Finished reading it today. It was the second time I read it. Not counting the time when I had to do read it years ago when I was still at school - basically, because I didn't.

Just a mention of a terrific book.

What makes you think I want to hear about it?

[djskrimp]

Finished reading it today. It was the second time I read it. Not counting the time when I had to do read it years ago when I was still at school - basically, because I didn't.

Just a mention of a terrific book.

Chris, the title of your thread is "If you really want to hear about it"

What I don't SEE is what you think about it. Sooo...what say you?

Actually, the title of the thread is taken from the book itself - these are the words it starts with. Just meant as a nice quote for someone familiar with the book, but I can understand that it irritates you. What? Yes - if it was marked as a quotation, there wouldn't have been such irritations about it, right

Stoney, what I think about the book was summarized by just calling it terrific. Not the best way to start an in-depth conversation about it, I know. I was going to write more about how I felt about it, but then dropped it. Just wanted to mention it here in the first place and see what other members of these forums think about it and recommend it to those who haven't read it. I wrote this just a few hours after finishing it, and I was still... completely under its influence, kinda lost in the mood it created for me. One could argue that this is exactly the state of mind I should be in when commenting on it - whereas I just wanted to give it an honorable mention, but keep my emotions for myself for some time.

Anyway, what I'd like to say now: Just because it is written from the point of view of an adolescent doesn't mean you can't relate to the book when you're older. And that's what still occupies me - I was 19 or 20 when I really read it for the first time (after having discussed it in school and avoided reading it as I did with most books I got handed at school), and although it was a good experience discovering all its topics for myself, I related to them much more reading it now at the age of 24. It contains so much truth about life (or of what I feel life is, but then this is such a personal topic), I was overwhelmed by it. I felt melancholic, yet determined about certain things after finishing the book. What an impact it had on me...

Oh. Did I just answer your question? There you go

[djskrimp]

I'm not irritated, Chris, I just wanted your opinion first. Sorry if I came off that way.

Also, had you done like you'd mentioned and had the title in quotes, I would have understood better your intentions.

I read the book when I was 17, the first time. It was for school, just like you. I was bothered by the boy who didn't seem to care about anything. What I didn't understand was that he cared too much, and how it knocked his personality about.

I reread is a few years ago, and the experiences of my life lent themselves in the text, making it easier to understand where Holden was coming from. And, well, the point of the story.

I've read many of your posts, Chris...trust me, you don't strike me as someone who would irritate me.

No need to say sorry! I think it was basically a misunderstanding based on my use of the word "irritate" - I didn't want to say that you came off annoyed, I used it in the sense of "confused"

Me sorry if mine English not rocks hairy anus like it should!

Back on topic, interesting to see how you changed your mind about the book. As far as I'm concerned, I think I was neither bothered nor enlightened by it (although I finally even wrote my damn Abitur-Klausur in English about it) when discussing it in school. I found some of its aspects interesting and really well done, but it just didn't click with me the way it did now. And, again, I never really read it as a whole when I was still in school.

Btw, I gave wikipedia a shot. Lots of interesting facts about J.D. Salinger and The Catcher In The Rye for anyone who cares.

I read somewhere that the anti-hero of this book, Holden, has become an icon for the emo movement....bitter, resentful etc.

I read the book a few years back and it didn't really do it for me. oh well.

It's one of my all time favorite books. It's one of the few where I actually find the symbology to be really clever and interesting. I can chat with people about this book, and learn some new hidden meaning every time.

It's one of the few where I actually find the symbology to be really clever and interesting. I can chat with people about this book, and learn some new hidden meaning every time.

Abso-freakin'-lutely. That's one aspect for which I definitely admire the book: It contains quite some symbolic, metaphorical elements which don't "hit you in the face" immediately - and since it seems so subtle, the story combines those two quite conflictive aspects, the symbology on the one and Holden's normally "not so lyrical" way of speaking on the other hand, very very well.

Your cover has a spelling error. The title of the book is "Catch Her in the Rye". Funny thing is, I only found that out by playing Postal 2. And they say games are not educational, pffft.

[djskrimp]

Your cover has a spelling error. The title of the book is "Catch Her in the Rye". Funny thing is, I only found that out by playing Postal 2. And they say games are not educational, pffft.

Sings: Who can take a thread, and turn it on it's head? The Goat can, the Goat can.
Who can turn a frown, and flip upside down? The Goat can, the Goat can...