I'm 15. That made me feel validated :>. this book, along with others ofc, is the most beautiful thing I've read. The way its like hearing yourself, no matter how stupid or phony Holden sounds, there is always something, a sentence, a paragraph, or the whole goddamn book that you will relate to. and honestly, for me, I've never been so heard by just listening. it's silly, but it killed me, it really did kill me
Apparently he IS talking to a mental health professional throughout the story. It is said that he's narrating this story in the form of a long flashback from within a psychiatric institution/sanitorium. It's alluded to in the final chapter, in lines such as "when I get out of here" and "when I got sick". I've read the book twice and I didn't realise until after I finished it for the second time, and I read it somewhere else.
The more I read through the book the more I thought about the first page and started to think that this will probably end with him having to go to some psychiatric facility. That was confirmed in the final chapter. However, I didn't see the story as his present day self LITERALLY talking to a mental health professional but now that you say it it makes sense. I just thought that he was in some institution and when he said "That's all I'm going to tell about" I kind of just thought he was talking to me as the "reader" but I like your interpretation better.
It's great when a book doesn't change but you change between readings. I had the same experience with Jane Eyre; hated it in high school, but now really appreciate the bravery and boldness of it as a parent and husband.
The first time I read it I gave up somewhere around the half-way mark. When I re-read it and read the Phoebe chapter, it all clicked, then the ending, that just killed me. it really did. I think, at the end, after he sees Phoebe dragging her crazy suitcase like a madman and wanting to run away alongside him, he finally understands his parents and his teachers concern for him because he's confronted with the reality he has no choice but to be the "adult" and keep Phoebe from making the same mistakes he's made, to be the Catcher In The Rye. He literally grows up in front of you. It's a lot more complex than that too, I think he also realizes he has to move on from Allie's passing.
With Holden being "The Catcher in the rye" I always interpreted his "catching children" as him wanting to prevent them from growing up so they can preserve their innocence and avoid the corruption of adulthood.
@@Shadowfredd99 It really is the worst pile of paper ever! Just Molly Hale taking the truth calmly in that Spell of the Unown movie alone is better than the entirety of Catcher in the Rye.
Well, it's actually holding them back from the destruction that would naturally happen to anyone who fell over the edge. It is keeping them from ending up, like the boy he saw commit suicide, or dying like his brother had. It isn't the avoidance of adulthood, but survival through the corruption and disappointment of the vaunted adult world. If adult society, as-is, is the pinnacle of human experience, what an awful and disappointing thing to say about the gift of life.
Finally got around to reading it but this book broke my heart wow. I love unreliable narrators, and Holden is clearly struggling with a lot of unprocessed trauma and grief, and and you need to read between the lines, behind the spite and posturing, to find out how he really feels
I was listening to your reading of Holden's feelings at his brother's death and I could feel so identified with it... I lost my dear sister last year and there are feelings you can't express because they can't be put into words. I am no longer a teenager, but I do understand Holden so much.
And you should do more specific book reviews, because you make classics seem super interesting(and they are) and your love for books is contagious! It might encourage more readers to approach to classics!
I wish she would do this, for sure, on here and when she and Emma do the Game of Tomes. I just always want more...anyone can go a little bit into a book to give general thoughts, but very few do deeper dives. I want DEEPER dives.
Salinger's sharp humor isn't talked about enough. All his books are painfully hilarious, even with all the sorrow laying out in between. His short stories, A Perfect Day For Bananafish in particular, are great examples of that
I love how the book can be so extreme in its range of emotions, like in making you laugh out loud at Holden's sense of humour but also feel incredibly sad for how broken this poor boy is
I found a 20 year old copy of this (with the carousel horse) at the thrift store, bought it for $2. I started reading it and couldn't put it down, turned the last pages heart-broken, and hugged the book -- to say goodbye, and a hug for Holden.
literally same i found a copy in a pile of books in my brother’s old room, read it in one sitting and just started crying after i had finished.. reminded me why i used to love reading so much
I absolutely love The Catcher in the Rye! It's a masterpiece that resonates deeply with teenagers who relate to its themes and raw emotions. Also, I can't tell you how many times my friends at school told me that this book sparked their lifelong passion for literature. For the more mature audiences, it will provide a window into the hardships of coming out of age - a journey many of us will have forgotten by the age of 35 or so. Personally, I anticipate revisiting Holden Caulfield in twenty years to gain a better understanding of my own children.
I read this book about a year ago and found it charming. It really felt like I was in the mind of an angsty teen and it was a reminder of just how annoying it was growing up at ages 15-17. You weren’t a child, you weren’t an adult, and everything seemed arbitrary…. As I’ve grown, it was easy to forget those feelings and judge the new batch of teens. This is why I love literature - you are confronted with so many ideas and emotions that you may not in everyday life which can make you a more thoughtful person.
I LOOOVEEE THIS BOOK REVIEW! The way you fleshed out the parts you liked, your observations, your understanding of it is incredible! I hope you’ll do more of this, Carolyn. I mean, this kind of book reviews. You shine the brightest whenever you flesh out/analyze thoroughly the books you read. ☺️❤️
I love The Catcher In The Rye so much! Read it when I was 16, in my 20s, and now late 30s. It was the first book that made me laugh out loud. Everytime someone tells me they hate it I pick it up and randomly read a few pages and remember how great it is. You get it or you don't. I will say now that I have kids it is very sad how his parents and adults in his life fail him. He clearly needed help. I love that he really only wanted to be with his little sister, probably because kids tell the truth and everyone else in his life was a big phoney bastard. Your vidoes are great! I am reading War and Peace now because of you and Emmie. Thank you! ❤
I've been a Beatles fan for half of my life (I'm 26 now) and I've always avoided The Catcher In The Rye because of John Lennon's murderer, who said that book "inspired" him... Now I'm old and mature enough to understand the fault was not on the book, but my teen, obsessed beatlemaniac self felt really repulsed by it. I'm really excited to read it now! (I know, my teen self was stupid, but don't be rude, please!)
Wow, your comment spoke to me because I felt the same way! It's not stupid! Have you already read the book? I wanted to hate it when I was a young Beatles fan, but when I finally read it, I kind of despised myself for loving it. And then I realised that it's not the book's fault. My hatred for that lousy Chapman grew even more because he used and abused the book and thought he himself was Holden Claulfield. Sickening.
I was a rare high school student that read The Catcher in the Rye and loved it. I got what the book was trying to explore and say and I absolutely fell in love with it. I finished the book in 2 days when I was only supposed to read a chapter. I couldn't put it down and I thought I was insane for loving the story and all of my classmates absolutely hated it. It was the first time I felt like I beat the book that was hyped as "the worst book you'll read in high school". I felt like I could read anything after that 😂
Hi Carolyn! Firstly, I’m so glad you ended up liking Catcher in the Rye. Same story, first time I read I detested it, but I reread it when I became the same age as Holden and ended up appreciating and relating to Holden quite a bit. Because I ended up really liking the novel, I wanted to say that I learned an interpretation of the ending, with him saying he wanted to “catch” kids falling from a cliff, was to save these children from becoming these shallow or “phony” connections that Holden had to encounter in New York. He wants them to create REAL human connection, something that Holden or the people he met with lacks. I remember reading that analysis and feeling so heavy after. Salinger’s just remarkable in being able to capture the complications of grief, loneliness, and the difficulties in all kinds of human relationships.
The bits you read moved me. So maybe it is time for a re-read. The grief he feels about the death of his brother, the scene at the cemetery, all masterfully portrayed. I also didn’t remember Holden being so funny. Like you said, a great balance of humor and sorrow.
i read the catcher in the rye for the first time at 17 and i thought it was fine, didn't love it but also didn't hate it, re-read it at 25 and absolutely loved it!! it's now one of my favorites for sure
11:24 ok. I’m old. Over my many years I have reread many book I originally read when I was much younger including The Catcher in the Rye. In most instances, I’ve appreciated the books even more because I could put my years of experience into the book. I absolutely loved Moby Dick when I was older. And also many other classics are richer and fuller with more life experiences.
Read this book for the first time when I was 16. And loved it with all my heart! Reread it when I was about 24 and loved it with all my heart again:) (by the way, I love David Copperfield as well:)
I just finished this today and I was so surprised that I loved it as much as I did! I'm so glad you ended up liking it too! You're also the only reviewer I've seen talk about this book and actually get it.
I read The Catcher In The Rye a few years ago and as I was reading it I got the feeling that maybe I wasn’t ready for that book yet. I ended up not loving it but ever since I’ve had the desire to re-read it at some point.
It always sorta shocks me that this is one of the more disliked classics for a lot of new readers. I can understand it might not resonate with people but I think Holden is a very sympathetic character when you engage with him. Maybe he just makes a really bad first impression.
I would honestly watch another 30 minutes of you gushing over Catcher in the Rye! I'm so happy you love it now too, because it's such a special story. I read it for the first time at 14 in my native language, then reread many times, and I love it even more now at 31.
I read this book for the first time in the original when I was 21 or 22 (English is not my first language) and absolutely loved it, how it's written, the whole style of it)))) it's like your best friend is speaking to you, for me it has this "I'm home" feeling, which comforts me, and when I have hard times in life, I re-read some parts of it. I also totally love the ending and Holden's attitude to his little sister which is pretty moving
Finished the book today for the first time and found this video. I’m 16 and I will definitely come back to this video when I’m 26. Your voice is so nice! You should narrate audiobooks 😊
I am interested in the Catcher in the Rye. The opening reminded me of the Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Speaking of which, I think Great Expectations would pair quite nicely with The Outsiders if you read them together. The outsiders mentions Great Expectations. They both feature a young male protagonist dealing with class differences and crime in some way.
I loved watching you rediscover this book. I’ve always loved that Holden is one of the most “real” characters in literature. That said, you’ve made me nervous because this was one of my favorite books in high school and I haven’t read I since. What if I go in the opposite direction!
aaaah finally!! you've put into words (and a very calming and entertaining video) the reasons why i love this book! it's so raw and bittersweet and human. thanks for this, carolyn
This book has been an interesting incidence of importance to many assassins/murderers of public influencers. Many are said to be obsessed with, have copies or pages of these books in their possession during the commision of their assassinations/murders ( not all successful). The ones I am at the very least aware of are: Lee Harvey Oswald ( re: John F. Kennedy)Oswald was was reported to be illiterate by standards but possessed this book. David Mark Chapman ( re: John Lennon) who was reported to have written in the book, " This is my statement " and signed it as Holden Caulfield. John Hinkley Jr. ( re: attempted assassination of former president Ronald Regan) was reported to have a copy in his hotel room. Robert John Bardo ( re: Rebecca Schaeffer) was said to have a copy in his possession when he murdered Rebecca. I can't help but wonder what books were found on the bedside of Thomas Matthew Crooks after his attempted assassination of Donald John Trump. Jerome David Salinger has perhaps influenced some intetesting actors on the world stage. Some speculate the narratives of these particular events are what some may call phony. America,The Whore of Babylon and some of her many johns...IMO. Great review. Thanks for your aging perspective on timeless American literature. This story never gets old.
It probably means most murderers can relate to some aspect to Holden Caulfield, the self hate from the intro and calling everyone a phony. I mean, they're miserable
im 13 years old and i read this at the start of this year, i didnt like it much, holden kinda annoyed me but i could relate with him a bit so i didnt hate him, i reread this last month and DAMN I LOVED IT, i wanted to reread it cause as time passed different things reminded me that i was much like this character, and i am, im very different but so similar at the same time, hes so complex in so many aspects that i understand him by the end
I read this book last summer when I was visiting New York. I honesty think that Holden is one of the funniest characters I've ever read. I mean, I get why people can dislike him very much, but he gave me really good laughs!
So interesting, your change in perspective! What are your ideas about what in you led to disliking the book and character then at age 16 versus loving them now at this time of your life? Are there specific developmental changes or life experiences or perspectives that underlie this shift? And are there other disliked books you're now inspired to revisit, eg Frankenstein?
The book group that I am facilitating is reading this book for review. I've read it many times. The Catcher in the Rye is definitely a book I love and could read again and again. Thank you for your review. I will pass it on to the rest of the people in my group the day before we meet next week.
Hi Carolyn. I am 39, I like you, read this book in high school. I read it in 10th grade, and absolutely hated it. I thought that Holden Caulfield was just a huge winer back, then . Ha ha ha Anyone who asked me about Catcher as an adult bookseller would get a bit of an eye roll. This video is making me want to reread Catcher to see if I feel the same now. Loved this video!
Loved this :-) i finally read Catcher last year (I'm in my 30s) and it made total sense to me that a lot of people have negative feelings about it from school. I'm so glad I didnt read it then.
Catcher and the rye is one of the books on my list that I’ve been putting off but really wanna read. But on the topic of hating books one of the few books I hated that I read in high school was Ethan Frome. It was one of those books I had to force myself to read and for as short as the book was was one of the longest reads for me and I hated every second of it. I wanna know if anyone else had that same experience
I loved The Catcher in the Rye in high school but I do think English class settings can make it really hard to FULLY enjoy books especially reading them for the first time because I HATED reading The Great Gatsby in school and thought it was the stupidest book ever and I think it has a lot to do with the way that you need to keep starting and stopping for class assignments and you can’t just immerse yourself into a story and experience it and relate to it for yourself
I also read the Catcher in the rye at 16 bscause I was obsessed with The perks of being a wallflower (I'm from Argentina so here it isn't mandatory read) and h a t e d it, but now you made me want to re read it, it sounds soooo relatable
@@kathhqq7 I know that... I read to conect with the characters, if I can't it doesn't matter if is good or bad writing I struggle to read it. Everyone reads for different reasons edit: also, I feel like him sometimes and reading about it is cathartic
So what is your most disliked book at this point? And are you going to reread that one as well? ^^ I have read The Catcher in the Rye last year. For some reason the scenes in the back of the bar, his dirty roommate and I don't know something on a square where he had all kind of appointments stayed with me. Because I am a relatively new reader(I never read as a young adult or earlier). My mind doesn't really create a world. But with this book I could really imagine it. So for me it was a great experience. Also I like Holden!
Hahaha 😂. So I purposely waited to watch this until after I was done with Catcher and the live show. Now I'm laughing because you counted the "goddam"s too!
I read this book for the first time in January and I really didnt like it. Hearing this review makes me think I need to read it again with a different mindset. I read it just because it was one of the "classics" to read and I wanted to just tick it off the list. He definitely annoyed me from the beginning and I kept thinking this character is so childish. Then I realized where he was telling his story from and it annoyed me even more lol. You've inspired me to re-read it. Thank you.
Yeah he is a douche is childish immature but at the same time that’s the point of his character and at the end it’s kind of sort of a happy depressing sad story I know he still doesn’t like life there’s a glimmer of hope
I am on a similar journey, I hated the Catcher in the Rye when I read it at 18, now at 58 I am rereading it and to my surprise I really like it.... it is interesting how our tastes evolve as readers....
I read it when I was 13, when it was banned in high schools. Taking it to school with me was a so-called subversive act, but it helped me read my first (short) novel,/ finished in one day. I loved the book, and still do, but I had a point of view that had some experience of trauma, and acknowledged that the world is not what it is cracked up to be. Heavy handed, enforced cheerfulness people hate it, and to them, my negativity is a jaundiced point of view, which should be suppressed. But to me, it is caring enough about the truth to call things what they are, not because I love the bad things, but because I don't. The compassion underlying Holdens story and in his character, was really important to me as a 13 year old, and it still is. That's why I get a little disgusted with the gangs of online detractor trolls, who always gather to make sure that it is dead and buried. I feel that these grieving people deserve to be heard, even though they are fictional characters. I'm glad you loved the book.
I'm 15, read the book from december of last year to last july. At first, i didn't like it much, it seemed boring and didn't interest me AT ALL. It took me this long cause i read it everytime i took the train for Paris, and as time passed, i started liking Holden. It was like knowing him over time, i don't remember how much time passed in the book but I lived it, i felt close to Holden and every word finally made sense, finally was worth something. No matter how unlikable he sounded, somehow you still enjoyed his thoughts. As the book went, i even related to him, maybe cause we're around the same age and he has that arrogant "i'm not like those phonies" attitude you can find in yourself as a teen. It might not be my favourite book but it is definitely one of my favourite characters. I can't even express how it made me feel. I definitely understand many people hating the book since you have to read it for school but as a french boy, it was nothing but pleasure. It did take me sweat and tears at first. Rereading it, I don't even understand why. Also i'll keep wondering where the ducks go during winter.
If i had to share some of my favourite quotes/parts it'd be that paragraph where he says he'd stop when a girl tells him to, because he can't tell weither she actually wants to stop or not. Or those times where he imagine himself being all heroic and movie-like. Also his conversation with Sally, where he gets pretty mad and tells her how much he hates everything. "I hope to hell when i do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in a river or something. [...] Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody." "All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to." Even when he says he doesn't hate people forever, just a little while and if he doesn't see them for too lon he'll start missing them, tell me this isn't relatable. Oh and that part where he'd repeat "Allie, don't let me disappear". It was heartbreaking somehow.
I read "The Catcher in the Rye" when i was 15 and i didn't like it at all, but i read translated version into russian (I'm from Russia). After your video i wanna (try) reread this book in original, because it feels very different. Thank you for review!
I loved this book and will read it many more times in my life. I never read it as a teen, but I would say that perhaps the humor and language Holden uses can throw a reader off from the very serious and sad things he talks about. In that case I can see why some people don't like the book. But if you pay attention, it is heartbreaking, and Holden is loveable.
It’s different hearing you read it than when I read it. You read it so elegantly and I read it with this bitterness towards the world and with a slight accent lol
I have not read this book since High School. Now at 60 the book seems dated and felt the mentality of people living in the 1940's. Todays standard are different and thzts why it felt dated. I was able to understand and it reminded me of my own past growing up in New York City. Thank you for sharing about this book. I do not know why they want to ban the book today. I went to private school run by Benedictines. We were required to read this book. Today I hear that they want to ban it in the South. That is why I decided to get a copy and read again. I am not upset or offended.
maybe a call for a re-read of this one...also was not a fan of it when i had to read as apart of our curriculum sophomore year of high school, especially as it was kind of posed as if we were "meant to love it". thank you for the review, though! will hopefully go back to catcher in the rye and adore it in a similar way to you!
I know this will sound like people come up with anything. When I was a child I would throw tantrums at school, and Sunday school. Usually throwing and breaking everything as a revolt against my on off relationship with my parents, which I was staying with a babysitter who favored me over the other children at the time. I was only 7-10 years old was time period and I would go along with an assumption the psychiatrist had that I would 'black out' and comment these 'tantrums'. I agreed with him in thinking I was leading on the lie for attention I guess I was young and naive. It was a good way to get out of school since they placed me in ese classes simply for displinary reasons, I was not their for learning difficulties per say.I was diagnosed with a rare type of 'seizure with rage spikes'. I was sent to a brain monitoring facility where they performed ekgs on my brain and hooked wires to me for whole weekends at the time and I remember while I was there I was put into a room and an antagonist experiment similar to the one conducted on the college student in that one mkultra movie I forget the scene was where his teacher brings him into a theater room and makes him watch heinous images over and over trying to trigger his symptoms. Anyways I am 34 years old now and I just read the 1st chapter of 'Catcher in the rye' being inspired to buy the book after watching Mel Gibson/Julia Roberts movie "Conspiracy Theory". After reading 1st chapter I fell asleep and instantly not in my REM sleep cycle fell into a horrible nightmare hypnosis where a man I couldn't face had a baby carriage and the baby would come out and shapeshift Into some sort of demon and it was happening over and over in slightly different scenes, it was as if he was coming at me to possess me. Never had anything like this occured since When I was taking riddilen as a young child maybe 6 I had a series of horrific nightmares over two week period which stopped after I was taken off that medication. Point being maybe there is more to the story than people think. I put the book up after chapter one and refuse to read anymore of it. First novel I have tried to read in awhile I typically stay reading ancient Greek/Roman, non-fiction, and politically relevant books. I don't regard myself as easily hypnotizable but maybe I was partially hypnotized into being a sleeper cell but they didn't complete process...this is definitely a true story I am not insane. It was just a nightmare in any case maybe brought on about the hype of the book, but I don't really think so. The way it hit me was so perfect, and the epiphany afterwards so vivid. I understood the mind of a lunatic before I was able to come back to my senses.
I also hated this book but now you have made me want to re-read it, along with all the other books that I hated in high school!. I hadn't even understood the part about him wanting to save the kids in the rye field because he couldn't save his brother, I had thought that he had wanted to save them from "going over the edge" mentally and becoming like him. 🤯😄😄
I think it was great that you took a different approach to Holden as a character, most reviews I’ve seen is just people complaining about how Holden is full of himself and is annoying. It’s nice to see someone realizing that he behaves this way because he hasn’t healed from the Loss oh is brother Allie. I think his depression got worse by seeing that schoolmate of his that jumped of the window, seeing a bloody body on the ground may traumatize anyone. Also can we talk about how creepy Mr. Antolini was?
He was so creepy and everyone just brushes it off. Also after watching Good Will Hunting I think Holden's insistence that everyone is a phony is his way of protecting himself because you can't be betrayed and you don't miss people if you go through your whole life assuming everyone is fake and not allowing connections so he's looking for connection but also sabatoging himself throughout the whole novel
@enfermagembenfermagemb2251 I never understood why people dismissed Holden as annoying I read the book in high school for English and picked up on his mental health issues on the second read and now I'm out of college and I still don't think he's whiny or annoying...he's literally a child and has plenty of reasons to keep people at a distance
@@kenzgitz9884 Exactly, thank you. It annoys me that people don’t realize that he is struggling with mental health, he was literally in a mental hospital.
@enfermagembenfermagemb2251 Considering part of my psychology degree was studying the history of mental health treatment I'm not sure if that makes the ending better or worse...even if you're rich you didn't want to be in a mental hospital in the 50s
I also read this book 8 years ago, when I was around 14 or 15 years old. I just remembered how I thought Holden was annoying and entitled but I couldn't believe how much my opinion has changed now that I've read it for the book club!
I love love J.D.Salinger. I now want to reread--- Yes, good idea! So happy you like now! ( btw, am reading Anna Karenina 😊)(oh, see, Holden repeats too, like Tolstoy does😅)
I recommend that you read the short stories from jd Salinger. Then you understand more about Holden's life story and his traumas about his older brother
I just finished _David Copperfield._ The first half is a masterpiece, thoroughly. As we proceed the book turns episodic, and it seems evident to me that Dickens didn't want to leave it, he loved this work so much. As a result, for this reader, it goes on for too long. It is good, but the second half dwindles in interest. I suppose if I were in the habit of awarding stars I would give it 3.5 to 4 stars.
The Catcher in the Rye is a book one should read at least twice in their life...second read would definitely stir your thoughts and make you change your perspective on Holden
I think that if you had to read this book as a teenager, school would be the best way to do it. Or, maybe I'm just glad I had someone in my ear telling me how mentally ill and problematic Holden is while I read it when I was 15. I related deeply (still do, to a lesser extent) to Holden, really only because I had a similar cynicism about the world, and I needed an adult perspective to show how flawed that thinking was or else I'd turn into those grown men who call Holden Caulfield their icon.
I read this book, The Catcher in the Rye, many years ago and really liked it. But since the killer of John Lennon was reading and holding this book at scene of crime it has for me had a tainted, eerie quality. Thank you.
It doesn’t really diminish the book I guess yeah I think really the killer is at fault here I mean the dude is such a jerk for killing John Lennon and using catching a ride to say oh I did that
I started to read this book last year but i was not liking it, so i stoped. But now, well, you convinced me to give it another chance 😅 Here in Brazil we have an edition with the same cover that you show in the end of the video 🧡
I’ve reread some classics I initially was too young to digest! But the only book I remember from school I really did not enjoy in the least, was Huckleberry Finn. I was going through a lot at the time… It was the one book I didn’t read and I had a panic attack in the hallway over the test haha But I tried rereading it last year, over ten years since high school, and still I do not like it. The writing is not for me.
The Catcher in the Rye is really an adult book masquerading as a young adult read. The more you "come of age" the harder it hits.
Yes!!
I'm 15. That made me feel validated :>. this book, along with others ofc, is the most beautiful thing I've read. The way its like hearing yourself, no matter how stupid or phony Holden sounds, there is always something, a sentence, a paragraph, or the whole goddamn book that you will relate to. and honestly, for me, I've never been so heard by just listening. it's silly, but it killed me, it really did kill me
Id recommend it to 18 year olds
People we hate become lovable when we understand them. I think that should be why we read literature.
That doesn't work all the time because I understand that Holden will always be hateable.
Youre either not mature enough or dont comprehend it @jeffreygao3956
Apparently he IS talking to a mental health professional throughout the story. It is said that he's narrating this story in the form of a long flashback from within a psychiatric institution/sanitorium. It's alluded to in the final chapter, in lines such as "when I get out of here" and "when I got sick". I've read the book twice and I didn't realise until after I finished it for the second time, and I read it somewhere else.
Oh my God.
I just had the same reaction while reading this..@@fangirlinneverland6335
It’s alluded to on the very first page
The more I read through the book the more I thought about the first page and started to think that this will probably end with him having to go to some psychiatric facility. That was confirmed in the final chapter. However, I didn't see the story as his present day self LITERALLY talking to a mental health professional but now that you say it it makes sense. I just thought that he was in some institution and when he said "That's all I'm going to tell about" I kind of just thought he was talking to me as the "reader" but I like your interpretation better.
Omg I didn’t realize this either
It's great when a book doesn't change but you change between readings. I had the same experience with Jane Eyre; hated it in high school, but now really appreciate the bravery and boldness of it as a parent and husband.
Holden talks about then when he’s talking about the museum
@@supatchube what a cool observation
The "Everyone but Allie." Line got to me
The first time I read it I gave up somewhere around the half-way mark. When I re-read it and read the Phoebe chapter, it all clicked, then the ending, that just killed me. it really did.
I think, at the end, after he sees Phoebe dragging her crazy suitcase like a madman and wanting to run away alongside him, he finally understands his parents and his teachers concern for him because he's confronted with the reality he has no choice but to be the "adult" and keep Phoebe from making the same mistakes he's made, to be the Catcher In The Rye. He literally grows up in front of you. It's a lot more complex than that too, I think he also realizes he has to move on from Allie's passing.
With Holden being "The Catcher in the rye" I always interpreted his "catching children" as him wanting to prevent them from growing up so they can preserve their innocence and avoid the corruption of adulthood.
That’s just called holding them back from greatness! Adulthood>>>>>>>childhood!
More off Holden wanting to project his fear and hatred of Adulthood onto other children by holding them back from ever seeing said adulthood.
@@jeffreygao3956 this is the second time I see you in a video related to this book
@@Shadowfredd99 It really is the worst pile of paper ever! Just Molly Hale taking the truth calmly in that Spell of the Unown movie alone is better than the entirety of Catcher in the Rye.
Well, it's actually holding them back from the destruction that would naturally happen to anyone who fell over the edge. It is keeping them from ending up, like the boy he saw commit suicide, or dying like his brother had. It isn't the avoidance of adulthood, but survival through the corruption and disappointment of the vaunted adult world. If adult society, as-is, is the pinnacle of human experience, what an awful and disappointing thing to say about the gift of life.
Finally got around to reading it but this book broke my heart wow. I love unreliable narrators, and Holden is clearly struggling with a lot of unprocessed trauma and grief, and and you need to read between the lines, behind the spite and posturing, to find out how he really feels
I was listening to your reading of Holden's feelings at his brother's death and I could feel so identified with it... I lost my dear sister last year and there are feelings you can't express because they can't be put into words. I am no longer a teenager, but I do understand Holden so much.
And you should do more specific book reviews, because you make classics seem super interesting(and they are) and your love for books is contagious! It might encourage more readers to approach to classics!
I wish she would do this, for sure, on here and when she and Emma do the Game of Tomes. I just always want more...anyone can go a little bit into a book to give general thoughts, but very few do deeper dives. I want DEEPER dives.
@@nikkivenable73 I completely agree!
Salinger's sharp humor isn't talked about enough. All his books are painfully hilarious, even with all the sorrow laying out in between. His short stories, A Perfect Day For Bananafish in particular, are great examples of that
yeah the scene where the guy gets mortified because his date orders a chicken sandwich in a fine dining establishment. drolly hilarious
I love how the book can be so extreme in its range of emotions, like in making you laugh out loud at Holden's sense of humour but also feel incredibly sad for how broken this poor boy is
"These birds are very chatty...Oh My Goodness!" I bet she didn't realize she said that phrase. LOL
You are so wholesome!
I found a 20 year old copy of this (with the carousel horse) at the thrift store, bought it for $2. I started reading it and couldn't put it down, turned the last pages heart-broken, and hugged the book -- to say goodbye, and a hug for Holden.
Oh no.
literally same i found a copy in a pile of books in my brother’s old room, read it in one sitting and just started crying after i had finished.. reminded me why i used to love reading so much
I absolutely love The Catcher in the Rye! It's a masterpiece that resonates deeply with teenagers who relate to its themes and raw emotions. Also, I can't tell you how many times my friends at school told me that this book sparked their lifelong passion for literature. For the more mature audiences, it will provide a window into the hardships of coming out of age - a journey many of us will have forgotten by the age of 35 or so. Personally, I anticipate revisiting Holden Caulfield in twenty years to gain a better understanding of my own children.
I read this book about a year ago and found it charming. It really felt like I was in the mind of an angsty teen and it was a reminder of just how annoying it was growing up at ages 15-17. You weren’t a child, you weren’t an adult, and everything seemed arbitrary…. As I’ve grown, it was easy to forget those feelings and judge the new batch of teens. This is why I love literature - you are confronted with so many ideas and emotions that you may not in everyday life which can make you a more thoughtful person.
I LOOOVEEE THIS BOOK REVIEW! The way you fleshed out the parts you liked, your observations, your understanding of it is incredible! I hope you’ll do more of this, Carolyn. I mean, this kind of book reviews. You shine the brightest whenever you flesh out/analyze thoroughly the books you read. ☺️❤️
I've been reading it every year for almost 10 years now hahah glad you liked it this time :)
I’m glad to see this, I too read it every year for at least 20 years. Thought O was the only one. 😊
I love The Catcher In The Rye so much! Read it when I was 16, in my 20s, and now late 30s. It was the first book that made me laugh out loud. Everytime someone tells me they hate it I pick it up and randomly read a few pages and remember how great it is. You get it or you don't. I will say now that I have kids it is very sad how his parents and adults in his life fail him. He clearly needed help. I love that he really only wanted to be with his little sister, probably because kids tell the truth and everyone else in his life was a big phoney bastard. Your vidoes are great! I am reading War and Peace now because of you and Emmie. Thank you! ❤
I'm starting to read it, and I'm absolutely loving it and it scares me how much I relate to it :")
I've been a Beatles fan for half of my life (I'm 26 now) and I've always avoided The Catcher In The Rye because of John Lennon's murderer, who said that book "inspired" him... Now I'm old and mature enough to understand the fault was not on the book, but my teen, obsessed beatlemaniac self felt really repulsed by it. I'm really excited to read it now! (I know, my teen self was stupid, but don't be rude, please!)
Wow, your comment spoke to me because I felt the same way! It's not stupid! Have you already read the book? I wanted to hate it when I was a young Beatles fan, but when I finally read it, I kind of despised myself for loving it. And then I realised that it's not the book's fault. My hatred for that lousy Chapman grew even more because he used and abused the book and thought he himself was Holden Claulfield. Sickening.
Chapman just had terrible taste in books!
I was a rare high school student that read The Catcher in the Rye and loved it. I got what the book was trying to explore and say and I absolutely fell in love with it. I finished the book in 2 days when I was only supposed to read a chapter. I couldn't put it down and I thought I was insane for loving the story and all of my classmates absolutely hated it. It was the first time I felt like I beat the book that was hyped as "the worst book you'll read in high school". I felt like I could read anything after that 😂
Hi Carolyn! Firstly, I’m so glad you ended up liking Catcher in the Rye. Same story, first time I read I detested it, but I reread it when I became the same age as Holden and ended up appreciating and relating to Holden quite a bit. Because I ended up really liking the novel, I wanted to say that I learned an interpretation of the ending, with him saying he wanted to “catch” kids falling from a cliff, was to save these children from becoming these shallow or “phony” connections that Holden had to encounter in New York. He wants them to create REAL human connection, something that Holden or the people he met with lacks. I remember reading that analysis and feeling so heavy after. Salinger’s just remarkable in being able to capture the complications of grief, loneliness, and the difficulties in all kinds of human relationships.
The bits you read moved me. So maybe it is time for a re-read. The grief he feels about the death of his brother, the scene at the cemetery, all masterfully portrayed. I also didn’t remember Holden being so funny. Like you said, a great balance of humor and sorrow.
i read the catcher in the rye for the first time at 17 and i thought it was fine, didn't love it but also didn't hate it, re-read it at 25 and absolutely loved it!! it's now one of my favorites for sure
11:24 ok. I’m old. Over my many years I have reread many book I originally read when I was much younger including The Catcher in the Rye. In most instances, I’ve appreciated the books even more because I could put my years of experience into the book. I absolutely loved Moby Dick when I was older. And also many other classics are richer and fuller with more life experiences.
Read this book for the first time when I was 16. And loved it with all my heart! Reread it when I was about 24 and loved it with all my heart again:) (by the way, I love David Copperfield as well:)
I just finished this today and I was so surprised that I loved it as much as I did! I'm so glad you ended up liking it too! You're also the only reviewer I've seen talk about this book and actually get it.
I read The Catcher In The Rye a few years ago and as I was reading it I got the feeling that maybe I wasn’t ready for that book yet. I ended up not loving it but ever since I’ve had the desire to re-read it at some point.
It always sorta shocks me that this is one of the more disliked classics for a lot of new readers. I can understand it might not resonate with people but I think Holden is a very sympathetic character when you engage with him. Maybe he just makes a really bad first impression.
I would honestly watch another 30 minutes of you gushing over Catcher in the Rye! I'm so happy you love it now too, because it's such a special story. I read it for the first time at 14 in my native language, then reread many times, and I love it even more now at 31.
I read this book for the first time in the original when I was 21 or 22 (English is not my first language) and absolutely loved it, how it's written, the whole style of it)))) it's like your best friend is speaking to you, for me it has this "I'm home" feeling, which comforts me, and when I have hard times in life, I re-read some parts of it. I also totally love the ending and Holden's attitude to his little sister which is pretty moving
Now reread Frankenstein 😂
Ooo 👀 I’m being called out 😂 (that’s honestly a great idea…)
@@CarolynMarieReads 😆
Finished the book today for the first time and found this video. I’m 16 and I will definitely come back to this video when I’m 26. Your voice is so nice! You should narrate audiobooks 😊
I am interested in the Catcher in the Rye. The opening reminded me of the Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Speaking of which, I think Great Expectations would pair quite nicely with The Outsiders if you read them together. The outsiders mentions Great Expectations. They both feature a young male protagonist dealing with class differences and crime in some way.
I read The Outsiders and although they're from very different social backgrounds I thought Ponyboy sounded like Holden at times
I loved watching you rediscover this book. I’ve always loved that Holden is one of the most “real” characters in literature. That said, you’ve made me nervous because this was one of my favorite books in high school and I haven’t read I since. What if I go in the opposite direction!
I read it at different stages of my life and each time the book made me feel different emotions. That’s why it’s great
aaaah finally!! you've put into words (and a very calming and entertaining video) the reasons why i love this book! it's so raw and bittersweet and human. thanks for this, carolyn
This book has been an interesting incidence of importance to many assassins/murderers of public influencers. Many are said to be obsessed with, have copies or pages of these books in their possession during the commision of their assassinations/murders ( not all successful).
The ones I am at the very least aware of are:
Lee Harvey Oswald ( re: John F. Kennedy)Oswald was was reported to be illiterate by standards but possessed this book.
David Mark Chapman ( re: John Lennon) who was reported to have written in the book, " This is my statement " and signed it as Holden Caulfield.
John Hinkley Jr. ( re: attempted assassination of former president Ronald Regan) was reported to have a copy in his hotel room.
Robert John Bardo ( re: Rebecca Schaeffer) was said to have a copy in his possession when he murdered Rebecca.
I can't help but wonder what books were found on the bedside of Thomas Matthew Crooks after his attempted assassination of Donald John Trump.
Jerome David Salinger has perhaps influenced some intetesting actors on the world stage. Some speculate the narratives of these particular events are what some may call phony.
America,The Whore of Babylon and some of her many johns...IMO.
Great review.
Thanks for your aging perspective on timeless American literature. This story never gets old.
It probably means most murderers can relate to some aspect to Holden Caulfield, the self hate from the intro and calling everyone a phony. I mean, they're miserable
im 13 years old and i read this at the start of this year, i didnt like it much, holden kinda annoyed me but i could relate with him a bit so i didnt hate him, i reread this last month and DAMN I LOVED IT, i wanted to reread it cause as time passed different things reminded me that i was much like this character, and i am, im very different but so similar at the same time, hes so complex in so many aspects that i understand him by the end
I read this book last summer when I was visiting New York. I honesty think that Holden is one of the funniest characters I've ever read. I mean, I get why people can dislike him very much, but he gave me really good laughs!
32:23 "the book stays the same but its you thats different" wow
The comment and time stamp are epic. 32:23.
The numbers are the same, but the number is different by perspective.
Dang
So interesting, your change in perspective! What are your ideas about what in you led to disliking the book and character then at age 16 versus loving them now at this time of your life? Are there specific developmental changes or life experiences or perspectives that underlie this shift?
And are there other disliked books you're now inspired to revisit, eg Frankenstein?
The book group that I am facilitating is reading this book for review. I've read it many times. The Catcher in the Rye is definitely a book I love and could read again and again. Thank you for your review. I will pass it on to the rest of the people in my group the day before we meet next week.
Hi Carolyn. I am 39, I like you, read this book in high school. I read it in 10th grade, and absolutely hated it. I thought that Holden Caulfield was just a huge winer back, then . Ha ha ha Anyone who asked me about Catcher as an adult bookseller would get a bit of an eye roll. This video is making me want to reread Catcher to see if I feel the same now. Loved this video!
Loved this :-) i finally read Catcher last year (I'm in my 30s) and it made total sense to me that a lot of people have negative feelings about it from school. I'm so glad I didnt read it then.
I loved the relationship between Holden and (ol') Phoebe ❤
One of my friends has just named her baby Phoebe and it's the only thing I can think about 😂
Catcher and the rye is one of the books on my list that I’ve been putting off but really wanna read. But on the topic of hating books one of the few books I hated that I read in high school was Ethan Frome. It was one of those books I had to force myself to read and for as short as the book was was one of the longest reads for me and I hated every second of it. I wanna know if anyone else had that same experience
I loved The Catcher in the Rye in high school but I do think English class settings can make it really hard to FULLY enjoy books especially reading them for the first time because I HATED reading The Great Gatsby in school and thought it was the stupidest book ever and I think it has a lot to do with the way that you need to keep starting and stopping for class assignments and you can’t just immerse yourself into a story and experience it and relate to it for yourself
**I’ve read The Great Gatsby since school and have had a much more positive experience with it than I did in high school
I also read the Catcher in the rye at 16 bscause I was obsessed with The perks of being a wallflower (I'm from Argentina so here it isn't mandatory read) and h a t e d it, but now you made me want to re read it, it sounds soooo relatable
@@kathhqq7 I know that...
I read to conect with the characters, if I can't it doesn't matter if is good or bad writing I struggle to read it. Everyone reads for different reasons
edit: also, I feel like him sometimes and reading about it is cathartic
So what is your most disliked book at this point? And are you going to reread that one as well? ^^
I have read The Catcher in the Rye last year. For some reason the scenes in the back of the bar, his dirty roommate and I don't know something on a square where he had all kind of appointments stayed with me. Because I am a relatively new reader(I never read as a young adult or earlier). My mind doesn't really create a world. But with this book I could really imagine it. So for me it was a great experience.
Also I like Holden!
Hahaha 😂. So I purposely waited to watch this until after I was done with Catcher and the live show. Now I'm laughing because you counted the "goddam"s too!
Read other Salinger stuff too. "Nine Stories", "Franny and Zooey"...it's also really good. And in a completely different voice than Holden's..
I read this book for the first time in January and I really didnt like it. Hearing this review makes me think I need to read it again with a different mindset. I read it just because it was one of the "classics" to read and I wanted to just tick it off the list. He definitely annoyed me from the beginning and I kept thinking this character is so childish. Then I realized where he was telling his story from and it annoyed me even more lol. You've inspired me to re-read it. Thank you.
Yeah he is a douche is childish immature but at the same time that’s the point of his character and at the end it’s kind of sort of a happy depressing sad story I know he still doesn’t like life there’s a glimmer of hope
Thank you for explaining the book. It was so foreign to me because I never read it and high school I read or George Orwell 1984 and the Hiding Place.
I am on a similar journey, I hated the Catcher in the Rye when I read it at 18, now at 58 I am rereading it and to my surprise I really like it.... it is interesting how our tastes evolve as readers....
I was a melancholy child so I liked it, but happy classmates hated it.
A lot of happy people don't like the Bell jar either😂
I read it when I was 13, when it was banned in high schools. Taking it to school with me was a so-called subversive act, but it helped me read my first (short) novel,/ finished in one day. I loved the book, and still do, but I had a point of view that had some experience of trauma, and acknowledged that the world is not what it is cracked up to be. Heavy handed, enforced cheerfulness people hate it, and to them, my negativity is a jaundiced point of view, which should be suppressed. But to me, it is caring enough about the truth to call things what they are, not because I love the bad things, but because I don't. The compassion underlying Holdens story and in his character, was really important to me as a 13 year old, and it still is. That's why I get a little disgusted with the gangs of online detractor trolls, who always gather to make sure that it is dead and buried. I feel that these grieving people deserve to be heard, even though they are fictional characters.
I'm glad you loved the book.
This whole video is amazing,reminded me of how much i love catcher in the rye
I'm 15, read the book from december of last year to last july. At first, i didn't like it much, it seemed boring and didn't interest me AT ALL. It took me this long cause i read it everytime i took the train for Paris, and as time passed, i started liking Holden. It was like knowing him over time, i don't remember how much time passed in the book but I lived it, i felt close to Holden and every word finally made sense, finally was worth something. No matter how unlikable he sounded, somehow you still enjoyed his thoughts. As the book went, i even related to him, maybe cause we're around the same age and he has that arrogant "i'm not like those phonies" attitude you can find in yourself as a teen. It might not be my favourite book but it is definitely one of my favourite characters. I can't even express how it made me feel. I definitely understand many people hating the book since you have to read it for school but as a french boy, it was nothing but pleasure. It did take me sweat and tears at first. Rereading it, I don't even understand why. Also i'll keep wondering where the ducks go during winter.
If i had to share some of my favourite quotes/parts it'd be that paragraph where he says he'd stop when a girl tells him to, because he can't tell weither she actually wants to stop or not. Or those times where he imagine himself being all heroic and movie-like. Also his conversation with Sally, where he gets pretty mad and tells her how much he hates everything. "I hope to hell when i do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in a river or something. [...] Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody." "All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to." Even when he says he doesn't hate people forever, just a little while and if he doesn't see them for too lon he'll start missing them, tell me this isn't relatable. Oh and that part where he'd repeat "Allie, don't let me disappear". It was heartbreaking somehow.
Great book summary! Thank you! I’m planning on revisiting it again soon & this video has me super excited for it 😊
I totally loved it in high school. I’m a little scared to re-read it-afraid I won’t love it as much.
I read "The Catcher in the Rye" when i was 15 and i didn't like it at all, but i read translated version into russian (I'm from Russia). After your video i wanna (try) reread this book in original, because it feels very different. Thank you for review!
So glad you reviewed and now you have double copies. I read it every year.
Someone I knew tried to recruit me to read that book...I tried, but stopped. Now, I am going to try again.
I loved this book and will read it many more times in my life. I never read it as a teen, but I would say that perhaps the humor and language Holden uses can throw a reader off from the very serious and sad things he talks about. In that case I can see why some people don't like the book. But if you pay attention, it is heartbreaking, and Holden is loveable.
Bookmarking this video to watch after the weekend. I just started the book yesterday 😂
Ooo I hope you enjoy it :)
It’s different hearing you read it than when I read it. You read it so elegantly and I read it with this bitterness towards the world and with a slight accent lol
I have not read this book since High School. Now at 60 the book seems dated and felt the mentality of people living in the 1940's. Todays standard are different and thzts why it felt dated. I was able to understand and it reminded me of my own past growing up in New York City. Thank you for sharing about this book. I do not know why they want to ban the book today. I went to private school run by Benedictines. We were required to read this book. Today I hear that they want to ban it in the South. That is why I decided to get a copy and read again. I am not upset or offended.
Wow!! I read it three years ago and I didn't remember as such a sad book. Now, I will have to read it again!! 💜
maybe a call for a re-read of this one...also was not a fan of it when i had to read as apart of our curriculum sophomore year of high school, especially as it was kind of posed as if we were "meant to love it". thank you for the review, though! will hopefully go back to catcher in the rye and adore it in a similar way to you!
Loved this, i read it for the first time 3 years ago when i was in my 30's. I love classics. ❤📚
I know this will sound like people come up with anything. When I was a child I would throw tantrums at school, and Sunday school. Usually throwing and breaking everything as a revolt against my on off relationship with my parents, which I was staying with a babysitter who favored me over the other children at the time. I was only 7-10 years old was time period and I would go along with an assumption the psychiatrist had that I would 'black out' and comment these 'tantrums'. I agreed with him in thinking I was leading on the lie for attention I guess I was young and naive. It was a good way to get out of school since they placed me in ese classes simply for displinary reasons, I was not their for learning difficulties per say.I was diagnosed with a rare type of 'seizure with rage spikes'. I was sent to a brain monitoring facility where they performed ekgs on my brain and hooked wires to me for whole weekends at the time and I remember while I was there I was put into a room and an antagonist experiment similar to the one conducted on the college student in that one mkultra movie I forget the scene was where his teacher brings him into a theater room and makes him watch heinous images over and over trying to trigger his symptoms. Anyways I am 34 years old now and I just read the 1st chapter of 'Catcher in the rye' being inspired to buy the book after watching Mel Gibson/Julia Roberts movie "Conspiracy Theory". After reading 1st chapter I fell asleep and instantly not in my REM sleep cycle fell into a horrible nightmare hypnosis where a man I couldn't face had a baby carriage and the baby would come out and shapeshift Into some sort of demon and it was happening over and over in slightly different scenes, it was as if he was coming at me to possess me. Never had anything like this occured since When I was taking riddilen as a young child maybe 6 I had a series of horrific nightmares over two week period which stopped after I was taken off that medication. Point being maybe there is more to the story than people think. I put the book up after chapter one and refuse to read anymore of it. First novel I have tried to read in awhile I typically stay reading ancient Greek/Roman, non-fiction, and politically relevant books. I don't regard myself as easily hypnotizable but maybe I was partially hypnotized into being a sleeper cell but they didn't complete process...this is definitely a true story I am not insane. It was just a nightmare in any case maybe brought on about the hype of the book, but I don't really think so. The way it hit me was so perfect, and the epiphany afterwards so vivid. I understood the mind of a lunatic before I was able to come back to my senses.
I also hated this book but now you have made me want to re-read it, along with all the other books that I hated in high school!. I hadn't even understood the part about him wanting to save the kids in the rye field because he couldn't save his brother, I had thought that he had wanted to save them from "going over the edge" mentally and becoming like him. 🤯😄😄
I think it was great that you took a different approach to Holden as a character, most reviews I’ve seen is just people complaining about how Holden is full of himself and is annoying.
It’s nice to see someone realizing that he behaves this way because he hasn’t healed from the Loss oh is brother Allie.
I think his depression got worse by seeing that schoolmate of his that jumped of the window, seeing a bloody body on the ground may traumatize anyone.
Also can we talk about how creepy Mr. Antolini was?
He was so creepy and everyone just brushes it off. Also after watching Good Will Hunting I think Holden's insistence that everyone is a phony is his way of protecting himself because you can't be betrayed and you don't miss people if you go through your whole life assuming everyone is fake and not allowing connections so he's looking for connection but also sabatoging himself throughout the whole novel
@@kenzgitz9884 great perspective🥺
@enfermagembenfermagemb2251 I never understood why people dismissed Holden as annoying I read the book in high school for English and picked up on his mental health issues on the second read and now I'm out of college and I still don't think he's whiny or annoying...he's literally a child and has plenty of reasons to keep people at a distance
@@kenzgitz9884 Exactly, thank you. It annoys me that people don’t realize that he is struggling with mental health, he was literally in a mental hospital.
@enfermagembenfermagemb2251 Considering part of my psychology degree was studying the history of mental health treatment I'm not sure if that makes the ending better or worse...even if you're rich you didn't want to be in a mental hospital in the 50s
I loved Catcher in the Rye although I can see why its hard for some to enjoy.
So glad you love The Catcher in the Rye now! Very charming your editions. 😍
This was my favorite book from high school by far, I liked it from the first time I read it
Thank you and happy writing!!!
I also read this book 8 years ago, when I was around 14 or 15 years old. I just remembered how I thought Holden was annoying and entitled but I couldn't believe how much my opinion has changed now that I've read it for the book club!
I love love J.D.Salinger. I now want to reread--- Yes, good idea! So happy you like now! ( btw, am reading Anna Karenina 😊)(oh, see, Holden repeats too, like Tolstoy does😅)
That’s so exciting! Happy reading :) (say hi to Tolstoy for me 😄)
Thank you for convincing me to read this book! I love your channel so so much 🤎
I too really disliked Holden, and Catcher in the Rye, when I first read it at 19 - you’ve inspired me to reread this!
Very understandable! I hope you enjoy it, if you decide to reread it :)
i was really surprised how much i enjoyed this book and couldnt believe so many people despised holden
I can’t believe anyone could question despising someone so unlikeable!
I recommend that you read the short stories from jd Salinger. Then you understand more about Holden's life story and his traumas about his older brother
i first read this book when i was 9 but then we did reading with our TA's and then i got in mad trouble when i asked what a wh was
This is my favorite book. I love Holden.
I just finished _David Copperfield._ The first half is a masterpiece, thoroughly. As we proceed the book turns episodic, and it seems evident to me that Dickens didn't want to leave it, he loved this work so much. As a result, for this reader, it goes on for too long. It is good, but the second half dwindles in interest. I suppose if I were in the habit of awarding stars I would give it 3.5 to 4 stars.
The Catcher in the Rye is a book one should read at least twice in their life...second read would definitely stir your thoughts and make you change your perspective on Holden
Such a beautiful heartfelt review. Thank you!❤
Lovely interpretation. I agree.
I think that if you had to read this book as a teenager, school would be the best way to do it. Or, maybe I'm just glad I had someone in my ear telling me how mentally ill and problematic Holden is while I read it when I was 15. I related deeply (still do, to a lesser extent) to Holden, really only because I had a similar cynicism about the world, and I needed an adult perspective to show how flawed that thinking was or else I'd turn into those grown men who call Holden Caulfield their icon.
My favorite book of all time. First read it when I was 11 and have never loved a book more.
And people say some people dont enjoy the book because they're too young
I read this book, The Catcher in the Rye, many years ago and really liked it. But since the killer of John Lennon was reading and holding this book at scene of crime it has for me had a tainted, eerie quality. Thank you.
It doesn’t really diminish the book I guess yeah I think really the killer is at fault here I mean the dude is such a jerk for killing John Lennon and using catching a ride to say oh I did that
I started to read this book last year but i was not liking it, so i stoped. But now, well, you convinced me to give it another chance 😅 Here in Brazil we have an edition with the same cover that you show in the end of the video 🧡
Aw I’m so glad to hear that! I definitely think Holden is worth a second chance (from both of us) hahaha 🧡 it’s a wonderful cover!
You have convinced me to read this bool ❤
Just to know, but i'm 13 and i would like to read it, i could appreacite it at my age?
Currently,I'm reading the catcher in the rye (burmese version) wrriten by one of the most famous novelists in Myanmar❤✨
I mean he translated into burmese❤
I’ve reread some classics I initially was too young to digest!
But the only book I remember from school I really did not enjoy in the least, was Huckleberry Finn. I was going through a lot at the time… It was the one book I didn’t read and I had a panic attack in the hallway over the test haha
But I tried rereading it last year, over ten years since high school, and still I do not like it. The writing is not for me.
The catcher in the rye is my favorite classic 🥺🥺 ❤
I also hated this book when I read it for the first time... maybe it is also time for me o reread it
Darn it! Catcher in the Rye will always stink no matter what!