Okay. Here's the deal. I know that The Catcher in the Rye is considered to be great literature by the powers that be (whoever they are) and I really do think Salinger is a great, even brilliant writer (seriously, go read Nine Stories, or Franny and Zooey). However, this book left me feeling so . . . empty. And sure, I guess that's the point but, to be honest, I like books with heroes not antiheroes.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield tells, in painstaking and unreliable detail, the story of his expulsion from yet another prep school, and the subsequent few days. Salinger's stream of consciousness narrative puts several modern authors I can think of to shame, but . . . at the end of the day, I like books with at least one character that inspires me to be better.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield tells, in painstaking and unreliable detail, the story of his expulsion from yet another prep school, and the subsequent few days. Salinger's stream of consciousness narrative puts several modern authors I can think of to shame, but . . . at the end of the day, I like books with at least one character that inspires me to be better.
Although, in the interest of being completely honest, I think my perception of the book may have been colored by the "spoiler" my husband let slip. He told me that Holden shoots himself at the end (which is not true). Thus, the whole book felt rather depressing and pointless since I knew the main character was going to die.
1 comment:
Thats what you get for listening to someone who hasn't read the book and doesn't like to read.
Post a Comment