Back in the day, Amber and Rachel hosted the #Collaboreads link up, I only linked up once, and then they discontinued the link up due to, well, life happening. But last month they brought it back, and I am so excited to be linking up again with them today. You can read more about the link up here, but the basic synopsis is that you read a book based on that month’s criteria, and then write a review about it! They have even created a mnemonic to review the book. It’s amazing, and I hope you join in with us!
This month’s criteria: Banned Books.
Book I Choose: The Catcher in the Rye.
Synopsis: Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he’s been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.
I read this book about 10 years ago, when I was a junior in high school. It was a favorite of my English teacher, and being the book-loving, teacher’s pet that I am was, I decided I need to read it. And I hated it. I don’t remember my specific feelings about it, but I know I did not like it, not one bit.
I had always told myself that I would read it again when I was older and more mature (a-hem), to see if I could find the literary value in it. And so this was the perfect opportunity to do so. And, well, I still hated it. Except I hated it less so. As an adult, who’s taken English classes in college and just learned more about life and literature, I can see the literary value in it and why some people might love it and consider it a classic, but I still don’t like it. Oops. Oh well.
RIVETING.
What part of the book could you NOT get enough of? I’m not particularly sure anything was riveting, in my opinion. I read it to read it.
ELEMENTS.
How did you relate to/care for the characters? What’s your thought on the plot line and twists and turns? I enjoyed the character of Holden’s sister anddddd that was about it. Oh, I also did like reading Holden’s observations of everyone. It’s like seeing into the mind of a master people watcher, which was a bit fun, because he’s saying things we all know we think, too.
ASSOCIATE.
What other books are like this one? If none, did it remind you of a particular TV or movie with it’s themes and characters? Does it serendipitous-ly line-up with things going on in your life or the news right now? Reading it again, I was reminded of A Clockwork Orange. I think it must be the fact that both narrators are teenage boys and self-absorbed.
DESIGN.
You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel? And the font and layout of the pages? I read an old edition, that was just words on the cover, so I can’t say the design was anything special.
STARS.
How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend? I gave this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads. It probably should be a 2/5, but I bumped it up to a 3 just because I can see why some people enjoy it and think of it as a classic.
