aborakanfa7e0b

I’m always shocked by how many readers detest this book and its main charcter. I reread this book over & over when I was 14 & 15. Maybe it takes a self absorbed, unhappy and disaffected adolescent to appreciate and enjoy another such adolescent. However, what I took from Holden was that he was grieving for his beloved dead brother Allie (hey critical readers: feel some compassion for him!) and how much he loved his sister Phoebe. I liked the kid, a lot. I haven’t read this book since I graduated from high school and I do wonder how I’d feel about it as an adult, or as even an adolescent of today and not one from the sixties. Most of my reading friends loved this book too. Maybe it’s a sixties thing. Phoniness was a huge concern among the young back then, and I remember identifying with Holden and his angst. I don’t think I want to disturb my fond memories by rereading this as an adult so I’m going to keep my memories, I think. I do still have my old paperback copy so I might change my mind someday.

2022-11-14 18:29