Catcher in the Rye

Zapper

Finally got round to reading this the other day.

Can someone tell me what the fuss is about?

It was alright, not life-changing or anything. Perhaps i just didn;t "get it".

Did i read it too late in life? Should i have picked it up when i was 16?

Anyone else a bit dissapointed with it or am i the only one?

munkeehaven

have you started acting psycho yet?!;)

vibrant

I didn't "get it" the first time I read it either, but now I'm at the stage where I think it is fantastic. I love the way it is written, I love how Holden can't see anything for what it really is (except for his little sister).

pork99

Originally posted by Zapper
Should i have picked it up when i was 16?

Yes - that's essential

THE book for misfit adolescents - that's when it worked best for me. When world is full of "phonies".

For example Holden goes to a school were you are meant to "commit suicide or something" if the stupid football team don't win which resonated with me at my school were rugby was a religion and I was an unathletic geek.

simu

I'd say you'd relate to it more if you read it at about 16 but it's still a funny and enjoyable book.

Spacedog

I read it when I was 17, and really related to Holden's character, I think now that I'm older, reading it again reminds me of how I used to see the world and how much that has changed since. I don't see how how it could turn anyone psycho though. just because Mark Chapman happened to have a copy on him when he shot John Lennon... hmmm nevermind.

I'm off to murder Ringo, for the innocence of the children!

martarg

I read it at 22 and absolutely loved it. I did not particularly relate to Holden, but I was fascinated by the language. It was quite a shock moving from the classic Literature I had been studying so far. I had read it in preparation for an American Literature subject, and we never analysed it in the end. I was very disappointed... now you mention it, I have to put it in the re-read list....

damntheman

If you enjoyed Catcher in the Rye you should read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved these two books, but then again I read them when I was 16.

Envy

The fuss is really over two things:

1/ The book's technique: as most people said, it was a real shock. I'm not a big fan of The Catcher in the Rye, and I do think that one of the only good things to come from the book is its technique, most especially the fact that Salinger's style was very influential on Sylvia Plath when she was writing her novel, The Bell Jar.

2/ Manchurian Candidates/ Sleeper Agents: yes, yes, it's incredibly easy to blow this all of as mere "Internet paranoia", but, whether you believe the conspiracies or not, this book would be nowhere near as big as it is without them. I am not exactly sure how much I believe, but J.D. Salinger has been linked to the CIA (through photographs), and the novel is linked to the deaths of JFK, John Lennon and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. (Most people seem to forget the last two.)

If we're just talking about the book itself, then I have to say I felt very little for Holden. I'm normally an empathetic person, but I found him -- to use a no-brainer -- to be a self-pitying rich-kid. And most people, myself included, say that they can relate to some parts of the book; well, Holden does spend the whole novel complaining, so you're bound to agree with him at some point.

If you do have some time on your hands I suggest just taking a quick glance into how The Catcher in the Rye is linked to conspiracies involving the American Government; it is truly fascinating.

http://carpenoctem.tv/cons/lennon.html should start you off.

Envy

I forgot to add in: if you did like The Catcher in the Rye, or even hated it, you should give The Bell Jar a try. (A far superior novel, I think.)