On the advice of a friend, I started reading JD Salinger’s classic “The Catcher in the Rye.” More than anything, I wanted to see if there was any kind of correlation between the book and the fact that Mark David Chapman was carrying it the night he killed John Lennon.
I’m about 3/4 of the way through it, and it’s OKAY, but it’s nothing spectacular. I sometimes am amused by Holden Caufield, and other times he bores me to tears. I just finished the chapter where he meets Old Luce for drinks. Again, I can agree with some of Holden’s thoughts and observations. But, for the most part, I find him rather dry and sophomoric (like I have any business criticizing Salinger. I’m aware of this. I only know what I like.).
This book seems too hit-or-miss for me. What’s the critical and popular appeal, and should I stick it out in hopes that it gets better in the last 1/4?
I think it’s a good book. I really do. Some books, you read them and you think the guy who wrote it must be a phoney. I hate phoneys. I really do. But this book, I think it was written by a great guy. I think if I met him I’d like to shake him by the hand. It’s that kind of book. I bet he’s the kind of guy who wears a hat. Some hats, they look kind of phoney, but a deerstalking hat is a good hat. That guy, the guy who wrote the book, I bet he’s a real stand-up guy. I’d like to buy him a drink, I really would.
It’s been ages since I read it, but I didn’t think it was a grand opus. I didn’t even find it to be a particularly interesting story. Then again, I’m not very good at catching symbolism - was there any symbolism in that book?
So, you can count my vote as “eh” with an accompanying shrug.
I read the book in three hours on a lazy summer afternoon. I loved it. LOVED it. Haven’t had the time to reread it, but if I did, I would.
The thing is, you either love this book or hate it. To see such indecision on your part is surprising; there are very few middle-of-the-road people.
I would say at least finish and then decide if it was a waste of time. We can’t tell you if you’ll like a book or not. I can tell you that I, presonally, cannot leave a book unfinished without it haunting me until I reread it. If this happens to you, think about it–you’ll have to read that 3/4 all over again to get the gist of it.
IMHO, this book only makes sense to people who are going through (or have gone through) a certain stage in life. Some people either have not hit that stage or skipped it. Those are the people who don’t understand it. (Not that that’s a bad thing, mind you.) Basically, if you don’t get it, you don’t get it.
I read it last summer and liked it, except for the last chapter (which I thought was very anticlimatic). But, like Super Gnat mentioned, whether or not you like it or not depends on what you’ve gone through in life. Throughout most of the book I thought how much I would have loved the book about two years ago, when I was in a similar state of mind as Holden. Most of the time I was reading I was thinking, “Thank God all that’s over…”
As you seem in the middle of the road about how you feel about the book, go ahead and finish. If you absolutely hate it, just stop reading; you’re wasting your time. It’s not the legendary book English teachers want you to believe, but I’ve read much worse.
I recommend finishing the book. I also recommend you read other stories by Salinger: Franny and Zoe is a good peice of work.
I agree with Super Gnat on the point of either you “get it” or “you don’t” theory, but I think you’re also reading it “to find something” and not just enjoying the story.
Just finish the damn book. Seriously, whatever anyone else thought about the book shouldn’t make any impact on your own decision to finish reading it. But then again, I thought it was brilliant.
If you don’t like it, do something else.
I think a lot of the acclaim the book got was because of when it was published–that kind of attitude getting national exposure was somewhat of a novelty in the late 50s, early 60s. I read it when I was in high school way back when, identified too much with Holden C., and my life has been a mess ever since.
I say just finish it. You’ve read this much, you might as well read the rest. It isn’t like it’s a hard book to get through or anything. Even if you don’t like it, you’ll at least be able to say you read the whole thing and you thought is sucked.
Oh, puh-LEAZE. TIt’s not WAR AND PEACE. The average reader could read CATCHER in less than two hours. Even if it doesn’t thrill you to the marrow, it won’t kill you to finish the book.
I agree with those who say that one must have experienced a situation similar to Holden’s to truly enjoy the book. The thing I love about Catcher is the diction. When authors write as children or teens, they often can’t get the dialogue right. No matter how many slang terms they use or whatever, it still doesn’t sound genuine. I think Salinger did a wonderful job with Holden’s words…insightful enough, but not all formal and phony (I had to :)).
I also liked Franny and Zooey. That deals with questioning one’s religion and all that jazz. I don’t remember much else other than that; it’s been several years since I read it. Try that or Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: an Introduction, which both center around the grown genius children of the Glass family.
My vote? Take the extra 45 minutes to finish the book.