Franny and Zooey: Amazon.ca: J.D. Salinger: Books

Product Description

The author writes: FRANNY came out in The New Yorker in 1955, and was swiftly followed, in 1957 by ZOOEY. Both stories are early, critical entries in a narrative series I'm doing about a family of settlers in twentieth-century New York, the Glasses. It is a long-term project, patently an ambiguous one, and there is a real-enough danger, I suppose that sooner or later I'll bog down, perhaps disappear entirely, in my own methods, locutions, and mannerisms. On the whole, though, I'm very hopeful. I love working on these Glass stories, I've been waiting for them most of my life, and I think I have fairly decent, monomaniacal plans to finish them with due care and all-available skill.

About the Author

J.D. Salinger was born in New York in 1919. His first story was published in 1940 and he wrote a further twenty short stories before he 'found his subject' with the short novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951). The book has enormous popular success, particularly with students. It was followed by a collection of short stories, For Esme, With Love and Squalor, which encapsulated many of the themes later to be found in Salinger's linked series of works about the Glass Family. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

188 Reviews

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3 star:		(13)
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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (188 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unveiling and unfolding, Sep 12 2009

By

Saro (Montreal, QC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Franny and Zooey (Mass Market Paperback)

Franny and Zooey, originally published in New Yorker magazine as two distinct short stories, consists of two more or less loosely connected stories concerning the spiritual unraveling and emotional upheavals of college student Franny Glass in 50s New York. Both stories are part of an ever growing non-linear saga about the quirky, artistic, and manical Glass family whom discerning readers may recall meeting in A Perfect Day for Bananafish (1948), Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters (1955), and finally in Seymour: An Introduction (1959). In Franny, Franny Glass is on her way to meet her preppy Princeton boyfriend, Lane Coutell, for a week-end of football matches and other frivolities. During dinner, Franny's snappy banter turns to an overwrought meltdown which would be a precursor to her all-encompassing spiritual crisis that gradually unfolds in Zooey.

In Franny and Zooey, Salinger's introspective protagonist embarks on a journey of self-discovery that marries religious fervour and social antipathy in equal measure. Despite popular opinion, the author's masterpiece A Catcher in the Rye and this title were not nor are they meant to be interpreted interchangeably. Unlike the former masterpiece, the characters that inhabit the self-titled Franny and Zooey are prone to existential crisis of a more personal nature. Whereas Holden Caulfield has a corrosive chip on his shoulder, Franny Glass' inner conflict is of a more metaphysical nature despite her dissatisfaction with the art of being genuine as explored in her drama classes and plays.

Interestingly enough, my reading material has recently consisted of spiritual guides that have for the most part served to alleviate the discontent that I have been feeling lately. However, I was almost disheartened to discover (via Google) Salinger's allegedly fanatical indoctrination of Eastern religions which may have heavily influenced his family life and hermit behaviour. Oddly, I was disconcerted because idle suppositions about the legendary writer's spiritual beliefs and behaviour may have superseded or influenced my unbiased view and analysis of Franny's own exploration of her self.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific story, Aug 17 2005

By

Cameron Jah (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Franny and Zooey (Mass Market Paperback)

Franny and Zooey is a brilliant book. I loved it.Salinger is witty, hilarious and natural in this book, exploring one of the most popular themes for man- the search for Life's meaning . Not only that he has a unique writing style and a special way of moving from thoughts to thoughts to bring forth a message. I liked this book almost like The Catcher in the Rye or others like The usurper and Other stories,Nine Stories, The Moujik.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Not my favourite, July 22 2011

By

MD (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Franny and Zooey (Paperback)

I read this because I felt like I should - sort of in an effort to incorporate more classics into my library.

But I have to admit - as much as I wanted to really like this, I just didn't get it. It didn't do it for me. I can understand how some people could be moved by it, and how there is lots of underlying depth to it. But I wasn't feeling exceptionally analytical when I read it, and if you plan to read it at face value, it feels like it's missing something.

For those who like a "thinker", this one is for you!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeking Spiritual Connection
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Donald Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars Just Perfect
Franny and Zooey is an amazing novel by the great J.D. Salinger. Salinger makes the cynist Glass family come alive in the novel, and is laugh out loud funny throughout. Read more

Published on Feb 12 2005 by W. Lokke