Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Над пропастью во ржи

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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sebsie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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ursulazc's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

5.0

Re-lectura.
Leí este libro por primera vez a los 15, un regalo de mi mamá, y de algún modo se quedó conmigo. Lo que más recuerdo de mi primera lectura es que solo quería darle un abrazo al personaje principal, Holden.

El libro es simplemente la historia de unos días locos que vivió Holden en New York luego de que lo echarán del colegio y antes de volver a su casa a afrontar la realidad de esto, comienza y termina con nuestro protagonista en el hospital.

Holden es un adolescente que en pocas palabras no quiere crecer y anhela su niñez donde no todo era triste y deprimente en su mente.

No es un personaje que necesariamente caiga bien, no es agradable ni carismático, y no se supone que deba serlo. Si es un personaje con el que creo muchos pueden empatizar de una forma u otra, durante todo el libro nos enfrentamos a su monólogo mental, sus ideas locas e inconexas teñidas siempre de un sentimiento de soledad.

Siento que en esta segunda lectura se me hizo mucho más claro, lo mal que se encontraba Holden en términos de su salud mental, cosa de la cual no me percaté conscientemente la primera vez que lo leí. Era un libro mucho más triste y fuerte de lo que recordaba, lo cual no es necesariamente malo.

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stuckduck's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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enoemo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense 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

3.0

This was not at all the way I thought it would be. Gotta say, it takes a lot of reading between the lines to find the depth and layers in this one - it is too easy to write off the main character as the phoniest one of them all. But then again, him being edgy and annoying is a very 16-year old thing to be. His sister Phoebe sees through it all, and I thought she was the most loveable character out of the bunch.

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