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Laura

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Laura is Currently Reading

Laura is currently reading

The Catcher in the Rye

by J.D. Salinger

bookshelves: favorite-books, currently-reading

Reading for the 3rd time

read in December 2021

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Laura said: " New review from 2023:
Woah. I loved this book when I first read it and I still do upon my second read but something felt different about this book this time. I read this in a school setting this time which definitely changed it a little. In and out of New review from 2023:
Woah. I loved this book when I first read it and I still do upon my second read but something felt different about this book this time. I read this in a school setting this time which definitely changed it a little. In and out of class, I went a lot deeper into the themes and the symbolism in the book, and woah!! Everything Salinger mentions in this book is for a reason. To be entirely honest, this read-through just made me a lot more sad than the last time. Holden is annoying and childish but I just feel so bad for him. It's clear he has severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I just see someone who is so lost and confused and is in the midst of growing up but wants to cling to his childhood and past self. He clearly feels for other people even if he is mostly very self-involved. He wants other children not to have to experience what he did. He wants other children to be happy and not know about the world and its horrors. He wants what those children have: innocence. But he already lost his innocence, so if he can't it have maybe others can. I still love the writing style and Holden's ridiculous delivery. I sympathized a lot more with him the second time but I still had my moments when I thought what he was saying was... questionable. But people are questionable and weird. Salinger truly created one of the most realistic and full characters I have ever come across.
So yeah, this book is still an all-time favorite for me. Holden is such an accurate depiction of depression and the narrative voice feels so real to me. I'm still never over the passage about the National History Museum.

First Review from 2021:
God, I love this book. Of course it's not perfect, it has its flaws as most classic books have. I don't enjoy the main character as a person, but his story is so interesting. I think he's a good example of what not to be. His mindset and his trauma make so much sense and Holden is a gorgeously written character, again not a good person though. People might say this book is boring but I think it makes a bigger impact when the big things happen in it. It says a lot more than an action book does. Amazing writing and some perfect passages. ...more "

progress:

(page 120 of 277)
— Mar 14, 2026 07:43PM

Feb 18, 2024 12:03PM · see review