Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Catcher in the Rye

i liked that this book was easy to follow as it just focuses on holdens thoughts and opinions. that being said, nothing really happens in this book. the parts of holdens life that slowly unravel and give you an idea of why he’s so depressed are interesting, but you can only listen to a privileged white man whine so much to be honest.

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mrsbrainrot's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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partinel's review

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dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-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

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mengzhenreads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

This is one of those books people either absolutely love or positively hate, and I can really see why now that I've read it. Holden Caulfield is quite the asshole, and honestly if I met this guy in real life I would positively despite him. But, there are so many layers to his personality, and he is a great character to pick apart and analyze because he has so much depth. Great food for thought.

Here's my favorite part of this book, this quote is just everything:
“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.”

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logsbooklog's review

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

reading this, it was pretty evident to me why this is a classic. it’s one of those books where you can’t analyze it without revealing pieces of yourself. holden can be relatable, insufferable, deeply mentally ill, and any combination thereof, but how you come out viewing him will vary with your experiences. he’s an extremely compelling protagonist with clear unresolved trauma and identity issues that makes him easy to root for even as he’s making all the wrong choices.

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