Positive and Negative Reviews of Catcher in the Rye

Terrible Reviews of Great Books: The Catcher in the Rye

by jenp27 on January 29, 2016

In that location is no such thing as a universally loved book. Each month, nosotros'll feature a volume fromFourth dimension'slisting of the best 100 English language language novels of all time. From the nasty to the snarky to the downright absurd, nosotros'll highlight some of the strange reasons why some people hate these great reads. This month we'll exist taking a look at reviews for The Catcher in the Rye past J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye was start published in 1951 and it is considered to exist a defining novel of teenage angst and alienation. Past 1981, it became the most taught volume in the The states (perThe Guardian). In addition to making Fourth dimension'south 100 listing, information technology also is on Boxell'due south 1001 Books you Must Read Earlier You Die. It has 4,419 reviews on Amazon with an boilerplate star rating of 4.0. Unlike our first 3 books, it broke double digits for negative reviews with 10% existence ane star. The higher percentage of negative reviews isn't surprising considering that Catcher has always been controversial. I personally loved it when I read information technology in school but allow's accept a look at a sampling of one star reviews (my comments in bluish):

Note: I did non edit for grammer or spelling. All reviews were copied exactly as posted on Amazon. You can read all 1-star reviews hither.

1. This book is pathetic. Many people chosen it a "classic." Information technology's the book that killed John Lennon. Oswald had a copy. So I idea "What the heck?" (I too pick my books based on what killers are reading).I then embarked on four hours of my life spent reading this consummate testacle sack of a book; 4 hours I will never get dorsum, I might add.
2. Please, delight, don't allow your kid or teenager read this volume. If you're the instructor who suggested our teenage daughter read this, while she was in high schoolhouse…shame on yous! No instructor should advise this book to a child!
3. I am very open minded when information technology comes to literature (I even read through Mein Kampf without any objection(really? no objection to Mein Kampf?) but I only hated this book! If it wasn't required reading, I would have stopped on the fourth page! I think Salinger could have washed much better (like Hitler)!
4.  People tell me that maybe I don't identify with the character, can't recognize his struggles or what he is going through. I think part of the reason I didn't similar this book is because I can identify with all of those things and can see Holdens' point of view meliorate than he tin can. All of these adults who say that this is such a great book probably do and then because they accept forgotten what teen-angst feels like, or never fifty-fifty felt it in the kickoff place and want to pretend they have. I take never met a teenager that has liked this book. The teachers, adults, and librarians will rave on and on about information technology, but only because they have forgotten a role of themselves in adulthood. By the way if you liked this volume, or didn't, but took the fourth dimension to read it, something tells me that you lot will love Joseph Heller's, CATCH-22.I did dearest Catch-22
5. I'm not the kind of person who reads a lot of books and this book is a reason why. First the story is non interesting and also the way it'south told is very stupid.
6. If you lot've enjoyed John Greenish novels this doesn't compare, don't trust the reviews even this 1, make upwards your ain listen, merely don't read information technology if you're looking to experience practiced or really enjoyed John Green. I found this book highly over rated and do non sympathize the fuss that it created and I read information technology Before John Green.I wonder if this person likes John Green?
7.  I didn't like it because the manner Salinger used began to piece of work on my fretfulness after a while. The language Holden uses is recognizabel from Telly and rap music because he swears a lot. In the beginning this was quite amuzing but it irritated me in the terminate.Salinger totally ripped off the top rappers of 1951.
8. I recall naught of my youth that even resembled this. Nor anyone I knew resembled this. To me, this book is pretty much some 60 year quondam lady's view of what she'd have thougth a teenage boy's life was similar. Anyway, what a waste of my time forcing this down much like having to eat brussel sprouts as a child (as a matter of fact that's closer to virtually kid'south youth than this book).
9. Terrible Terrible book. Whatsoever criteria that dictates this book as a "archetype" and a work of fiction was obviously invented by someone on a daily dose of LSD. Then it's non-fiction?
10. In a word, this book is pointless (or 4 words). I may seem similar a mindless critic that hates everything, but i rarely dislike a book. I volition requite it 1 thing…it interested me, and kept me reading, merely it never really got anywhere. The catcher in the rye taught me one thing: if you put seventeen cuss words on one page, your novel can exist "a supreme masterpiece" also!
11. I read it during a three-week exercise in the Arizona dessert during my tour of service in the Marine Corps. Being that I was in the dessert my options were a) continue reading this book or b) play with dirt. 13 pages from the end I chose option b. And I am not a clay enthusiast. To the author's credit I've never loathed a written word or envied the illiterate as much as I did when I read this book. Perchance that's worth something. Merely not to me.
12. One reason I hated information technology was because nosotros were forced to read this by our evil instructor. I would never read such crap, if I hadn't to.
13. I know this was controversial in its time, merely I dont recall anyone idea information technology was especially destructive or thought provoking. I think they merely had something confronting crumby fiction with excessive and meaningless profanity. If Santa leaves this lump of coal for yous, shoot that fat bastard!
14. Quaternary grade grammar lesson follows:
    Slainger writes, "Ackley was i of those crazy guys that ignored you." Wrong! "Ackley was one of those crazy guys WHO ignored you." Earlier IM acronyms and text messaging set out youth down the path of poor writing, there was Catcher In the Rye doing the same matter. It's equally creative every bit a bag of cat litter. The perils of teenage protagonists writing in get-go person.
15. I'g a book critic, and this was the worst book I've ever read, and I'k a book junkie. What's with the double negatives? The plot lacked an awful lot. The whole book was a waste of my time and coin. I wish someone had warned me well-nigh it before I purchased information technology. My one-time journals brand better reading than this novel, and that's not maxim much. If you hear me, skip this i! SNOOZE!Note to cocky: Some other book critic whose brilliantly insightful reviews I must follow. Michiko Kakutani has nothing on this person.

Take you read The Catcher in the Rye? Was it a 1-star read for you?

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Source: https://thereadersroom.org/2016/01/29/terrible-reviews-of-great-books-the-catcher-in-the-rye/

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