Starting to detest Catcher in the Rye... - Political Forum

emptypepsi · 12-09-2006, 08:18 PM

Has anyone here ever professed love for a book, though you hadn't read it in years, and then re-read it only to find it really isn't all what you thought it was?

For years I touted The Catcher in the Rye as my favorite book after having read it in High School, but recently I picked it up (after nearly 6 years) and started to re-read it. I have to say I can't believe I called this one of my favorites.

Don't get me wrong, the style the book is written in has it's own life and intrigue. I guess I'm really just tired of hearing the character, Holden. I never realized until now just how big of a whiny, sissy prep boy he is. Seriously, he is the biggest jerk and laziest rich kid I've never met. His ranting is entertainng for the first chapter or so, but it gets stale and borderline annoying really quick after the first few chapters.

UGH! Sorry, had to vent. Anyone feel this way about Catcher, or any other book?

drgoodtrips · 12-09-2006, 08:54 PM

I last read it at the age of 22/23 (about four years ago) and found it as enjoyable as when I was younger. Of course, I never would have listed it anywhere near the top of my favorites list, so I guess that it didn't have as a high a standard to live up to.

I've never really had that experience with a book, though it happens to me a lot with movies. I remember watching, for example, "New Jack City" (I think - Wesley Snipes... anyway) as a kid and thinking it was a great movie. I watched it again more recently and discovered, to my chagrin, that it was awful. Of course, this is going to be true for a lot of kid movies that you watched as a kid, but I was disappointed to find it true in the case of an action movie or a drama.

Scribbler1 · 12-09-2006, 10:51 PM

Kind of like a good deal of the music in the 70's.

Scruff · 12-10-2006, 04:52 PM

You take that back Scribbler!

Scribbler1 · 12-10-2006, 06:22 PM

Okay, I meant MOST of the music in the 70's.

Actually, I'm referring to the shit that got all the popular airplay. And of course, disco.
AOR is/was/and forever shall be the best.

FRYandBENDER · 12-11-2006, 02:34 PM

This isn't really relevant, but I don't really wish to start a new thread so, anyways, I bought and read Orwell's 1984 Saturday and I have to say it was pretty damn good. It didn't end how I wanted it to, but it ended how I expected it to. Just thought I would comment on it.

emptypepsi · 12-11-2006, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRYandBENDER

This isn't really relevant, but I don't really wish to start a new thread so, anyways, I bought and read Orwell's 1984 Saturday and I have to say it was pretty damn good. It didn't end how I wanted it to, but it ended how I expected it to. Just thought I would comment on it.

1984 is a pretty good read. If you liked that then I think you'll enjoy Brave New World. It's sort of like 1984 (with controlling people and whatnot) though in a different way.

FRYandBENDER · 12-11-2006, 04:34 PM

I'll see about picking it up, and probably catcher in the rye too. I love baseball. (Okay okay, I know that joke is played out.

)

Imbroglio · 06-09-2007, 05:43 PM

It depends on my mood in a lot of cases. I don't read a book again if I'm not in the right frame of mind.

drgoodtrips · 06-09-2007, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRYandBENDER

This isn't really relevant, but I don't really wish to start a new thread so, anyways, I bought and read Orwell's 1984 Saturday and I have to say it was pretty damn good. It didn't end how I wanted it to, but it ended how I expected it to. Just thought I would comment on it.

Well, now that novel would certainly make my "top 10". You don't truly understand how good it is until you actually come to love Big Brother, in earnest

Edit: and btw, I think that Catcher in the Rye is a pretty good book. "If a body pass a body comin' through the rye"

lol