Nine Stories

After seeing a program on PBS about Salinger, I decided to revisit some of work. I had never read For Esme etc and now wish I was in a book club or literature class to really dig into the stories in this book. Salinger's writing is the kind of work that stays with you and you continue to think about it and want to re-read it. I don't think of Salinger as an "exceptional" author, like Hemingway or Faulkner, but it is certainly very deep.

This is a collection of Salinger's short works. The book showcases the dark and sometimes bleak inner recesses of the human soul, often in contrast to the innocence of children. These characters rise from the page, they are shocking, flawed, hopeful, and lost. These stories will remain with you, drawing you back into them time and again.

This book of short stories is very different from J.D. Salinger's previous works, it touches on human emotion and passion. While the stories are beautiful written and well thought it is the last story "Teddy" that catches the greatest human sentiment and feeling of all.

I ordered this book simply for the story "Teddy". I don't even know if I care about the remaining 8 stories, I know I read them long ago but was so blown away by Teddy that I've forgotten everything else. By far of everything I've ever read Austin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Vonnegut, etc. Teddy is the best.

The book is incredible, with each of the short stories more interesting than the last. However, when I received the product, it appeared to have a long cut along the edge of the cover, with several pages cut underneath as well. I recommend the book, but not from this seller.

Salinger stories, typically, make me feel very uncomfortable. I do not like them because I do not like brussel sprouts. However, standing in the produce section of the grocery, I'll think, "maybe, I'll try brussel sprouts again. Maybe I'll like them today." I haven't liked them yet. A Perfect Day for Bananafish is about a guy named Seymour Glass who, I might add, some people think is Sargent X in To Esme with Love and Squalor. Seymour is living the death of his belief system via intellectual trauma due to war. War=the suspension of morality and to a highly moral individual a bananafish eats too many bananas and can't find his way back to life, back to a sem-balance of 'reality' The outcome is inevitable-some things are not acceptable. Sorta William Blake-ish. By far, the priority pieces in this book are Teddy and Down at the Dingy. Teddy because he is God and we are all God. Acceptable and intertwined with one another. Unwilling to separate from the material anchors which tie us down to a temporal existence. Down at the Dinghy because the story is about a boy who receives 'radio transmissions' in the form of human feeling. In so much, the words me nothing, the feeling means everything. I have to admit, it reminds me of my own son, who has not let his Batman shirt leave his body for 3 weeks. Not only because he has a special affinity for Batman but because the stability of the shirt makes him feel safe and strong. This review is precisely why Salinger makes me feel uncomfortable--I prefer to live in denial and feel secure. Maybe I should buy a Batman shirt.

Salinger is a great writer who polished and re-wrote until his work was as perfect as is humanly possible. Characters live and breathe because of Salinger's fantastic eye for detail and the telling nuance in movement, language, thought. Not one word is wasted and there is never a single unnecessary word. The subjects of Salinger's writings: precocious kids, spiritually and emotionally fragile young women, adults who have sold their souls - are not always my favorite (I would like to strangle some of these 5 year old wise guys : ) but it is difficult to resist the magical spell that Salinger can cast on the reader. His dialogue is so perfect that the reader can feel as if he is eavesdropping. An indispensable collection.

This is your typical Salinger cut into bite size pieces. Most noted for The Catcher in the Rye, we have come to love Salinger's representation of repressed angst and moral conflict. His favorite audience is the rich Americans of the 1940s and 50s who, despite being surrounded by all that life can offer, are singularly depressed and feel like their lives are unfulfilled.

Nine Stories is just that, nine short stories that reflect an age that should have taught us that money can't buy happiness. It, according to Salinger, oftentimes just breeds mental incapacity and sadness, and these stories represent them. He also, a very popular trend for the period, touches on PTSD and the art of how war can just ravage a perfectly good life and mind. He doesn't hold back with glimpses into a young woman's life who is a drunk, abuses the help, and has found herself devoid of compassion towards her husband and daughter to settle for minor comforts.

Even his more pleasant stories make us uncomfortable due to the resonant undertones of distaste and dislike for simply living. Perhaps one of his saddest stories is the last, focused on a ten-year-old child genius who seems to culminate all the problems of the world inside of himself.

As always, he uses his typical writing style and perfectly reflects dialogue as it should sound and not the perfect sentences often delivered by realistic fiction. His words are chosen carefully in his descriptions, and though simple and easy to follow, leaves us wondering the furthest reaches of each sentence.

This review is not about the content of this book, it is about what you get if you order this title with 'library binding'. I ordered this as a gift. I thought I would receive a hard-cover book with nice type face, nice paper and a dust jacket. What I got was a cheaply printed paperback on cheap pulp with a stupid, cheap cover and no dust jacket. Just awful. I'm going down to Barnes and Noble and see what they sell and will probably return this trashy product.

My guess is that the paperback edition would be more presentable as a gift than this sorry excuse.

JD Salinger is well known for his book, The Catcher in the Rye, which I read in high school and liked, which is why I chose to read this book. As the title suggests, this book is a collection of nine short stories by JD Salinger. I liked these stories and the feel that you get from them. The book was published in 1953 and gives you a good feel of the time period and the differences in attitudes and dialogue between then and now. My only criticism, although at the same time it acted as a strength, would be that some of the stories did end abruptly and felt somewhat premature leaving me wondering what happened next. I did however come to appreciate this as a strength of the stories. Overall, I would highly recommend this book.
Perhaps one of the things I like most about these stories was the strong use of dialogue which I felt greatly added to the mood and feel of the stories. Sometimes in fiction, too much dialogue can take away from a story, but in these stories, I felt it helped give a better appreciation of the time period, the people talking, and the roles people have in various relationships. When people converse with each other, we use dialogue to portray a certain image, and one of the things that I think makes these stories so great is that J.D. Salinger does that but allows the characters true self to slip through the cracks at times.
One of the trends in dialogue that threw me off at first, but I came to really appreciate by the end, is the way characters tend to repeat themselves while talking. For example, in the story ‘Just Before the War with the Eskimos’, the main character says “Well, I mean did you ever phone her up or anything? I mean didn't you ever phone her up or anything?" This is an example of how the stories give an insight of how people of this time period interacted with each other which I found very intriguing. The dialogue gives a sense of how formal, yet at the same time personal interactions were between people, whether they were old friends or meeting for the first time.
The overall feeling of all nine stories is fairly dark, although most of them start off feeling fairly light. It is set by the first story, ‘A Perfect Day for Banana Fish’, where you are contemplating the true nature of the character Seymour. The opening scene, a conversation between Seymour’s wife and her mother, call into question Seymour’s sanity. When it cuts to Seymour and his interaction with a young child alone on the beach, your left wondering if he might be a pedophile, and the story ends abruptly and surprisingly with him completing suicide next to his sleeping wife in the hotel room where the story started.
The theme of all of the stories is people getting tripped up in the trivialities of life, and through it all, perhaps trying to get back the feeling of innocence from childhood that adults lose. This is shown well in the second story, ‘Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut’. Two women who had been college roommates get together at one of their houses to socialize. As the two continue to drink and catch up on gossip, they talk about their lives and husbands and how easy things were when they were younger. It becomes clear that Eloise, whose house they are at, is unhappy with her seemingly nice life and marriage, reminiscing on an old flame that got away and the simplicity of younger days.
Lastly, what I think makes these stories so strong is that they do seem to end abruptly, in one case right in the middle of scene. While at times it did leave me wondering what happened next, by the end of all the stories I came to really appreciate it. What I think makes these so special is that Salinger can tell a story about an individual, and in the case of ‘Just Before the War with the Eskimos’, make it just a sixty-minute segment of someone’s life, yet still show character change. Sometimes no background is given as to how the characters got to the moment they are in, no history of their relationship. However, this adds to the quality of the stories. Hints are usually given through the story, but even if they are not, it does not take away from it and leave you feeling confused.
In conclusion, by the time I finished this book, I came to really love the feeling I got from all nine of the stories. I appreciated the use of dialogue and the depth that Salinger was able to create.

I love to buy used books, because they always seem to have a story within a story. The best is when you get one with an inscription. And with my order I got just that "The road to wisdom is paved by morons." it was signed RC. To find something like that is like a glimpse into someones life, Thank you. 5/5 could not have been more satisfyed

Salinger's cultish-like following has perhaps led to sporadic overpraise. That being said, I believe that Nine Stories is illustrative of the late author's greatness, and shows why his praise is justified. Salinger explores various issues: alienation, the effects of war on individuals, coming of age. The lessons learned in some of these stories aren't always in plain view, and, while it can be frustrating sometimes to read stories where you must "fill in the gaps", it can also be a rewarding experience when you see a semblance of moral or theme attached. Yes, this collection has its flaws--some of the "tales" here appear to more character vignettes than definite stories--but the precision with which Salinger writes and narrative voice he captures is undeniable.

Salinger is not typical in his approach. There is always an underlying level of meaning working; if you read his stories just at surface level they probably won't make much sense. Still, Salinger has such exact words, with both dialogue and narrative: the simplest moment can take on profound significance. The staying power of his tales is impressive; some of the conclusions stay with you, or hit you in a way unexpected. With Salinger, you cannot take any moments off; your brain must constantly be looking for meaning. Some readers might not want to venture or do this "extra" work, but I find it rewarding.

As far as the collection, I guess I differ from most in that I found "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" rather depressing and dreary. The story opens with a woman (Seymour's wife) and her mother yapping on the phone about trivial matters, and then shifts to Seymour. Apparently suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Seymour converses with a girl on the beach where he characterizes and describes a mythical creature known as the Bananafish. The Bananafish signifies the state of deterioration in Seymour's world. The ending, a bit shocking, underscores the devastation of Seymour's condition.

Here are some of my favorites: ** some spoilers ahead
"The Laughing Man"--An unnamed narrator tells of a time when, as a kid and a member of the Comanche Club, his team would travel on the bus to go play baseball. The bus' driver, nicknamed Chief, entertains the kids by recalling installments of fictional story about a deformed hero, The Laughing Man, who is a sort of Robin Hood type. The kids on board are in awe of this hero; there is a sense that each wants to be like him in some way. The Laughing Man narrative is pretty much the "story within the story", and The Laughing Man's fate coincides with the Chief's relationship with a beautiful woman who rides with the team one day. The story seems to have an underlying theme of camaraderie and coming of age that was enjoyable. This is probably my favorite of the stories.

"Just Before the War With the Eskimos"--Ginnie Mannox and Selene Graff regularly play tennis but Ginnie has had to pay her cab fare on the way back from the courts for several days. She decides to confront Selene about this; Selene gets upset about it, but agrees to pay her back. They go up to Selene's house so Selene can get the money. While Ginnie is waiting, she meets Selene's brother, Franklin, a dropout who apparently can't enlist because he has a heart problem. He begins to rant and rave about how much he despises Ginnie's sister, who he labels a "snob." It is evident that he had feelings for her. Ginnie tries to defend her sister and the two argue. Eventually, after they talk awhile, he offers Ginnie a sandwich, which she turns down initially, but eventually accepts. A friend of Franklin's comes to the door, and then Selene comes back with the money. Ginnie has a change of heart about wanting Selene's money, but it is left to the reader to determine what causes this change.

"For Esme--With Love and Squalor"--I found this to be one of the more complex stories in the collection. An American solider, while sitting in a café, meets an intelligent thirteen year old French girl (Esme) and her little brother. They converse for a few minutes. The solider (later to be known as Sergeant X) and Esme agree to correspond with each other, and she leaves telling him she hopes he comes back with "his facilities intact." From here, the narration shifts, as Sergeant X, now in the hospital, writes about himself in the third person, and it is clear that the war is over and he has suffered some type of mental breakdown. A fellow comrade comes in and speaks to him for a few minutes while he is in the hospital, and, after he leaves, he picks up a letter Esme had written to him previously, presumably after D Day. Within the contents, Esme has also sent him a watch, which she says is resistant to water and damage. However, Sergeant X sees that the watch is damaged. Because of Sergeant X's mental state, he has lost track of this promise to correspond with Esme. This story emphasizes the issue of war and its devastating effects.

"De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period"--A young man whose mother has recently died lives with his stepfather. Unhappy with his living predicament, the young man sees an ad for an art instructor in Montreal, and he applies, embellishing and exaggerating much of his resume in order to get the job. There are various comical accounts from the man at his new job, as he has two hapless artists under his wing. He also has another student, Sister Irma, whose work he finds amazing. The story really is less about the narrative and more about the man's epiphany, which occurs late in the story. In a non-direct way, this story is about being true to oneself, and that is what the young man's awakening snaps him into.

Overall, this is a great collection for Salinger fans and a nice sampling for those who haven't read this author.

Also issued as 'For Esme with love and squalor'. One of my favourite books, this FANTASTIC collection of short stories is in turn tragic and hilarious, notably in 'the laughing man'. The narrator recalls belonging to a boys' club in his childhood where the youthful 'Chief' would regale the children in his care with the far-fetched but thrilling saga of a heroic character called the laughing man. This individual had given most of his fortune away to monks ('humble ascetics who had devoted their lives to raising police dogs') whiler he subsisted on rice and eagles' blood in a tiny cottage with an underground gymnasium on the stormy coast of Tibet. The Chief subsequently has a short-lived romance, but after it comes to an end (made all the more touching by the fact we only witness it through the child's eyes) he abruptly winds up the narrative. The laughing man hears his pet wolf is dead and himself refuses the lifesaving vial of eagles' blood. After all the humour the end is particularly sad. BRILLIANT writing

Rereading this collection I am struck by the way JD Salinger and New York writers for the 40's and 50's in general have this strange datedness and yet currency simultaneously. The cocktails, dress, makeup, and courtship rituals, and of course the war set them more remote from us than say Victorian authors, perhaps they are so close and yet not quite here. But A Perfect Day for Bananafish still packs a punch even when you know its coming. The rest of the stories are just as compelling. I think Salinger as much as any author I know drags the reader into the story forcing them to fill in the context, finish the tale, and hear the unspoken background. I suspect this quality will end up keeping Salinger in larger numbers of readers after Roth, Cheever and Updike have faded.

Salinger is an amazing writer, as these stories show. However, he is not always a great storyteller. For Esme..With Love and Squalor, De Daumier-Smith’s Blue Period and Teddy are wonderful stories, but the rest of the selections draw you in with Salinger’s great writing, but then fail to deliver on content. Still, for any writer, this is a must-read textbook that will certainly spark your creative juices.

Some have heard about "22 Stories", some 2000 copies which were printed by 'Raintree' in Portland, Oregan, so the facts go. The stories comprise of material previously published in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Atlantic Monthly, etc. In these stories, you meet Holden's older brother, Vincent Caulfield, playing marbles with Seymour Glass, the only link between Salinger's two famous families. You read a third person narration of Holden's mishaps at Grand Central Station, a well remembered scene in Catcher in the Rye, as if this new narrator was looking over Holden's shoulder the whole time. It is a blessing in print, however paltry in quantity.
For the rest of us, sadly, we only have Nine Stories to warm our hearts and keep us company when we fall to sleep. "For Esme, with Love and Squalor" is perhaps the most well loved, about a young soldier's intimate, witty, funny, and lonely conversation with a little precocious girl and her silent younger brother. Promises are exchanged, and time passes and proves generous.
My personal favorite is "De Daumier Smith's Blue Period". A young self-absorbed and arrogant art student moves to Canada to work as an instructor at a school, only to discover the 'institution' is merely an old Japanese couple. He tells them that he's related to Picasso (hence, the "Blue Period")and fails in some very humorous scenes to be personable to them. He ends up falling in love with one of his students (he only has three, whom he corresponds to through the mail). Sister Irma sends lovely water-colors his way and "Mr. Smith" imagines Sister Irma as a young 18 year old nun, ready to be 'discovered.' Smith writes a rather impulsive letter to her, which results badly, causing Smith entertain a self-absorbed role as the hopeless bachelor. He gets dressed up for a decadent night by himself, only to come home to an image behind glass that may or may not have been only in his head.
Each story is intimate, some of them simply profound. Salinger followed his character Seymour's own advice to Buddy: Imagine a story you would most want to read, and write it your damn self. We are all so grateful and glad that he did.