Reviews

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

eurydycja's review against another edition

2.0

Jedno słowo: przedziwne. Kompletnie mi się nie podobały. Na dodatek te niesmaczne podteksty starszych mężczyzn do dzieci w dwóch opowiadaniach...

wandawizard's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Some of the stories were hard to see through, all of them incredibly fun to read

squilvia's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoy three out of the nine stories in this book:
1. Pretty Mouth and Green Eyes
2. De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period 
3. Teddy

The rest? Sort of meh. Salinger's writing was too pulp-fiction-ey and Muricahh-est (pop culture, board games, icons, etc.) for my own taste, so I often needed to rely on my good pals (Google and WIKI), or the references would simply go over my SEA head.

But if I had to choose a favorite, it would be 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period.' The story and the protagonist remind me 'Catcher in the Rye,' which I read and enjoyed back when I was a teenager. 

Second would be 'Teddy'. The only reason I like it is because of the ending is open for interpretation. And I read somewhere online that one of the interpretations could be that both children plunge into the empty basin when Teddy carries Booper with him off the precipice – in order to advance her into her next reincarnation. Dudeeee, that's chilling. I know she's supposed to be evil or whatever, but she's six 😂 and he's like a spiritual-savant (or so he claimed and the rest of the delulu adults around him believed).

'Pretty Mouth and Green Eyes' one is just sad. I don't know, it hurts me reading the last couple of pages of that short story knowing the caller (whatever the husband's name that said Christ a lot) called back just to lie, probably to save face and said his wife finally came home, all the while that h0e was smoking all nonchalantly next to the dude on the phone (the guy he cheated on her husband with) even bragging that she was a dog for doing so. Off to the street you go!

Anyway, three stars for each stories I liked.

thejadedhippy's review against another edition

3.0

The second to last story is the best by far!

trin's review against another edition

5.0

It’s a strange thing to recognize yourself in a piece of fiction. I see my whole family in Salinger’s. I don’t know what it was about these stories in particular—even more so than [b: Franny and Zooey|5113|Franny and Zooey|J.D. Salinger|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355037988s/5113.jpg|3118417]—but I felt a shivery sense of resonance reading about the vast Irish/Jewish Glass clan. That’s us—or at least, that’s very much what I imagined when my grandfather talked about growing up in Connecticut and New York and fighting in World War II; it’s what comes to mind when my mom talks about her own New York childhood—which took place a decade after these stories, but still seems to have been alive with the same sort of scenery. And emotionally, too, these crazy, fucked up intellectuals—it’s a little close for comfort.

Salinger’s writing is also just beautiful, and the stories beautifully crafted. He writes actions—not action, but actions—so well: these characters come alive in their fiddly, fidgety motions. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” “The Laughing Man,” and “For Esmé — with Love and Squalor” were my most obvious favorites, but there’s also something about the quiet “Down at the Dinghy” that’s still holding me. I look forward to rereading this many, many times in years to come.

evie08's review against another edition

dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

nekoshka's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

ledablanca's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I love Teddy, A Perfect Day for Bananafish and For Esme - with Love and Squalor.

davirodcz's review against another edition

4.0

Uma coletânea de nove contos, que trata de temas bastante necessários daquela época, um EUA pós-segunda guerra, onde as pessoas ainda estavam assimilando os estragos sofridos tanto psicologicamente, quanto no país e no mundo. Minhas histórias favoritas foram 'Um dia perfeito para peixes-banana' que é simplesmente brilhante e 'Para Esmé-com amor e sordidez', um conto que possui uma sutileza capaz de deixar qualquer um boquiaberto.

kaiyear's review against another edition

challenging reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25