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| The Catcher in the Rye | 
 enlarge | Author: J.d. Salinger
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
Buy Used: £1.96
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Avg. Customer Rating:  241 reviews
Sales Rank: 66
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Ed
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.6
ISBN: 014023750X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780140237504
ASIN: 014023750X
Publication Date: August 4, 1994
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Ships same day (if ordered Mon-Fri before 3pm) from UK, Royal Mail First Class. Prompt and Friendly customer service.
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From Amazon.co.uk
Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent". Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his 16-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins:If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two haemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive), capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation. --Amazon.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 236 more reviews...
 One of the best books I have ever read August 30, 2008
I'm so sorry to see all the people on here who were disappointed by The Catcher In The Rye. When I first read it aged 13 I was unaware of its cult status and so just had average expectations. Indeed at the time I only really liked the character of Holden, less so the book itself. Having re-read it twice since however (I am now 18) I can honestly say it's one of the best books I have ever read.
While I originally sided with the main character, now I'm able to see all his flaws and inconsistencies and love him all the more. As far as I'm concerned this is not so much a book for teenagers as one for anyone who's suffered from depression and disillusionment with the world around them. Anyway I won't take up any more of your time - I only hope you will make the effort to get this book and see past its sometimes negative image. And for those who didn't like it first time, I highly recommend a second reading. The only character I can think of who reveals more depth than Holden is Hamlet himself.
Worth reading twice in your lifetime at least. August 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I first read this book way back in the late 70's. More luck then judgement I used to play a game where I would go to my local library in South Ockendon and just go over to the fiction section and take any book off the shelve and read it. Worked quite well as I would never have selected this title and at that time, when I was in my early 20's I had never heard of it.
I read the book over the week initially determined to finish it, but after a few chapters keen to see where the book would lead. I loved it and felt compelled to read other J.D. Salinger titles. I don't think I found any however.
The book is now infamous due to Mark Chapman's association with it. I suppose any publicity to get people to read a classic however is good news and I know that this book did have an impact on me.
This is only one of a few books I have read twice. The first time, I was vert excited by it and recommended it to everyone I new who wanted to read a good book. The second time I read it was about 15 years later and it again had a great impact on me in that I felt very grained by its storyline and the unfairness which affects the main character Holden Caulfield. However, the book again did make me feel something and I reckon thats a good indication of how well this book is written.
Maybe the book isn't for those who who don't like negative endings, but all in all a book worth reading at least twice.
A classic! (but not for the depth of its story) July 14, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I didn't know what to think at first after I finished reading The Catcher in the Rye, I really didn't. Fundamentally, and perhaps rather controversially (because it has such a positive following), I didn't really like the novel as much as I thought I would. I thought that the story was weak, that the plot was largely uneventful, and I was left wondering why so much `evangalising' of this novel? That was my initial thoughts, but once I'd determined that the purpose of this novel was not to deliver an enthralling action-packed story, my opinion began to change and I realised that Catcher in the Rye does have something a bit special about it. That `something special' is in the characterisation of the chief protagonist, 16 year old Holden Caulfield, a youth teetering on the edge of manhood.
Holden Caulfield: the first 'emo' July 14, 2008
When 'The Catcher in the Rye' was first put on the market in 1955 it generated great controversy, now having read it in 2007 I can understand why, but in contrast with today's standards, (J.D.) Salinger's yarn is very tame.
There is no real story to this novel nor is there any epic proportions. The reader basically just follows Holden Caulfield around New York in the Winter as he narrates in the past tense.
The beginning of the novel; the first page is iconic. One can almost immediately tell that Caulfield isn't a run of the mill leading man. With his cynical attitude & constant whines, Holden Caulfield can become annoying in more ways than one. Holden Caulfield was the first of a breed of angst ridden, alienated youth, embodied in this unacedemic anti-hero who has been thrown out of a handful of schools.
In a nut shell 'The Catcher in the Rye' is documenting a 'unique' young man's downfalli nto a mental breakdown after the death of his younger brother.
I would recommend this novel to anyone over the age of 12, of either gender. it may not live up to the critical acclaim that it has recieved (most novels with the same hype around them generally don't) but its worth a look.
(Holden Caulfield was labelled as the first ever 'emo'.)
In conclusion this is a profound & insightful read. I am not at all surprised by the impact it made on its first release.
The Catcher In the Rye - J.D Salinger July 13, 2008
Possibly one of the most reviewed and revered books on amazon, possibly in the world. I was always gravitated towards this book, being almost a rite of passage to read it, being someone that has gone through both depression and he pressures of being a teenage boy.
Following the journey of Holden, a young man who is coming to terms with the world around him, after being excluded from school in the cold mid winter of east coast America. Alone in the big city with a wallet full of money and a head full of big ideas The Catcher in the Rye is at times intimate and heartbreaking, yet uplifting with the same breath. A reminder of our own innocence and naievety, and one of how fragile our minds really are.
The storytelling is impressive, however the style could be a little frustrating, and the pace was tough going at times. There is something to be said for the way the entire story is written in the teenage tounge of Holden, and the fact that the style of his words never once detracts from the story, it only ever seems to enhance the realism of his thoughts.
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