Lu
Administrator
Posts: 5,469
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Post by Lu on Jun 8, 2008 12:57:15 GMT -5
I agree too, I think it makes a difference, I liked The catcher in the Rye and I read it when I was 22.
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Post by Little Miss Sunshine on Jun 8, 2008 14:55:07 GMT -5
Interestingly enough, I've always thought the opposite because it's such a coming-of-age novel, but I could see how you might appreciate the book more if looking at adolescence in retrospect. One of my teachers in her mid-20s considers it her favourite book, so it'll be interesting to see how I view the book in a few years.
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katiaisme
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
Posts: 960
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Post by katiaisme on Jun 11, 2008 8:01:16 GMT -5
I really need to read this book.
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emu
First piece published in the school’s newspaper
Posts: 73
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Post by emu on Jun 16, 2008 2:06:28 GMT -5
Interested in whether people think you have to be American to truly appreciate this book. I thought it was okay but felt like I was missing something by not being American and/or the right generation for it. Have had this conversation with older Americans who love this book because it is so evocative for them.
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Isa
Administrator
Posts: 6,995
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Post by Isa on Jun 16, 2008 5:57:12 GMT -5
Good question, I hadn't thought about it... Catcher is one of my favorite novels so no, I don't think you have to be American to enjoy it, but I can see how it would add to the whole reading experience. For example, our school system here in Quebec is quite different from the one described in the novel, so clearly there are some aspects of the novel I couldn't exactly relate to, but that's not something that usually prevents me from enjoying a book...
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Halie
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
Posts: 982
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Post by Halie on Aug 2, 2008 22:31:05 GMT -5
I wonder if it makes a difference when you read Catcher during your teenage years and you already have to deal with teenage boys on a daily basis... I read it for the first time when I was a bit older (I think I was 19) so instead of being annoyed by Holden, I just thought it was a really great depiction of a teenage boy, you know what I mean? I think reading it while I was a teenager (which is now) might have made me appreciate it a little more, even. I wasn't annoyed by Holden, I could identify with him. When I read the Catcher in the Rye, I felt like someone had read my mind and written a book about what they saw inside my head. Obviously I'm not a boy who's been kicked out of boarding school, but I felt that if Holden wasn't me, he could be anybody. I think this is part of Catcher's appeal -- he could be your neighbor, or the slacker kid who sits next to you in Algebra, or you. It helps you feel a little less alone in the world. Also, I wasn't bothered by the language. I loved the fact that it was dated yet also completely modern.
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Post by neveralone on Aug 3, 2008 10:26:50 GMT -5
I had to read it last summer for school and I really liked it. It is one of my favorite books. I think it's cool how many high school students say it is stupid or they hate it but only the people who actually read in a certain way actually appreciate it. Many people told me To Kill a Mockingbird was stupid, one of the worst books that they ever had to read, but it is one of my favorites. You can tell a lot about a person by how they react to books they read. It made me mad that Holden had so much just given to him but he hated what he had, he wanted something different. He had some qualities about him that reminded me of Tristan from Gilmore Girls
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Post by Pilleriin on Aug 3, 2008 10:40:36 GMT -5
He had some qualities about him that reminded me of Tristan from Gilmore Girls ;D ;D Actually I pictured him looking like Chad Michael Murray,
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Isa
Administrator
Posts: 6,995
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Post by Isa on Aug 4, 2008 5:55:11 GMT -5
;D
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Post by xororygilmorexo on Aug 4, 2008 9:09:24 GMT -5
I had to read it for my freshman english class, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have but when I read it a couple months later, I absolutely loved it!
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Post by Pilleriin on Aug 4, 2008 13:27:10 GMT -5
I had to read it for my freshman english class, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have but when I read it a couple months later, I absolutely loved it! You had to read it when you were a freshman?? We have to read it in the 12 grade/ when we are seniors
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neh
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
"I live in two worlds; one is a world of books"
Posts: 943
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Post by neh on Jan 8, 2009 20:00:50 GMT -5
I thought i'd go through and find some of the books featured in The Book Club Bible and list some of the questions etc. cited for each work. Here goes!
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
*What is Holden's attitude to sex?
* Is Holden ever guilty of "phoniness" himself?
*How do Holden's attitudes towards adults and children differ?
*Do you think Holden has made a full recovery from his breakdown?
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cauthoncrazy
First short story featured in regional newspaper
I've got the dreamers disease.
Posts: 158
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Post by cauthoncrazy on Jan 21, 2009 16:32:12 GMT -5
Ahhh I gotta chime on this because I wrote an 11 page paper on Salinger my junior year of high school. While I enjoy Catcher in the Rye, I'll say this--I barely used it in my paper! Salinger's other works are just fantastic and I wish they were more widely read. Fanny and Zooey? Amazing book. Just amazing.
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Post by neveralone on Jan 21, 2009 16:42:15 GMT -5
Well I didn't enjoy Franny and Zooey as much. I went through it pretty quickly. Its one of those books I want to buy so I can spend some time picking it apart. I liked how the characters in Franny and Zooey seem like they could be best friends with Holden!
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