Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Над пропастью во ржи

It started with a bit of a slouch (it wasn't to easy to adjust to 1940's New York slang at first), but I quickly found myself drawn to Salingers way of weaving the complex struggles of adolescence into the narrative through Holden's own conflicted perspective. And boy does he have a very strong perspective.

While Holden is certainly a very... idiosyncratic character (he's a bit of a dick, quick to pass judgment on others whilst falling short of identifying the same flaws in himself sometimes), he's also a character that's very true to the adolescent struggle of failing to fit in. To find a purpose in a world that places a lot of restrictions upon people while growing up. And how in trying to rebel against the confines of adulthood and this sense of alienation from ourselves, we can get lost just as well as when we're giving in.

There's a lot of other interesting themes and often dark topics (like sexual assault and trauma) that get brought up, but this one resonated with me the most.

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seanml's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Excellent. A kid on the verge of growing into a young adult tells us all about how the world works. Everyone is annoying - either they're sad and pathetic to think about. Or they're phony; so full of themselves. Every except Holden - Holden who hates movies more than anything but sometimes goes to watch them. Holden who knows all about how women work because he's decided how they work before he even says hello. Holden does have a lot of beautiful points to make about the world - they're just not the ones he intends. 9/10.

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halaagmod's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I suppose for the time written, the contents in this book were groundbreaking and never seen before, and I can certainly appreciate the cultural significance that this book has had on Western literature and pop culture. However, in the era where much of the protagonist's antics are more-or-less seen as completely normal or expected teenage behavior, it falls flat in living up to its legacy and does little to give the reader anything entirely unique or of substance to chew on. There's little for me to dig my fangs into as far as analyzation since everything is just laid out for the reader (though this did help in English class; easiest A I've ever gotten on an assignment), and as far as an actual story, though it is dull and uneventful throughout the entire thing, it was still an enjoyable read thanks to Holden's pessimistic quips and the wonderful writing, hence my three star rating.

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o3tri's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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wuthrinheights's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I first picked up this book when I was a teenager and I loved it since. It was the first classic book I read that wasn't assigned in class. And that was the birth of my love for classics. Reading it again in my 20's, it's even better than when I first met him.

Holden was witty and observant, sarcastic, and the biggest hater you've ever met. His narration was often so comical, I kept giggling or literally laughing out loud with tears in my eyes. Really, he killed me.

But as you read on, this story of his account of spending the night alone in New York City, in between meeting all kinds of people in his life who happened to be available to meet him that night, while his memories weaved in and out, and he tried his hardest to hang on, your heart gets broken piece by piece. Holden's voice will stay with you and you can't shake him out.

A full 5 stars for me. Heck, I'd give 6 out of 5 stars if I could. This is my favourite book and it holds a special place in my heart for it.

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emmiesbooks16's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

May I say I had to read this book for English class so yea. Anyways I truly did not enjoy this book most of the book I only really started to enjoy it was the last couple of chapters. I really did not like Holden because he was hypocritical and honestly a bit of a misogynist. I thought some of his ideas of life were a bit out there like his whole stance on movies. Though I can say I did enjoy how you could see how unstable he was at the very beginning of the book and how his mental health declined throughout the books, by the way he became more erratic, desperate, the way he spoke so fast and thought a million thoughts so fast. I also did enjoy some of the messages in the last few chapters and the interactions with his little sister Phoebe. Because if Phoebe I felt I saw more of Holden true character and what he could be. But it’s only really then ending with his sister that redeemed a bit of the book for me, for most of the book I was miserable at the least.

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tweedlesmart's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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salem0's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

first read: july 2020
reread and reviewed by: sept 13 2023

honestly, it's kind of a bittersweet type of book. i like the commentary on the 'innocence' of childhood and the adolescent experience. holden is pretty flawed since he's a bit shallow at times and he's clearly got anger issues and a little misogyny, but i did feel for him and what he was going through. his views on the people around him reminded me a bit of me when i was 16 with some mental health issues. i sorta got what he was saying about phoniness too. the part at the end where he said 'god i wish you could've been there to see it' kinda got me pretty sad. the part i liked best was where he explained why he wanted to be the catcher in the rye tho. i came out of the story genuinely wishing that this guy got better after the events of this book.

overall, i really enjoyed this book, and while it's no favorite, i think it'll still stick with me. and even if people are often divided on this book, i'd still recommend this. also now i've gotten into saying goddamn as often as possible because of this goddamn book.

edit 17/5/24: i think it is a favorite after all.

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