Just finished Catcher in the Rye and have utterly failed to see what the fuss might be about. I found it like a olden times version of listening to Little Britain’s Vicky Pollard doing a written monologue (the yeahbutnobutyeahbut teen). The repetitive ‘slang’ and dialogue feel to it irritated me, I’ve found myself wanting to parody it to people and call everyone ‘old – ‘ and start using the word ‘goddam’. It was one of those books I kept wanting to flick to the back page of just to see if it ever really was going to get to a point and of course it didn’t really.
I’ve only read the first chapter of Evil Cradling and book group is Tuesday night so I need to concentrate on that really but I have Catch 22 and To Kill a Mockingbird waiting ready for me so I hope they inspire me a bit more than this did.
Like I said the other night – I think there’s probably a window for first reading CITR, and thirtysomething is probably past it, you’re already a goddamn phoney by that stage.
Having said that, each time I’ve read it I’ve taken something new from it, and I will always love Holden 🙂 And I do think there’s a point to it, but don’t ask me to explain it!
You’re right Old Alison, I’ve missed the goddam window if you want to know the truth.
When I re-read Malory Towers recently it was a trip into nostalgia with well loved friends from the past which I thoroughly enjoyed but while reading it I did think that if it had been the first time I’d ever picked it up I would probably have been disappointed.
I’ve never read CITR but when I read Wuthering Heights a few years back I was similarly unimpressed, so I’ll join you in the ‘ignorant philistine’ department!