Let me start off by saying that I love books about troubled people, especially if they feel like they are written by the main character and have a dis...moreLet me start off by saying that I love books about troubled people, especially if they feel like they are written by the main character and have a distinct voice. I love them.
BUT:
I decided to read The Catcher in the Rye because it seems to be one of those “essential” reads, and about 13% through I realized why it is essential. People either love this book or despise it, which I think is the reason it’s so important. Holden is either relatable or he isn’t, and I cannot relate to him whatsoever.
The thing is, I probably would have loved this book if I would have read it when I was thirteen, still painting my eyelids red and putting the letter “x” on either side of every username, but right now, at the tail end of age twenty, I absolutely could not stand it. Even the rebellious thirteen-year-old in me wanted to smack the hell out of Holden. In my opinion, he wasn't even a well-rounded character, because he had absolutely zero likable characteristics and that makes for a very flat characterization.
I asked my boyfriend a little ways into the novel if Holden ever shoots somebody or something interesting like that happens because I found myself completely bored with the monotony of his vapid existence. I’m fine with annoying characters like him if they have some sort of eye-opening experience or at least one likable quality, but he lacks any of that. There weren't even secondary characters that were at least mildly interesting.
Needless to say, I’m going to spend my time reading about worthwhile protagonists (who do not have catchphrases that make me want to knock them out) rather than repetitive, annoying, pointless, unchanging ones like Holden Caulfield.
I was immediately taken with this book. I can't believe I didn't read it sooner. Honestly, just a few pages in and I was hooked.
I love the writing st...moreI was immediately taken with this book. I can't believe I didn't read it sooner. Honestly, just a few pages in and I was hooked.
I love the writing style. It's fairly informal (but not in a way that takes away from it) and at times reads like a children's book (particularly when Bilbo encounters Gollum). I loved it. Perfect book. I'll probably read it a hundred more times and have been bugging everyone else to read it, too!(less)
I finally got around to finishing this... and I love it. I have to force myself to break from the series because I'm so "distressed" by it. It was sup...moreI finally got around to finishing this... and I love it. I have to force myself to break from the series because I'm so "distressed" by it. It was super good! Predictable at times, at least for me (but I often guess things that happen in books/tv/movies, so that could just be a thing I will have to learn to live with), but it was definitely a page-turner. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. I was a third of the way through yesterday morning and despite having classes and all kinds of stuff to get in the way of reading, I finished the book in the free time I had. (Plus, it was the first book read on my new kindle, which, to be honest, is really awesome, no matter how much I HATED the idea of it before).
The last chapter annoyed me quite a bit, but I suppose that was the author's form of a sort of cliffhanger. I have the other two books but I'm going to wait on them because I want to see the movie before I start them and still have the first in my head. Anyway, I'd recommend it! It's hard to review this without spoilers so I'll just leave it at that. Fantastic!(less)
I first read this book in eighth grade (which, scarily, was seven years ago) and was obsessed. Even now, seven years later, I...moreContains minor spoilers.
I first read this book in eighth grade (which, scarily, was seven years ago) and was obsessed. Even now, seven years later, I can still relate to her. The things that most people complain about in Cyd are the things that make her a rounded out character. She jumps off the page. She's ridiculously relatable because she's very far from perfect.
Rereading this book was such a nostalgia trip. The writing style is perfect: Rachel Cohn just lets Cyd write the story. Plus, all the references Cohn sticks in are awesome (like naming Cyd's parents "Sid and Nancy"). The way Cyd expresses herself is hilarious, and the people in her life are amazing. From her surf-punk-dude boyfriend Shrimp to her gay stepbrother Danny to her old lady BFF Sugar Pie, Cyd's world is filled with interesting people who speak volumes about her personality and the type of person she is.
Anywho, I'll probably revisit this book a lot since it made such an impact on me as an adolescent. Still one of my favorites.(less)
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