About this title: A collection of brilliant, sad, and influential stories that includes favorites like "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," "Teddy," and "For Esm�, with Love and Squalor," as well as the underrated gem, "Just Before the War With the Eskimos." Almost invariably, Salinger's tormented characters are trying to search for some sort of peace within a hell that is often of their own devising.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bantam, New York
Date Published: 1968
Description: Good. Crease in spine. Water stain across top of pages (when book is closed), does not affect text. A few marginal notations. 198 p. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books, New York
Date Published: 1971
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Free upgrade to First Class mail. Very Good copy of older book. Tight and square. Pages tanning due to age. 198 p. 18 cm. Reprint of 1953 ed read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books, New York
Date Published: 1984
ISBN-13:9780553263602ISBN:0553263609
Description: Very Good. No Jacket as Issued. Very light edgewear to the covers. Very mild page toning. Otherwise a clean, tight copy with an uncreased spine. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House, New York
Date Published: 1953
Description: Good. Fair Condition. Cover is worn and has stains. Corners of cover are creasing. Otherwise, book is in good condition inside. Pages clean. Inside of cover has previous owner's name, but NO writing elsewhere. ORDERS OUT IN 24 HOURS. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: New American Library
Date Published: 1963
Description: Good. -15th Printing--144 pgs. Interior-Nice overall condition. The paperback cover has only light signs of aging. -Publish Place: New York-Size: 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780316769501ISBN:0316769509
Description: Good. Minor shelf wear with creases on spine and slight curl to book. Pages appear to be FREE of markings. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
"Creative writing teachers the world over who deserve the title should have a portrait of Salinger hanging in their office above the words of that shop-worn classroom mantra "Show, don't tell." In this book Salinger does an incredible job of telling stories between the lines of the physical words on the page.
A truly monumental event occurred in the tadpole household as I was reading this book. That event was that my wife also picked it up and started reading behind me. Usually, I think that if she is attracted to the cover of something that I have left sitting around, such as a Ballard title, Cormac McCarthy, whatever, she might pick it up and flip through it briefly before thinking "Silly boys..." and running back to Edith Wharton and D.H. Lawrence. We have had a lot of fun getting into discussions that bordered on debates over what each of these stories actually meant to us.
'A Perfect Day for Bananafish' is like a literary kick in the stomach...but in a good way. I read that story in the afternoon and stumbled around the house for the rest of the evening in its wake. At that point I knew that I must read everything by Salinger.
Of course that story seems to be the universal favorite, but if we set it aside I am curious which story emerges as the next favorite for everyone? For my wife I would guess that it would be either 'Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut' or 'Just Before the War With the Eskimoes.' My favorite would probably be 'The Laughing Man,' but it could be 'For Esme...' or 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period' if you ask me again tomorrow.
I feel like a bit of an ass giving this book four stars, as it is at the very least 4.99. My problem was with the last story, 'Teddy'. Something about that story did not sit well with me. The ending seemed a little abrupt and too sudden to be totally believable. Also I have a bit of a problem when Salinger starts trying to work some of his Eastern philosophical musings into his writing (more on this after I finish 'Franny and Zooey'). Was there something huge that I missed in this story? If 'Teddy' would have been left out and the book was entitled 'Eight Stories', I would most likely go all papal edict on everyone and declare this book the greatest short story collection ever. If anyone else feels the same way perhaps this will give that person a fresh outlook on 'Teddy' as being the story that kept me from going all fanboy and annoying everyone."
"I hadn't read anything by Salinger since Catcher In The Rye in high school. You can draw the conclusion that I didn't think much of Catcher. I preferred to catch 22's than children in the rye at the time, and then I moved on to Eggers' cynic with a heart of gold worldview rather than lingering on Holden's angst. I already had enough angst in my life at the time and it came soundtracked with guttural Eddie Vedder wails and "hoos". So that all explains why I passed on another of Salinger's books for so long. Well now I've started to come around. The majority of these stories were remarkably effective, completely satisfying reads on their own and also moving logically from one to the next. The Laughing Man, For Esme, Uncle Wiggily, and Teddy stood out most to me, and I was surprised at how original they all felt. I can't think of much to compare to these works, and that's definitely a plus. He really hooks you with the one image or object in each story that a lot of emotions get poured into. I will say that the most famous story "Perfect Day for Bananafish" was my least favorite and seemed woefully predictable. Maybe that is the one that has been mimicked the most since. One other review on this site said if one does not cry at the end of that story, one is not human, so that makes me emotionally akin to drywall. But anyway, I am willing to validate Salinger's greatness with a four-star review! Now come on out of hiding, you rascal."
"I was required to read this book in my 9th grade Honors English class. Looking back on it, I think that was a mistake on the part of my teacher because at the age of 14 I lacked enough experience and knowledge to understand or appreciate this book. It wasn't until I re-read it in my 30's that the subtleties, and especially the humor, came through for me.
Each of these stories of the bored, vindictive, sad, frustrated, confused, deluded, but rarely idle rich is like a walking path through the human heart, in which no character is so simple or one-dimensional as he or she seems at first glance and every choice has significant consquences. People who are too fearful or hamstrung by social conventions to carry on open, normal communications stumble awkwardly around one another's words, engage in passive-aggressive verbal warfare, or blurt out the very things they'd most like to keep secret.
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
