Cheever's sensory descriptions in this book are truly remarkable. They have the power to evoke a sense of nostalgia for things that one has never even experienced. For example, take this whale of a sentence:

"The attic was a fitting place for these papers, for this barny summit of the house--as big as a hayloft--with its trunks and oars and tillers and torn sails and broken furniture and crooked chimneys and hornets and wasps and obsolete lamps spread out at one's feet like the ruins of a vanished civilization and with an extraordinary spiciness in the air as if some eighteenth-century Wapshot, drinking Madeira and eating nuts on a sunny beach and thinking about the passing of the season, had tried to capture the heat and light in a flask or hamper and had released his treasure in the attic, for here was the smell of summer without its vitality; here seemed to be the lights and sounds of a summer preserved."

The book is likely worth reading just for passages like this. However, unfortunately, it doesn't have a whole lot else going for it. Half of its characters are crazy, specifically the female half. For some reason, Coverly, Moses, Leander, and the other men in the story mostly act logically and are relatable. On the other hand, the women are either crazy or fraudulent. The kids' mom, Sarah Wapshot, is like a proto-Avril Incandenza, turning Leander's beloved (but wrecked) boat into the country's "only floating gift shop." Aunt Honora Wapshot is admirable in some ways but so crazy that she'll eat a cookie covered in ants. Justina, another old aunt, is even crazier. She never leaves her house, keeps adding new rooms onto it with her fortune while ignoring the old rooms, resulting in things like the ceiling falling in a bedroom or the lights going out all the time. And all the conflict between Justina and everyone she knows turns Melissa, Moses' wife, into a nervous wreck. And so on.

So, even though all of this was fairly entertaining to read, the absurdity of the plot and characters ("Rabelaisian," as a blurb says) doesn't quite mesh with the quaint, realistic descriptions of St. Botolphs and the very conventional coming-of-age plots. Maybe it would be better to just read Cheever's short stories. I've only read a couple of those, but they might offer a more satisfying reading experience.

The Wapshot Chronicles inhabits the same WASP’y world as Updike's works, and it has the same flaws. The female characters are one (or on odd occasions two) dimensional, and the story of the privileged, self-entitled White man mired in misery and perpetual existential crises is tired. However, Cheever shares Updike's subtle sense of irony, his eye for detail, and his beautiful, if at times too perfect, prose style.

The Wapshot Chronicles follows the lives of the Wapshot family, a group of eccentric misfits. From the licentious Moses to the venerable Leander, Cheever's characters seem more like caricatures than convincing portraits. But perhaps this is part of his charm. Instead of creating what most would consider realistic characters, Cheever is content to explore the surreal world of New England, with its lovable cranks and cartoon characters, whose sole purpose is to entertain the reader.

Despite its flaws, there are many wonderful and beautiful passages in the book. For example, “The rain had let up. Closed to the horizon the heavy clouds had split as if they had been lanced and a liquid brilliance gorged through the cut, spread up the lawn and came through the glass doors, lighting the hall and the old woman’s face.” And “While he was fishing the pool the sun came up and out - a flood of golden light that spread all through the woods and sank into the water so that every blue stone and white pebble showed - flooded the water with light until it was golden as Bourbon whisky...”

Maybe I am being a bit harsh. The reader does, at times, feel drawn into the whimsical, ridiculous, and often tragic world of the Wapshots. However, it is a story that has been told many times, and its message is beginning to wear thin. Nonetheless, Cheever is an interesting and at times brilliant writer. He may be a bit less self-absorbed than Updike, but he also lacks Updike's ability to control the narrative of the story.

Overall, The Wapshot Chronicles is a flawed but still enjoyable read.

The "chronicle" under discussion is the captivating story of Captain Leander Wapshot and his sons, Coverly and Moses, set against the backdrop of the New England coast.

Portions of this tale are revealed through Leander's diary, while other chapters unfold as vivid flashes, much like engaging short stories. It's important to note that this is Cheever's first novel, and given his background as a short story writer, it's not overly astonishing that the novel is written in this format.

Often, it brought to mind, ugh, Sinclair Lewis, or even worse, Sherwood Anderson. However, for a considerable time, I was willing to give Cheever several opportunities. The book began with great promise, but around the halfway mark, I found myself throwing my hands up in frustration. I simply couldn't muster any more care, whether it was less or more, for any of the characters. The story felt stagnant, and I lost interest in the Wapshots and their various complaints.

Nevertheless, I've heard that his short stories are indeed better. So, eventually, I will get around to delving into that massive collection I possess, which I've been postponing out of fear that I might not take to Cheever. And perhaps - just perhaps - I might also, one day, find the motivation to read the second book, The Wapshot Scandal.

The overall impression is not too bad, but it is still a bit of a disappointment.

There are times when it feels quite repetitive. The so-called'standard' description of 'attractive women' seems to be used over and over again, which becomes irritating very quickly.

This kind of repetition detracts from the overall quality of the work. It gives the reader a sense of monotony and makes it difficult to maintain interest.

Perhaps a more diverse and creative approach to describing characters and situations would have been more engaging.

Overall, it earns a rating of 2.5 stars. While it has some redeeming qualities, the repetitive nature and irritating description of attractive women hold it back from being a truly outstanding piece.

Cheever employs a velvet hammer to dissect the institution of the Olde New England Family, presenting a case study of the Wapshots. This family lacks the necessary skills and resources to thrive in modern society. Some upheavals at home occur when a car crash victim disrupts the established order of the household. As a result, they are finally integrated into the modern American mainstream. Patriarch Leander is the first to succumb, becoming a victim of his overbearing Aunt. She attempts to transform the family home into a bed and breakfast and his boat into a tourist attraction. Next are his two sons. Once Leander realizes their way of life is no longer sustainable, he sends them out into the world.

The story becomes less engaging once we depart from the small village of St. Botolph’s (where Cheever excels at crafting tales of small-town peculiarities) and enter a more generalized narrative of decline and ruin. We follow the two sons through a series of Odyssean challenges. Eventually, they find themselves in two截然不同的 worlds. Coverly endures the modern American emotional desert, threatened by a depressed wife, adulterous neighbors, and a homosexual friend. Meanwhile, Moses (who has a much more compelling storyline) is pushed even deeper into a state of futility. He is trapped in a macabre marriage within a decaying Poe-style mansion filled with forged works of art.

4.5 Stars

To the best of my recollection, I have never read anything by Cheever. For some reason, I am drawn to his name, as if I have a past reference, perhaps a book or a story. However, I can neither find nor remember anything indicating that I have ever read or heard of him before. A short while ago, I bought a copy of The Stories of John Cheever. I did this solely based on name recognition. To date, I haven't read a story, so why does his name ring such a bell with me that I grabbed this book on sight? I feel I should know who he is. It's like he is a household name like Hemingway and Faulkner, and everybody knows who he is, but me.

The mystery of how I came to know of John Cheever's name will remain unsolved, but I'm glad I learned it, because this book is unique. It certainly isn't the best book I've ever read, not even in the top twenty. I can't decide if this is an outstanding story simply told well, or an average story told with unusual excellence. I'm leaning toward the latter. This writing style, for me, was frankly intriguing and unlike anything I can remember.

The Wapshot's Aunt Honora, Leander, Sarah, Moses, and Coverly are fully written and described. They are, for the most part, simple down-to-earth people, but like most humans, they are incredibly complicated, and in the case of the Wapshot's, truly eccentric. I was entertained from the beginning. Cheever tells this family's story using their individual thoughts and feelings, with both seriousness and humor, and I, for one, enjoyed it very much.

I am looking forward to tackling Cheever's short stories. I'm curious to see if his other works will have the same impact on me as this one did. Maybe I'll finally understand why his name has such a hold on my memory.

I hadn't delved deeply into the works of John Cheever. However, my mother was a great admirer of his, and his books were a common sight around our house during my childhood. My spouse owns the substantial "Stories of John Cheever" collection, and we have read tales such as "The Swimmer" and "Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor" together.

Cheever was sometimes criticized by the literary elite as a talented yet middlebrow writer in the New Yorker vein. Nevertheless, he was highly respected by many, including my mother. One of his prominent themes was the disintegration of the old social order in Manhattan, suburbia, and small New England towns. The Wapshots are Cheever's protagonists, representing the old New England type.
Leander, the Wapshot patriarch, spends his days as an aging seaman, helplessly observing the world changing around him, seemingly unable to adapt. Honora, Leander's mother, is the unyielding matriarch who掌控s the family's finances. Sarah is Leander's refined and practical wife, and the mother of their two sons, Coverley and Moses. The boys soon leave St. Botolph's to pursue their respective destinies. One of them is later revealed to be bisexual, a challenging situation in that era.
The book is a humorous and melancholy family saga and bildungsroman, featuring truly individualistic characters. Leander and Honora are particularly eccentric. Cheever had a knack for creating quirky characters long before "quirky" became a more mainstream concept in popular culture.
Perhaps my favorite passage in the book is the exchange between Mrs. Wapshot and a young woman convalescing at the Wapshot home after an accident. It showcases Cheever's gift for dialogue:

“So then you went to secretarial school?”

“Well, first I went to Europe, I went to Europe last summer with some other girls.”

“Did you like it?”

“You mean Europe?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I thought it was divine. I mean there were some things I was disappointed in, like Stratford. I mean it was just another small town. And I couldn't bear London but I adored the Netherlands with all those divine little people. It was terribly quaint.”

“Shouldn't you telephone this secretarial school you go to and tell them where you are?”

“Oh no,” Rosalie said. “I flunked out last month. I blew up on exams. I knew all the material and everything but I just didn't know the words. The only words I know are words like divine and of course they don't use those words on exams and so I never understood the questions. I wish I knew more words.”

“I see,” Mrs. Wapshot said.

(This made me eager to use "divine" in a sentence soon. I also wish I knew more words.)
The Wapshot Chronicle ranks #63 on the famous Modern Library Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century list published in 1999. I have now read over a third of them. Wapshot is not always an effortless read; it took me approximately 50 pages to become fully engaged. However, it is ultimately worthwhile for the beauty of its prose, its lively dialogue, and its engaging, well-developed characters. I firmly support Cheever and may very well attempt to read his entire short story collection in the near future. I rate it 3 1/2 to 4 out of 5.

Have you ever encountered someone who is extraordinarily striking or beautiful? However, when you dissect all their features, they don't conform to your personal definition of attractiveness. Perhaps their lips are thin, and you associate that with being cruel. Maybe their nose is off-center, or their eyes are too close together. A pointy chin, rough skin, thick shins - these elements shouldn't combine to create an appealing image, yet somehow they do.

The Wapshot Chronicle was a truly glorious read. But if you analyze all its separate components, it doesn't seem as if it should be so captivating. Set in a Massachusetts fishing village, the book chronicles the tales of the eccentric Wapshot family. The description on the back of my copy refers to the book as "Tragic and funny, ribald and splendidly picaresque..." I had anticipated a farcical read, but Cheever delves so deeply that you scarcely notice he's leading you there. A chapter exploring Coverly Wapshot's possible homosexuality is filled with longing and pain as he gazes into "...the dark plains of American sexual experience where the bison still roam."

Cheever's prowess as a short story writer is evident, which is why The Wapshot Chronicle isn't merely an overarching tale but a series of individual stories. Some might view this as a flaw. Characters are introduced and then dropped. One chapter might follow one theme with a distinct writing style, and suddenly you're inside the voice of Leander Wapshot, who relates his story in short phrases intended to be his memoir. Cheever's liberal use of adjectives would likely be condemned by most writing teachers, and the changes in point-of-view would be equally disdained. There are sudden shifts in direction. At the end of the book, there is a scene of destruction, after which the characters are suddenly back on track, as if Cheever found himself in a tight spot and didn't know how to reach the end without ruining what came before.

But precisely because Cheever isn't a writing workshop student, his lack of concern for rules results in an exuberant read. His words flow and crash over you due to their rhythm or because his vocabulary is so rich. Even the most minor characters are described with meticulous attention. A stranger who has fallen off her horse is imagined by Moses Wapshot as "...pasty and round and worn it seemed with such anxieties as cooking, catching trains and buying useful presents at Christmas..." An art appraiser who has a small role at the very end receives ten lines of description, including, "He must have been fifty - the bags under his eyes couldn't have been formed in a shorter time."

It is for passages like this that The Wapshot Chronicles is truly worth reading. Leander has gone to the beach, hoping for solitude but instead finding two "old ladies who were discussing canned goods and the ingratitude of daughters-in-law while the surf spoke in loud voices of wrecks and voyages and the likeness of things; for the dead fish was striped like a cat and the sky was striped like a fish and the conch was whorled like an ear and the beach was ribbed like a dog's mouth and the movables in the surf splintered and crashed like the walls of Jericho."

Cheever's words resonate and tremble like Jericho, but they never crumble.

This book is highly recommended for those who have trouble sleeping.

It is guaranteed that after reading only five pages, you will be so bored that your eyes will cross. And after that, you will fall into a deep sleep, simply to avoid having to read any more of this.

I truly enjoy a great number of John Cheever's short stories. However, this one has to be extremely close to the most boring thing that I have ever read in my life.

The lack of excitement and engaging plot makes it a real struggle to get through. It seems to drag on and on without any real purpose or direction.

Maybe for some people, this kind of slow-paced and uneventful writing style might be appealing, but for me, it's just a snooze fest.

I would not recommend this to anyone who is looking for an exciting and entertaining read.

This is John Cheever's first novel.

If you have ever read his short stories or his novels, or both, a basic breakdown of the plot here might give the impression that this novel is more akin to his short fiction. His short stories are often great, weird, and at times quite conventional. In contrast, his novels are known for being weird, sometimes great, and unconventional.

The plot of this novel is a multi-generation family story. It centers around an inheritance that is given to the two sons of a family. These sons then spend the next several decades in an inept manner. They are either trying to prove their worthiness of the fortune or attempting to prove their lack of worthiness of the fortune.

This complex family drama unfolds over time, exploring the relationships, desires, and insecurities of the characters as they grapple with the implications of the inheritance.

Cheever, as I understand from reading this book, was among the authors who questioned the American Dream that was widespread after 1945. What exactly is this dream and whether one would be happy could serve as a decent premise for this novel.

The farm outside Boston, with its simple and idyllic lifestyle, is contrasted with the big and often unappealing cities like New York, Washington, and the new housing developments. While the home life remains relatively unchanged, everything else is in a state of flux. The wonderful and bitchy description of where all the wedding invitations end up is quite telling. The addresses are correct, but times have changed, and the old families can no longer maintain the great houses and have moved away, to be replaced by various societies, old people's homes, and so on.

Overall, the characters are well-developed, although I felt that Moses and Coverly were a bit underdeveloped. However, Cheever's skill in character building is evident in his portrayal of women. Both wives have significant flaws, and the older women are strong, intellectually independent, and manipulative.

I view the suburban scenes as a contemporary tragedy. Betsy's attempts at friendship end disastrously with her successful friends, who hide a broken marriage and life. In fact, throughout this novel, the secrets and lies that people hide and present a false facade to the world are common for the young people in their daily lives. The elderly people in this book have finally abandoned this game and are more raw and blunt in their behavior.

Initially, I found the book a bit slow-paced, but I'm glad I persevered through the first 50 pages. I also believe that those who grew up on the eastern seaboard or knew family from there will appreciate the numerous subtleties much more than this foreigner.

I have decided to immediately move on to The Wapshot Scandal because I think they are very much like Lawrence's The Rainbow and Women in Love - a continuation of a greater novel.

This audible book concludes with the advice of a deceased father to his sons, presenting a very odd and somewhat amusing list of care and attention.

Similarly, this book is also a somewhat strange story of a family with a strange last name. It is a story that seemingly catapulted the author into stardom.

In 1968, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in English. I can hardly recall any of the English authors I read during those eventful four years. Perhaps only Graham Greene and a fellow named Shakespeare come to mind. And I don't remember much of what they had to say. For some reason, Leander Wapshot was not among the characters I became familiar with. I have nearly reached the age of 75 without ever having read John Cheever, but I am pleased to have finally encountered him and suspect that I might meet up with him again before I ultimately wade into the ocean, never to return to the shore again.

This journey of literary discovery has been an interesting one, filled with forgotten names and unexpected encounters. It makes me wonder what other literary gems are waiting for me to uncover in the remaining years of my life.