Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
76 used & new from £1.64
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Catcher in the Rye
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Catcher in the Rye (Paperback)

by J. D. Salinger (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (267 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £4.49 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £4.50 (50%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Saturday, July 18? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
37 new from £1.64 39 used from £1.89
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover Order it used
Paperback (Lrg) Order it used
Mass Market Paperback 2 used & new from £19.82
School & Library Binding 3 used & new from £10.48
Unknown Binding Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

The Catcher in the Rye + To Kill a Mockingbird + 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
Price For All Three: £13.06

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee
4.9 out of 5 stars (140)  £4.08
Catch-22

Catch-22

by Joseph Heller
4.3 out of 5 stars (145)  £5.99
1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four

1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four

by George Orwell
4.7 out of 5 stars (56)  £4.49
Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding
4.2 out of 5 stars (95)  £4.55
The Great Gatsby (Penguin Popular Classics)

The Great Gatsby (Penguin Popular Classics)

by F Scott Fitzgerald
4.6 out of 5 stars (41)  £2.25
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (4 Aug 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 014023750X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140237504
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (267 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 85 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > 20th Century Classics > Salinger, J.D.
    #1 in  Books > Fiction > World > American > Classics
    #2 in  Books > Fiction > Cult Authors

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk
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 16-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 haemorrhages 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. --Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk Review
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 16-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 haemorrhages 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. --Amazon.com

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(14)
(12)
(10)
(8)
(5)
(5)
(3)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
See all 22 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Catcher in the Rye
82% buy the item featured on this page:
The Catcher in the Rye 4.1 out of 5 stars (267)
£4.49
1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
6% buy
1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four 4.7 out of 5 stars (56)
£4.49
Brave New World
4% buy
Brave New World 4.0 out of 5 stars (13)
£4.79
To Kill a Mockingbird
4% buy
To Kill a Mockingbird 4.9 out of 5 stars (140)
£4.08
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

267 Reviews
5 star:
 (167)
4 star:
 (34)
3 star:
 (18)
2 star:
 (12)
1 star:
 (36)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (267 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Brilliant, 19 Jun 2005
I read this book for my A-Level coursework this year, before I read it, I had it down as some boring piece of literature from the same peroid as Jane Austen. It is in fact much more modern than that, and much more interesting than I had anticipated. Because of my initial reactions to the book, I didn't start reading it expecting to enjoy it, but soon found that I couldn't put it down, spending practically two evenings solid reading the entire book.
The story revolves around Holden Caulfield, a 16 year old boy who rebels against anything he can for no particular reason, and a brief period in his life before christmas, after he runs away from the school he's getting kicked out of, when he spends a weekend alone in New York, drinking, getting into fights, trying to get a prostitute and sleeping out on the streets when he has to. The book is presented as a straight forward first person narrative of what happened from Holden, and his views on how just about everything and everyone is 'Phony.' I would say it's best described as literature's equivalent to reallity TV, but infinitely more intersting, as whilst there doesn't really appear to be any great underlying plot to it, you will be able to relate to the characters experiences, also the writing may seem unplanned and random, but that adds to the book in a way, as you can feel like Holden really is describing what happened to him, as if he is actually sat telling you the story.
In summary, a strangely compelling read, brilliantly narrated and probably my favourite book of all time. Buy it and read it now.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars Because I can, 25 Jan 2009
For anyone interested in the 1950s New York that no longer exists, along with the youth of that era, the angst, the coming-of-age story, and the totaly uniqueness of a novel that has captivated an audience for decades, might I recommend this small but powerful and still somewhat new novel. New in the respect that it touches on the fragility of youth, the uncertainity of the world, and how lost a young man can feel, especially in a large city such as New York. This is not a complicated book, but underlying the "facility" is a deeper meaning to life; a searching for something, and ultimately this is what Salinger put into print and the reason it has stood the test of time. Few now are not familiar with Holden Caulfield and his journey through the land of teenage angst, but most will want to re-read this book at a later point in life. It is easy to label Holden now--manic depressive, bi-polar, depressed, or just messed-up teenager, but who at that age does not already have baggage? What I think most will find interesting is that, when reading this book as a teenager, you will obviously see things through Holden's eyes. Reading the book as an adult you will seen both sides of the story and this makes for an even more powerful read. Read it on any level you want, but just read it. Along with "Catch 22," "Me Talk Pretty One Day," and "Barring Some Unforeseen Accident," this is a keeper that you'll want to revisit over and over. A knock-out American classic for all ages.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "Certain things they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases...", 24 Jul 2007
By M. Torun (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a book that will disappoint you if you read it for its fame and controversy. You will be disappointed because you will find that there is only a loose plot (in fact the whole story takes place in about two days), and very little actually happens within it. Catcher in the Rye is not so much a story as a character portrayal - a snapshot in the life of Holden Caulfield as he gets expelled from school.

However, if you appreciate the book for what it is, then you'll find it is very likable. Contrary to some of the other reviewers I do not think that it is depressing or full of rage, or even cynical. It just describes a frame of mind that we've all had a couple of days in our lives. Holden is critical but no better than the people he criticises; angry but unwilling to do harm; seemingly hateful but appreciative of the people he dislikes.

Mostly he is just a child coming to terms with being an adolescent - and it is hard not to sympathise with him and his story.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read. Not corny at all
My reason for buying the book was that it is considered as one of the classics, and for good reason. The style of writing is fantastic. Read more
Published 6 hours ago by Mr. S. S. Nock

5.0 out of 5 stars ...don't tell anybody anything.
This book is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. I had heard about it as a real good book, but thought it may have been one of those books that is just realy hyped up... Read more
Published 2 days ago by R. Bowley

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic US Literature
Anyone interested in American literature should definitely read this book. It is a finely written portrayal of a teenager coming to terms with his adolescence and the feelings of... Read more
Published 11 days ago by I. M. Knight

2.0 out of 5 stars Befuddled
I don't get it. Absolutely nothing happens in the entire book, zero, zip, nada. My own social life is more eventful. Read more
Published 1 month ago by MangoChesney

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet and poignant
Recently reread this book as a 32-year-old (I was less than half this age the first time around...). I loved it as a teenager. Read more
Published 1 month ago by noc

1.0 out of 5 stars Celebrity novel
Like so many D-list celebrities about whom you would never have heard, were it not for a reality television programme, this novel has nothing to merit it's fame other than a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by obvius

5.0 out of 5 stars Adolescent troubles relevant today
Set in the second half of the 1940's and recounted by sixteen-year-old Holden Caulfield, this is a story of adolescent depression and a sense of hopelessness, where control of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mick Read

5.0 out of 5 stars Is there any other book that comes close to capturing teenage angst?
From the first sentence of this all time classic, one is drawn into the bleak and pensive world of Holden, a teenager who just found out he has been expelled from yet another... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Richard Kunzmann

5.0 out of 5 stars What's not to like?
I have skimmed through the reviews on Amazon and am puzzled by how many one star reviews this immediately likeable, funny, engrossing read has received. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Forgetful Jones

1.0 out of 5 stars Why a classic?
Yet again I'm left wondering what makes a book a 'classic'. I found this a tedious account of a couple of days in the life of a self-obsessed teenager. Dreary and uneventful
Published 2 months ago by Lincs Reader

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

GCSE "Catcher in the Rye"

GCSE "Catcher in...

"Letts Explore Literature Guides" help you to get to grips with the... Read more
£4.99 £3.49

›Find similar items

 

More From J. D. Salinger

Franny and Zooey

Franny and Zooey by J. Salinger

Two wonderful stories about members of the Glass family by the author... Read more
£7.99 £5.99

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates