Nine Stories
by J.D. Salinger
★★★★★
After reading The Catcher in the Rye I realized that angst and frustration were universal feelings. Franny and Zooey made me fall in love with the Glass family and decide to cover my walls with large sheets of handmade paper, covered in quotes. But it was Nine Stories that's always held my favorite bit of Salinger's writing.
Where his other novels are sometimes a bit too dramatic for my taste, Nine Stories offers single servings, just enough that it feels like brilliance as opposed to whining. In these smaller doses Salinger's writing is poignant and powerful. He doesn't give the reader everything, he makes you work for it and I appreciate that.
Many of the stories deal with someone connected to the Glass family in some way. I get something different from them each time I read one. My two favorites are "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," which broke my heart and "Down at the Dinghy," sweet in its innocence. "Teddy" is also memorable, because it's a bit disturbing.
Nine Stories has always seemed a bit underrated, which probably makes me love it more. It contains some of Salinger's greatest characters, if only a snapshot of them, and helps me get a Salinger fix if I need one.
8 comments:
I've got to read this one. I love love love Franny and Zooey but never got around to this one.
Franny and Zooey, what a pair. I loved them too.
Very well done. "...just enough that it feels like brilliance instead of whining." What a great way to put it. I bought this collection this year but haven't read all of them yet. Bananafish sticks in my memory the most.
-Jay
one of my favorite books :)
--care
You're making me want to try this to perhaps better understand why he is considered such a genius writer. Wonderful review.
Great review. I'll have to pick this one up.
I can't wait to read what you all think of it!
Among the best books I know.
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