4.5 - 5 Stars - I recommend if you like vivid characters and coming of age themes. Or if you're human, this one seems like required reading you guys!

This book follows serial prep school failure Holden Caulfield as he leaves his Pennsylvania prep school early for winter break, heading to escape reality for a few days underground in New York City. This book captures (what I imagine) it's like to be a teenage boy, who's stuck between boy and man. Filled with extremely colorful characters, settings, situations, and dialogue - this book is hard to put down. An eloquent and classic coming of age story.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I was really hesitant to start it... I haven't been reading (or doing well, with) classic novels lately... but I found this book really compelling, and therefore quick to read. I enjoyed the way that it was written (like Holden is telling you his story, very informal). I loved how clear of a character he was for being SO complex. I loved his observations about the world, his innocent heart despite questionable circumstances that he gets himself into, and his conversations with others. I have read one other Salinger book (Franny and Zooey - which I also loved), and I have to say... Salinger's writing is just phenomenal. I felt like everything I was reading was incredibly vivid and interesting. (Despite the fact that male coming of age stories, and classics haven't been my jam in the past few years). The only part that was harder for me to understand or get into was near the very end. Things are moving pretty quickly and because it's from his perspective (and written in the 1950's) it's unclear what actually is going on... it would have been interesting to know... but it didn't really change my opinion of the book. I highly recommend to anyone and everyone.

4.5 or 5 stars..? I'm not sure. The writing was fantastic, I loved it.