Wine With WordsWard

View Original

Franny and Zooey - Book Review Blurb

‘Franny and Zooey’ by J.D. Salinger is one of my favorite books by far. It follows the stories of Franny and Zooey, separately and then together. It is the kind of story that might make you spin out a bit, as a portion of Franny’s storyline is based around her questioning her mindset and, in a rather worrying way, the world around her. To give a little background, Franny and Zooey are two children in the Glass family, which, if you are familiar with Salinger’s works, you will know them to be a rather notable family. The children in particular are all of rather impressive intelligence and wit. In ‘Franny and Zooey’, we are first introduced to Franny as she is beginning to express views of the world that skew towards being slightly manic, and after watching her train of events unfold, we are introduced to Zooey, and his mother, as his mother speaks to him about Franny, who is in quite a state.

The conversation that then occurs between Franny and Zooey is both flippant and quite intense at times, and as it unfolds and the end of this window into their lives is reached, we are gifted with an interesting view into the way the mind works, and sometimes, how it can struggle to work. Overall, this book is at once rather disquieting and calming, and once you have reached the end, I believe you will find, as I have, that your mind is a bit more peaceful than it was before, and you just might have a bit more sympathy for the human race. I would recommend any writing by J.D. Salinger, but ‘Franny and Zooey’ is my absolute favorite of all his works.