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greenrequiem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
grizzlysnack's review against another edition
- 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
We're shown 3 days of 16 year-old Holden's life, and the text is trying to make you feel empathetic towards him, who is struggling with the loss of his innocence. Almost everyone can relate to that.
Salinger has a unique prose when it comes to Holden's perspective and how Holden sees the world. I think that those who dislike The Catcher in the Rye either couldn't grasp the idea of putting themselves in someone else's shoes when they read through it, or were expecting a completely different type of writing (like I said, Salinger's writing style is meant to be distant from the reader, it's what makes Holden relatable).
Holden Caufield has been treated so poorly by the 'adult world' that he is making terrible decisions to get the attentions of people who couldn't care less about his well-being. I think that's where the message gets blurred, and what leads to those poor reviews of the text.
Overall I think that The Catcher in the Rye is a wonderfully written novel, coming from a 19 year-old who never read it in high school (where/when most people read this book). If you're in the mood to reflect on a fictional character's life instead of worrying about the action that is happening, this would be a perfect read for you.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia and Pedophilia
krystaltyong's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cursing and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
raccooonhands's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
morimyths's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, and Violence
logsbooklog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Death, Violence, and Blood
c_lizziebeth's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual content
evakarolina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Violence
sara_berlin's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
I can admit that it wasn’t as terrible as I thought at the start, but it’s definitely not a masterpiece or one of the best books ever. Honestly I considered dnfing it but I wanted to finish it so I could a) say I’ve read it and b) properly trash it.
If this was released today and critiqued as a piece of literature, I don’t think it would get good reviews. I will never understand how this is some people’s favorite book.
The actual process of reading it was not fun and not worth what little I got out of it. Sure, there’s some interesting (although in my opinion pretty basic) reflections, and Holden is a somewhat interesting character, but beyond that, there wasn’t much substance.
I feel like if it was at least fun to read I would’ve given it a pass for not have any like “lesson” or “deep meaning”, although I would still not consider it one of the best books of all time. I probably just have very high standards for classics, I mean something had to make it so popular and everlasting. but this was not that good. Honestly I only actually liked the last part, but the rest of the book was quite a bore. I dunno, I kind of get the point of it, but it wasn’t for me.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Lesbophobia
evawertz's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Vomit, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Excrement, Vomit, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis