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The Catcher in the Rye Mass Market Paperback – May 1, 1991

by J.D. Salinger (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 40,833 ratings
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The "brilliant, funny, meaningful novel" (The New Yorker) that established J. D. Salinger as a leading voice in American literature--and that has instilled in millions of readers around the world a lifelong love of books.




"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."




The hero-narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caufield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days.
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  1. Reading age
    15+ years, from customers
  2. Print length
    240 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Lexile measure
    790L
  5. Dimensions
    4.75 x 0.8 x 6.7 inches
  6. Publisher
    Little, Brown and Company
  7. Publication date
    May 1, 1991
  8. ISBN-10
    7543321726
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0316769488
  10. See all details
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  1. Almost every time somebody gives me a present, it ends up making me sad.
    Highlighted by 2,102 Kindle readers
  2. “Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.”
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  3. Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In Mr. Salinger we have a fresh voice. One can actually hear it speaking, and what is has to say is uncannily true, perceptive, and compassionate."―Clifton Fadiman, Book-of-the-Month Club News

"We read The Catcher in the Rye and feel like the book understands us in deep and improbable ways."―John Green

"A contemporary master--a genius...Here was a man who used language as if it were pure energy beautifully controlled, and who knew exactly what he was doing in every silence as well as in every word."―Richard Yates, New York Times Book Review

"Salinger's work meant a lot to me when I was a young person and his writing still sings now."―Dave Eggers

About the Author

J. D. Salinger was born in New York City on January 1, 1919, and died in Cornish, New Hampshire, on January 27, 2010. His stories appeared in many magazines, most notably The New Yorker. Between 1951 and 1963 he produced four book-length works of fiction: The Catcher in the Rye; Nine Stories; Franny and Zooey; and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour--An Introduction. The books have been embraced and celebrated throughout the world and have been credited with instilling in many a lifelong love of reading.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0316769487
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company (May 1, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 7543321726
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316769488
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 15+ years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 790L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.75 x 0.8 x 6.7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 40,833 ratings

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J. D. Salinger

J. D. Salinger

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Born in New York in 1919, Jerome David Salinger dropped out of several schools before enrolling in a writing class at Columbia University, publishing his first piece ("The Young Folks") in Story magazine. Soon after, the New Yorker picked up the heralded "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," and more pieces followed, including "Slight Rebellion off Madison" in 1941, an early Holden Caulfield story. Following a stint in Europe for World War II, Salinger returned to New York and began work on his signature novel, 1951's "The Catcher in the Rye," an immediate bestseller for its iconoclastic hero and forthright use of profanity. Following this success, Salinger retreated to his Cornish, New Hampshire, home where he grew increasingly private, eventually erecting a wall around his property and publishing just three more books: "Nine Stories," "Franny and Zooey," "Raise High the Roof Beam, and Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction." Salinger was married twice and had two children. He died of natural causes on January 27, 2010, in New Hampshire at the age of 91.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
40,833 global ratings
Baller 🤨
5 Stars
Baller 🤨
About my only favorite book...the only book that'll ever make me cry and the only book where I feel connected to the main character in some way.It's a good read and doesn't really deserve the amount of criticism it gets..sure it's provocative to people who don't really understand it, but personally, it's just a book about a 16 boy who is struggling to grieve properly and doesn't want to let go of the innocence of childhood and lose the innocent image of the ones he seems "close to him", struggles to overcome depression, and has a hard time trying to grasp the concept of adulthood, only assuming it's filled with perversion and phoniness.It's just about the struggle of coming to terms with life through the eyes of a 16 year old boy who has lost so much in such a short span of time and not knowing what to do about it because he feels he has no real connection with adults and the outside world so he has to face it all on his own.
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Top reviews from the United States

Anon
5.0 out of 5 stars The broken prism that is me
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
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This book was with me through some dark times. I'm obviously biased and enjoy it a lot. It has this weary sad-magic feel to it that I can empathize with. Those days where nothing really makes you feel satisfied but you're too restless to just take a knee and run out the clock for the day.
I've seen this point raised before and it's very apt in that I find myself feeling differently about Holden Caulfield the older I get, but still empathizing with him. He was super relatable when I first read it, and now he just seems stuffy and stressful. Not that I blame him, people wear me out too. He's still a kid in this, so the character flaws are welcome, especially with the lack of self awareness. If you tell me you had keen self awareness in your youth, I'd call you a liar. Or at least question you a lot on it.
It's a great read. I could see someone feeling it's very boring if they're reading it merely because it's a "classic", but if you're young, alienated, overstressed and underachieving, you may just enjoy what it has to say. Just be careful not to fall too deep into it. Don't forget, Holden is meant to be flawed.
As for me, I'm sure the feeling and the meaning will be different the next time I decide to read through it. It's been years. Holden Caulfield as seen through the broken prism of my head is never consistent.
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Greg loves the Classics
5.0 out of 5 stars Re-read after 50 years!
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
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This book had such an impact on me when I first read it at 15+/-. Now at 65 I still remember certain passages, it must have made quite an impression. Great book.
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Howabout1337
4.0 out of 5 stars My Review
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2023
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J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye' is a timeless classic that takes readers on a poignant journey into the mind of its young protagonist, Holden Caulfield. The novel presents a raw and introspective narrative, centered around the disillusioned yet perceptive sixteen-year-old navigating the complexities of life in New York City.

Salinger's masterful storytelling unfolds as Holden Caulfield embarks on a three-day odyssey after leaving his prep school, delving into the heart of New York City. The novel artfully weaves the voices of children, adults, and the underground society, but it is Holden's voice that resonates the loudest. His eloquence, a blend of simplicity and complexity, offers a deeply personal insight into his world.

Holden Caulfield emerges as a character both relatable and enigmatic, his yearning for authenticity and genuine human connection palpable throughout the narrative. Salinger beautifully captures the tumultuous emotions and inner turmoil of adolescence, making the character and his experiences incredibly genuine and evocative.

The novel's brilliance lies in Salinger's ability to transcend vernacular while maintaining an authentic portrayal of Holden's unique voice. The contrast between Holden's attraction to beauty and his internal pain creates a compelling duality that resonates with readers. Holden's self-imposed isolation and his struggle to grapple with life's complexities evoke both empathy and admiration for his resilience.

'The Catcher in the Rye' is a testament to the human experience, exploring themes of identity, alienation, and the search for meaning. Salinger skillfully delves into the complexities of the human psyche, capturing the bittersweet essence of adolescence and the struggle to preserve innocence in a world filled with hypocrisy and disillusionment.

This novel is not just a story; it's an exploration of the human condition, an invitation to reflect on the universal themes of pain, pleasure, and the human quest for authenticity. Holden Caulfield's journey is a mirror reflecting the turbulence and genuine emotions that shape the adolescent experience.

While some readers may find the themes and Holden's perspective challenging, 'The Catcher in the Rye' remains an enduring classic that continues to captivate audiences with its richly textured narrative and its unflinching portrayal of youth and society.

I rate 'The Catcher in the Rye' with four stars for its timeless relevance, evocative storytelling, and its enduring ability to connect with readers across generations, inviting them to ponder the complexities of the human condition.
11 people found this helpful
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Gustavo M. Hobold
5.0 out of 5 stars If a body catch a body coming through the rye
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2011
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"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff (...)"

J. D. Salinger is an American novelist and best known for this very book, The Catcher in the Rye, which is considered a classic of USA's literature, being in Times list of 100 best books since 1923.

This book tells a rather uninteresting story of this sixteen-year-old character Holden Caulfield and his wanders through New York for a couple days, after his expulsion from his boarding school, exposing the real face of teenager's life, in which the main character is also the narrator. What is perhaps more interesting is that he has such a depressed and lonely way of life that it is almost impossible not to have anything in common with this global character, who is supposed to represent the transition from childhood to adult life.

When I started reading this book, I found out that I was addicted to it, even though it had no plot at all. It really doesn't, it's just a dude telling about his life. But it is Holden who you are actually reading. I have never read, in my whole life, such a descriptive and well-developed character. You actually feel that you are reading a teenager's book who has failed in about four schools, not an intellectual like J. D. Salinger. That's probably why the book is so addictive: it's a clean and straightforward writing, which makes it feel real, a very real account. I do have a lot against writers and philosophers who are claimed to be wonderful and swell, but they can't write clearly such as Salinger does. This book may be read by anyone - in fact, it is aimed to teenagers and I do recommend them to read - and anyone who reads this book will understand what it is talking about. Some of them may not like, but they will surely get the least of it.

Holden Caulfield is this teenager that wanders around New York and lives a very teenager life - don't forget this book was written in the 50's - and finds himself in the transition from child to adulthood; facing problems like an adult - and that's probably why Salinger set him alone in NY - but still with a mind of a kid. While he tries to evolve, starts to find out that everybody looks fake and lousy, but he turns out to be a complete hypocrite, which is probably the main purpose of the book.

The title deserves five stars just for itself. Although you read the book until about the middle without getting where the author is trying to get you to, when Holden hears a little boy singing this song about a catcher in the rye - which he actually misspelled -, everything starts making sense. Holden flies through the book trying to find a shoulder to lean on, someone that will hold him while he's passing through his puberty, sexual life and depressing times of adolescence; and that's what he searches, even unaware of what's actually happening.

While he's not getting anything that's valuable from his current relationships - which are represented by his Pencey school and his friends in there -, he goes way back to the innocence of childhood and brings back his old memories and relationships in attempt to survive the hard times that is entering the adulthood. But when he actually gets to those memories, he is not a kid anymore and his mind has changed. In this quest of finding "a catcher in the rye", Holden even unburies his dead brother Allie and contacts people who are still in their innocent times - such as his sister - and people who are really in the adulthood, like his old teachers.

This transition is easily seen in every sense. From trying to drink being a minor to a massive change of his views on the world, contrasted by what he remembered things to be and what they really are right now. I highly recommend this book to anyone. This is surely one of the best - if not the best - novels I have ever read in my entire life. Although aimed to teenagers, this story is surely universal.

100/100
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ali stransky
5.0 out of 5 stars zabidizooie
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024
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It was the best thing ever
Great job guys
Amazing project
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The project is really interesting and interesting and interesting project with great potential and a strong project
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Sudarshan Kumar
5.0 out of 5 stars 'The Catcher in the Rye' hardcover edition redefines the reading experience.
Reviewed in India on March 31, 2024
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"The Catcher in the Rye" hardcover edition impresses with its high-quality paper, enhancing the reading experience. The thick, creamy pages provide a luxurious feel, while the durable hardcover binding ensures longevity. This attention to detail elevates the classic novel, appealing to book enthusiasts who appreciate both the content and the physicality of their literary collections.
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valle
5.0 out of 5 stars The Catcher in the Rye
Reviewed in Sweden on February 27, 2024
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It's as advertised. I have also attached pictures of how the book looks without the cover for those interested.
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valle
5.0 out of 5 stars The Catcher in the Rye
Reviewed in Sweden on February 27, 2024
It's as advertised. I have also attached pictures of how the book looks without the cover for those interested.
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Amazonien
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Reviewed in France on May 4, 2024
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sujet de thèse
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Abraham
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy interesante
Reviewed in Spain on August 27, 2023
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Lo recomiendo
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Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Genial!
Reviewed in Brazil on March 6, 2021
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Holden Caulfield é um menino de 16 anos em um colégio interno na Pensilvânia. Quando ele é expulso, decide fugir do colégio uma semana antes do semestre acabar, e pega uma viagem de trem até Nova York, onde ele mora, mas não volta para casa; com medo da bronca dos pais, ele decide passar a semana perambulando pelas ruas da cidade, até que a escola mandaria uma carta de expulsão e os pais descobririam de uma forma ou de outra.

Livro incrível! É super fácil de ler, com uma liguagem bem simples, por ser narrado pelo próprio Holden, um adolescente muito espertinho e sarcástico com um dom perfeito para se meter em problema! O livro me cativou tanto que, às vezes, até pareceu que era uma carta escrita do Holden para mim! kkkk

Quanto a qualidade do produto em si, chegou tudo certinho. Ele é muito parecido com a maioria dos livros de bolso que eu já tive; simples, de papel jornal, e sem orelhas.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Genial!
Reviewed in Brazil on March 6, 2021
Holden Caulfield é um menino de 16 anos em um colégio interno na Pensilvânia. Quando ele é expulso, decide fugir do colégio uma semana antes do semestre acabar, e pega uma viagem de trem até Nova York, onde ele mora, mas não volta para casa; com medo da bronca dos pais, ele decide passar a semana perambulando pelas ruas da cidade, até que a escola mandaria uma carta de expulsão e os pais descobririam de uma forma ou de outra.

Livro incrível! É super fácil de ler, com uma liguagem bem simples, por ser narrado pelo próprio Holden, um adolescente muito espertinho e sarcástico com um dom perfeito para se meter em problema! O livro me cativou tanto que, às vezes, até pareceu que era uma carta escrita do Holden para mim! kkkk

Quanto a qualidade do produto em si, chegou tudo certinho. Ele é muito parecido com a maioria dos livros de bolso que eu já tive; simples, de papel jornal, e sem orelhas.
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