Franny and Zooey

published	January 30th 1961 by Little, Brown and Company
first published	1955
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0316769541 (isbn13: 9780316769549)
ebook
pages	201
setting	United States
description	The author writes: Franny came out in The New Yorker</EM< Zooey. Both stories are early, critical entries in a narrative series I'm doing about ...more [close] The author writes: Franny came out in The New Yorker</EM< Zooey. Both stories are early, critical entries in a narrative series I'm doing about a family of settlers in twentieth-century New York, the Glasses. It is a long-term project, patently an ambitious one, and there is a real-enough danger, I suppose, that sooner or later I'll bog down, perhaps disappear entirely, in my own methods, locutions, and mannerisms. On the whole, though, I'm very hopeful. I love working on these Glass stories, I've been waiting for them most of my life, and I think I have fairly decent, monomaniacal plans to finish them with due care and all-available skill. [close]
date added	03-20-07 edit book

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SVK rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

02/18/08

Read in January, 2005

recommended to SVK by: Ryan Vande Kraats
recommends it for: you

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Think, The Royal Tenenbaums as a novel. Essentially, the book is three long conversations in the Glass family: seven precocious children who, at one time, held a 30-some year dynasty on a television program for child geniuses, “It’s a Wise Child”.

Like Catcher in the Rye, it’s an argument against asceticism, a push for being active in a broken, phoney world; however, a more foundational, philosophical, spiritual approach. Wherea...more This is one of my favorite books of all time. Think, The Royal Tenenbaums as a novel. Essentially, the book is three long conversations in the Glass family: seven precocious children who, at one time, held a 30-some year dynasty on a television program for child geniuses, “It’s a Wise Child”.

Like Catcher in the Rye, it’s an argument against asceticism, a push for being active in a broken, phoney world; however, a more foundational, philosophical, spiritual approach. Whereas Catcher puts forth the questions, Franny and Zooey answers them, but not without true wrestling, not till the very end.

Summary
First conversation is Franny with her boyfriend, Lane. Lane is pretentious and college-boy scholarly. Franny is sick of ego and knowledge for knowledge’s sake. She’s even giving up college theater. Lane accuses her of just not wanting to compete. Franny wants wisdom, something that surpasses the acquisitiveness of the world, whether that be materialism or scholarship. Franny says, “I’m sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.” She is reading a book about a mystical pilgrim who recites the “Jesus Prayer.” As a way to pray incessantly, it’s supposed to become a part of you, live in sync with your heartbeat, develop your third eye so you can see God. The book, incidentally, belonged to her oldest brother, Seymour, the clearest headed Glass child, who has died.

Next conversation is her brother Zooey (Zachary) and their mother Bessie, who Franny and Zooey call by first name. He’s a young actor, reading a script, which he hates, while in the bathtub. Bessie insists on talking to him in the bathroom. Very funny conversation. She is upset about Franny’s breakdown, upset because she can’t reach their older brother, Buddy, because he has no phone (though he maintains a line in his and Seymour’s old bedroom, a sentimental leftover). She pleads with Zooey to talk to Franny who won’t leave the couch, reciting her Jesus Prayer. He keeps asking her to leave. He overstates and indulges everything he has to say with wit—calling the bathroom his chapel, where people are invited to come and chat.

Last conversation is between Franny and Zooey. Franny says he’s tactless, he insists he’s just “brisk”. He takes shots at her new asceticism, calling it just another kind of acquisition, a spiritual kind. He points to her inconsistencies. Though Franny dislikes her professor, who works to serve his own ego, says Zooey, she upholds Emily Dickinson. Point being, there is still good work to be done, ego or no. He charges Zooey with using the prayer as a “substitute for doing whatever the hell your duty is in life”. He says she ought to at least say the prayer to Jesus. Because if you don’t see Jesus, you miss the whole point of the prayer. Jesus was, says Zooey, the best man in the Bible because “he knew that we’re carrying the Kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we’re all too goddam stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look.”

At this, Franny goes into a tailspin, face down. Zooey regrets his edge and leaves, eventually going into Seymour and Buddy’s old room and calling Franny on the extra phone line, as Buddy. They talk for awhile before Zooey’s wit gives him away, still, they continue. Zooey apologizes, but maintains that, with this prayer, Franny is “missing out on every single goddam religious action that’s going on” around the house, like the consecrated chicken broth Bessie keeps pushing. He remembers a play she was in—how she shined, but hated the “unskilled laughter” from the audience and probably hated the ushers because they weren’t geniuses. “God knows it’s depressing” he says, but it’s none of her business; rather, “an artist’s only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, on his own terms, not anyone else’s” and “the only thing that matters in the religious life is detachment—desirelessness.” Probably recalling a quote on Buddy and Seymour’s wall:
“You have the right to work, but for the work’s sake only. You have no right to the fruits of work, Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working” (177). —Bhagavad Gita

They both recall how Seymour would tell them to shine their shoes before going out on “The Wise Child”, even though the audience members were morons, to do it for “the Fat Lady”. This is the great secret, says Zooey, there isn’t anyone out there who isn’t the Fat Lady. And, the Fat Lady is Christ himself.

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Lee rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

05/30/07

I am a huge JD Salinger fan, and I'm one of those people who's read "Catcher in the Rye" like 200 times, several times a year since I was about twelve. I buy into every cliche said about it: it changed my life, it made me want to write, it validated my own teen angst, Salinger captures teen-speak amazingly well, Holden Caulfield is vulnerable and wise, a kid-hero, etc. I have such an emotional attachment to the book that I find it hard to tolerate much criticism of it. Case in point: I...more I am a huge JD Salinger fan, and I'm one of those people who's read "Catcher in the Rye" like 200 times, several times a year since I was about twelve. I buy into every cliche said about it: it changed my life, it made me want to write, it validated my own teen angst, Salinger captures teen-speak amazingly well, Holden Caulfield is vulnerable and wise, a kid-hero, etc. I have such an emotional attachment to the book that I find it hard to tolerate much criticism of it. Case in point: I recently came across an article written by Jonathan Yardley in 2004 for the Washington Post entitled "J.D. Salinger's Holden Caulfield, Aging Gracelessly". One of the best quotes from the piece:

"Rereading 'The Catcher in the Rye' after all those years was almost literally a painful experience: The combination of Salinger's execrable prose and Caulfield's jejune narcissism produced effects comparable to mainlining castor oil."

Ouch. Double ouch because I had to look up "jejune".

This article prompted me to delve deeper into the Salinger canon, and I resurfaced holding "Franny & Zooey". Yardley may have prompted me to question my devotion, but this book cemented what I already knew: JD Salinger is a wonderful writer and his characters are the written equivalent of crack. You just can't get enough.

"Franny & Zooey" is one of several books/short stories written about the Glass family. There are seven Glass kids, all of whom were, at various points, panelists on a radio quiz show with the best name ever: "It's A Wise Child".

"Franny & Zooey" focuses on the two youngest siblings, hence the title, who are both in the midst of emotional and existential breakdowns. Franny, away at college in Boston, has read a book called "The Way of the Pilgrim, which has instilled in her an obsession with the concept of "praying without ceasing". Suddenly, everything around her is meaningless, she can't study or eat or sleep, and returns to New York to recouperate. Zooey is a sometimes-working actor, determined to help his sister.

The book touches on familiar Salinger-esque themes, including relgious devotion/fanaticism, kids vs. adults, a potentially meaningless world, etc. This book explores religion in an engaging, relatable way. Franny's qustions are universal and Zooey's answers are valid.

Authorities on the Glass Family will appreciate the insight into the unit, particularly into eldest brothers Seymour (who at that point has already committed suicide) and Buddy, who narrates the story. Zooey blames them for using himself and Franny as philosphical guinea pigs, pumping them full from the time they were toddlers with vast and varied dogma simply to see what would stick.

All of that said, I think the most important thing about this book, and all of Salinger's books, is its pure, joyful readability. "Franney & Zooey" contains passages that are absolutely HILARIOUS, specifically the extensive conversation between Zooey and his nagging mother, Bessie, that takes place in the bathroom. I was laughing out loud throughout.

He's been called the voice of several generations, but Salinger's ability to maintain belly-laugh-worthy humor while touching on such dark themes might be the most notable (and most underappreciated) thing about him....less

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Núria rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

10/05/07

bookshelves: 2006, borrowed, favorites, read-more-than-once

Franny y Zooey no son tan diferentes de Holden Caulfield (el protagonista de 'El guardián entre el centeno'): también odian a todo el mundo, también llevan consigo una agresividad mal controlada, también sienten asco por todo lo que les rodea y ocurre, y también consideran que el resto de personas son unos hipócritas y que prácticamente sólo ellos son personas auténticas. 'Franny y Zooey' fue escrita diez años después que 'El guardián entre el centeno' y lo diferente es que ésta vez...more Franny y Zooey no son tan diferentes de Holden Caulfield (el protagonista de 'El guardián entre el centeno'): también odian a todo el mundo, también llevan consigo una agresividad mal controlada, también sienten asco por todo lo que les rodea y ocurre, y también consideran que el resto de personas son unos hipócritas y que prácticamente sólo ellos son personas auténticas. 'Franny y Zooey' fue escrita diez años después que 'El guardián entre el centeno' y lo diferente es que ésta vez Salinger deja claro que esta actitud es absurda y que no lleva a ninguna parte. Aún así nunca critica con mala saña ni paternalismo a sus personajes, porque sabe que todos hemos sentido alguna vez esta rabia. Me divierto imaginándome a Salinger tirándose de los pelos porque todo el mundo ha leído mal 'El guardián', porque han entendido que Holden es una figura auténtica digna de imitar en medio de la hipocresia que le rodea. Y luego, decidiéndose a escribir 'Franny y Zooey' para intentar arreglar el error, para hacerlos entrar en razón, pero el problema es que muy poca gente se ha molestado en leer a Salinger más allá de 'El guardián'. Ay, ¡qué daño han hecho a Salinger los fans de Salinger!

Pero aún así a muchos tampoco les gustará este Salinger, por las mismas razones que a mí me gusta tanto: Salinger es puro angst adolescente, aunque esta vez el angst adolescente vaya más allá de la adolescencia, porque los protagonistas ya tienen veinte años. Los protagonistas del título son los hermanos menores de la familia Glass, una familia numerosa compuesta por siete hermanos y todos ellos ex-niños prodigio que han acabado fracasando en la vida, en mayor o menor grado, y pasando por depresiones, más o menos graves. Salinger es pura nostalgia: todas sus obras acaban hablando de lo que hemos perdido y que ya nunca podremos tener. Y en sus obras la muerte siempre tiene un lugar especialmente reservado.

Además, Salinger tiene un gran (pero sutil) sentido del humor: esta vez queda claro como se ríe de sus personajes y de lo pedantes que son. Ah, no hay nada tan adorable como unos personajes pedantes, que son tan esnobs que odian a los esnobs. Siempre son tan divertidos. Me encanta también la capacidad de concentración que tiene: 'Franny y Zooey' no debe pasar en más de cuatro horas. Y encima, aparentemente no pasa nada. Y probablemente tampoco pase nada, pero me encanta poder entrar por un momento en la vida de estos personajes con vocación para fracasar, que tienen crisis de fe y que no paran de soltar citas pedantes. Ah, son entrañables. Es un mundo que no es el real, que parece de dibujos animados, pero que es tan fresco y tan vívido que parece real.
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Eric rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

08/04/07

bookshelves: modern

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: only those who really take an interest in Salinger's work.

Franny and Zooey is a book which chronicals the relationships between several members of the glass family as they attempt to cope with Franny's, seemingly willful emotional breakdown. The story features the theme of acting strongly, as both Franny and Zooey are actors in some right, and so a certain amount of dramatic irony is woven into the story through the presentation of the text. The entire narrative, while in short story form, almost reads like a play. The scenes that are set are extremely...more Franny and Zooey is a book which chronicals the relationships between several members of the glass family as they attempt to cope with Franny's, seemingly willful emotional breakdown. The story features the theme of acting strongly, as both Franny and Zooey are actors in some right, and so a certain amount of dramatic irony is woven into the story through the presentation of the text. The entire narrative, while in short story form, almost reads like a play. The scenes that are set are extremely contained and feature only a few characters who talk quite a lot a do very little. Their actions read almost like stage directions, sometimes having little or no purpose other than to shed light on the character's mood. This framing sets a tone for the story that is interesting, but not nearly as entertaining as some of Salinger's other works, for instance The Cather in the Rye.

The result of this is that Franny and Zooey is not the kind of book that you recommend. This isn't to say that I did not enjoy it, simply that if someone else is going to enjoy it is likely because they have read Salinger's other works and liked them enough to actively seek out more. And if that is who you are then you may appreciate the recurring themes in this story and the light that they shed on some of his other story's about members of the Glass Family. Here we see Saliger returning to themes like the lost innocence of childhood, Zen mysticism, and a specter of unintended pregnancy that haunts a few of his other works. I particularly enjoyed how the book helped me to understand some of the short works in "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger. In particular, A Perfect Day for Bananafish and Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut make more sense upon a deeper understanding of the Glass Family history.

Ultimately though, if you don't really like J. D. Salinger, and you don't want to browse through a hundred and fifty pages of Glass Family politics and a long religious diatribe by Zooey Glass, than this may not be the book for you. If you read The Catcher in The Rye and you want more, go read Nine Stories. Then if you still want more pick up Franny and Zooey and spend a few hours basking in Salinger's witty prose and stream of consciousness dialog. You just might even enjoy it. I know I did....less

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Jason rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

09/16/07

recommends it for: no one

If you liked Catcher in the Rye more than your average novel, then you probably have considered reading Franny and Zooey. It's one of very few books that J.D. Salinger wrote because he kind of turned into a weird old recluse. I was really excited about reading this. I expected big things. Needless to say, I was very disappointed.
Problem number one: Zooey, who is essentially the "protagonist" (or one of two main characters) is pretty much identical to the main character from Catcher i...more

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Lindsay rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

11/13/07

Read in November, 2007

One day last year I was hunting around the web for some factual anecdotes about J.D. Salinger drinking his own urine and stuff like that when I came across this semi-legit Salinger biography site. Just a straight up old fashioned Angelfire page, big boring blocks of Times New Roman and a randomly placed graphic here and there. But it had a lot of great information about all of Salinger's fetishes and neuroses, and I was really digging it all until I got to this little parenthetical aside where t...more

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James rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

06/23/08

Read in June, 2008

recommended to James by: David Pasivirta and Amanda Talstra

Amidst all the clever diction and high-culture-referencing - very apparent in his description of the Glass family's discerning-but-not-too-discerning Manhattan apartment aesthetic (possibly inspiring the Royal Tenenbaums?) - there is read a real longing for that which is good, replacing-but-not-removing the search for that which is reputable.

While the story resolved appealing to an absurdist faith - just live for the Fat Lady, it hints that there might be something more to tru...more

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Stacy rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

01/12/08

Read in January, 2008

Everyone’s read Catcher in the Rye and I’m sure most literary folks out there have also taken the little time it takes to read the three other novels and story collections J. D. Salinger has published in his sparse and reclusive career, but I had not. Not until this month, when I made a little pact with myself that I would read all of Salinger’s work, including Catcher in the Rye, which I re-read about three years ago for the first time since high school. And, yes, it still rattled...more

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Maria rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

05/29/07

Read in May, 2007

I am not really sure what to write about this book, or really what to rate it because I am not sure what I think about it. Franny & Zooey is essentially two short stories in one novel-form and they both read that way. When you are done, you feel like you have just finished reading them in a news magazine over Sunday breakfast, even though they take a couple hours longer than that to read. Because of this, I recommend reading it because it doesn't take too terribly long and I think it is wort...more

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Robkeely rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

07/21/08

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Robkeely by: Marybeth
recommends it for: Intellectuals who like easy reads.

Hey, you know who's a good author? Salinger.

Which, kinda, is saying that Salinger is one of those authors who is eclipsed by his reputation, but remarkably wrote so well as to actually surprise you even after you heard so much about him. This book was rather humble in scope, focusing on a family of Manhattan intellectuals and entertainers which is nothing particularly relatable to me, but does it with ease, clarity, and insightful detail to win me over page after page.

Alright, so you alr...more

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Lucy rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

04/20/08

Read in April, 2008

More of a play than a novel, Salinger creates two dissatisfied intellectuals and their fall out with convention resulting from their unorthodox education and childhood.

The book is divided into two parts: Franny's shorter section and a much longer section devoted to her older brother, Zooey.

Franny Glass, the youngest child of the fictional upper class New York family, breaks down after spending the weekend with her pretentious boyfriend, Lane. Lane seems to be the face of everything...more

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TheDane rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

07/30/08

bookshelves: bookclub-read

Read in July, 2008

I am the luckiest person in the world. The last few months have led me through an unbroken string of good books. I have had so much fun reading that I'm just in love with books right now.

And isn't that the way it should be?

In any case, Salinger's Franny and Zooey is the most recent in what I hope will be a continuing tradition of engaging, well-written stories. I have to admit I approached the work with some skepticism, having been wholly uninterested in Catcher in the Rye when i...more

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Annalisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

03/05/08

bookshelves: book-club, psychology

Read in April, 2008

I liked this book a whole lot more after book club discussion. My problem with the book was I wanted to pick it up for a few pages and set it down but the lengthy prose style doesn't allow for tidbits. I was reading too many other books at the time and wanted a quick mindless read. However the characters, the interactions between them, and the resolution is rather poetic. If I were to sit down in one read with the story, I would probably like it more. As Lucy pointed out, it's written as a play ...more

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David rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769495)

10/07/07

Read in November, 2006

recommends it for: narcissists and confused child wunderkinds.

I've read this book, along with Cather in the Rye and Nine stories, at least twice. The greatest thing about this book is it's about two actor siblings. Of course it all takes place in the socio/political/historical 1950's America that most of Salinger's stories take place in. The story takes place in an extremely short amount of time - apart from the prologue that is Franny's portion of the story, which takes place over a single evening, the meat of the book takes place over one afternoon an...more

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Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769495)

12/20/07

bookshelves: released

Read in December, 2007

Franny and Zooey made the perfect follow up to Better Than Running at Night. Both books center around young women struggling through a personal crises in the freshman year at college. Franny struggles more than Ellie in melding her personal convictions with her experiences in college.

In "Franny" (published in the New Yorker in 1955), Franny, a member of the Glass family (a family I will revisit when I read and review Nine Stories next year), is introduced as a cheerful and enthusia...more

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Kyle rated it:

(review of isbn 0553203487)

07/20/08

Read in July, 2008

Haha. My review. Okay. I can't believe I just read this finally at 42. Actually my wife read it to me.

To me the joy of Salinger is in the details. It's practically like reading Proust in some ways. The action is incredibly slowed down by the dense narration of every infinitesimal second as it passes.

It seems quaint. The smoking, the telephones, the plots of Zooey's television scripts. The New York-ness when they don't even leave the apartment. Most of all the books. No those aren't qua...more

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Ernest rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

06/09/08

Having been so satified with that evergreen manifesto of teen angst "The Catcher in the Rye", why bother with anything else? I reasoned, more or less, for many years. I should have just stuck to that line of thinking.

Franny and Zooey consists of a set of 2 short stories, the very short, actually quite interesting "Franny" and the longer, plodding, unengaging "Zooey". The two title characters are part of the dysfunctional half-Jewish, have Irish Glass family o...more

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Alan rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

06/19/08

Read in November, 2007

recommends it for: Alooey would recommend this to Froanny!

While reading this, I realized i'd not finished it in high school. So damn brutally lovely. Despite that the characters collapse into each other. (Though his perfect details keep this at bay, unlike with, say, Ayn Rand.) Lovely, despite that what plot there is becomes a pulpit. Pulpit for the bitter, tender truth. So perfectly flawed. Like dostoyevsky, like Lady Chatterly's Lover. The flaws allow the voice to be so very direct, and so facilitate a more direct consumption of the the writing, a gr...more

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Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

08/16/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: pedestal tippers

Like Catcher in the Rye, an angst-y coming of age book. No one's called a phony, but the protagonist Franny is suffering a quasi-breakdown for thinking that the world is filled with them. Like a teenager, the book swings between fully-formed insights: "I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody. I'm sick of myself and everybody else that wants to make a splash," and egocentric whining: "Everything everybody does is so--I don't know--not wrong, or even mean, o...more

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Linda rated it:

(review of isbn 0316769029)

01/23/08

bookshelves: junioryearadvisoryreadingnovels

Read in December, 2007

This novel of J.D. Salinger is separated into two parts.The part part is Franny side of the story. Franny is an undergraduate in an unknown college, but she goes the to famous Harvard-Yale football game with her boyfriend, Lane. Franny thinks academic and education is futile and questions the importance of college education with her boyfriends. Franny falls under the pressure that mos