4,5 *

A goddamn ridiculous book - In a good way!

I loved the style of writing, I love the way everything was said, I liked the super American way it was written - I really did enjoy the structure and language of it.

The actual plot? It was fun to read, dont get me wrong, but what was the book actually about? When i read around it was supposed to be about protecting the innocent and whatnot - And I may have missed the mark because i’m not attentive or insightful enough, but I really don’t get that?

I understand Houldens thing with Allie, and how sweet he is with Phoebe, and I can sort of get it from there, as well as him himself being very weak, but I seriously didn’t get the “message” behind the book. Though its still a good book regardless! I suppose not every book has to have a message behind it, though i thought a book as popular as this one would have one.

Anyway, I really liked the whole thing with Houlden and his “phony” obsession. It really shows how alienated he was from society and all his peers around him, and it was very teenage angsty, as it should be considering his age and background.

Anyway, a really fun and nice read, I just don’t get the whole innocence part of it. Nothing groundbreaking either, just really fun and simply good!

It makes sense that this book is mostly assigned as high school reading. I can see myself identifying with Holden's feelings of teenage angst as a teen, but his story didn't really have the same effect on me as an adult. Holden is oblivious to his hypocritical behavior, believes he is the only authentic human (aside from his sister and little brother) in a city full of "phonies," and overuses the term "killing me" to express mild amusement or annoyance. All pretty typical for an angsty teen! As an adult reader, however, I found it all a little irritating. Also, nothing really happens in this book, which I know is fairly standard for coming-of-age stories but left me a bit bored. I do like knowing that teenage emotions and thought processes haven't changed much, though! And, Holden did tug at my heartstrings in the end when he misinterprets Robert Burns's poem to conclude that he would like to be a catcher in the rye.

Hmm...

This is either one of the most inane or one of the most meaningful books I've ever read and the fact that I don't know which concerns me. Is this just the stream-of-consciousness story about a boy "disillusioned" about society and whose constant flitting whimsy devalues his confident declarations (which are rarely executed)—or is this a profound commentary about the prideful state of fallen man? Having such a fickle narrator makes for an unusual story. I feel as if the author must be making some abstruse point about the fakeness imposed on us by "societal constructs," but I don't think that a young capricious boy was the best avenue to convey that message. It is supposedly a great classic, but I'd have to think about it a lot more to understand what, if anything, this book advocates through such a child-like perspective.

Also, a star off for all the incessant swearing which makes me unwilling to recommend this.

4.5 stars. enjoyed this way more than i thought i would. it cut to the bone

Eh... it was okay. Holden annoyed me (although I suppose, in saying that, I sound like him talking about all the things that drive him crazy).

i loved this book and i recommend it to anyone. It's easy to read and keeps you hooked. the funniest thing is after reading the book my thoughts we in Holden's slang which thoroughly amused me ;P

i thought Holden's relationship with his brothers and sisters was very sweet and i related to him on that because i am very close to my brother and sister too. I also enjoyed Holden's opinions and interpretations of other people whether he liked them or thought they were phonies and i also loved whenever he said "that killed me" because it killed me too :)

I'm not quite certain what to think of this book. I think it got a lot of hype because of so many parents deeming it inappropriate reading material. But yeah, I'm not quite sure, it was good, I quite liked it, but I think I need to think a bit more about it to figure out how much I like it.