About this title: Two long short stories about Salinger's Glass family, previously published in The New Yorker. Both stories are about the life and tragic death of Seymour Glass, the eldest of the Glass children, and his siblings' reaction to it. The events are seen through the eyes of Seymour's brother Buddy, who is often said to be a portrait of Salinger himself. His rambling narrative is revealing of himself as well as of his brother, and explores the quest for enlightenment and wisdom that preoccupies both of them.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 1971
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Free upgrade to First Class mail (for one book). Good reading copy. Some rubbng and edgewear to cover and pages tanning due to age. 213 p. read more
Edition: Mass Market ed.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780316769518ISBN:0316769517
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Great condition! ! small crease on the corner of front cover-inside pages look great! ! Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 224 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Bantam S2905 1966 paperback CONDITION: VERY GOOD, page edges moderately age toned o/w an excellent unread copy, near fine condition. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Bantam Books, New York
Date Published: 1965
Description: Good. 1965, paperback, Bantam #S2905. Pages clea and tight and lightly tanned throughout. The cover hjasl light general wear and a small corner chip. Clean and solid copy. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 1965
Description: Fair. No Jacket. Spine Creased, Water Line On Bottom Page Ends, Sticker Back Cover, Covers Rubbed, Edges Tanned, Text Is Unmarked, Good Reading Copy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 1965
Description: Good. ---213 pgs. Interior-Nice overall condition. The paperback cover has light signs of aging. -Publish Place: New York-Size: 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780316769518ISBN:0316769517
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Book has tanning or browning due to normal aging process. -, Mass Market PaperBack, Very Good / read more
Description: Fair. No dust jacket as issued. Signed by previous owner. PB: wear, creases, front cover missing outer lower corner, tear/tape on spine, pouch, lower 4th of book has light-medium stain doesn't affect text. 213 p. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 1971
Description: VG Used, Very Good in VG jacket. PAPERBACK, VG/VG, Bantam, 1971, 4.5 oz. This copy has visible but minimal creasing of the spine, is in otherwise Very Good condition. Special Notes on this book: small chip at bottom of spine Note: expect tanning of any paperback more than a few years old, regardless of condition. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 1968
Description: Good. Shows reading wear but is complete tight and fresh. Has red mark on page top, creasing, some age spotting, I ship imediately. read more
"I read the first story about three years ago shortly after I got to Boston while I was on a Salinger kick. But the second story took me a lot longer to get through. I started it several times, but I only just got all the way through. "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" is an easier read because of the clear plot and more traditional structure, although it does have many interesting digressions. "Seymour: An Introduction" is essentially a stream of conscious consisting of descriptions and reminisces about Seymour by his brother Buddy. "Seymour" has more depth and offers greater insight into the characters, but for me the haphazard style was much harder to get through. I wonder why these stories are always packaged together; perhaps it's because their styles are so different."
"I wish I could give this book two different ratings--obviously for the two drastically different stories. As it is I have to settle for subtracting a star from the 5-star rating I would have given this if it had been "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" alone.
From a sense of charity alone, I'd give "Seymour: An Introduction" one star. When other reviewers advise skipping it, they aren't kidding. Not only is "Seymour: An Introduction" a tedious, unpleasant read, but it's the pretentious sort that does more than imply that there's something wrong with you as a reader if you have any qualms with it; you just don't "get" it.
The narrator, Buddy Glass, talks more about his love of Seymour than he talks of Seymour. Pages are devoted to doting on the greatness of Seymour's poetry, which is never included. Buddy is just so in love with his own opinions, and with his brother's greatness. He includes notes Seymour had written in response to Buddy's short stories. "My brother was such a genius. Need proof? Here's what he said about my writing." Maybe I'm interpreting it as being more egotistical than it is, but regardless, it seems one step away from posting his grocery list. (Perhaps it's amusing only to me that these notes remind me of the ones Salinger's daughter decided to include in her memoir. Both were bad decisions.) However, there is one letter from Seymour among these notes which gives a much appreciated break from Buddy Glass and all of his old man rambling.
It didn't take long to realize I wasn't going to enjoy reading it, but I soldiered on simply for a sense of closure. It had some value, but only as a resource for those researching Seymour and/or the Glass family. I happen to be engaging in such research, but I still found reading it to be an overall miserable experience.
Don't get me wrong. Do buy the book. Just read "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" and call it a night. It was actually one of the most enjoyable Salinger stories I've read, which perhaps sets "Seymour: An Introduction" up to be even more of a disappointment. You'll learn far more about Seymour in it than in the story titled after him, and you won't have the same urge to give up on literature altogether. The inclusion of Seymour's diary entries gives a glimpse into a side of Seymour and Muriel not apparent in "A Perfect Day for Bananafish.""
"I reread this book for the first time since high school. I was surprised by how much I liked it. I really liked how Salinger shares minute little details about his characters. I especially liked the almost romantic relationship between Buddy and the old man. I also liked how he used the heat to reflect Buddy's rising anger towards his car-mates. I also like how the apartment cools along with Buddy's emotions.
The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because the second half of the book, Seymour: An Introduction, is not nearly as entertaining or accessible as Raise High."
"There were times when I was reading this book that I wondered whether or not I should reconsider Salinger as my favorite author... but then I realized why. Salinger does not write "skim-worthy" sentences. I really feel like the depth of his writing cannot be grasped if a person is not reading them with the utmost concentration. His short stories (Riase HIgh the Roof Beam, Carpenters and others I have read) seem, more or less, useless. In terms of a specific story, they are. But it's what a person /gains/ from them, the thoughts that are provoked, that are crucial. Additionally, Seymour, an Introduction, was basically Salinger rambling on aimlessly about his brother. But it really made me consider the depth of his love, the tragedy of his death, the words and thoughts that Buddy Glass used years after the death... it was provoking and I found that I dog-eared a number of corner because a specific sentence or paragraph really called to me. I greatly admire Salinger's writing and am glad I completed this book."
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