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J. D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye (Paperback, 2001, Little, Brown) 3 stars

Holden Caulfield, knowing he is to be expelled from school, decides to leave early. He …

Review of 'The Catcher in the Rye' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars


The question about giving out your opinion about The Catcher In The Rye is that you feel like everything that you have to say has already been said by everyone else.
But the truth is that human experience (like opinions) are most of the times different inspite of similar. And that's what I believe is the biggest trumph of this book.
I must confess: I was hatting it in the first pages. It was looking like a pointless and superficial narration. I won't say it isn't. But I continued and started to believe there was more to it. Holden's complex personality reflecting the fight he was enduring with his growth and the contradictions he was becoming aware of generated not only some empathy with me as some feeling of needing to observe him. Because the representation of this human experience was quite well done in a perspetive of one person only and what she thinks. It kept me almost wanting to talk to Holden and ask him a few questions. Or not... Because he was dealing with the world and everyone that passed by this would understand. Its not that I am moved. I am delighted with the painting of a personality through his eyes. And I am other eyes standing outside and judjing or being benevolent. I almost passively watch this story.
I think that what made me feel 'sort of depressed' about it in the end was the ending itself. I don't know what to feel abou it. Was it to logical, inevitable, bad, ok, realist, far-fetched,...? I can't decide. But it didn't felt right.