Wednesday 26 November 2014

The Catcher in the Rye


Disclaimer
The Catcher in the Rye is a celebrated and well-acknowledged Classic. So, I don’t want to review the same. Instead, I would like to express what the book made me feel and think.


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 sixteen-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 hemorrhages 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.


Author
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield was influential, especially among adolescent readers. The novel remains widely read and controversial, selling around 250,000 copies a year.


What I think
Some books entertain you, makes you laugh and thus, helps in killing time. Some makes you think. The Catcher in the Rye does both.

Holden Caulfield is a confused teenager who us reluctant to grow up. He fails miserably in tests and is expelled from school. The book is all about a couple of days after the expulsion but, before going back to his home. It is about his thoughts and perceptions. He digresses a lot and uses swear words a lot. But, the way Holden thinks is pure and uncorrupted. He is also lonely and depressed. He loves his little sister Phoebe beyond himself.

There are several laugh aloud moments and thought provoking ones too. The dichotomy between innocence of children and the selfishness of adults is well-reflected in the book.

The book was first published in 1951 and it still holds relevant.

In short
Boy, the book killed me.

Don’t miss it!


Rating
4/5


Thank you
My dear colleague - my friend.
Thanks for introducing Holden to me… who made me laugh and think at the same time.
“I don’t exactly know what I mean by that but, I mean it!” (J.D. Salinger – The Catcher in the Rye)


Some words that stole my heart
·         "Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."
·         “I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead."
·         "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules."


22 comments:

  1. you seem to be a versatile talent at writing…
    keep going

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  2. Replies
    1. And let me know if you liked it or not Saru :)

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  3. this books is amazing! it is one of my most fav books :)

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  4. A classic. Groundbreaking in it's time. Salinger continues to tickle the imagination. . . . .

    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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    Replies
    1. Yes, And the beauty is it is relevant even today!

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  5. Good to see Someone blogging about booksI love books..Reads almost one in the week.I think people that read are good people.Thanks for tip about the book!i shall look it up!Greetings Norway!

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    1. Thanks a lot Anita. It is a pleasure to get to know about your blog... :)

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  6. Have heard so much about this book, I guess I shall finally get myself to read it :D

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    1. It is an interesting book.
      Please let me know once you have read it.

      Thanks Pooja :)

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  7. Thanks for the nice review. It is an excellent book.

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    1. I really enjoyed the time spent with it.
      Thanks SG :)

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  8. i guess your very much interested to different set of articles.

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    1. I think I am... At least I am trying...
      Thanks Rajesh :)

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  9. I need to get this book ASAP then! Thanks for the review :)

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    1. Please let me know if you liked it... thanks! :)

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  10. I have heard so much about this book ... time to pick up a copy soon :-)

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  11. It is considered among the all time classics. But perhaps more because the bokk being American. Nevertheless indeed it is a good essay on the belligerent and impatient teen.

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