The Catcher in the Rye: A Reader's Guide to the J.D. Salinger Novel

I purchased this book in hopes of understanding the symbolism and nuances of the story that had escaped me. I found that it was nothing more than a summary of the story. It was a waste of my money.

I first read this book sixty years ago and my recent reaction was completely different. As a teenager I was shocked by the language and that was about all that I remembered. I also missed the fact that he was in a mental institution talking to a psychoanalyst. In short, I didn't get it at all. This time I loved ol' Caulfield. Apart from being mixed up and needing to get his act together, he's the neatest kid in the world. Watch the news on TV a while. Everyone IS a moron. And when is the last time any of us has had an interesting face to face conversation? I was stunned at how contemporary this book seems and (for good or for ill) how engagingly authentic the teenage voice sounds. If you are like me and read this book ages ago, read it again and see if your reaction is different now.

This is a helpful summary and deconstruction of the classic coming of age novel by J.D. Salinger for those of us who read the novel many years ago and don't care to reread it in its entirety.

My daughter school has them use the Reader Guides or spark notes to help find the symbolism in a book they have read. This guide book was lacking compare to the others we have used. It was far from a comprehensive resources. I will be sticking to purchasing the Sparks, Cliff or just using the internet. If you have someone in advanced classes English class this is not the guide for them.

I know this is a book on many teenage reading lists, but I do not find it amusing. The subject matter of a nervous breakdown in a high school student is heartbreaking.

Good review and overview of each chapter.

First time reviewing something like this. I liked this book it touches my heart on how teenagers are still somewhat nice and not evil...

No it was a good call this book is just a non-sensical adolescent boy who should have gone to the military and quit his sniffling attitude of blaming others for his happiness. Typical NY privileged kid who never had to work for his clothes or highschool anything. Stupid don't bother reading this supercilious nonsense.

It reads like a half finished disertation by an intelligent undergraduate who'll get a good grade when it's finished.However that's not what I wanted. I expected something more detailed and more professionally writtenI won't ask for a kindle refund but glad I didn't pay over double the price for the hard copy version.

It is ideally suited to someone coming to Salinger for the first time. It is an excellent aid to understanding the novel, and immensely helpful in guiding students to critical essay writing .It is as the title says - a reader' guide.

A good read that gives the more mature reader a better prospect of context with regard to the lead character being only 16.

This is not the novel but a book about the novel. I was very disapointed as I bought it for my son and will go unread. Maybe the cover art should look less like it's the actual novel. I wonder how many other people have made the same mistake.

Brilliant