Nine Stories

The children of a large dual-denominational family react to and rebel against their strict, religious upbringing by lashing out in various ways throughout the precocious and impertinent phases of their luminous existences, however brief or prolonged. If he could only have torn himself away from his clinging family, the eldest son, Seymour, might have grown up, gone away to become a famous reclusive monk in a Far Eastern monestary, and lived happily ever after. Who knows, a generation later, the youngest daughter might have become a devout and faithful follower of Jesus Christ, completely at peace with herself and in perfect harmony with the world around her, a full generation before anyone ever heard of "Woodstock" or "cults." You can tell the children didn't have many friends for very long because hardly any of them would ever be able to meet the high standards set in the realm of their imaginations and through the arduous process of "home-schooling," which presumeably would have included proof of sainthood, miracles and all. Their education may have been limited, but they appeared to be wise, knowledgeable and well-counselled. For instance, they appeared to see beyond the "Great-Wall" facade represented by education and the public school system as well as through the "Glass-Ceiling" of life in general, as administered by mere mortals, possessing human frailties and the more serious flaws of character, as if they were repeating the same amusing anecdotes over and over again. It just didn't seem very humorous the second time around, evolving as they were, seeking a higher plane of existence, or another dimension of reality. Similarly, they were probably cute once upon a time, themselves, like the kids on "The Art Linkletter Show" or "Captain Kangaroo," but most of them eventually grew out of it. Controlling and manipulative-- spoiled brats, some would say, they had a very difficult time playing nicely with others in the sandbox. Vocal and strong-willed, they did things their way and took their sweet time about it too. You can begin to visualize the complicated psychiatry and psychotropic medication at work on the horizon in the not too distant future for their generation. In 1948, when the book was first published, no one accurately predicted the long-term health risks associated with smoking cigarettes. No Surgeon General's warning label appeared on the packages of tobacco products. Smoking was cool, chic, fashionable, and happening. Ditto for alcohol consumption. You wanted to make the scene, be sociable, and be seen. Again, no warning labels against drinking excessively and attempting to operate motor vehicles and other machinery. A bite of sandwich, a cigarette, and two mixed-drinks for lunch and you wonder why did you begin to feel ill all of a sudden? Must have been the excitement of Game Day. All in all, there were some really good stories in Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger about a nostalgic New York family of vaudevillians trying to cope, adjust, and rebuild their lives in the wake and shadow of WWII. Seymour was a tough act to follow for his younger, more impressionable siblings. The youngest ones idolized him, I believe. He could have baptized the girl in the pool, or tossed her overboard into the deep blue sea-- he was that profoundly unpredictable in a couple of stories. And the girl he met at the Derby could have gone on to become the next Queen of England, for all we know. In an unforgettable encounter, she undoubtedly inspired him and eventually saved his life. This is evident when, much later, showing symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome, he was healed by the power of pure, divine love. So, she obviously left a lasting impression on him. Ironically, the moral of the story is that you should never under any circumstances send Kindergarten teachers off to fight a holy war in distant lands.

had wanted a hard backed version of this book for some time and am glad I was able to find one. I really enjoy Salinger's writings and this fits in with may of his other books recanting stories centered around a particular family.

These are nine vignettes, barely sketches, of what goes on inside the souls of apparently perfectly normal people. More: they are normal, as most of us are, but they, like us, hide inside longings and surprising reactions to everydat situations. Most characters are Newyorkers, and most of them are also young, sometimes very young, people. Salinger, as showed in "Catcher in the Rhye" and in "Franny and Zooey", has a great eye for the attitudes, perceptions and preoccupations of kids and teenagers, as well as a great ear for the way they really speak. Amazingly, most of the time Salinger's kids sound like contemporary ones.In my opinion, the best four tales were these: "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", in which Seymour Glass, older brother to Franny and Zooey, meets his destiny after a strange but tender and amusing talk with a little girl on the beach. "For Esme, with Love and Squalor", tells the amazing conversation between a young British girl and a soldier fighting in WWII. She is one of the most interesting young characters in Salinger's work, and the end is poignant and painful, but endearing. "De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period" is a wonderful satire of painters' autobiographies, a tale in a farsical tone. And "Teddy" is another small masterpiece about a young boy travelling with his parents on a cruise. This boy is a lecturer on reencarnation, and his talk with an older but still young guy is one of the most memorable pieces in modern literature.The rest are also good, but didn't strike me as much as the others. In "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" we see the emotional collapse of a young mother, as she talks and drinks the evening away with a friend from college, with the interesting appearance of her daughter, another weird but still normal Salingerian character. "Down at the Dinghy" is a short snap of another of the Glass girls talking with her shy but brave little son. "Just Before the War with the Eskimos" is another farce, a fight between two spoiled brats of Newyorker girls, and then how one of them discovers love, or at least romantic interest, in an unlikely guy. "The Laughing Man" is the most enigmatic of these tales. Finally, "Pretty Mouth and Green my Eyes" is just neurotic.Christianism in its most unsuspected manifestations, the pains, agonies and glory of being a child or a teenager, people from the exotic New York, hidden longings and passions, all of this and more is the subject of one of last century's most penetrating and enigmatic writers. I wonder what he has been up to these last years.

It seems silly to talk about the literary merits of this book of Salinger's short stories. He's a master writer with complex characters and fantastic dialogue. These stories are populated with vintage Salinger characters: high society intellectuals who have everything in the world but happiness. Although I didn't enjoy NINE STORIES as much as I liked CATCHER IN THE RYE and didn't love most of the characters as much as I loved the characters in FRANNY & ZOOEY, there are a few gems. "The Laughing Man," in which the narrator recalls his Comanche Chief (like a Boy Scout leader) and the way he enchanted the troop with his magnificent stories until his adult world crashed the party, seemed particularly relatable for some reason. And "For Esmé--With Love and Squalor," a story written by a traumatized soldier to a young girl he met on leave, is a charming and disturbing story. Overall, a very fine collection.

What can I say? I love J.D Salinger. Always entertaining. Great stories.

Quick Delivery and the book was in excellent condition.

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I hadn't read any Salinger prior to buying this book. I'd read Hemingway was a big inspiration for Salinger which was the main reason I purchased this book. The stories in my opinion are OK, my favorite was The Laughing Man followed by Down at the Dinghy (which definitely had Hemingway influences in style) and A Perfect Day for Bananafish which was radical when written. All up this book gives readers an entree to Salinger from which they can choose to read his novels like Catcher in the Rye.

Great cover, great edition. A master work by Salinger

What the hell is a banana fish?Nah, nevertheless it's an awesome book and I did enjoy reading it.

Lo compré después de leer Catcher in the rye, y me encantó. Cada historia de las 9 maneja ritmos y estilos distintos, pero todas con la genialidad de Sallinger.

Entrega e produto nota 10

Ottimo libro per spolverare l’inglese