The Catcher in the Rye

[stony]

Its been used as an excuse for murderers and has a legendary status in pop culture. I've never read it, am I missing out on something, or is it just the 50s version of Gregory's Girl or the Inbetweeners ?

 

[ifiwasarichfan]

Yes.

You are missing out on something. It's one of the greatest pieces of literature ever. No surprise that he couldn't write anything else.

Inbetween the first Mrs Richfan and the second one I lived with Charlotte. Who unless fate throws up another surprise was and will be the "love of my life". I gave her my copy of this book.

Charlotte had never read anything since School except the gossip pages and she read it over and over again and never shut up about it.

Read it Stony.

 

[obliquerays]

Its a decent read, a level up in wit and depth of storyline than them two shows anyways. JDS had a fine turn of phrase about him. At the time it was written it was probably rather groundbreaking in its style and use of colloquial language but nowadays its just another fairly unremarkable 'angsty, unsure teen acts a bit of a dick' piece .... well written and funny though it is.

 

[Skashion]

the Inbetweeners ?

It's nowhere near that good.

 

[BlueBearBoots]

I've never read it either, suppose I should

 

[mad4city]

Its a decent read, a level up in wit and depth of storyline than them two shows anyways. JDS had a fine turn of phrase about him. At the time it was written it was probably rather groundbreaking in its style and use of colloquial language but nowadays its just another fairly unremarkable 'angsty, unsure teen acts a bit of a dick' piece .... well written and funny though it is.

That's a fairly accurate summation, although it serves the modern reader's perceptions rather better than the novel itself. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing - the book has to be judged in the context of the modern world, after all.
It's only fair to say that it's a product of its time though. Catcher in the Rye was published in the 50's. The same decade that Kerouac gave us On the Road (yes, I know Kerouac was older in years but his works were very much part of that teen zeitgeist), Elvis Presley tore up the rule book the Ed Sullivan show and James Dean yearned for a cause to rebel against. These were the first generation of teenagers - and they arrived in the shadow of a generation whose teenage years were blighted in the most horrible way and, as a consequence, were simultaneously ordered to make the most of their freedoms and burdened with a guilt complex for actually enjoying such unearned freedoms. This was obviously fertile ground for a great novel and Catcher in the Rye is that novel.
The book charts the ill-advised meanderings of a good kid who also happens to be a self-absorbed, angst-ridden, whiny teenager. I know what you are thinking - is there any other kind of teenager? - and, of course, there isn't. That's why the book is still relevant today. Better than any of the above, it captures the confusion and self-imposed alienation of those years. It's an easy read; wittily written, likeable and extremely accessible. I read it and loved it at 17 in the 1980's. I bought it for my son when he hit that age a few years ago and he loved it too. I also re-read it at that time and found that whilst I was less endeared by the central character, I understood the book better from the perspective of adulthood. So, for me, it's worth putting on anybody's to-do list. Certainly, there are other books that you'll feel socially obliged to have read that aren't nearly as much fun.

 

[dobobobo]

I read it a few years ago and it didn't live up to the hype. I've still got it though and want to read it again soon as I think it deserves another chance.

 

[The Silver Surfer]

Started it years ago then went on holiday and forgot about it. Im sure someone said it was "a book to live your life by".
I might pick it up again..

 

[Bill Walker]

Started it years ago then went on holiday and forgot about it. Im sure someone said it was "a book to live your life by".
I might pick it up again..

isnt that what Mark Chapman did ?

 

[stonerblue]

Its a decent read, a level up in wit and depth of storyline than them two shows anyways. JDS had a fine turn of phrase about him. At the time it was written it was probably rather groundbreaking in its style and use of colloquial language but nowadays its just another fairly unremarkable 'angsty, unsure teen acts a bit of a dick' piece .... well written and funny though it is.

That's a fairly accurate summation, although it serves the modern reader's perceptions rather better than the novel itself. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing - the book has to be judged in the context of the modern world, after all.
It's only fair to say that it's a product of its time though. Catcher in the Rye was published in the 50's. The same decade that Kerouac gave us On the Road (yes, I know Kerouac was older in years but his works were very much part of that teen zeitgeist), Elvis Presley tore up the rule book the Ed Sullivan show and James Dean yearned for a cause to rebel against. These were the first generation of teenagers - and they arrived in the shadow of a generation whose teenage years were blighted in the most horrible way and, as a consequence, were simultaneously ordered to make the most of their freedoms and burdened with a guilt complex for actually enjoying such unearned freedoms. This was obviously fertile ground for a great novel and Catcher in the Rye is that novel.
The book charts the ill-advised meanderings of a good kid who also happens to be a self-absorbed, angst-ridden, whiny teenager. I know what you are thinking - is there any other kind of teenager? - and, of course, there isn't. That's why the book is still relevant today. Better than any of the above, it captures the confusion and self-imposed alienation of those years. It's an easy read; wittily written, likeable and extremely accessible. I read it and loved it at 17 in the 1980's. I bought it for my son when he hit that age a few years ago and he loved it too. I also re-read it at that time and found that whilst I was less endeared by the central character, I understood the book better from the perspective of adulthood. So, for me, it's worth putting on anybody's to-do list. Certainly, there are other books that you'll feel socially obliged to have read that aren't nearly as much fun.

Great post.
Might give it a go now.