Anyone read "The Catcher in the Rye" ?

[kbullfrog]

I'm an old man now, but I remember reading "Catcher in the Rye" when I was seventeen, away from home for the first time and working at Hudson's Department Store in downtown Detroit. I had one room in a boarding-house not too far from Hudson's, I was laying on my bed reading and laughing out loud - the landlady heard me through the door, asked me what I was laughing about and, when I showed her the book, asked me to lend it to her when I finished. I did, and she loved it, too.

i really love this comment--it makes me remember why i love to read so much. i can almost always remember what was going on in my life when i read important books, especially if they were really long and epic, or just short and poignant like "catcher in the rye"...thanks ralphinlaos for sharing your story!

[farmgirlshelley]

I am embarrassed to say ... but I don't remember ever reading this story!

[et cetera]

I picked up my copy of this book a few weeks ago just to look for a nice quote and ended up rereading the whole thing. I love the way it is written. It is just so honest and genuine in its simplicity. I don't know how to describe it, but when I'm reading it, I feel like I really know or even AM Holden in some ways.

...And actually, I want to amend what I just wrote. It wasn't my copy of the book. It was really my brother's. He must have taken mine by accident and then lost it, which kind of irks me since mine had my favorite parts underlined with notes in the margin. Sigh. Oh well. Life goes on.

[ulostmeathello]

I just finished reading cather in the rye less than 10 min. ago. I was so eager to finish it i think I finished it in about 2 hours. Anyway im pretty excited to discuss it. Were all like holden in many ways. He's just more honest about it.One of my favorite parts had to be when he said "the movies can ruin a person" I absolutley loved that. And of course the ending when he's figuring out that you begin to miss everyone when you tell anyone anything. he was just so honest when he wrote the book, everything in it. Thats whats so admiring to me. anyways Im thinking about readi a clockwork orange next. What do you guys think?

[Chris OConnor]

ulostmeathello

I love your username.

[seespotrun2008]

I am embarrassed to say ... but I don't remember ever reading this story!

Don't be embarrassed farmgirlshelley, I have not read it either. There is so much to read and learn, you can't do it all. :laugh2: I am all for reading The Catcher in the Rye!

[realiz]

I know that I read this book, many years ago, maybe 30, but I can not remember the story at all. So, a re-read would be almost the same as a first read, except for those faint little echoes of familiarity.

[40 Helens]

I've often wondered if enjoying ordering a "Tom Collins in winter for Chrissakes", makes me a fan, or a just a phony.

By coincidence, I heard a debate on public radio a few days ago as to whether Catcher in the Rye should still be on the school curriculum in my province. I was starting to feel pretty old and sad thinking that one of my favorite books was no becoming no longer "relevant", as people called in to say how much they had hated being forced to read it in school.

I think the main theme is timeless, and the fact that the character was of a generation before my time, only enhanced the novel for me.

Helen

[Thrillwriter]

ulostmeathello,

I may have started out reading A Clockwork Orange because my friend told me how good it was. And then I continued to read it because it was engaging, disturbing, and thought provoking. Even though the book was written over 30 years ago, I believe it is still as powerful today as it was back then; perhaps even more so. Alex, the protagonist, is almost innocently committing violent crimes with his friends; for he isn't -trying- to be bad, he just is. He likes violence, and that's the way he is.


Catcher in the Rye

I am always encouraging people to read this book. It's one of the first novels that truly shocked me in the end. I first came to know this book in highschool, and it still sits on my shelf. I re-read it often, and it's never lost on me. There is a reason that it's a literary masterpiece, and one of the best books ever penned!
Di

[DWill]

Don't be embarrassed farmgirlshelley, I have not read it either. There is so much to read and learn, you can't do it all. :laugh2: I am all for reading The Catcher in the Rye!

This is a book I'm almost afraid to reread. It had such an impact when I was 16 or so. What if it doesn't hold up for me after so many years?