# Have you read The Catcher and the Rye?



## Nighty (Apr 1, 2011)

Has anyone read this book before by J.D Salinger? I have read it but, this book seems to brought me so much emotions from it  Its a very very old book and i believe the person that created died in 2010. This book was truly amazing. I sometimes wonder if the Character Holden Califield was J.D.Salinger. :idea


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## StevenGlansberg (Apr 1, 2009)

I remember reading it in high school and loving it because I related to it so much. Need to read it again though because I don't rally remember it at all.


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## .95596 (Aug 24, 2012)

It is one of my favourite novels because I could relate to how Holden felt throughout the book and could see from his viewpoint about how terrible society is. It is a depressing novel, but it does strike a chord on so many levels for me. He was one of the first protagonists that I could relate to and understand fully as myself.


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## rdrr (Dec 31, 2008)

The Catcher In the Rye?


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## Dissonance (Dec 27, 2011)

The Pitcher in the Snow is better.


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## Remnant of Dawn (Feb 22, 2012)

It's funny, because my opinions are so radically different from those of everyone here. I just didn't get the appeal of the book (read it two years ago, so I don't recall exactly). I remember being irritated that the story had absolutely nothing in the way of an actual plot, and just had a kid running around on random exploits and complaining alot.

Just my opinion, I'm sure there's merit to the book because it's famous and all, I just couldn't see it.


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## Dissonance (Dec 27, 2011)

Honestly I felt like the majority of the book that Holden was severely mentally challenged.


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## catcharay (Sep 15, 2011)

Remnant of Dawn said:


> It's funny, because my opinions are so radically different from those of everyone here. I just didn't get the appeal of the book (read it two years ago, so I don't recall exactly). I remember being irritated that the story had absolutely nothing in the way of an actual plot, and just had a kid running around on random exploits and complaining alot.
> 
> Just my opinion, I'm sure there's merit to the book because it's famous and all, I just couldn't see it.


That's my feelings about this book too. Without a plot, I'm just not drawn to the story. The merit was the writing style and perspective it offers on teenage youth in the rebellion stage of life.

But yeah, Holden's random exploits and commentary on the people and experiences in his life wasn't so riveting to me too.


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## lyssado707 (Oct 29, 2004)

Yea that was one of those "required" books for HS. I don't even remember it in the slightest lol I think I was too immature back then to fully appreciate what most of these "required" books were about. To Kill a Mockingbird, on the other hand, I loved. Awesome story.


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## avoidobot3000 (Aug 22, 2010)




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## Cronos (Mar 31, 2013)

Remnant of Dawn said:


> It's funny, because my opinions are so radically different from those of everyone here. I just didn't get the appeal of the book (read it two years ago, so I don't recall exactly). I remember being irritated that the story had absolutely nothing in the way of an actual plot, and just had a kid running around on random exploits and complaining alot.
> 
> Just my opinion, I'm sure there's merit to the book because it's famous and all, I just couldn't see it.


Pretty much this.


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## whattothink (Jun 2, 2005)

I tried reading it but put it down because it was boring. After reading the replies in this thread I probably won't waste my time finishing it.


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## starburst (Feb 5, 2013)

Nighty said:


> Has anyone read this book before by J.D Salinger? I have read it but, this book seems to brought me so much emotions from it  Its a very very old book and i believe the person that created died in 2010. This book was truly amazing. I sometimes wonder if the Character Holden Califield was J.D.Salinger. :idea


Yeah its a good book - its about a dysfunctional young guy heading for a breakdown, trying to make sense of life, but struggling. One of the most poignant scenes I remember is when he goes to see Mr Antolini his former English teacher, who has some very interesting things to say, and gives him some good advice, but he is dismayed to wake up after a night's drinking and discussion, to find Mr Antolini patting his head, and takes this to be 'indecent' in some way.

I also read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - a similar novel in some ways, about a young woman in NYC gradually heading for a breakdown.

The hardest hitting such novel I have read though is 'Whatever' by Michel Houellebecq, here the main character is a computer programmer in Paris who is heading for meltdown - very sad read indeed, though it is thought-provoking.

The title "Catcher In The Rye" derives from the title of the Robert Burns poem "Comin' Thro' the Rye".


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## march_hare (Jan 18, 2006)

I liked The Catcher in the Rye... but I LOVED his collection of short stores - To Esme with Love and Squalor.


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## Mani14 (Oct 23, 2012)

I had to read this in high school, it was one of the few books they made us read that I actually enjoyed.


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## starburst (Feb 5, 2013)

Dissonance said:


> Honestly I felt like the majority of the book that Holden was severely mentally challenged.


That is precisely the whole point of the novel !


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## Nighty (Apr 1, 2011)

haha, Everyones mental to some certain degree.


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## Nighty (Apr 1, 2011)

I was also stunned that the book had a F word in it.


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## Charmander (Sep 5, 2012)

Yeah my dad lent it to me a few years ago. It was okay.


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## hateze (Oct 7, 2014)

*Audio version of this book*

Hey Guys,
I can not find any info about the audio format of this book.
Do you know some source/info about The Catcher in the Rye audiobook?


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## starburst (Feb 5, 2013)

hateze said:


> Hey Guys,
> I can not find any info about the audio format of this book.
> Do you know some source/info about The Catcher in the Rye audiobook?


Seems difficult to find, eg no longer in stock on Amazon, you might get it second hand somewhere. You can also get the audio book below, it comes in 5 mp3 files, read by Ray Hagan, 1999.

The book starts about 3:42 in first file 01.mp3, after the introductory material.

First sentence starts "If you really want to hear about it ..."

http://www.svb-design.com/stuff/rye/01.mp3
http://www.svb-design.com/stuff/rye/02.mp3
http://www.svb-design.com/stuff/rye/03.mp3
http://www.svb-design.com/stuff/rye/04.mp3
http://www.svb-design.com/stuff/rye/05.mp3


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## Uncooperative (Oct 7, 2014)

No. Though we read some chapters from it at school. Didn't like it, seemed overly dramatic.


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## hateze (Oct 7, 2014)

Thanks starburst!
But I would like to buy an original copy. I find this Catcher in the Rye audiobook site maybe they can help me.



starburst said:


> Seems difficult to find, eg no longer in stock on Amazon, you might get it second hand somewhere. You can also get the audio book below, it comes in 5 mp3 files, read by Ray Hagan, 1999.
> 
> The book starts about 3:42 in first file 01.mp3, after the introductory material.
> 
> ...


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## starburst (Feb 5, 2013)

hateze said:


> Thanks starburst!
> But I would like to buy an original copy. I find this Catcher in the Rye audiobook site maybe they can help me.


I had a search and couldn't find any sites selling the Audio Book - the site you quote suggests downloading the audio book from an 'audio library' of some kind. Not sure what they mean, but you can get it as a torrent (eg from TPB) - and the links I gave above seem to be a perfectly kosher copy of the book, read by Ray Hagan and with a Library of Congress introductory passage. BitTorrent can be helpful in obtaining digital material that can no longer be purchased.


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