The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

The Catcher in Rye is the ultimate novel for disaffected youth, but it's relevant to all ages. The story is told by Holden Caulfield, a seventeen- year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. Throughout, Holden dissects the 'phony' aspects of society, and the 'phonies' themselves: the headmaster whose affability depends on the wealth of the parents, his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. Lazy in style, full of slang and swear words, it's a novel whose interest and appeal comes from its observations rather than its plot intrigues (in conventional terms, there is hardly any plot at all). Salinger's style creates an effect of conversation, it is as though Holden is speaking to you personally, as though you too have seen through the pretences of the American Dream and are growing up unable to see the point of living in, or contributing to, the society around you. Written with the clarity of a boy leaving childhood, it deals with society, love, loss, and expectations without ever falling into the clutch of a cliche.

J.D. Salinger was born in 1919 and died in January 2010. He grew up in New York City, and wrote short stories from an early age, but his breakthrough came in 1948 with the publication in the New Yorker of 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish'. The Catcher in the Rye was his first and only novel, published in 1951. It remains one of the most translated, taught and reprinted texts, and has sold some 65 million copies. Salinger also wrote several novellas and short stories, including Franny and Zooey, For Esmé - With Love and Squalor, and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780140237498
ISBN 10	0140237496
Title	The Catcher in the Rye
Author	J D Salinger
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Books Ltd
Year published	1994-08-04
Number of pages	208
Prizes	Runner-up for The BBC Big Read Top 100 2003, Runner-up for The BBC Big Read Top 21 2003
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.