I absolutely think thats true, if I were to read Catcher now without connecting with it as a teenager who knows if it would have hit the same way. The Bell Jar and Catcher are so up there for me when I recommend books, especially to nihilistic 19 year olds. 

Goldfinch is a long book, it took me a while to really get hooked but once i did I couldn't put it down. 

Thank you for reading and commenting, it's a joy to talk about reading :)

moonbeetle

BooksAndArticles

A recommendation/ramble on my favorite books

Love your point about reading a book at the right time in life, that's key. 

You mention Bell Jar and Catcher, I loved those also and also link them together. I saw Bell Jar as the "young woman's" version of Catcher, both had that sassiness to them (and sadness underneath in the case of Bell Jar.

I started Goldfinch but it didn't connect with me and I gave up. Maybe I'll revisit.  