Franny and Zooey
Ratings125
Average rating3.8
"Perhaps the best book by the foremost stylist of his generation" (New York Times), J. D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey collects two works of fiction about the Glass family originally published in The New Yorker. "Everything everybody does is so--I don't know--not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily. But just so tiny and meaningless and--sad-making. And the worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, you're conforming just as much only in a different way." A novel in two halves, Franny and Zooey brilliantly captures the emotional strains and traumas of entering adulthood. It is a gleaming example of the wit, precision, and poignancy that have made J. D. Salinger one of America's most beloved writers.
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”Just because I'm so horribly conditioned to accept everybody else's values, and just because I like applause and people to rave about me, doesn't make it right. I'm ashamed of it. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.”salinger stan forever <3
I don't think Salinger's style is for me. Overall, the writing felt extremely pretentious. Our book club discussion put it into words for me. Salinger doesn't seem to care about the reader at all, and I don't particularly appreciate that.
Overall the book was both really bad and somewhat interesting. It's hard to bring those two things together. I like the discussion that's going on between the lines, but I'm ultimately not interested in religion or spirituality in the slightest. I honestly enjoyed the articles I read and videos I watched about this book more than the book itself.
Zooey was a thoroughly detestable character. He was disgusting toward his mother, and he seems like one of those guys who loves to hear himself talk and believes he's always right. He needs to expand his vocabulary beyond the words ‘buddy' and ‘my God.'
Franny ultimately surprised me. I really identified with her a few times. I didn't think I would. Overall I don't really understand her desire to do the whole Jesus Prayer thing, but I'm going to share a few quotes from her that made me say, “Girl, I feel you.”
“I actually reached a point where I said to myself, right out loud, like a lunatic, If I hear just one more, picky, cavilling, unconstructive word out of you, Franny Glass, you and I are finished - but finished.” (Page 143-4)
“And the worst part was, I knew what a bore I was being, I knew how I was depressing people, or even hurting their feelings - but I just couldn't stop! I just could not stop picking.” (Page 145)
“Just because I'm choosy about what I want - in this case, enlightenment, or peace, instead of money or prestige or fame or any of those things - doesn't mean I'm not as egotistical and self-seeking as everybody else.” (Page 148)
