The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Finished October 12th, 2007

Rating: 7/10

Decades Challenge Book #9 (1950s)



From the Publisher
Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." 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. It begins, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you''ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don''t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them." 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.

This was the first book I had read by Salinger and I really enjoyed his writing style. The book is character driven as opposed to plot driven. It was a pretty easy read and I enjoyed the Holden character but it ended too abruptly for my liking however I enjoyed it more than most classic books I have read.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Finished September 22nd, 2007

Rating: 7/10

Decades Challenge Book #8 (1930s)
Book Awards Reading Challenge Book #3

From the Editors
When feeble-minded Lenny Small and his protector George Milton arrive to work on a ranch in the Salinas Valley of California, they dream of the day when they can own their own farm. But when Lenny accidentially kills the ranch owner's daughter-in-law, their lives are changed forever.

The writing flows easily in this well written book. It is a very short book and I didn't want it to end as I wanted to read more about the characters. East of Eden is still my favourite Steinbeck book but this is a close second.

Brave New World

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Finished August 26th, 2007

Rating: 4/10

Dystopian Challenge Book #4



I had high expectations for this book as I have really enjoyed all of the other books I have read for the Dystopian Challenge. I was disappointed as I felt that something was missing for me in this book.

The book takes place in the seventh century A.F. (after Ford) and depicts a futuristic society where humans are genetically designed in laboratories. They are conditioned to be in a specific social order by physical and mental conditioning. The society uses drugs to keep the masses happy and encourages sexual promiscuity as the thought is that a person belongs to everyone.

Many people find this book very thought-provoking however it really didn't provoke much thought in me as the other books I have read for the Dystopian Challenge.

I also read Brave New World Revisited which Huxley wrote about 25 years after he originally wrote Brave New World and found his thoughts and insights were more thought provoking than Brave New World. However my rating is based on Brave New World alone.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Finished August 22nd, 2007

Rating: 3/10

Decades Challenge Book #7 (1940s)



Synopsis from Barnes & Noble
Published in 1940, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is considered McCullers' finest work. The focus of the work is on John Singer, a deaf-mute in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s, and on his effect on the people who confide in him. When Singer's mute Greek companion of 10 years goes insane, Singer is left alone and isolated. He takes a room with the Kelly family, where he is visited by the town's misfits, who turn to him for understanding but have no knowledge of his inner life. The book's emphasis on individuals who are considered outcasts because of race, politics, disability, or sensibility placed it squarely within the Southern gothic tradition of American literature.


I started reading this book without knowing what is about. It wasn't until I got half way through the book that I started to understand the message the author was trying to convey. I got to the end of the book and simply just didn't like it very much.

A Passage to India

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

Finished June 17th, 2007

Rating: 6/10

Decades Challenge Book #5 (1920s)


I read the first 25 pages and said to myself uh-oh I don't think I am going to like this book so when I picked it up again to continue reading I decided to jot down all the characters and their relationships to each other as I was getting confused and that seemed to help.

The theme of the book is the relationship between the English and the Indians in the 1920s which is when the book was written and how each regards the behaviour of the other. There was a party being hosted by an English couple at the beginning of the book where the Indians are on one side of the lawn and the English on the other side which I couldn't help but compare to school dances where boys are on one side and girls on the other.

The book was not plot-driven but rather focused on utilizing the events that happened to emphasize the relationships between the English and the Indians.

After reading this book, I realize that I am more of a plot-driven reader however am starting to learn to appreciate character-driven books.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Finished May 26th, 2007

Rating: 7/10

Decades Challenge Book #4 (1960s)





I had great expectations for this book since it won a Pulitzer and so many people name this book as one of their all-time favourite books, however the book did not live up to my expectations.

SPOILER ALERT

The story as told by a young white girl named Scout tells the tales of growing up in Alabama in the 1930s while surrounded by discrimination. In the book Scout's father Atticus is the defense lawyer for a black man accused of raping a white woman in a time and place when a white woman's word means much more than any evidence to the contrary. The most poignant line from the book for me was: "Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I though to myself well, we're making a step --it's just a baby-step, but it's a step."

I think the reason for my disappointment could be that sometimes when you expect so much from a book you can't help but be disappointed. Unfortunately the book just did not touch a chord with me as it has with other people so I am thinking that I will have to read reviews on other people's blogs to try to understand why people love this book so much and maybe give it another read in the future and hopefully I will get more out of it the second time around.