Oh What a Paradise It Seems

The first half of the work was truly extraordinary.

Literal every single page turned out to be a pure pleasure to peruse.

Cheever's vivid descriptors and diverse references manage to infuse a sense of newness into the otherwise ordinary.

He is able to create a genuine interest in the characters.

It's not so much about what occurs or fails to occur to them, but rather their innermost selves that draw the reader in.

Moreover, Cheever has a remarkable knack for unexpectedly altering the color of the story with just a single unpredictable paragraph or statement.

Rather than being disconcerting or jarring, these shifts actually contribute to the story's richness and depth.

They add an element of surprise and keep the reader engaged, constantly eager to discover what will come next.

It is this unique combination of engaging characters, vivid descriptions, and unexpected twists that makes Cheever's work so captivating and enjoyable to read.

A Fascinating Little Book

Cheever's story is truly a captivating one. It delves into numerous places, meandering between various themes. However, it always manages to find a落脚spot that is life-affirming. Whether it's exploring the sexual escapades of our heroes or the efforts needed to decontaminate a pond, Cheever skillfully weaves a community of characters. These characters have the ability to heal, both themselves and the world around them, through their relationships. This stands in sharp contrast to a world that is becoming increasingly more isolated and polluted.

Nevertheless, this book is not without its flaws. There are some rather unfortunate attitudes that persist throughout the text, which limits its potential to be truly wonderful. I might write more about this later, but probably not. After all, I'm at work and I'm feeling tired.

Boring. This simple word can describe a feeling that many of us experience at times. It is that sense of dullness, lack of excitement, or monotony that can make us feel uninterested and disengaged. Boredom can strike in various situations, such as when we are doing repetitive tasks, sitting through a long and uneventful lecture, or simply having nothing to do. It can make time seem to pass slowly and can even lead to feelings of restlessness and dissatisfaction. However, boredom can also be a catalyst for creativity and innovation. When we are bored, our minds may start to wander and come up with new ideas or ways of looking at things. We may also be more likely to seek out new experiences or activities to break the monotony and add some excitement to our lives. So, while boredom may not be the most pleasant feeling, it can have its benefits as well.

"Oh what a paradise it seems" is Cheever's last book. While writing it, he was terminally ill and knew it. Clearly a swan song, and moreover an "ecological fable" that pays a lot of attention to environmental pollution and the pernicious influence of vociferous politicians and mafiosi. The protagonist who acts against this, just like the one who cooperates with him, is also old and filled with disappointed nostalgia, and full of rather melancholy love longings. Ingredients that make one expect a gloomy book full of well-founded but depressing admonitions. But no, not so with Cheever: he makes it into a wonderfully light-footed and sparkling narrative, full of hilarious and absurdist twists, and full of cheerfulness and quirky poetry. So it's not a story with a beginning and an end, nor a story with a clear message: for Cheever, it's about the sparkling poetry of isolated scenes, which gain and retain their feather-light attractiveness because they are not burdened by something as heavy as "a message" or "a well-constructed plot". Because of this, this little book is a wonder of quirky variegation, and it made my head feel completely light. You never get what you expect, as a reader you are always on the wrong foot, and that gives me a sense of liberation that sometimes makes me completely hilarious.

Take the following passage, in which the idyllic place is described a little before it is completely spoiled by illegal waste dumping: "At the northend of the town was Beasley's Pond - a deep body of water, shaped like a bent arm, with heavily forested shores. Here were water and greenery, and if one were a nineteenth-century painter one would put into the foreground a lovely women on a mule, bent a little over the child she held and accompanied by a man with a staff. This would enable the artist to label the painting 'Flight into Egypt', although all he had meant to commemorate was the bewildering pleasure in a fine landscape on a summer's day". It's great how Cheever first lightly moves from a landscape scene to an artistic imagined Biblical scene, and then immediately lightly moves on from this Biblical scene to the overwhelming pleasure of a beautiful summer day. That kind of mobility I find pure fun. And I also think it's wonderful how Cheever here, with a light touch, mixes the pure joy of the nature experience with a kind of religious feeling: as if the joy of a summer day itself already evokes a kind of transcendence, without the heaviness of religious conventions. Just as skating on the frozen "Beasley's Pond" also evokes a feeling of divine lightness: "He skated and skated. The pleasure of fleetness seemed, as she had said, divine. Swinging down a long stretch of black ice gave Sears a sense of homecoming". That "homecoming" rhymes, in my opinion, beautifully with the fact that the 'Beasley's Pond' has the shape of a "bent arm", which I (rightly or wrongly) associate with protection and security. And also with the title of the book: an almost childlike jubilant cry over a paradise. Okay, it's a lost and polluted paradise, but the jubilant cries (in the title and various passages in this book) at least keep the IMAGE of a paradise alive. And with it the hope for it.

"Oh what a paradise it seems" calls itself "an ecological fable" and "a story to be read in bed in an old house on a rainy night". I experience it strongly as a story in which the pleasure of storytelling comes first, and the joy of the storyteller in the lightness of his narrative. And he achieves that lightness by not bothering with any convention and not letting himself be weighed down by pompous pessimism. The story, as said, is full of quirky twists, and thus full of light-footed elusiveness. And it also ends in a positive and innocent atmosphere, where Beasley's Pond is rescued from the environmental gangsters in a completely implausible way: something that in a realistic story or a serious admonition would be completely impossible, but with Cheever it is. Also the completely absurd humor contributes to the lightness. Because all the environmental problems and all the failed illusions and unrequited love longings are not only expressed in light-footed and poetic sentences, but also combined with rather hilarious slapstick. The protagonist Lemuel Sears, for example, is involved in a rather hopeless sexual relationship, which certainly evokes some empathy in the reader but also cheerfulness and sometimes a big laugh. For example, in a passage where he wants to go to his girlfriend without underwear, which the narrator describes as follows: "He even decided against underwear lest it delay his achieving nakedness. As we watch Sears put his genitals in his trousers it is worth observing the look on his face". Just as touching as it is comical is how Sears, after being rejected by his girlfriend, experiences a sudden homosexual escapade, then wonders if he is really healthy, and therefore visits a psychiatrist. But: "Considering the area in which Sears sought counsel, his choice of Dr. Palmer had been unlucky. Dr. Palmer was a homosexual spinster". And after that, in my opinion, wonderfully dry comic sentence, there follows an equally bouncy as well as touching passage about how and why Dr. Palmer has suppressed his deeper longings. That passage everyone can discover for themselves, but it is vintage Cheever: first of all because it is such a surprising Cheever twist (you don't expect that in a story about Sears there is suddenly a lot of talk about his psychiatrist), but especially because of the elegance of the language and the combination of melancholy and cheerfulness.
It was wonderful, this last book of Cheever. I have now read all five of his novels, and I will surely reread them one day. Just like his sparkling stories, which I read a long time ago and don't remember much of anymore, except that I got a very good mood from them. Just like from this book, which Cheever wrote as a dying man. And the fact that in that condition he was able to write such a light-footed book (about such a weighty theme) is an extra reason for a jubilant little cry.

De lo que es capaz un hombre en el tranquilo ocaso de su vida. This statement makes one wonder about the potential and possibilities that still lie within a person during the peaceful and perhaps less eventful later years. It's a thought-provoking concept that invites us to consider the depths of a man's capabilities even when the hustle and bustle of youth have passed.

Mi primer Cheever: una apología vital de alto copete. Cheever's work often delved into the complex lives and emotions of his characters. His writing was a form of vital apology, perhaps for the mistakes, regrets, and unfulfilled dreams that people carry with them. It was a high-spirited exploration of the human condition, with a touch of humor and a keen eye for the details that make up our lives.

Together, these two ideas suggest that even in the tranquility of old age, a man can still find meaning, purpose, and the ability to create something of value. Whether it's through writing, as in the case of Cheever, or through other means, there is always the potential for growth and self-expression.

I absolutely adored this slim book. It served as the gateway that led me into the wonderful world of Cheever.

Nearly every single sentence within its pages is either beautiful, captivating, hilarious, or astonishing. It holds a truly great surprise towards the end, which left me completely dumbfounded.

I discovered later on that this book was published shortly before his untimely death, making it his very last literary offering. Additionally, I learned that he was bisexual and a recovered alcoholic.

Anyway, this novella is truly a strange, engaging, and frequently humorous piece of work that has left an indelible mark on my literary journey. It is a testament to Cheever's remarkable talent and his ability to create a world that is both unique and deeply engaging.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for literature and a desire to explore the works of a truly great author.

I had an enormous curiosity about John Cheever.

I liked the way he introduced marginal considerations without them seeming inappropriate; however, some simply became boring.

The motto for the book is interesting, but the story itself seemed rather banal to me.

Overall, what I really liked was Cheever's disenchanted yet still beautiful writing style.

His ability to craft sentences that are both simple and profound is truly remarkable.

Even when the story may not be overly engaging, his prose has a certain charm that keeps the reader hooked.

I find myself constantly drawn back to his works, eager to explore more of his unique literary world.

Despite the flaws I noted, I still have a great appreciation for John Cheever and his contributions to literature.

His writing serves as an inspiration for aspiring writers like myself, showing that even in the most ordinary of stories, there can be extraordinary beauty.

Deceptive simplicity with great depth. This is the essence of a truly remarkable novella. At first glance, it may seem straightforward, but as one delves deeper, a world of complexity and nuance unfolds. The story may appear to be told in a simple manner, yet it holds within it profound themes and ideas that resonate long after the final page is turned.

The characters are drawn with a light touch, yet they are full of life and individuality. Their actions and decisions are driven by motives that are both understandable and relatable, making the reader invest in their fates. The plot, too, may seem uncomplicated, but it is filled with twists and turns that keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

A treat of a novella, it offers a unique reading experience that combines the best of both worlds: the simplicity of a short story and the depth of a full-length novel. It is a literary gem that is sure to delight and engage readers of all ages and tastes.