Sunday, February 06, 2011

The Catcher in the Rye


Well, I know where the title comes from now but that's about all I can say about this book. I don't know what it's about. No, that's not strictly true; I know what happened in it but can't help thinking I must be missing a deeper point.

Oh, and the nights described in the story are incredibly long - or appear to go on for ever. I found I couldn't grasp the time and distance elements of the story and that made it harder.

It's often called a classic, and reading some of the reviews on the Amazon website now makes me think I've definitely missed something. I kept waiting for something to happen - and it did in that he got ill - but it didn't look as if his underlying sickness had been identified.

Or maybe it's simply teenage angst.

5 comments:

mrsnesbitt said...

I read this when I was a student - a trendy read at the time.

Liz Hinds said...

I remember it being recommended when I was in school. I think it is a cult classic.

CherryPie said...

It is not one I have ever read. After your thoughts on it, I don't think I will bother.

Liz Hinds said...

It's readable, cherrypie, but I did keep waiting for something to happen.

Furtheron said...

It is like that with some "classics" - now To Kill A Mockingbird that is a great book....

Some films I don't get ... Kill Bill - why does that get 5 star reviews... beyond me