebe. When Holden was in bad situations he would think of the times he spent with Phoebe and this would comfort him. He also would think of the times that he spent with his dead brother Allie. Allie was a big inspiration in Holden’s life because when Holden was in bad situations he would ask Allie to protect him from danger and not let him disappear. Salinger did a good job in creating the characters because he never allowed any of them to get too close to each other and left room for the reader’s imagination. This imagination allowed the reader to judge each character with his/her own credentials. Salinger’s first person point of view was also important because it allowed the reader to put themselves in his shoes and understand his true emotions towards different situations.
Catcher in the Rye was also good because it really showed that life was only a game and the moves that are made are very crucial. This book also showed a great life lesson because it taught the reader to be careful of the decisions he/she makes in his/her life. The audience for this book is usually young people going through this rebellious state in their lives. It teaches them a lot because it shows that if you make wrong decisions you will end up hurting yourself in the end.
Holden also acted like a rebellious individual on the outside but on the inside he was very sensitive to society and its surroundings. This caused a set back for Holden because he never opened up to people and this caused people to look at him as being pessimistic. Some people looked at Holden as always being negative and they felt that he could never see the good in things if he was always this way. Holden also views the world as being negative because he has encountered so much negative in his life he does not see the good in it.
Holden also is negative because he is resentful towards people for his brother Ali’s death. He wants Ali back so bad he is rebellious to people that have the “good” life. After Ali died Holden in a sense lost his innocence because this changed his perception of the good in the world. Towards the end of the book Holden starts to see what really matters to him in his life and he learns that his rebellion is pointless because he cannot do anything to bring his brother Ali back.
January 24, 2013
In the book The Catcher and the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the main character Holden’s main conflict is against himself. He isn’t very good at being social able with people, and therefore he is kind of shunned. He likes to combat his own insecurity of himself by making stories about people and calling then “phony”. “Old Selma Thurmer-she was the headmaster’s daughter-…She probably knew what a phony slob he was.” (17) In general, Holden doesn’t feel like he should like the headmaster, and calls him a phony so he can feel better about himself and basically distract himself from what is actually going on with himself. Because of this, I don’t think that Holden was very easy to relate to. Even though we are around the same age, I don’t think he is acting like a very mature person.
I also didn’t really enjoy the way that Holden couldn’t relate to other characters, even though that was probably the whole point in the story. He had a lot of conversations with people that were kind of odd. “How’d she happen to mention me? Does she go to B.M. now?...How’d she happen to mention me?”( 30) Whenever he had a conversation like this, you could tell that the person he was talking to was getting annoyed and feeling awkward, which in turn made be feel the same way. I gave the book only a three because I couldn’t really relate to it very much and it was very boring. I feel bad saying that because it IS a classic and all, but it just didn’t click with me.
I also didn’t really enjoy the way that Holden couldn’t relate to other characters, even though that was probably the whole point in the story. He had a lot of conversations with people that were kind of odd. “How’d she happen to mention me? Does she go to B.M. now?...How’d she happen to mention me?”( 30) Whenever he had a conversation like this, you could tell that the person he was talking to was getting annoyed and feeling awkward, which in turn made be feel the same way. I gave the book only a three because I couldn’t really relate to it very much and it was very boring. I feel bad saying that because it IS a classic and all, but it just didn’t click with me.
July 24, 2009
I read this fist as a high school freshman. When I saw it was required reading for my (almost) freshman daughter, I decided to try it again. I had only a vague recollection of having not been impressed the first time around. This time, I think I understood more fully the main character, Holden Caulfield. He is truly a cynic, as some other adolescents of his circumstances might be. Privileged, bouncing from one boarding school to another, he criticizes just about everything. But his occasional sensitivity is sweet. A good read, although the language is a bit dated.
June 3, 2008
We read it for school so i totally procrastinated reading it until like the night before the test, but i didn't end up finishing it. However, it was so good that i actually ended up finishing it EVEN THOUGH i had already had my test and it was of no use to me. but...it was really good and its a real coming of age story and a great look inside the mind of a teenager. its great and highly entertaining. its all the things you wish you could say to people.
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September 15, 2010I think that this book was AMAZING ! It's my favorite book now because it's really interesting. While i was reading this amazing book i was kind of mad at the same time because they never made a movie about the book and i think it would be very cool if they did. But the Author doesn't let them because they made a movie about 1 of his books and they kind of " messed " it up because they cut scenes out to make the movie short
May 17, 2008
This is one of my favorite books, and I love to revisit it. It taught me that the world is not A+ or bust, and that the F is substuantially worse than the C-, that the C- is applaudable and the F is shameful. That seems circular and obvious, but.. there's a genuine spirit to the character of the book I suppose I relate to.
PS You're all a bunch of flitty phonies!
PS You're all a bunch of flitty phonies!
July 4, 2008
this was an amzing plotless story about a tennager wandering new york borde planing to run away because he he got thron out of a bordeing school and dosent want to tell his parents yet he meets his little sister and is sad in the end he gose home and tells his parents they best thing to say it the truth..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2010
Re-read this on a bit of a whim (actually, found it buried at the bottom of my daughter's school bag, so I thought I'd give it another go). Rambles on and on with its incessant whining and complaining. Still. There are no resolutions, only self-indulgence. Bad dialogue, little emotion, boring and so on and so on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews