Another great American novel has been ticked off the list.

It is indeed interesting, yet the offhand narration, the disdain for women, and the self-loathing present in it - all of which become very relevant when one delves deeper into the works of Cheevers - did not manage to make a significant impression.

The offhand narration gives the story a somewhat disjointed feel, making it difficult for the reader to fully engage and connect with the characters and the plot.

The disdain for women is a rather off-putting aspect, as it seems to undermine the complexity and depth that could have been explored in the female characters.

And the self-loathing that pervades the novel adds a layer of darkness and negativity that, while perhaps realistic in some ways, does not necessarily make for an enjoyable reading experience.

Overall, while the novel may have its merits, these particular elements prevent it from truly standing out as a great work of literature.

John Cheever, a renowned post-WWII author, achieved fame through his captivating short stories. His works predominantly delved into the trials and tribulations of the upper middle class. However, by the 1970s, his popularity had waned. But then, he made a remarkable comeback with the publication of "Falconer."

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

In this novel, Cheever places his protagonist, Ezekiel Farragut (Zeke), within the confines of Falconer Prison. Zeke is serving time for fratricide, having murdered his brother, a fact revealed to the reader in the first few pages. The full circumstances of the crime, though, are not disclosed until near the end. Farragut is a complex character, grappling with addiction, sexual promiscuity, and bitterness. The novel explores profound themes such as loneliness, humiliation, the unexpected homosexuality among prisoners who are otherwise straight men, and the cruelty of prison officials.

The central question that萦绕s the reader's mind is whether one can find hope or redemption in such a desolate and harsh setting. The writing style is highly introspective, allowing the reader to intimately observe and understand Farragut's thought processes. In my opinion, the book was initially a solid 3-star rating. However, the ending managed to elevate it a notch, adding an extra layer of depth and impact.

ATY Goodreads Challenge - 2025
Prompt #24 - a book with a main character who is a brain, an athlete, a basketball player case, a princess or a criminal

There is something truly captivating about this concise Cheever novel. It holds a certain allure that is both unsettling and beautiful. "Falconer" is not just a novel of punishment and redemption; it delves into the complex themes of addiction and confinement. It tells the story of an introspective man who embarks on a journey from his isolated past to his very human present.

Cheever's style is truly unique and difficult to compare to that of anyone else. However, there were moments while reading when I had the distinct feeling that I was adrift in the same literary current as O'Connor, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and Percy. His prose is nothing short of amazing, with a fluidity and grace that draws the reader in and keeps them engaged. His imagination is razor-sharp, allowing him to create vivid and unforgettable characters and settings. But perhaps most impressive of all is the depth of his soul-searching. He delves deep into the human psyche, exploring the darkest corners of our hearts and minds with a sensitivity and洞察力 that is absolutely sublime.

This novel has been aging on my shelves since 2015! It was thrust before my eyes by a bookseller (now no longer a bookseller, but I hope still in business), as a recommendation. He sold it to me with his employee discount.

At that time, perhaps I didn't manage to read the warm (and perfectly justified) accolades bestowed upon Cheever by Marius Chivu (to whom - and to whom I obtained it from - I am grateful for having delighted me with the entirety of Cheever's prose).

I list all these things because I don't know what to say about the book, which I liked more than I can convey...

**Opinion in Brief**

In today's fast-paced world, opinions play a crucial role in shaping our decisions and actions.

We are constantly bombarded with various viewpoints from different sources, such as the media, social networks, and personal conversations.

It is essential to be able to analyze and evaluate these opinions critically to form our own informed judgments.

However, this can be a challenging task, as many opinions are influenced by biases, emotions, and misinformation.

To overcome these obstacles, we need to develop our critical thinking skills and be open to different perspectives.

By doing so, we can make more rational decisions and avoid being swayed by unfounded opinions.

In conclusion, having a well-informed opinion is essential for navigating the complex and diverse world we live in.

We should strive to be critical thinkers and actively seek out reliable information to form our own opinions.

3,5 *

I took a little time to write the following lines, and the time had the power to confuse me like this while reading.

According to Sartre, hell is other people, here Tziver brings it home: it is oneself.

The Falconer may be symbolic, with the decadent protagonist stumbling into the seventh circle of hell in search of a total reset (which we also say in my village).

Still human, he finds outlets, a deadly upgrade.

The basic principle here is that the spoiled bourgeois, especially when they have childhood issues/complexes, will fall into perversion. Right and timely, with all the crazy people who surround us.

How to escape from yourself, when it has made a salad out of you with great fanfare?

Unsuitable for those who feel it first, in my opinion.

Falconer Correctional Facility indeed sounds rather dismal and not a place anyone would willingly choose to be. However, compared to many fictional prisons, it doesn't seem nearly as bad. In fact, it comes across as quite dull.

There are no accounts of brutal beatings by guards. Racial tension is not明显evident. No one is getting stabbed or shanked. The only riot mentioned in the story actually occurs at another prison and is not detailed. There are no escape tunnels being dug through the walls. In comparison to fictional prisons like Oz or Shawshank, Falconer seems more like a Sandals Resort.

Farragut, a new inmate convicted of killing his brother, is a drug addict on methadone and hails from a formerly wealthy family. In a typical prison story, he would be considered fresh meat. But in Falconer, the worst things that happen to him are having his watch stolen and experiencing a bad episode of methadone withdrawal. Otherwise, Farragut mainly sits around listening to the other prisoners complain and reflecting on his life. He falls in love with another inmate and has some tense moments when a neighboring prison has an Attica-style riot and hostage situation that makes the Falconer guards nervous, but that's about it.

This story strikes me as curiously 'meh'. Given that it was named one of Time's 100 best novels, I was expecting a lot more. It's not a bad book, and I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it. However, when I finished, all I could think was, "Is that it?"

Commentary
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Falconer"
John Cheever
Translation by José Lima

"Falconer" was the perfect confirmation that John Cheever is an author whose works I should read as much as possible. After reading "The Wapshot Chronicle" during these holidays, reading one of his most outstanding novels shows the mastery in innovation that Cheever represents.

This time, the work is set in a prison whose name gives the clue to the title of the book, almost always limited to "Block F" and a restricted group of prisoners.

The protagonist, Ezekiel Ferragut, is imprisoned for killing his brother, apparently in an innocent domestic dispute. Ferragut is also a heroin addict, depending on the methadone administered to him in prison.

Cheever thus starts from the daily life of a prison, and in a writing style that makes us remember the torrent of delirium in a drug withdrawal hangover, presents the day-to-day of the men imprisoned there. This rapid flow keeps the reader in the desire to better know each of the characters that cross paths in the life of the protagonist Ferragut.

Another interesting element of the work is related to the sexual practices among the prisoners, presented as obvious but circumstantial. This would be a great topic for debate...

A final note about the time in his life when Cheever wrote this book, as it corresponds to the moment when the author stops consuming alcohol, admitting a problem of excessive consumption (I will talk about this at another time).

I don't often read prison literature, so Cheever's 'Falconer' strikes new ground for me.

Just as Ken Kesey went to work in a prison to find an outlet for his vision of an alternative America, Cheever went to his local jailhouse, but the results are startlingly different.

All of Cheever's beautiful obsessions - with addiction, failed marriages and sexy men - come out in this book.

Farragut, a university professor and drug addict who is serving time in Falconer State Prison, is the central figure of the novel. He is an otherworldly guy for whom life has been a series of seminars and skiing trips.

Confronted with himself in prison, and with plenty of empty time on his hands, he accepts his bisexuality and in real rhapsodic style embraces another inmate.

Cheever captures the sordidness and loveliness of American life with wit, elegance and charm, but we are always reminded of the hell of doing time.

Cheever leads us through a series of bizarre scenarios to Farragut's eventual redemption.

Cheever is masterful in his narrative flow which allows us to gradually glimpse into the mind and memory of Farragut and understand his mother, father, older brother, wife, and son.

These relationships, sometimes fulfilling and sometimes barren, have helped create the man.

We gradually understand Farragut but Cheever never tries to make us like Farragut or take his side against the world.

It is a novel that is literally lit up with the author's total honesty and authenticity, easily making him one of America's greatest storytellers.

This is not an especially facile story to peruse. The narrative of a man who slays his brother, succumbs to drug addiction and ultimately lands in prison is perhaps not the optimal means to fashion a scenario and character that will win the hearts of readers. However, despite all these aspects, you find yourself sympathizing with Farragut.

He delineates how and why he became addicted to drugs - being supplied with them during the war and then existing in a society that seemingly drugs the populace in one form or another - and you find yourself half in agreement with him. Paradoxically, it is prison that manages to make him clean after costly clinics and therapists have failed to accomplish the task.

There is also a well-developed revelation of the murder, with it evident that the relationship between the brothers is a tense one and the murder victim did, to a certain extent, invite some sort of confrontation. That does not excuse the killing, but it does enable you to side with Farragut when he describes it as exaggerated and an accident.

But all that is in the past, and this story commences with the main character entering prison. The vivid portrayal of the prison, the wretchedness of confinement, and the struggles to cope with the routine are all masterfully written. As Farragut descends into a battle to maintain his sanity and discovers love in the embrace of a prisoner who manages to escape, the future appears dismal. His wife shows little likelihood of offering love, and most of the prisoners and guards around him are grappling with their own emotional issues.

A riot at another prison ushers in a period of tension that presents Farragut with an opportunity to position himself at the heart of the community in F wing. He spends much of his time meandering through the memories of the past. Perhaps it is this process that encourages the kind of introspection that can lead to a life being transformed. Just as he breaks his dependence on drugs and methadone, it is a more profound break with himself that prison affords.

Surely, this is dark, at times brutal in its depiction of the world of the incarcerated, and it has the power to astonish. But what I will remember is the puissance of the writing, being taken on a journey that delivered from beginning to end, and an introduction to a writer whom I intend to read far more of.

One star because zero stars is not possible with Goodreads.

This book is truly awful. It's not that it lacks a potentially interesting story. In fact, for all I know, the story could be great. However, it's extremely difficult to tell because of the way it's written.

The author, John Cheever, writes with an overbearing sense of self-importance, as if he has been repeatedly told that he is a Very Important Writer. This attitude detracts significantly from the narrative.

Thankfully, it's a fast read, so the pain of wading through this self-indulgent prose will end soon. But overall, it's a disappointment, and I can't recommend it to anyone.

Perhaps if Cheever had focused more on the story and less on his own ego, this could have been a much better book. As it stands, it's a prime example of how a writer's excessive self-regard can undermine what might otherwise have been a good tale.

My girlfriend presented me with a copy of Falconer as a gift, and I was immediately drawn in by the blurb. It described a prisoner who had killed his brother and found redemption through a relationship with a fellow inmate. However, the novel is far more complex than that. It's difficult to put into words what actually occurs in Falconer, despite the straightforward nature of the story. This is because there are numerous subjects explored throughout the book. It's a short novel, yet it delves deeply into topics such as drug addiction and sexuality. Cheever doesn't dwell on any one subject for long, but rather presents a series of brief meditations on life and humanity, with the prison setting serving as a vessel for his beautiful prose.

Cheever's storytelling in Falconer is both serious and magical. There's a sense that life is beautiful and everything happens for a reason, despite the novel's bleak undertones. This ambiguity is intentional and can be seen in every character. The main character, Farragut, seems rotten, but there are moments of kindness and empathy. The prison guard, Tiny, is initially violent and heartless but surprises the reader by treating Farragut humanely. Cheever perfectly captures the paradoxical nature of humanity, its beauty and its ugliness.
The only issue I had with the novel was the lack of significant character development, which may be due to its length and the wide range of topics covered. While the blurb promised a story about a relationship that saves someone, I didn't feel that this was the case. The relationship had some impact on Farragut, but it didn't fundamentally change him. The story focuses too much on symbolism and philosophical questions, leaving little room for Farragut to evolve. However, despite this, I still gained a lot from reading the book.
In conclusion, Falconer is a meticulous study of human nature, exploring its beauty and flaws. While we all make mistakes, there is often a good spirit within us that prevails. History has shown that humans are capable of great evil, but I have also witnessed inherent goodness in many people. I believe in the goodness of people and think this is the more productive approach to life.

Maybe not in business, but in leading a virtuous life.

Originally posted to my blog The Mugwump Diaries