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The Stories Of John Cheever Part 1 Of 2
Part One Of Two Parts Cheever captures a long-lost world when the city of New York was still filled with river-light, when Benny Goodman was king of the air. Everyone wore a hat and nearly everyone chainsmoked. Getting stoned was what you did at cocktail parties. Europe meant ship travel. Love and happiness were elusive and nostalgic, and the gods were ancient, not fresh-cut. Here are 61 magnificent stories, bringing together everything from five earlier collections as well as four major stories that have never been published in book form. "Wonderful stories. For more than 30 years, John Cheever celebrated the deepest feelings we have, and did it with unequaled grace and tenderness." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)
- GenresShort Stories
Audio Cassette
Published August 1, 1988
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About the author
John Cheever
297 books1,072 followersJohn Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer, sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs" or "the Ovid of Ossining." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the suburbs of Westchester, New York, and old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy, Massachusetts, where he was born.
His main themes include the duality of human nature: sometimes dramatized as the disparity between a character's decorous social persona and inner corruption, and sometimes as a conflict between two characters (often brothers) who embody the salient aspects of both--light and dark, flesh and spirit. Many of his works also express a nostalgia for a vanishing way of life, characterized by abiding cultural traditions and a profound sense of community, as opposed to the alienating nomadism of modern suburbia.
His main themes include the duality of human nature: sometimes dramatized as the disparity between a character's decorous social persona and inner corruption, and sometimes as a conflict between two characters (often brothers) who embody the salient aspects of both--light and dark, flesh and spirit. Many of his works also express a nostalgia for a vanishing way of life, characterized by abiding cultural traditions and a profound sense of community, as opposed to the alienating nomadism of modern suburbia.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 30, 2025
A few stories by John Cheever
Boy in Rome is very good
The short stories of John Cheever are mesmerizing.
The author has received the Pulitzer Prize for them and for good reason.
Boy in Rome
I have just finished Boy in Rome with the same pleasure that I have experienced with all the other about twenty I have finished so far.
Humor is mixed with complex feelings like sadness, empathy, regret, longing.
The boy in Rome is recounting experiences that include at one point his grandfather who had a cruel habit at meals.
He gave the children meals they did not like and it was so much of a hateful event that our hero asked –
- Grandfather, why do you cook these if you do not like it
- And the old man cursed and used bad language in response
The reason why some Americans stay in Rome is to avoid taxes, but the father of the boy is buried in the cemetery.
This is why they live in the eternal city, that some consider the most beautiful in the world- cita eterna.
We learn about parties, with champagne and guests that sing Silent Night and the boy has goose flesh.
There is a dog called Zimba that belongs to a woman- Tavola Colda who is the owner of a palace nearby
And then there is Tibi, who expects something hanging around near the palace where the boy lives with his mother.
But for some reason, when there is a conversation between Tibi and mother, something goes wrong and she cries.
Up to now, nothing much or dramatic seems to happen, but then again- this is grand literature, that keeps you enchanted and interested, even when there is no explosion of events to motivate the reader.
Life is complicated for the boy on account of a shortage of money, that his mother lacks and he needs to work for himself.
He wants to meet some American industrialists that would take him to the States and teach him about the steel industry.
But that does not happen
….
In another story, I was impressed with the way fate can change in so unexpected ways.
The husband wakes up in the morning to travel away from the city and he has to ask his wife to drive her car.
His automobile would not start and so she takes a bathrobe on and gets in the car, for it is late and the spouse would lose the train.
On the way back, she is trapped in the car without gasoline and not one of her woman friends would stop.
She only waves at women, because she is only half dressed or less and she is embarrassed to be seen by anyone except women friends.
In the end, a male neighbor stops, takes her home but forces himself upon the woman right near the door.
And the husband stumbles upon them, because he had to come back for something he had forgotten earlier on.
And life is changed for the couple, in an unfortunate series of events.
Boy in Rome is very good
The short stories of John Cheever are mesmerizing.
The author has received the Pulitzer Prize for them and for good reason.
Boy in Rome
I have just finished Boy in Rome with the same pleasure that I have experienced with all the other about twenty I have finished so far.
Humor is mixed with complex feelings like sadness, empathy, regret, longing.
The boy in Rome is recounting experiences that include at one point his grandfather who had a cruel habit at meals.
He gave the children meals they did not like and it was so much of a hateful event that our hero asked –
- Grandfather, why do you cook these if you do not like it
- And the old man cursed and used bad language in response
The reason why some Americans stay in Rome is to avoid taxes, but the father of the boy is buried in the cemetery.
This is why they live in the eternal city, that some consider the most beautiful in the world- cita eterna.
We learn about parties, with champagne and guests that sing Silent Night and the boy has goose flesh.
There is a dog called Zimba that belongs to a woman- Tavola Colda who is the owner of a palace nearby
And then there is Tibi, who expects something hanging around near the palace where the boy lives with his mother.
But for some reason, when there is a conversation between Tibi and mother, something goes wrong and she cries.
Up to now, nothing much or dramatic seems to happen, but then again- this is grand literature, that keeps you enchanted and interested, even when there is no explosion of events to motivate the reader.
Life is complicated for the boy on account of a shortage of money, that his mother lacks and he needs to work for himself.
He wants to meet some American industrialists that would take him to the States and teach him about the steel industry.
But that does not happen
….
In another story, I was impressed with the way fate can change in so unexpected ways.
The husband wakes up in the morning to travel away from the city and he has to ask his wife to drive her car.
His automobile would not start and so she takes a bathrobe on and gets in the car, for it is late and the spouse would lose the train.
On the way back, she is trapped in the car without gasoline and not one of her woman friends would stop.
She only waves at women, because she is only half dressed or less and she is embarrassed to be seen by anyone except women friends.
In the end, a male neighbor stops, takes her home but forces himself upon the woman right near the door.
And the husband stumbles upon them, because he had to come back for something he had forgotten earlier on.
And life is changed for the couple, in an unfortunate series of events.
October 8, 2022
Cheever is a master writer. These stories display his imaginative prowess and breadth.
May 11, 2020
A perspective of a life I had always wanted. But after reading some short stories, not really sure if its a life worth living. Characters are posh, not of humble beginnings. You will either love them, or hate them.
August 26, 2020
I'm not sure how this ended up as an audio cassette - I read the book, of almost 700 pages.
Some stories were excellent, some so-so, but most very good!
Some stories were excellent, some so-so, but most very good!
January 19, 2008
I actually read this book, I didn't listen to the audio book. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I stopped what I was doing and sat under a tree to finish this one. Kind of magical.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews