Dear reader,
It’s likely that, like us, you first read The Catcher in the Rye at school as a teenager. J. D. Salinger may have intended his most famous novel for adults, but that wasn’t to be its fate – from 1961 to 1982 it held the record as the most studied book in American high schools, a pattern replicated in many English-speaking countries.
As Dominic said in the episode, unlike other classics you might find stuffed into a schoolbag, this is one you will rarely spot being read by older adults. (Do you agree?). And yet this book regularly appears on lists of the best novels of the 20th century and Holden Caulfield’s red hunting hat looms large in the cultural imagination.
When comparing this to the other classics we’ve covered on the podcast, it’s fair to say The Catcher in the Rye didn’t rate as highly, and we both felt its slim page count could have been cut even further. We questioned whether it is a true coming-of-age story, or how much it still has to offer teens, who live in a time of abundance when it comes to fiction that speaks to them. In our poll below, we ask for your opinions.
Despite some of this novel’s shortcomings, we were both drawn in by Holden’s voice as a narrator – complex, direct and completely, unmistakably that of a teenager. We were particularly captured by Salinger’s opening line. There’s nothing lousy or phoney about it. It made me wonder what makes for a brilliant beginning of a book. Write to us with your favourites, explaining why you think they are effective, at [email protected].
We enjoyed reading your letters on The Shining, even from those who questioned our scoring methods (!), as well as the lively debate that came from our discussion about books being turned into films. You’ll find lots of those thoughts below, alongside your usual Book Notes from Rhiannon.
Until next time,
If you enjoyed The Catcher in the Rye
Some more recommendations for your list
📚 At Home in the World by Joyce Maynard – This memoir on the author’s relationship as a 19-year-old with Salinger sheds light on the life of the reclusive writer.
📚 Dream Catcher: A Memoir by Margaret A. Salinger – Another controversial and difficult read written by Salinger’s daughter. She became ostracised from her father after this was released.
📚 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain – Undoubtedly a strong influence on this week’s novel, it’s a great excuse to read this book as a companion piece, followed by Percival Everett’s Pulitzer Prize-winning retelling, James, too.
📚 The Outsider by Albert Camus – A deeper exploration of isolation that goes much further than The Catcher in the Rye. Make sure you listen to our The Rest Is History episode too.
We need your vote
Does The Catcher in the Rye still have something to offer teens in 2026? Let us know your thoughts – and what books you think provide a better perspective – in the comments.
Click to vote – Please LEAVE YOUR NAME if you comment, so we can share your thoughts in next week's newsletter.
Notes on… The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a book that speaks mostly to teenagers – but I’d be interested to know what a group of adults with life experience and their own disenchantments would take from this story, especially if you’re picking up the novel again many decades later. Whether you’re here for teenage reminiscences, to dissect the subtle references to grief or to be transported to 1950s New York, there’s lots to explore in Salinger’s short novel as part of a book club.
“It's the beginning of a concept we are so familiar with today. The idea of disaffected, slightly depressed, disenchanted youth,” says Tabby. “But that was not the case at this time.”
The Catcher in the Rye is still taught in schools. What is it about a book so tied to 1950s New York that is transferable to the teenage experience around the world? Can it still speak to those at that stage of life today?
The presenters felt this novel marked the first portrayal of a disaffected teenager in fiction. Do you agree, or can you recall another brilliantly told earlier example?
The Catcher in the Rye is famed for capturing a specific teenage voice. It was published shortly after the idea of the teenager became a fully-fledged cultural phenomenon in the 1950s. Other books have subsequently delved deeper and, the presenters argued, with more skill. What is your favourite depiction of teen angst in literature and why?
The book was intended for adults, but as Dominic said, “You wouldn't see somebody reading this at the age of 52.” Is he right? And if you have read or re-read this novel recently, what, if anything, did it have to say to you in later life?
“I remain grateful to Holden Caulfield and The Catcher in the Rye for helping us put a name to all those intuitions we had that something was terribly wrong with civilisation in America at that time,” said the professor and writer Elizabeth Frank.
The novel was an instant New York Times bestseller and lauded by critics such as Frank for capturing the teenage zeitgeist. Others branded it "disappointing" (read early reviews here) and it was later revealed that The New Yorker turned it down because it was "show-offy". What is it about The Catcher in the Rye that is so divisive?
This book’s narrative style was groundbreaking on release, with Holden speaking to the reader directly, often in a stream of consciousness and in prose littered with teenage tics and colloquialisms in a way that hadn't been done before in modern literature. What did you like about the style and why is it key to the telling of this story? What do you think Salinger does differently to those who wrote before him?
The presenters described Holden as self-knowing, judgemental, lost, endearing, irritatingly childish, iconoclastic, glib and more. How does Salinger build such a contradictory and complex character? If you could describe Holden in one sentence, what would it be?
Many see this novel as a realistically brutal exploration of grief. Holden makes brief allusions to his dead brother, Allie, but outside of those moments, where could you trace the breadcrumbs of grief?
Speaking about Holden’s misunderstanding of the Robert Burns poem, Comin' Thro' the Rye, Dominic said: “Most people read this as Holden wants to stop them growing up, to stop them losing their innocence and losing the sort of beautiful naivety that you have when you're a child and to protect them from the process that he's going through. Because he sees the adult world as fundamentally inauthentic.”
The fear of growing up is the book’s central theme. How much of Holden’s experiences and fear chimed with your own? What methods did you feel Salinger used to depict this emotion?
Dominic felt the way the novel represents sex as something that both fascinates and prompts fear for teenagers, who are crossing the threshold into adulthood, was well drawn. But, from the portrayal of Jane to his disastrous meeting with a prostitute, what did you think about Salinger’s depiction of female characters? Is this novel told from a uniquely male experience, or is there something for young girls here too?
Aside from Burns, what other literary references did you spot? The writer Robert McCrum says the book itself now has a “hypnotic grip on the American imagination” and has become a model for writers from Sylvia Plath to Jacqueline Wilson – where do you see the influence of Salinger?
“His development, as it were, is still incomplete,” said Dominic. “He's still the same conflicted Holden at the end as he was at the beginning. In fact, the end of the book is him, with Phoebe, watching her doing a childish thing going on this merry-go-round. He's run away completely from the adult world at that point, psychologically.”
The Catcher in the Rye has long been termed a coming-of-age novel, but even our presenters disagreed about how much this is true of Holden’s character. Where did you chart a change in his development towards adult life? If you don’t think this should fall into that genre, how would you describe it?
This novel looms large in the cultural imagination, after it was linked to the murder of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman and the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr – it’s also still banned by some school boards. How much do you think these controversies influence the book’s cult status today?
From Steven Spielberg to Leonardo DiCaprio, many of Hollywood’s leading lights have tried to make films of Salinger’s text. What is it about The Catcher in the Rye that makes it ‘unfilmable’? What other books have you read that feel impossible to convert to the screen?
The quote that says it all
“I know he's dead! Don't you think I know that? I can still like him, though, can't I? Just because somebody's dead, you don't just stop liking them, for God's sake - especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that are alive and all.”
Dominic described this as one of the moments where the real Holden Caulfield speaks in the most raw way about his emotions. But what quote stayed with you after you finished the book? Email us and let us know.
Who should you give this to?
A teenager who thinks they invented disaffection? Your Peter Pan friend who never grew up? Your Gen Z colleague who thinks they invented statement hats?
Tell us, who would you share this with?
Recommended reads
We’re taking recommendations here to share with the Book Notes community. Tell us what book fellow members should pick up next by sending two or three sentences about your novel of choice and we’ll feature as many as we can in future weeks… Email [email protected].
Thank you to Christine who took the time to recommend a long list of Latin American and Spanish writers she thought deserved some attention. She suggests you read Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo (“widely regarded as the book that first used magical realism”), The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa and All Souls by Javier Marías.
Brandon wrote to recommend No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, which he feels often “gets overshadowed a bit by sales juggernaut The Road and critical darling Blood Meridian”. He adds: “But this novel is my favourite by the author. It’s a short book with a page-turner of a plot that packs a thematic punch. Be prepared to confront the nature of inevitably, chaos, and evil in its beautifully-written pages.”
Charlie calls on you to seek out The Elements by John Boyne. “It brings together four loosely connected stories, each centred on a different character whose life is affected by sexual violences and their aftermath. This makes for difficult reading at times, but there are also moments of raw beauty,” he says.
Reviewers’ corner
We can’t wait to see your responses to The Catcher in the Rye. Write in to [email protected] with ‘review’ in the subject line and send us your short descriptions of Holden Caulfield and your thoughts on whether his story can be classed as a coming-of-age novel.
But first, your thoughts on The Shining.
Your polls
We asked you how you feel about your favourite books being adapted for the screen – and the majority of you (55%) remained on the fence, saying: “It depends on the text.”
Sarah explained her vote: “I don't think any movie has done justice to The Great Gatsby, for example, but Apocalypse Now succeeded in getting at Heart of Darkness with a less literal approach. And thanks to this podcast, I now know that American Psycho – which I thought was quite a good movie – was based on a pretty dismal text.” Chris made the point that “Dune shows both sides: Lynch’s muddled 1984 version, then decades later, Denis Villeneuve’s stunning, virtuosic take.”
Patty, however, was among those who told us that a film adaptation is a surefire way to ruin a novel. “Books like The Shining were just ruined by the movie,” she said. “The Shining was poorly cast, took a wild left turn at the end, and missed some major themes such as masculinity (eg. the boiler). 9.5 times out of 10 I find myself saying, the book was better. In fact, of all the books turned movies, I have only appreciated three: The Joy Luck Club, The Age of Innocence, and The English Patient.” Susan agreed: “It's rare that movie makers can capture the complexities and subtleties of a novel. This does not necessarily ‘ruin’ the source novel, but it usually diminishes it.”
Others said they loved seeing their favourite reads come to life on screen. “It's rare that a movie is better than the book it's based on, but – dare I say it – I'd probably rather watch LOTR than read them again, with all those songs!!” said Lorna. “Also, Bladerunner and Villeneuve's Dune – the movies are better than the books.”
Cassie told us: “I generally try to read first and then watch the adaptation. When my kids were little we did this too. It feels like a fun reward to add a visual to a story you’ve enjoyed! But, on the other hand, when the film is quite different to a beloved book, or miscast, or too condensed, it can be disappointing (looking at you, Netflix’s East of Eden).”
When it came to rating The Shining, many of you went above our presenters’ scores and 7/10 was the winning score – with 23% giving it that mark.
Stewart wrote that it was 10/10 worthy. “Having never read a King book before, I went into reading The Shining with some trepidation,” he said. “However, he must be up there with the great storytellers, as the narrative gives you everything you want: rounded characters, mystery (supernatural), a well-placed setting and villainous baddies. I really enjoyed the story and would read a King book again.”
Tom, however, said it was a 4/10. “I feel the prose is sloppy at best, and the pacing is quite slow,” he wrote. “I disagree with King's opinion, and others I have read, that the adaption by Kubrick cuts too much of the backstory and the inner struggles of the characters. Rather, I believe all that content is there but it is implicit and economical instead of brutally explicit.”
Cathy agreed squarely with Dominic that The Shining was “simply too long”. She wrote: “There were some good chills along the way but I think they might have had more impact if events hadn’t been moving so interminably slowly. I was a big fan of Dean Koontz in my younger days and although I haven’t read one for a while, I would still rate him ahead of King on this evidence.”
Opinions on scoring
In the interest of balance, we wanted to share Toby’s thoughts – who we give full respect to for keeping on top of our scores. “The Shining is not the best King novel or even my favourite but I was kind of hoping to see it at least get a touch more grudging respect on the show (The Court of Thorns and Roses treatment).
“I think what we are seeing here is the limits of the ranking out of 10 system. How can it be that a well written, bad book, American Psycho, which both Tabby and Dominic found a bit of a slog, scored 12/20 [combining the presenters’ scores] while The Shining, which you both enjoyed, only managed 12.5? Is that not a bit of a disconnect?
“Tabby acknowledges that not every book needs to be a masterpiece, and The Shining is clearly not, but is that not literary snobbery coming out in the score? If it is just a case of marking down for hedge animals, then fair enough.”
Samuel agreed. “You clearly appreciated its psychological depth, its exploration of alcoholism, anger, and family relationships, and the way King builds his characters,” he wrote. “You had reservations, certainly, but you both recommended it!”
He added: “I think you have to judge a book for what it’s trying to accomplish and how successfully it accomplishes that goal. The Shining sets out to be a gripping, psychologically complex horror novel, and it succeeds brilliantly. It shouldn’t lose points simply because it isn’t aspiring to be Jane Eyre.”
Stephen King – great with tea and biscuits
Thanks to Adam, who wrote in with his recollections of “a time when I could happily lose whole days in a book” in a way that somehow seems especially fitting at this time of year.
“I found the book [The Dead Zone] while on a family holiday at the Torbay Aircraft Museum in Devon. A probably unique 1970s and 80s holiday destination that combined aviation history with a relaxing country getaway! Likely chosen by my father, who was ex-RAF and working for British Airways at the time.
“Somehow I'd managed to catch a cold or flu and remember spending a few days in the cottage, missing family days out and reading The Dead Zone pretty much solidly, while T'Pau's China in Your Hand seemed to be constantly playing on shows like Steve Wright in the Afternoon on BBC Radio 1.
“The book blew me away and started a bit of an obsession with Stephen King that lasted for years. With my saved-up pocket money and anything I received for birthdays, I'd go back and buy pretty much everything he'd written, more or less in publication order.
“My interest eventually started to wane around The Dark Half and Needful Things. He seemed to have gone through a phase of writing about troubled writers, although perhaps I'd just had my fill of him by then.
“When it came around to it, I never really got on with The Shining either, despite it featuring his most famous and OG troubled writer… I remember being quite glad to finish the book. The weird business with the hedges coming to life didn't really work for me, and I think there was a bit of a disconnect between what I was reading and the images I'd already formed in my head from pictures of the film and second-hand descriptions from those who claimed to have seen it.
“I think I agree with your score. I do still revisit my personal favourites, Salem's Lot, Misery and The Dead Zone, every few years. They're great evening reads with a mug of tea and a chocolate biscuit or two.”
Curating your reading lists
As we discussed in last week’s Book Notes, not all reads have to be masterpieces and it’s often the case that different moments call for different types of story. So, we asked how you tend to approach your literary diets.
Dora, from Vienna, shared her “highly scientific and thoroughly thought-through approach”: “I mostly curate my reading list according to my mood. I’m a fairly voracious reader and get through around 60–70 books a year, so there’s plenty of room for variety. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a more challenging read, something that takes me out of my comfort zone, while at other times I just want to have fun. Not every book has to challenge me intellectually or emotionally. I read for entertainment just as much as I read for anything else, and I’ve found there’s little point in forcing myself through a heavy or demanding book if I’m simply not in the right frame of mind for it. I also enjoy seasonal reading, although I suppose that, too, is largely tied to my mood. Around Christmas, for instance, I’m definitely drawn to books with a Christmassy feel.”
Anne said she felt it was “getting harder to get an idea of what is good if you are looking for something new”. “The publishing world seems to have lost its footing when it comes to marketing. I think the decrease in the number of bookstores has had a big effect,” she wrote. But, Anne added: “Generally not a huge problem for me as I've received quite a number of books over the years. I'm trying to work my way through those. If they are truly terrible, I don't finish them. They get donated.”
Caroline said her reading list was shaped by this show, as well as our sister podcasts. She wrote: “My reading list is really eclectic… I do have to admit being influenced by Goalhanger podcasts! Master and Commander was highly recommended on TRIH (mmmmm) and I am currently reading Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety after TRIH's epic French Revolution series. Also on my to read list is Rory Stewart’s Politics on the Edge. I try to alternate fiction and non-fiction, and have Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham and Empire of Booze by Henry Jeffreys which also came out of Goalhanger suggestions. Watching a pretty poor TV series on First Ladies led me to biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt, plus Michelle Obama's Becoming. The only books I really avoid are horror and chick lit – I really don't need to know what brand candles the heroine burns.”
Stephanie was serendipitous in her timing. “My book club and I (who have been meeting monthly for 15 years!) were just discussing this! Partly because after reading and discussing so many books together our standards have gotten higher, we are sometimes critical of extremely popular books (like Theo of Golden, The Calamity Club, as two recent examples).
“We had a big discussion about how some of us have begun reading some ‘off book club’ books that are just fun and light and maybe not literarily important or epic or that emotionally stirring but that are great for a vacation or great to get you out of a reading slump or for just something to take your mind off of the heaviness of life sometimes.”
Stephanie added: “When you all reviewed ACOTAR I was shocked and it prompted me to give ‘romantasy’ a chance. I couldn't bring myself to read about fairies, but I read Fourth Wing, expecting to hate it and come away judging the people who love it as non-readers. I was wrong! It's not going to win any prizes for writing, but it was an enjoyable world and a fun break. It made me remember that the primary reason I love to read is for entertainment!”
Scoreboard
Book | Dominic’s Verdict | Tabby’s Verdict |
|---|---|---|
The Catcher in the Rye | 6/10 | 7.5/10 |
The Shining | 6/10 | 6.5/10 |
White Nights | 4/10 | 6/10 |
The Bell Jar | 8/10 | 9/10 |
Goldfinger | 8/10 | 7/10 |
Next on The Book Club
If you or your book club want to read ahead, here’s what’s coming up in the podcast over the next few weeks…
November 10: Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian
November 17: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
November 24: Money by Martin Amis
December 1: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré
December 8: Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
December 15: Dune by Frank Herbert
December 22: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
Keeping score
This week, Dominic only awarded The Catcher in The Rye 6/10 back to front red hunting hats, while Tabby gave it a more generous 7.5. But what did you think?
See you next week for Master and Commander.
The Book Club Team
