"The Bella Lingua" is a story about some American expatriates in Rome, and their feelings that they belong (or not) in the place where they are living"The Bella Lingua" is a story about some American expatriates in Rome, and their feelings that they belong (or not) in the place where they are living. Cheever lived unhappily in Italy for a year, and he nailed the portrayal of a stereotypical American tourist in Uncle George from Iowa.
Wilson Streeter is an American statistician taking Italian lessons from a young widowed expatriate with a fifteen-year-old son. The boy wants to live in America, a country he has never seen, but where he hopes he will feel comfortable since English is his primary language. He feels like an outsider when he is with native Italians since he also does not share their culture. The woman's Uncle George wants his niece and her son to come live in the Midwest town where the niece spent her unhappy childhood.
"The Bella Lingua" is story #26 in the collection "The Stories of John Cheever."...more
This is a story about both suburban Shady Hill, and the marriage of Charlie and Marcie Flint. Charlie has been off to Torino, Italy "where the girls lThis is a story about both suburban Shady Hill, and the marriage of Charlie and Marcie Flint. Charlie has been off to Torino, Italy "where the girls love peanut butter and the world is a man's castle" on several business trips. Marcie has been home taking care of their kids and joining various groups to stay occupied in Charlie's absence.
The Village Council was discussing the pros and cons of establishing a library in Shady Hill. There was a group that was opposed to the library because it would make exclusive Shady Hill attractive to development. Marcie makes her own decisions, and stands up to a bully. When Charlie comes home, he's totally irresponsible using ant poison. Marcie has reached a point where she knows she really does not need Charlie around, but the ending is ambiguous.
Some people in Shady Hill have more interests than just attending cocktail parties, such as the ones that want to build a library. Even Charlie's view of Shady Hill ranges from sarcastic diary entries to uplifting moments watching the children play in the sunshine while remembering his own childhood. I liked Cheever's writing in this story.
"The Trouble With Marcie Flint" is #25 in the collection "The Stories of John Cheever."
In "The Worm in the Apple," the narrator writes about the Crutchmans, a suburban family that always seems happy. The narrator is looking for some hiddIn "The Worm in the Apple," the narrator writes about the Crutchmans, a suburban family that always seems happy. The narrator is looking for some hidden defects in their lives--the worm in the apple. The Crutchmans seem to keep a sense of balance about anything challenging that they face.
The story may be telling us more about the narrator--or maybe society in the Shady Hill neighborhood--than about the Crutchmans. Why does the narrator search for darkness and unhappiness in other people's lives? Will it make the narrator feel superior if they can find flaws in another family to use as a subject of gossip?
This is the only short story in the collection "The Housebreaker of Shady Hill and Other Stories" that was not previously published in "The New Yorker" or another publication. Happiness and lack of conflict are great in real life, but Cheever's stories that are full of conflict make for more interesting reading!
"The Worm in the Apple" is story # 24 in the collection "The Stories of John Cheever."...more
"A Lost Opportunity" is a fable about forgiveness and working out conflicts peacefully. A feud starts out between two neighboring families over a smal"A Lost Opportunity" is a fable about forgiveness and working out conflicts peacefully. A feud starts out between two neighboring families over a small matter. Anger can spiral out of control from a small start if people don't cool down and forgive small hurts and disagreements. A fire symbolized the hot, consuming anger that eventually devoured the two families emotionally and destroyed their possessions.
Tolstoy has written a story that starts with a preface from the New Testament (Matthew 18:21-25). It included many mentions of God from the grandfather who is promoting peace between the families. The fable has an important message about finding peaceful solutions to conflicts.
Shady Hill is a fictional, affluent town in suburbia. Cheever wrote a collection of stories set in an upscale 1950s neighborhood. I'll be adding my thShady Hill is a fictional, affluent town in suburbia. Cheever wrote a collection of stories set in an upscale 1950s neighborhood. I'll be adding my thoughts about the stories as I read them. The stories in the collection are:
"O Youth and Beauty!" "The Sorrows of Gin" "The Five-Forty-Eight" "The Country Husband" "The Housebreaker of Shady Hill" "The Worm in the Apple" "Just Tell Me Who It Was" "The Trouble of Marcie Flint"
The title story, "The Housebreaker of Shady Hill" Johnny Hake loses his job, tries unsuccessfully to open his own business, and steals so his checks won't bounce at the bank. He's feeling very guilty about the theft, and examines his life, including his relationships with his mother and father. He wants to see how he turned into a thief. He decides to mentally free himself from his past and accept responsibility for his decisions. Fate stepped in to give a happy ending. His earlier kindness to a coworker was repaid to him when he needed it the most. Good story!...more
Mr Bruce is bored with his sickly wife. He's attracted to Mrs Sheridan, another parent at the bus stop to St James's school. Mr Bruce notices some tenMr Bruce is bored with his sickly wife. He's attracted to Mrs Sheridan, another parent at the bus stop to St James's school. Mr Bruce notices some tension between the Sheridans at a school meeting, and he decides to seduce Mrs Sheridan.
The two lovers are not very discrete, and by the end of the story, it looks like Mrs Sheridan has a lot more to lose than Mr Bruce. A needy, upset Mrs Sheridan is no longer a respite from Mr Bruce's fragile wife. 3.5 stars, rounded up.
"The Bus to St James's" is story #23 in the collection "The Stories of John Cheever."...more
This story seems to be about a "type," the privileged who have lost their money, but still try to live the same lifestyle. The Beers are an upper clasThis story seems to be about a "type," the privileged who have lost their money, but still try to live the same lifestyle. The Beers are an upper class couple who probably lost their money in the Great Depression, but they still want to socialize with the wealthy.
The end of the story is in the narrator's imagination: "We are in a small town in Maine--let's say--and decide to take the family for a sail and a picnic." The narrator finds that the Beers were smart to have continued their privileged lifestyle since they knew inherited wealth would be coming their way to invest ("summertime would come again.")
"Just One More Time" didn't interest me much as a story. I wonder if Cheever may be just trying to make a political statement that everyone may not be looking at the good economic times of the 1950s in the same way. It takes seed money--inherited wealth or a lucrative job--to make a financial killing in the good times. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars.
"Just One More Time" is story #21 in the collection "The Stories of John Cheever."...more
"The Door" was written in 1939 at a time the world was undergoing changes as the Great Depression was ending and World War II was starting. The narrat"The Door" was written in 1939 at a time the world was undergoing changes as the Great Depression was ending and World War II was starting. The narrator in this work feels very frustrated by a world that is constantly changes its rules.
He uses a metaphor of lab rats in a psychology experiment that learn to jump at a square card (or a door) with a circle in the middle in order to get food. But then the researchers change the rules, and the rats feel totally frustrated that their learned behavior no longer works.
The narrator said that prayers and religion were taught to be the right door when he was young. Then love and marriage were the correct door. A beautiful home was later considered the right door. The narrator is confused as the doors for success continue to change. He's disturbed as society's rules keep changing in the rat race of life to the point of having mental health issues. It's an interesting, but very strange, story....more
"It's a Good Life" is a horror story about three-year-old Anthony Fremont who has omnipotent superpowers. People in town have to pretend that everythi"It's a Good Life" is a horror story about three-year-old Anthony Fremont who has omnipotent superpowers. People in town have to pretend that everything is "good" all the time because Anthony might change things with worse results. As the story moves on, the reader becomes more and more aware of the full extent of Anthony's powers.
The town is like a totalitarian regime--with a creepy little child making all the decisions, and people pretending that everything is wonderful in order to survive. This short story was adapted into an episode of "The Twilight Zone" in 1961.
"It's a Good Life" is in the collection "Black Water 2: More Tales of the Fantastic" which I'm reading with the Short Story Club....more
"The Five-Forty-Eight" is one of my favorite Cheever stories--a dark tale where Blake discards a mentally disturbed woman after a night of casual sex."The Five-Forty-Eight" is one of my favorite Cheever stories--a dark tale where Blake discards a mentally disturbed woman after a night of casual sex. When he leaves work several weeks later, she follows him through the streets of New York City to the 5:48 commuter train.
Readers will feel like they are walking with Blake since Cheever uses many instances of sensory language such as the rain falling in his face and the sweet smell of bakery goods as he tries to avoid his stalker. Blake's cruel personality is revealed in his thoughts as he encounters various people. There's a lot of psychological tension because we don't know how dangerous the woman might be.
"The Five-Forty-Eight," published in 1954, is story #20 in "The Stories of John Cheever."...more
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