I think that with this book, I have completed my reading about the Glass family. And I'm not going to mince words here. This knowledge makes me want to step outside, lie down on the ground, and wait for the earth to claim me.

Or at the very least, I want to reread Franny and Zooey, then Nine Stories, and then this one again, in an unending cycle until, perhaps, I get sick of them and can move on with my life unemotionally.

(Although I highly doubt I could ever get tired of them; it's just an optimistic thought.)

I believe I would have adored these stories of this family regardless. I mean, it's not exactly a rare trait to be an English major with a penchant for Franny and Zooey. It's even referenced in Caroline Kepnes' You, for goodness sake! Maybe I'll just turn this entire review into a series of clauses enclosed by dashes until everyone unfollows me. But I was especially fated to love them because I read them alongside one of my dearest friends. I will always have a special place in my heart for this family, these stories, and Salinger. And this is even more so because of the beautiful memories I have of reading them and the time in my life when I was doing so.

AND THAT MAKES IT EVEN SADDER THAT NOW I'M DONE.

My heart actually aches.

I love this family so very much, and I love their stories. And these two additional works are equally charming.

The first story, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, is a pure delight from start to finish. (Also, for full disclosure: until I actually opened this book, I didn't realize that the title was composed of two separate story titles. I have no explanation for this, considering Franny and Zooey is the same way, but here we are.)

Seymour: An Introduction, counterintuitively, began to feel tiresome for me at first but gradually became less so. In the end, I found myself thinking, "Oh, to be such a remarkable person that a story like this is written about you." And the fact that Seymour is fictional seemed almost immaterial.

The Glass family feels极其真实 to me.

Bottom line: I would give anything to go back and read Franny and Zooey for the very first time again.

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There's simply not enough Salinger in the WORLD, my dear!

Review to come / between 4 and 4.5 stars

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I'm feeling sad, and I'm going to keep reading Salinger until I start to feel better.

Raise High the Roof Beam, J.D. Salinger

Like many other Glass family stories, "Raise High" is narrated by Buddy Glass, the second of the Glass brothers.

It vividly describes Buddy's visit on Army leave during World War II in 1942 to attend the wedding of his brother Seymour to Muriel. However, the story takes an unexpected turn when Seymour fails to show up. The events that unfold set the stage for Seymour's tragic suicide in 1948.

Seymour is portrayed through the eyes of Buddy and the would-be wedding attendants. Among them is the Matron of Honor, a loud and burly woman whom Buddy meets in a car leaving the wedding site. The other passengers, including the Matron of Honor's husband Robert, Muriel's father's deaf-mute uncle, and a middle-aged woman named Helen Silsburn, are mostly unaware of Buddy's family relation to the missing groom during the car ride.

This story not only delves into the complex relationships within the Glass family but also reflects on themes such as love, loss, and the impact of war on individuals. Salinger's unique writing style and his ability to capture the nuances of human emotions make "Raise High the Roof Beam" a captivating and thought-provoking read.

Salinger is perhaps the only author that I like to read in small bites throughout the day, at the most varied moments. A few pages at breakfast between one sip of coffee and the next, a couple of mouthfuls to whet the appetite while waiting for lunch (when I'm lucky enough not to have to prepare it myself), in the divine postprandial relaxation, during the inevitable reading from the salle de bain (in the hope that the French makes the image less disgusting) and nibbled in that incredibly expanded time frame that follows the classic message "I'm arriving!" of the late friend.

With this, I don't mean that it's an undemanding reading to use to fill the gaps of boredom, quite the opposite! Seymour. Introduction, in fact, is precisely the demonstration of Salinger's complexity with all his characteristic digressions, but it's a reading that amuses immensely, despite very often wondering what the Glass of the moment is raving about. Every single page is a flash that manages to convey to me such vivid images of the Glass family, in all their peculiar poses and ways, to keep me company for an entire day and I would like to quote out of context sentences of Buddy, Seymour or Franny, but no one would understand me.

PS: Dear J.D., I hate you immensely for not having given us the poems of Seymour. Selfish!

With revolting affection,

Bruno

Alzate il cappello

Going back into Salinger, at a sidereal distance from the young Holden - still always present - creates a mixture of excitement, despair - because who will ever write like that again - and astonishment - because how did Salinger know that I (that is, you, we, you) was precisely his reader. The dedication on the first page of "Alzate l'architrave..." goes straight to the heart:
"If in the whole world there is still one reader who reads for the pleasure of reading - or who anyway after reading goes about his or her business - I ask him or her, with indescribable affection and gratitude, to divide the dedication of this book into four parts with my wife and my children."
Naturally, the conversation with the reader unfolds throughout the story but, instead of being terribly nerve-wracking - like the dismal habit of filmmakers borrowed from Woody Allen and copied too many times of having an actor directly address the audience in the theater, breaking the sacred alliance, the pact, the suspension of disbelief and everything that nourishes the fiction, (excuse the length of the sentence, the parentheses, but I'm coming out of Salinger, I'm happy and disconcerted), Salinger is talking privately with us, personally, and this is simply true.
Genius spills out from every part, and the deception works: even though we know something about Salinger's life, the family of seven brothers and sisters is completely alive, to the same extent or more than that of John Fante, with the insignificant difference that the second is copied from reality.
But what I'm saying here, I'm only saying for the first story, the one with the splendid title "Alzate l'architrave, carpentieri"; the second "Seymour. Introduzione" sails far behind, with its digressions.
By the way, what is it about? About his brother... like Proust talks about his neighbors or Roth about his favorite organ... What it's about is the last question that comes to mind when the book is good.

It's truly remarkable how Salinger manages to engage the reader on such a personal level. His words seem to reach out and touch our souls, making us feel as if he is speaking directly to us. The way he weaves his stories, with all their intricacies and details, is a masterclass in writing. Each character comes alive on the page, and we can't help but become invested in their lives. Whether it's the first story with its powerful title or the second with its more meandering narrative, Salinger's talent shines through. His ability to create a world that is both familiar and yet completely unique is what makes his work so enduring. We are left with a sense of wonder and admiration, and a desire to read more of his words.

Bullet-point review because I can't make a coherent one right now.

- “You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was writing ever your profession? It's never been anything but your religion.” This quote is the number-one that lives rent-free in my head. I'm being dead serious when I say I think about it every day. It beautifully captures the essence of writing as something more than just a job, but a deep passion and a way of life.

- I did Seymour: An Introduction so dirty in my original review. I can't believe I said it was boring. Looking back, I realize how wrong I was. This work has so much depth and beauty that I failed to appreciate at first.

- God, can you imagine it? Meaning so much to someone that upon your death they eulogize you in such a way? To love someone so much that when they die you write something about them just to give the rest of the world a sampling of what they meant to you? I'm going insane just thinking about it. It's a testament to the power of love and the impact we can have on others.

- One time I was at Barnes and Noble and trying to make small talk with the cashier because she was nice to me and I had been having a bad day. We were discussing classic lit, and somehow we got onto the topic of the Brontës. She mentioned how she thought Anne was underrated. And so, in a moment of pure and unearned confidence, I decided to drop a line from a book I'm working on and said “Yeah, Anne Brontë— she’s the Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters, and Seymour: An Introduction of the Brontë sisters.” Every day I'm so thankful that she understood what thought I was trying to convey. If she hadn't, I think I would've just spontaneously combusted from embarrassment on the spot. It was a risky move, but it paid off.

Reading 'Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters' & 'Seymour: An Introduction' for the first time was a profound experience. It vividly brought back memories of my initial encounter with Franny and Zooey. I had a certain fondness for the first stories in both collections. However, I felt that the latter stories in these works tended to meander and seemed rather pointless.

Recently, I reread Franny and Zooey and found myself appreciating it much more. This has given me hope that I might feel at least a bit more favorably towards Seymour: An Introduction in the future. But as it stands right now, I have to admit that I found it almost unbearable. It's evident that Salinger's love, or perhaps even obsession, for the Glass family had, by this point in time, not only dominated his writing but also made the line between the fictional and the real almost indistinguishable.

In 'Raise High the Roof Beam', we see both characters come alive in a different way. While Buddy is present as the narrator, this time he serves more as the eyes through which we view the story. The focus is firmly on Seymour, especially on the day of his wedding. The story unfolds over that one eventful day. Seymour fails to show up at the wedding, and the guests make their way to the after-party. Buddy ends up in one of the limousines with the bride's guests, who are all rather underwhelmed by Seymour's actions and his general persona. The whole narration in the car is a masterful blend of humor, sadness, and tension. It showcases all of Salinger's strengths in writing interactions, dialogues, and those fleeting moments and shifts in a character's life that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Once again, I believe that Raise High and Franny, as stories, capture the essence of Salinger's writing much better than Zooey or Seymour: An Introduction. But I'm still glad to have finally read all of his work. It's been a journey through the complex and fascinating world that Salinger has created.

J. D. Salinger's works have always intrigued me. There's something that seems to elude me whenever I read his writings, perhaps that's why I'm so fascinated by them.

This book consists of two short stories that complement "Franny and Zooey" and "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" (included in "Nine Stories"). The characters are the Glass family and the seven child prodigies who later become troubled and disturbing adults.

The second story isn't a great read. The narrator (is it Salinger?) gets lost in uninteresting digressions that frustrate the reader, who is eager to get to know Seymour better and understand the reasons for his suicide. "Seymour once said that the only thing we do during our lives is to move from one small patch of Holy Ground to the next. Is he never wrong?"

The first story, however, is a masterpiece. It's Seymour's wedding day, and although he never appears, he is portrayed through a gallery of extraordinarily entertaining characters. It's a gem!

I truly wish that I could assign a rating of 4.5 or 4.8 or something along those lines. It doesn't matter about the carpenters. We must not allow ourselves to be trapped beneath the beam like pendants that resemble penny counters. Instead, we should rise above the fascism and come together in a rally.

After all, 4 is a very dependable number. It represents stability and reliability. We can rely on it to guide us through difficult times.

We should not let the actions of others bring us down. We must be strong and stand up for what we believe in. By rallying together, we can make a difference and create a better future for ourselves and for generations to come.

Let us not be afraid to take a stand and fight against fascism. We have the power within us to make a change, and we must use it.

When I find myself in times of trouble,

I often turn to the works of J.D. Salinger for solace. His unique writing style and profound insights into the human condition have the power to transport me to another world.

One of my favorite books by him is "The Catcher in the Rye." It tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a troubled teenager who is trying to make sense of the world around him.

Reading this book, I can relate to Holden's feelings of alienation and confusion. Salinger's ability to capture the essence of adolescence is truly remarkable.

Another great book by Salinger is "Franny and Zooey." This novel explores the themes of identity, faith, and family.

The characters are complex and well-developed, and the story is both touching and thought-provoking.

In conclusion, whenever I am in need of a good read, I know that I can always rely on J.D. Salinger to provide me with an escape from reality and a deeper understanding of myself and the world.

A lovely end to my Salinger binge.

I have now read all of his published works, which almost entirely follow the Glass family. Even "The Catcher in the Rye" is insinuated to have been written by Buddy, the writer and narrator of the family, and the teller of these two novellas.

Born to vaudeville performers, the Glass children were introduced to America as whiz kids on the radio programme ‘It’s a Wise Child’. Generations of Glass siblings owned the airwaves from the 1920s to the 50s. Salinger chronicles them at various stages of life through novellas and short stories, from precocious children to scholars, actors, writers, soldiers, a monk and the eldest, Seymour, the only ‘true poet’ of the family.

‘Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters’ follows the day of Seymour's wedding. Buddy, recently discharged from military hospital and the only Glass attending, attempts to make it to the ceremony with a ragtag group. On a hot sticky day in New York, in a car with strangers who hurl insults at his family, Buddy’s displacement feels claustrophobic, his disconnection from his family unnerving.

‘Seymour: An Introduction’ is Buddy’s attempt to introduce Seymour to us after he commits suicide on his honeymoon. This novella contrasts the first, with Buddy being unfocused and autocratic. But what else can a brother do with all his grief? The flashes of Seymour are love and brightness, wisdom and purity, but also so, so sad.

Salinger’s work explores how a family whose value has hinged on contribution, articulation and knowledge can cope with sheer feeling. And I love the Glass family, in all their pretentious, deeply flawed glory. They are real to me.

If you’re looking to get into Salinger, here is my suggested reading order: "The Catcher in the Rye", "Franny and Zooey", "For Esme—With Love and Squalor, and Other Stories" (also titled Nine Stories), "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters & Seymour: An Introduction".

Raise High was rather decent. However, I simply couldn't get into Seymour no matter how hard I tried. I have a strong aversion to reading from the point of view of a crazy person. And whoever the narrator is, I assume it's Seymour, and he seems to be completely out of his mind. It's extremely difficult to follow or understand. After just a few pages, I took pity on my poor brain and gave up. So far, I'm two for two in disliking J. D. Salinger's published work. I'm going to attempt his Nine Stories since I already own it. But I highly suspect that I won't enjoy it or be able to finish it either.

Maybe I'm just not the right audience for Salinger's style of writing. It could be that his works are too complex or too far removed from my own experiences and sensibilities. Or perhaps I'm simply not in the right frame of mind to appreciate them at the moment. Whatever the reason, I'm not holding out much hope for Nine Stories. But I'll give it a try anyway, just in case.

If you don't know the Glass family, it's no business of mine. If you know the Glass family and don't know Seymour, the eldest son, the serious and the measure of that family, you probably suffer from Down syndrome and there's no need for me to make you suffer more pain and torture with my review. As can be seen from the "wa" in the title of the book, the book contains two stories, "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" and "Seymour: An Introduction". The reader of Salinger has previously become acquainted with the character Seymour in the story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" (one of Salinger's short stories). But I, the least ambitious wretch, in this review, really do not want to mix the story "Raise High the Roof Beam" with the story "Seymour: An Introduction" in the ocean of human knowledge. Although I have to read the two previous stories on the basis of humanity, even at the cost of passing through the necessary cemeteries.

My precious time is more valuable than that of getting into the charm of the book. Today, I don't have that intimacy with it, but I really enjoy the rare and beautiful narration of the book. If you haven't come this far yet, don't go further. The book is full of long paragraphs and unfinished sentences. As the narrator of the book warns the reader in advance and offers a bunch of parentheses like this => (((()))) to him to endure the hardships of reading the book. The way the author arranges these lines with regard to his confused mind (which is not at all strange considering the many human concerns he has) in the margin with these parentheses is to read the book quickly (and because of the many concerns mentioned, this clever solution always comes to my mind in the middle of rereading the book). Sometimes, it will never be forgotten that the wandering author is wandering about what issues and escapes in the middle to something else, and in the middle of that something else is also to something else. And of course, in the middle of these two, something must have been forgotten, but in the middle of things, important things are that there are many things. Let's move on from this. The unique way of the author's narration is beautifully and completely kneaded with the sincerity that is claimed at the beginning of the book. That's why the book is very appealing to those who have special valuable concerns (especially those of the Eastern type).

The book revolves around an absent hero (of course, the address of the hero for Salinger's characters is a heroic gesture because there is no messenger of the hero, he is the messenger) to whom the author (Salinger, not Buddy Glass: the narrator and the author present in the book) has entrusted this great and glorious position, so as to prevent the addressee from being aware of the human self-importance, and it can be said that to some extent he is successful. Seymour Glass is a messenger whose wonderful descriptions by his sick brother (Buddy Glass) do not appeal to the reader's taste. A messenger whose weaknesses that his brother throws at him are also strengths themselves (from the eyes of an informed and morally valuable reader who will surely get much more pleasure from reading the book, and let me say as someone who will no longer get this pleasure, I hope you will be killed). And of course, to the confessions, the author's (Buddy Glass) self-involvements and discoveries also get little mercy, if we say that the book only deals with Seymour. The narrator is clearly not impartial in the narration he makes. And the reader steps on the border between these two, this side and that side (of course, let me say that in my opinion, there is no such border, and it is not an escape from this mixture, although according to the mind of these lines, anxious that the reader who knows the Glass family and does not know Seymour is not Down syndrome, but that he thinks there is such a border is suffering from Down syndrome).

The author is charmingly crazy. Enjoy it.