Reading 1001 discussion

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4/5 stars

Buddy read with my son for high school English. It is nice when a list book gets picked. I don't remember reading this book in high school so I think I am reading it with fresh eyes. I know this book is a classic but I had heard criticism with recent generations that the character Holden seemed whiny. I was interested to see where my opinions land.

I found Holden Caulfield an annoying kid. My husband reminded me I am not the target audience. Holden's behavior was quite shocking for me; drinking, smoking, episode with a prostitute. Life was sure different in the 1940s. I liked Holden's relationship with his sister, how the story came together and the ending. Look forward to hearing how my son likes it.

“Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.”

“Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it's a game, all right – I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a fame about it? Nothing. No game.”

In my review, I stated that this book is more for the high school set than for a 70-something woman. I did enjoy reading about the book more than the book itself.

Too depressing.

***

I was anticipating more than that, probably because of the reputation of the book and several famous endorsements of its content. Right from the start, one can feel the same rebellious attitude as in the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn stories or, more contemporaneously, in The 400 Blows movie by Truffaut. Sure, Holden Caulfield is a very lost disaffected boy and his wanderings around New York to avoid going back to his parents after being "flunked" out of school are testimony of that. But the context and the atmosphere are totally outdated and much less relevant to today's society. The Holden Caulfield of today would look and behave a lot more differently. The novel was not totally boring, but was not exhilarating either.

Reason read: because I never had read it. I don't particularly like Salinger's writing. This might be the better of his books. Why is this book included in the 1001 books? It's a coming of age story about a boy who obviously grew up in a family with money but he's failing at life. It's also a first person narrative so we only really have his opinion and we all are unreliable narrators of our own lives. Supposedly it has the universal themes of searching for identity, feeling alienated, and teenage angst. The book has way to much swearing and whining it it which makes it a book that doesn't resonate with the reader. I am sure there are better books for young people to read about the adolescent experience. Perhaps this is one of the first books that really looked at what being a teenager was all about back in 1951 when it was published.