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離婚季節
妻子問我：「離婚真有那麼可怕嗎？維持一個婚姻所做的一切有多少是好的？」她還說，那個愛慕者送的玫瑰花，讓她發覺自己漸漸在失去——失去自己，失去
尊嚴。「你懂嗎？」她問我。
我不懂。她曾經是那個情願隨著我長途奔波的女人，也是那個接受我的微薄薪水、甘於平淡度日的女人……我不懂。
面對妻子求去、渾然不覺婚姻出了狀況的男人。（〈離婚季節〉）
迎接一場久未重逢的家人團聚，最後卻面對徹底的決裂。（〈再見，我的兄弟〉）
帶著女兒前往度假、感情降至冰點的夫妻，正準備在度假後做個了斷，沒料到接下來將面臨的，竟是令人悲痛至極的了斷。（〈哈特利這一家〉）
圍繞著現代人關係破裂、夢想破碎、生活破敗的主題，構成了本書十九則短篇的基調，它們的人物不僅涵蓋市井小民，更觸及有頭有臉的上流階層……一群為追逐名利、財富費盡苦心，或是為眼前人際關係、婚姻生活苦惱的人物，永遠料想不到在生命接下來的轉角將遇到什麼……
十九則短篇小說，選自美國偉大作家約翰．齊佛的《短篇小說自選集》，這部作品亦是他攀登創作顛峰，榮獲普立茲短篇小說獎，名列《西方正典》及「二十世紀百大小說」的重要傑作。
尊嚴。「你懂嗎？」她問我。
我不懂。她曾經是那個情願隨著我長途奔波的女人，也是那個接受我的微薄薪水、甘於平淡度日的女人……我不懂。
面對妻子求去、渾然不覺婚姻出了狀況的男人。（〈離婚季節〉）
迎接一場久未重逢的家人團聚，最後卻面對徹底的決裂。（〈再見，我的兄弟〉）
帶著女兒前往度假、感情降至冰點的夫妻，正準備在度假後做個了斷，沒料到接下來將面臨的，竟是令人悲痛至極的了斷。（〈哈特利這一家〉）
圍繞著現代人關係破裂、夢想破碎、生活破敗的主題，構成了本書十九則短篇的基調，它們的人物不僅涵蓋市井小民，更觸及有頭有臉的上流階層……一群為追逐名利、財富費盡苦心，或是為眼前人際關係、婚姻生活苦惱的人物，永遠料想不到在生命接下來的轉角將遇到什麼……
十九則短篇小說，選自美國偉大作家約翰．齊佛的《短篇小說自選集》，這部作品亦是他攀登創作顛峰，榮獲普立茲短篇小說獎，名列《西方正典》及「二十世紀百大小說」的重要傑作。
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 1950
About the author
John Cheever
273 books1,126 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 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 16, 2026
#short stories in the shortest month
4,5*
Habituada aos homens alcoólicos e aos casais suburbanos de John Cheever, não esperava que criasse uma dona de casa desesperada com tanta perícia. O conto “Estação de Divórcios” (1950) é narrado pelo marido de Ethel que surge captada num momento revelador:
Quando regresso às seis, ela está normalmente a lavar os legumes ou a fazer quaisquer outros preparativos para o jantar. Depois, quando as crianças já comeram e tomaram banho, quando o jantar está pronto, quando a mesa na sala de jantar está posta com a comida e os pratos, fica especada no meio da sala de jantar como se tivesse perdido ou esquecido alguma coisa, e este momento de reflexão é tão profundo que não me ouve se lhe digo alguma coisa ou se as crianças chamam por ela. Depois passa.
Ethel, com formação superior, trabalhara apenas um ano antes de se casar, tendo pendurado simbolicamente o seu diploma sobre o lava-louças. Dona de casa e mãe de dois filhos, leva uma existência pacata até um vizinho casado revelar um destabilizador interesse por ela. Apesar de ser uma paixão não correspondida, algo há muito adormecido agita-se nela e fá-la pôr o casamento e a maternidade em causa:
Gosto das crianças, mas isso não basta, nem de longe. Seria incapaz de lhes fazer mal, mas será que lhes fazia assim tão mal se te deixasse? Será o divórcio tão horrível? E de todas as coisas que mantêm um casamento em pé quantas delas são boas? – Sentou-se à mesa. – Em Grenbole – disse ela – escrevi um trabalho sobre Charles Stuart em francês. Um professor da universidade de Chicago escreveu-me uma carta. Hoje não conseguiria ler um jornal francês sem um dicionário, não tenho tempo para ler nenhum jornal com regularidade, e tenho vergonha da minha incompetência, tenho vergonha do meu aspecto.
4,5*
Habituada aos homens alcoólicos e aos casais suburbanos de John Cheever, não esperava que criasse uma dona de casa desesperada com tanta perícia. O conto “Estação de Divórcios” (1950) é narrado pelo marido de Ethel que surge captada num momento revelador:
Quando regresso às seis, ela está normalmente a lavar os legumes ou a fazer quaisquer outros preparativos para o jantar. Depois, quando as crianças já comeram e tomaram banho, quando o jantar está pronto, quando a mesa na sala de jantar está posta com a comida e os pratos, fica especada no meio da sala de jantar como se tivesse perdido ou esquecido alguma coisa, e este momento de reflexão é tão profundo que não me ouve se lhe digo alguma coisa ou se as crianças chamam por ela. Depois passa.
Ethel, com formação superior, trabalhara apenas um ano antes de se casar, tendo pendurado simbolicamente o seu diploma sobre o lava-louças. Dona de casa e mãe de dois filhos, leva uma existência pacata até um vizinho casado revelar um destabilizador interesse por ela. Apesar de ser uma paixão não correspondida, algo há muito adormecido agita-se nela e fá-la pôr o casamento e a maternidade em causa:
Gosto das crianças, mas isso não basta, nem de longe. Seria incapaz de lhes fazer mal, mas será que lhes fazia assim tão mal se te deixasse? Será o divórcio tão horrível? E de todas as coisas que mantêm um casamento em pé quantas delas são boas? – Sentou-se à mesa. – Em Grenbole – disse ela – escrevi um trabalho sobre Charles Stuart em francês. Um professor da universidade de Chicago escreveu-me uma carta. Hoje não conseguiria ler um jornal francês sem um dicionário, não tenho tempo para ler nenhum jornal com regularidade, e tenho vergonha da minha incompetência, tenho vergonha do meu aspecto.
February 18, 2025
Ethel is a stay-at-home mother who has the same routine doing housework and caring for her two children every day. A married man in the neighborhood becomes obsessed with Ethel to the point where he's almost a stalker. While Ethel does not love the neighbor, his attention has brought her buried unhappiness to the surface.
Ethel and her husband seem to have a stable marriage, but they tend to take each other for granted. Ethel has had to lose a part of herself in acting like a good wife and mother. She remembers when she had time to think about something other than household chores. She feels like she is losing the person she used to be, and needs a more fulfilling emotional connection. Her husband, the narrator, does not understand her feelings. This story was published in 1950, and seems to describe a typical middle-class marriage at that time with the husband going off to work while the wife stayed home with the children.
"The Season of Divorce" is story #12 in the collection, "The Stories of John Cheever."
Ethel and her husband seem to have a stable marriage, but they tend to take each other for granted. Ethel has had to lose a part of herself in acting like a good wife and mother. She remembers when she had time to think about something other than household chores. She feels like she is losing the person she used to be, and needs a more fulfilling emotional connection. Her husband, the narrator, does not understand her feelings. This story was published in 1950, and seems to describe a typical middle-class marriage at that time with the husband going off to work while the wife stayed home with the children.
"The Season of Divorce" is story #12 in the collection, "The Stories of John Cheever."
December 26, 2025
Çok ilginç okurken aklımda hep ‘Mad Men’ dizisi vardı, internetten araştırırken bir baktım ‘Umutsuz Aşk Şarkısı’ adlı öyküde bahsi geçen Joan Harris gerçekten de dizideki aynı isimli karaktere esin kaynağı olmuş!
Seçkide bir tanesi hariç (La Bella Lingua) hepsi Amerikan banliyösünde geçen 19 öykü var. Orjinali 1978’de basılmış, hikayeler de sanırım 1942 ile 1959 yılları arasında çoğunlukla New Yorker dergisinde yayınlanmış. O zamanların tipik Amerikan dünyası; bolca içki içiliyor, sadakatsizlik diz boyu. Adından da anlaşılacağı gibi evlilik ve boşanma (boşanamama demek daha doğru) öykülerin bazen merkezinde bazen de etrafında yer alıyor. John Cheever’ın babası alkolikmiş, varlıklı bir tüccarken yoksulluğa düşmüş ve Cheever ve erkek kardeşi mali sıkıntılar sebebi ile üniversite okuyamamış. Sanırım Cheever’ın alaylı olması içinde ukde kalmış zira seyrettiğim bir röportajında bu konudan biraz utanarak bahsediyor. Neyse ki 17 yaşında bir hikaye yarışmasına katılıp kazanıyor ve böylelikle yazım hayatına adım atıyor. 29 yaşındayken Yale Üniversitesi dekanının kızı Mary ile evleniyor ne var ki karısını hem kadınlarla hem de erkeklerle aldatıyor ama boşanmıyorlar. Cheever’ın yazar olmasını hiç istemediği 1943 doğumlu kızı Susan 5 roman yazmış ki bunlardan çoğu alkolizm üzerine (biri Adsız Alkolikler’in kurucusu Bill Wilson biyografisi) anne ve babasının ilişkileri hakkında ‘birbirlerini çok hırpalıyorlardı ama bunu boşanmak için bir sebep olarak görmüyorlardı’ diyor.
Tüm bu araştırmayı yazarın kişisel hayatının yaratımına nasıl yansıdığını görüp anlamak için yaptım. En sevdiğim öykülere gelince;
Cinin Kederleri; buradaki babasını alkolizmin pençesine düşmekten kendince korumaya çalışan Amy karakterine bayıldım. Bu öykü 2004 yılında çıkarılan sesli kitap seçkisinde Merly Streep tarafından okunmuş.
Kırmızı Eşya Kamyonu; Bu öykü 21/03/1959 tarihinde New Yorker’s yayınlanmış. İçince sapıtan ve bu yüzden de dokuz köyden kovulan komşu çift üzerine. Adamın adı Gee Gee (Greek God) karısının ismi ise Peaches. Anlatıcı Charlie’nin bu yakışıklı komşusunun etki alanına girmekten kendini alamamasını ve adım adım kendi sonunu hazırlamasını çok anlamlı buldum
Müzik Öğretmeni; Bu öyküde de ilk başta bahsettiğim Umutsuz Aşk Şarkısı isimli öyküdeki gibi mitolojik karakter Hecate’a benzeyen bir kadın var. Sonu daha farklı bitebilirdi ama bu haliyle de çok sevdim.
Sonuç olarak 50lerin Amerikan banliyösünden kesitler veren kurgusu güzel, dili yalın, çevirisi mükemmel (Roza Hakmen) bu öyküleri tavsiye ederim.
Seçkide bir tanesi hariç (La Bella Lingua) hepsi Amerikan banliyösünde geçen 19 öykü var. Orjinali 1978’de basılmış, hikayeler de sanırım 1942 ile 1959 yılları arasında çoğunlukla New Yorker dergisinde yayınlanmış. O zamanların tipik Amerikan dünyası; bolca içki içiliyor, sadakatsizlik diz boyu. Adından da anlaşılacağı gibi evlilik ve boşanma (boşanamama demek daha doğru) öykülerin bazen merkezinde bazen de etrafında yer alıyor. John Cheever’ın babası alkolikmiş, varlıklı bir tüccarken yoksulluğa düşmüş ve Cheever ve erkek kardeşi mali sıkıntılar sebebi ile üniversite okuyamamış. Sanırım Cheever’ın alaylı olması içinde ukde kalmış zira seyrettiğim bir röportajında bu konudan biraz utanarak bahsediyor. Neyse ki 17 yaşında bir hikaye yarışmasına katılıp kazanıyor ve böylelikle yazım hayatına adım atıyor. 29 yaşındayken Yale Üniversitesi dekanının kızı Mary ile evleniyor ne var ki karısını hem kadınlarla hem de erkeklerle aldatıyor ama boşanmıyorlar. Cheever’ın yazar olmasını hiç istemediği 1943 doğumlu kızı Susan 5 roman yazmış ki bunlardan çoğu alkolizm üzerine (biri Adsız Alkolikler’in kurucusu Bill Wilson biyografisi) anne ve babasının ilişkileri hakkında ‘birbirlerini çok hırpalıyorlardı ama bunu boşanmak için bir sebep olarak görmüyorlardı’ diyor.
Tüm bu araştırmayı yazarın kişisel hayatının yaratımına nasıl yansıdığını görüp anlamak için yaptım. En sevdiğim öykülere gelince;
Cinin Kederleri; buradaki babasını alkolizmin pençesine düşmekten kendince korumaya çalışan Amy karakterine bayıldım. Bu öykü 2004 yılında çıkarılan sesli kitap seçkisinde Merly Streep tarafından okunmuş.
Kırmızı Eşya Kamyonu; Bu öykü 21/03/1959 tarihinde New Yorker’s yayınlanmış. İçince sapıtan ve bu yüzden de dokuz köyden kovulan komşu çift üzerine. Adamın adı Gee Gee (Greek God) karısının ismi ise Peaches. Anlatıcı Charlie’nin bu yakışıklı komşusunun etki alanına girmekten kendini alamamasını ve adım adım kendi sonunu hazırlamasını çok anlamlı buldum
Müzik Öğretmeni; Bu öyküde de ilk başta bahsettiğim Umutsuz Aşk Şarkısı isimli öyküdeki gibi mitolojik karakter Hecate’a benzeyen bir kadın var. Sonu daha farklı bitebilirdi ama bu haliyle de çok sevdim.
Sonuç olarak 50lerin Amerikan banliyösünden kesitler veren kurgusu güzel, dili yalın, çevirisi mükemmel (Roza Hakmen) bu öyküleri tavsiye ederim.
June 14, 2021
In the title story of this collection, Cheever shows that he is not the misogynist that many label him, at least not all the time. Cheever shows that he can sympathize with the challenge women face when they are restricted to only cleaning the house and caring for the children; the mental stagnation and the loss of their ambitions when they are a stay-at-home mom and wife. This was behind the picture of post-war suburban life that is often portrayed on the tv and in people's idealization of the time which wasn't as perfect as sometimes pictured or remembered.
August 11, 2025
The Season of Divorce by John Cheever
Impressive, outstanding- these are the words that come to mind when I think about this and to the other John Cheever stories I have read so far.
I had known that John Cheever is an excellent author, because I had read Falconer and The Wapshot Chronicle, but I did not know he won both the National Booker Prize and the Pulitzer. The latter was awarded for his short stories, which I am in the process of reading now.
For The Season of divorce we have a narrator, which seems familiar when he tells the story of his wife. It may be the same, in some aspects with the saga of my home, except here we have ten children with fur or feathers and the outlook is altered, a bit, by their presence.
Ethel is the epitome of the housewife, earlier on in the last century…in the first place I have put down just century, because I still live in the last one, I am still not used with the fact that my life moved into a different time frame.
There is an article in The Economist which spells out an interesting fact- the number of women staying at home had decreased in the “last „century, only to be on the rise in the last years.
This does not alter the fact that Ethel’s life is unfortunate. She is the wife of the narrator and the main character of the story. She takes care of the children, cooks and does all the other house duties.
Since last summer, when I have started reading Positive Psychology, my perspective and interpretation of most of the books I read has changed. In the past, reading this short story, I would have been what Tal Ben-Shahar calls a “fault-finder”, and looked at the gloom, sadness of the tale, which cannot be denied in many of its undertones. But I am becoming more of a “merit-finder „and somehow find the humor, positive message and the lessons which we can learn from a failed relationship. The narrator should have appreciated his wife more, we need to be more satisfied with what we have and take care of our relationships.
A doctor Trencher comes along and he appreciates Ethel much more than her husband, falls in love with her and wants her to marry him. He had already talked with Mrs. Trencher about getting a divorce.
There is humor when the doctor comes to tell the narrator about his interest and love for Ethel, insisting that he is a practical man, talking about the money he has, the custody of the children, while the present husband tells him to get out of his house.
What happens next? Well, we can’t be sure, because John Cheever doesn’t tell us explicitly, we have to guess and the course of events had been rather unexpected so far. If Ethel laughed, then felt sorry about the doctor and his confessions, with time this changed to some kind of empathy.
John Cheever is an extraordinary author with a complicated life, from what I have read…in fact an episode of Seinfeld was based on aspects of his biography.
I look forward to reading his other stories.
Posted 22nd April 2014 by realini
0
Impressive, outstanding- these are the words that come to mind when I think about this and to the other John Cheever stories I have read so far.
I had known that John Cheever is an excellent author, because I had read Falconer and The Wapshot Chronicle, but I did not know he won both the National Booker Prize and the Pulitzer. The latter was awarded for his short stories, which I am in the process of reading now.
For The Season of divorce we have a narrator, which seems familiar when he tells the story of his wife. It may be the same, in some aspects with the saga of my home, except here we have ten children with fur or feathers and the outlook is altered, a bit, by their presence.
Ethel is the epitome of the housewife, earlier on in the last century…in the first place I have put down just century, because I still live in the last one, I am still not used with the fact that my life moved into a different time frame.
There is an article in The Economist which spells out an interesting fact- the number of women staying at home had decreased in the “last „century, only to be on the rise in the last years.
This does not alter the fact that Ethel’s life is unfortunate. She is the wife of the narrator and the main character of the story. She takes care of the children, cooks and does all the other house duties.
Since last summer, when I have started reading Positive Psychology, my perspective and interpretation of most of the books I read has changed. In the past, reading this short story, I would have been what Tal Ben-Shahar calls a “fault-finder”, and looked at the gloom, sadness of the tale, which cannot be denied in many of its undertones. But I am becoming more of a “merit-finder „and somehow find the humor, positive message and the lessons which we can learn from a failed relationship. The narrator should have appreciated his wife more, we need to be more satisfied with what we have and take care of our relationships.
A doctor Trencher comes along and he appreciates Ethel much more than her husband, falls in love with her and wants her to marry him. He had already talked with Mrs. Trencher about getting a divorce.
There is humor when the doctor comes to tell the narrator about his interest and love for Ethel, insisting that he is a practical man, talking about the money he has, the custody of the children, while the present husband tells him to get out of his house.
What happens next? Well, we can’t be sure, because John Cheever doesn’t tell us explicitly, we have to guess and the course of events had been rather unexpected so far. If Ethel laughed, then felt sorry about the doctor and his confessions, with time this changed to some kind of empathy.
John Cheever is an extraordinary author with a complicated life, from what I have read…in fact an episode of Seinfeld was based on aspects of his biography.
I look forward to reading his other stories.
Posted 22nd April 2014 by realini
0
September 15, 2013
Collected Stories of John Cheever offer a literature feast to the reader by one of the best story writers ever. I have decided that I love John Cheever better than Raymond Carver although I don't know why I tend to compare story writers every single time. Cheever and Katherine Mansfield come first. Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Connor come second among the best storywriters for me.
December 18, 2019
《再見，我的兄弟》格格不入的一家人，無法互相諒解又不願意假裝。辛苦的是一邊只有一個人，還是另一邊要包容的一群人。
《平凡的一天》毫不在意的女主人，與在意過多的園丁女僕。
《大收音機》透過暗自比較，找到自己人生幸福定位→才發現每個人都有見不得人的酸楚，也都有看不到的擔憂嫉妒。
《啊～碎夢之城》逐夢的鄉人到陌生的城市，遇上各式世故顯得無知。被看清、被玩弄、被吹捧、被看輕，陌生的城市不適合鄉人築夢。
《哈特利這一家》旁觀者陌生人的視角→總是重複提起的美好過往只是暗示著現在關係的殘破不堪；悲劇發生在孩子身上後，夫妻倆失去維繫感情的必要，同行到了畫面之外。
《蘇頓街區的故事》假裝愛孩子的保母，在失去孩子之前沒那麼愛的母親，金玉其外寄託曾經夢想在孩子身上的女伶。瑪莎是誰，沒人知道，走丟後也不驚慌的孩子，沒有人知道她曾去了哪裡。
《夏日農夫》資本主義下當農耕只是休憩的夏日農夫，篤信共產一絲不苟但又不信壓迫的規律鄰居→兔子被毒死的意外，一面照妖鏡照得人看見自己卑劣的寒顫。Cheever沒有任何一句多餘，每一個安排都讓讀者更熟悉故事的脈絡，也不用生硬介紹，角色人設就隨著事件安排自然流露！
《悲歌》目前最喜歡的一部短篇。男主分合了幾位女配，女主分合數倍無緣也好不相似的男配。三十年過去，男主從未與女主走在一塊兒，而不善待女主的男配都奇怪的離世，到了男主病的這一天，過去溫婉堅強的女主的到來，讓讀者都打寒顫。
《聚寶盆》充滿夢想的年代，墜落的人比成功飛翔的人多得多，誰都以為自己會不一樣，但其實誰跟誰都一樣，掙扎著，屢敗屢戰再屢敗，直到再也不能戰了。
《巴別塔裡的克蘭西》大樓電梯的貧民服務員對富裕大樓生態的品頭論足，但一切的詮釋都會隨著時間改變。即便朝夕相處，天天見面，卻也沒誰能肯定誰就是什麼樣子。
《對窮人來說，聖誕節是個悲傷的節日》聖誕節電梯服務員想著自己不順遂的孤單人生，花了一個上午跟住戶抱怨聖誕節對於窮人的意義；下午，每個人都給了他一些溫暖與安慰，豐盛大餐和禮物；之後，又分享給他認為的窮人，窮人又再分享給他們認為的窮人；而真正讓這些窮人快樂的其實是收到後的給與。
《離婚季節》在婚姻危機中的丈夫視角，愛自己愛家的妻子碰上為自己傾心的已婚追求者，意識到自己失去的個人尊嚴。危機一直在，忽大忽小，忽遠忽近，這個婚姻的圖片裡有他們的小孩和妻子無聊生活的全貌，至少從丈夫視角看來的全貌，而丈夫的生活全貌，讀者不得而知。在故事的尾巴，離婚沒有發生，離婚還沒有發生。
《貞潔的克萊瑞莎》海上的情場浪子如何攻破女人心，一步一步從浪子的角度看怎麼越挫越勇。有些人的天賦就會放在奇妙的地方，例如誘拐良家婦女，啟蒙她。
《療育》就我的理解：孤獨對一個人造成的影響，產生了被偷窺的幻覺，產生了被害妄想後又令人害怕自己會因此自我了結。結尾是他與妻子兩人互相需要，才能正常運作，而不對生活過度負面解釋。
《大樓管理員》白晝根本講不出什麼道理，天空也只是天空罷了。大樓管理員，習以為常的存在需要感謝。
《孩子們》特助到管家再到毫無名分的幫手，非親非故的寄居蟹夫婦寄人籬下的生活每況愈下。
《琴酒的哀愁》看不清世界的那刻是美好的。偷偷倒掉爸爸半瓶酒的女孩，離家出走後，轉換成爸爸的視角要教她家的意義。
《噢，青春啊美貌啊！》等待槍聲，中年後的障礙賽跑者面臨不再青春的切割，最後一次迎來槍聲。
《豬掉進井裡的那天》記憶要有個標記點供大家一同在那個時刻開展自己在那段時間的表演。豬掉進井裡那天後的變化與今天沒有關係。
《平凡的一天》毫不在意的女主人，與在意過多的園丁女僕。
《大收音機》透過暗自比較，找到自己人生幸福定位→才發現每個人都有見不得人的酸楚，也都有看不到的擔憂嫉妒。
《啊～碎夢之城》逐夢的鄉人到陌生的城市，遇上各式世故顯得無知。被看清、被玩弄、被吹捧、被看輕，陌生的城市不適合鄉人築夢。
《哈特利這一家》旁觀者陌生人的視角→總是重複提起的美好過往只是暗示著現在關係的殘破不堪；悲劇發生在孩子身上後，夫妻倆失去維繫感情的必要，同行到了畫面之外。
《蘇頓街區的故事》假裝愛孩子的保母，在失去孩子之前沒那麼愛的母親，金玉其外寄託曾經夢想在孩子身上的女伶。瑪莎是誰，沒人知道，走丟後也不驚慌的孩子，沒有人知道她曾去了哪裡。
《夏日農夫》資本主義下當農耕只是休憩的夏日農夫，篤信共產一絲不苟但又不信壓迫的規律鄰居→兔子被毒死的意外，一面照妖鏡照得人看見自己卑劣的寒顫。Cheever沒有任何一句多餘，每一個安排都讓讀者更熟悉故事的脈絡，也不用生硬介紹，角色人設就隨著事件安排自然流露！
《悲歌》目前最喜歡的一部短篇。男主分合了幾位女配，女主分合數倍無緣也好不相似的男配。三十年過去，男主從未與女主走在一塊兒，而不善待女主的男配都奇怪的離世，到了男主病的這一天，過去溫婉堅強的女主的到來，讓讀者都打寒顫。
《聚寶盆》充滿夢想的年代，墜落的人比成功飛翔的人多得多，誰都以為自己會不一樣，但其實誰跟誰都一樣，掙扎著，屢敗屢戰再屢敗，直到再也不能戰了。
《巴別塔裡的克蘭西》大樓電梯的貧民服務員對富裕大樓生態的品頭論足，但一切的詮釋都會隨著時間改變。即便朝夕相處，天天見面，卻也沒誰能肯定誰就是什麼樣子。
《對窮人來說，聖誕節是個悲傷的節日》聖誕節電梯服務員想著自己不順遂的孤單人生，花了一個上午跟住戶抱怨聖誕節對於窮人的意義；下午，每個人都給了他一些溫暖與安慰，豐盛大餐和禮物；之後，又分享給他認為的窮人，窮人又再分享給他們認為的窮人；而真正讓這些窮人快樂的其實是收到後的給與。
《離婚季節》在婚姻危機中的丈夫視角，愛自己愛家的妻子碰上為自己傾心的已婚追求者，意識到自己失去的個人尊嚴。危機一直在，忽大忽小，忽遠忽近，這個婚姻的圖片裡有他們的小孩和妻子無聊生活的全貌，至少從丈夫視角看來的全貌，而丈夫的生活全貌，讀者不得而知。在故事的尾巴，離婚沒有發生，離婚還沒有發生。
《貞潔的克萊瑞莎》海上的情場浪子如何攻破女人心，一步一步從浪子的角度看怎麼越挫越勇。有些人的天賦就會放在奇妙的地方，例如誘拐良家婦女，啟蒙她。
《療育》就我的理解：孤獨對一個人造成的影響，產生了被偷窺的幻覺，產生了被害妄想後又令人害怕自己會因此自我了結。結尾是他與妻子兩人互相需要，才能正常運作，而不對生活過度負面解釋。
《大樓管理員》白晝根本講不出什麼道理，天空也只是天空罷了。大樓管理員，習以為常的存在需要感謝。
《孩子們》特助到管家再到毫無名分的幫手，非親非故的寄居蟹夫婦寄人籬下的生活每況愈下。
《琴酒的哀愁》看不清世界的那刻是美好的。偷偷倒掉爸爸半瓶酒的女孩，離家出走後，轉換成爸爸的視角要教她家的意義。
《噢，青春啊美貌啊！》等待槍聲，中年後的障礙賽跑者面臨不再青春的切割，最後一次迎來槍聲。
《豬掉進井裡的那天》記憶要有個標記點供大家一同在那個時刻開展自己在那段時間的表演。豬掉進井裡那天後的變化與今天沒有關係。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2020
Amerikan banliyölerinde evlilikler, kaçamak aşklar, ayrılıklar, ikili ilişkiler çocuklar ve boşanmalar. İçinde sıkıntıdan bir topak taşıyan insanların sıradan, ölümlü, darmadağın hayatlar, küçük insanlardan büyük hikayeler yaratan bir adam J. Cheever. Yalnızlık, parasızlık, anlaşılamamak, umutsuzluk içinde savrulup duran kadın ve erkekler. Herkes bir çıkış arıyor. Endişe ve huzursuzluk öykülerin atmosferini belirleyen unsurların başında geliyor. Gelecek duygusunu yitirmiş, umudunu kaybetmiş ruhlar birbirlerine tutunmaya çalışıyorlar ya da başka bedenlerde arıyorlar kaybettiklerini. Roza Hakmen'in muhteşem çevirisi inanılmaz.
September 13, 2025
The Season of Divorce by John Cheever
Impressive, outstanding- these are the words that come to mind when I think about this and to the other John Cheever stories I have read so far.
I had known that John Cheever is an excellent author, because I had read Falconer and The Wapshot Chronicle, but I did not know he won both the National Booker Prize and the Pulitzer. The latter was awarded for his short stories, which I am in the process of reading now.
For The Season of divorce we have a narrator, which seems familiar when he tells the story of his wife. It may be the same, in some aspects with the saga of my home, except here we have ten children with fur or feathers and the outlook is altered, a bit, by their presence.
Ethel is the epitome of the housewife, earlier on in the last century…in the first place I have put down just century, because I still live in the last one, I am still not used with the fact that my life moved into a different time frame.
There is an article in The Economist which spells out an interesting fact- the number of women staying at home had decreased in the “last „century, only to be on the rise in the last years.
This does not alter the fact that Ethel’s life is unfortunate. She is the wife of the narrator and the main character of the story. She takes care of the children, cooks and does all the other house duties.
Since last summer, when I have started reading Positive Psychology, my perspective and interpretation of most of the books I read has changed. In the past, reading this short story, I would have been what Tal Ben-Shahar calls a “fault-finder”, and looked at the gloom, sadness of the tale, which cannot be denied in many of its undertones. But I am becoming more of a “merit-finder „and somehow find the humor, positive message and the lessons which we can learn from a failed relationship. The narrator should have appreciated his wife more, we need to be more satisfied with what we have and take care of our relationships.
A doctor Trencher comes along and he appreciates Ethel much more than her husband, falls in love with her and wants her to marry him. He had already talked with Mrs. Trencher about getting a divorce.
There is humor when the doctor comes to tell the narrator about his interest and love for Ethel, insisting that he is a practical man, talking about the money he has, the custody of the children, while the present husband tells him to get out of his house.
What happens next? Well, we can’t be sure, because John Cheever doesn’t tell us explicitly, we have to guess and the course of events had been rather unexpected so far. If Ethel laughed, then felt sorry about the doctor and his confessions, with time this changed to some kind of empathy.
John Cheever is an extraordinary author with a complicated life, from what I have read…in fact an episode of Seinfeld was based on aspects of his biography.
I look forward to reading his other stories.
Impressive, outstanding- these are the words that come to mind when I think about this and to the other John Cheever stories I have read so far.
I had known that John Cheever is an excellent author, because I had read Falconer and The Wapshot Chronicle, but I did not know he won both the National Booker Prize and the Pulitzer. The latter was awarded for his short stories, which I am in the process of reading now.
For The Season of divorce we have a narrator, which seems familiar when he tells the story of his wife. It may be the same, in some aspects with the saga of my home, except here we have ten children with fur or feathers and the outlook is altered, a bit, by their presence.
Ethel is the epitome of the housewife, earlier on in the last century…in the first place I have put down just century, because I still live in the last one, I am still not used with the fact that my life moved into a different time frame.
There is an article in The Economist which spells out an interesting fact- the number of women staying at home had decreased in the “last „century, only to be on the rise in the last years.
This does not alter the fact that Ethel’s life is unfortunate. She is the wife of the narrator and the main character of the story. She takes care of the children, cooks and does all the other house duties.
Since last summer, when I have started reading Positive Psychology, my perspective and interpretation of most of the books I read has changed. In the past, reading this short story, I would have been what Tal Ben-Shahar calls a “fault-finder”, and looked at the gloom, sadness of the tale, which cannot be denied in many of its undertones. But I am becoming more of a “merit-finder „and somehow find the humor, positive message and the lessons which we can learn from a failed relationship. The narrator should have appreciated his wife more, we need to be more satisfied with what we have and take care of our relationships.
A doctor Trencher comes along and he appreciates Ethel much more than her husband, falls in love with her and wants her to marry him. He had already talked with Mrs. Trencher about getting a divorce.
There is humor when the doctor comes to tell the narrator about his interest and love for Ethel, insisting that he is a practical man, talking about the money he has, the custody of the children, while the present husband tells him to get out of his house.
What happens next? Well, we can’t be sure, because John Cheever doesn’t tell us explicitly, we have to guess and the course of events had been rather unexpected so far. If Ethel laughed, then felt sorry about the doctor and his confessions, with time this changed to some kind of empathy.
John Cheever is an extraordinary author with a complicated life, from what I have read…in fact an episode of Seinfeld was based on aspects of his biography.
I look forward to reading his other stories.
June 8, 2019
Este cuento es una verdadera joya, de las pocas veces que en un relato de Cheever, un personaje femenino despunta y se alza glorioso. Ethel, aparentemente en un matrimonio feliz y perfecto, con dos niños, se ha tenido que sacrificar y se ha convertido en la ama de casa casi robótica con un horario perfectamente encorsetado y dedicada completamente a su familia, pero algo ocurre en este relato que la hace resucitar un instante y ser consciente de su infelicidad y alienación... Maravilla!!
August 18, 2020
The Season of Divorce is the story of a woman -- a wife -- but told from the point of view of her husband. Ethel is a housewife from the first half of the 20th century, and is perfectly cast in the role. She cares for their children and takes care of all the cooking and household duties. And, by reading the title, one is immediately aware that the marriage is no longer happy in her marriage. She meets a new man who falls in love with her, appreciates her and treats her better than the husband. He also wants her to divorce and marry him. He is serious enough about her to have already asked his own wife for a divorce.
This story is essentially sad, but it is also filled with humor. There is a scene between prospective husband and current husband that made me laugh out loud at the silliness of one man expressing his practicality to the man he is usurping.
I am starting to realize that Cheever is very good at writing stories which are open-ended, and for me that is very rewarding.
This story is essentially sad, but it is also filled with humor. There is a scene between prospective husband and current husband that made me laugh out loud at the silliness of one man expressing his practicality to the man he is usurping.
I am starting to realize that Cheever is very good at writing stories which are open-ended, and for me that is very rewarding.
February 21, 2025
Cheever's examination of an unfulfilling marriage, in which the wife is an intelligent, well-educated woman who is expected, almost sentenced, to live a life of nothing more than housework and children. She is under-appreciated by her husband, who narrates the story with such an obvious lack of understanding and comprehension that you wish to reach inside the pages and slap him.
(#12 - Stories of John Cheever)
(#12 - Stories of John Cheever)
May 30, 2022
Short stories written by Cheever in 1970s, which are still relevant to modern world. The stories might appear trivial, but the underlying emotions are very real and true. And you can get a grip on people's lives, understanding that every body is facing similar challenges and some of the first world problems of identity crisis.
November 3, 2023
these cheever stories are undeniably pretty great but they're really bumming me out.
March 28, 2025
很驚豔，好讀唯其文字簡潔，總能在某個瞬間刺到心靈深處。
Read
March 31, 2025The Season of Divorce read by Edward Hermann
August 10, 2021
Cheever's "The Season of Divorce" is a short story that had me thinking something was gone to happen but in the end it didn't, which actually made me happy. Cheever once again shows a blunt reality in his characters.
Story in short- A middle class couple with children are dealing with everyday life when a married man pays them attention.
I read from a collection of his works.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
The couple have been married 10 years and have two young children. Ethel, his wife takes care of the children and the apartment. Not having luxuries but making ends meet and the sameness day after day. Then after going to a party where the couple meets the Trenchers, a doctor and his older wife, they have no children. Mrs. Trencher is friendly to Ethel but that soon stops after her husband has been following Ethel and the kids to the park. He tells Ethel of his love and knows it is hopeless. Ethel feels sorry for him and her husband hears about this but does not worry until he sees the roses, the doctor has sent and thinking that Ethel has gone to another park but the doctor has followed her there. Ethel seems dissatisfied with her life and wonders about divorce. Her husband after hearing that the doctor's attentions are increased asks his wife if she wants to be with Trencher, which she round about says no, but she would like better life. Trencher is stalking the house and finally comes to talk to Ethel's husband about marrying Ethel. His wife would give him a divorce and he has plenty of money but the kids are to be decided by them. Ethel's husband is enraged and throws things at the doctor, who leaves. At the end the story, the Trenchers are still around the city but not apparently bothering Ethel and her family. It starts the same with the couples living their lives as if nothing happened. I was glad Ethel did not leave her husband, because marriage though hard is worth it. The children will be happier and if her childhood was a mess because her mother remarried, causes many feelings of sadness and despair, then why should she risk losing a man who she had loved and followed with pleasure during the war and causing grief for her kids. The doctor is an unknown, though he says he loves her, does he? Ethel did not love the doctor but the attention was exciting for her.
“They were a birthday present from Trencher, she told me. I was cross at myself for having forgotten her birthday, and Trencher’s roses made me angry. I asked her if she’d seen him recently. “Oh, yes,” she said, “he still comes to the playground nearly every afternoon. I haven’t told you, have I? He’s made his declaration. He loves me. He can’t live without me. He’d walk through fire to hear the notes of my voice.” She laughed. “That’s what he said.”
“He says that he comes over here and stares up at our lighted windows.” “When did he say this?” “At the playground.” “I thought you went to another playground.” “Oh, I do, I do, but he followed me. He’s crazy, darling. I know he’s crazy, but I feel so sorry for him. He says that he spends night after night looking up at our windows. He says that he sees me everywhere—the back of my head, my eyebrows—that he hears my voice.“
Story in short- A middle class couple with children are dealing with everyday life when a married man pays them attention.
I read from a collection of his works.
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
The couple have been married 10 years and have two young children. Ethel, his wife takes care of the children and the apartment. Not having luxuries but making ends meet and the sameness day after day. Then after going to a party where the couple meets the Trenchers, a doctor and his older wife, they have no children. Mrs. Trencher is friendly to Ethel but that soon stops after her husband has been following Ethel and the kids to the park. He tells Ethel of his love and knows it is hopeless. Ethel feels sorry for him and her husband hears about this but does not worry until he sees the roses, the doctor has sent and thinking that Ethel has gone to another park but the doctor has followed her there. Ethel seems dissatisfied with her life and wonders about divorce. Her husband after hearing that the doctor's attentions are increased asks his wife if she wants to be with Trencher, which she round about says no, but she would like better life. Trencher is stalking the house and finally comes to talk to Ethel's husband about marrying Ethel. His wife would give him a divorce and he has plenty of money but the kids are to be decided by them. Ethel's husband is enraged and throws things at the doctor, who leaves. At the end the story, the Trenchers are still around the city but not apparently bothering Ethel and her family. It starts the same with the couples living their lives as if nothing happened. I was glad Ethel did not leave her husband, because marriage though hard is worth it. The children will be happier and if her childhood was a mess because her mother remarried, causes many feelings of sadness and despair, then why should she risk losing a man who she had loved and followed with pleasure during the war and causing grief for her kids. The doctor is an unknown, though he says he loves her, does he? Ethel did not love the doctor but the attention was exciting for her.
“They were a birthday present from Trencher, she told me. I was cross at myself for having forgotten her birthday, and Trencher’s roses made me angry. I asked her if she’d seen him recently. “Oh, yes,” she said, “he still comes to the playground nearly every afternoon. I haven’t told you, have I? He’s made his declaration. He loves me. He can’t live without me. He’d walk through fire to hear the notes of my voice.” She laughed. “That’s what he said.”
“He says that he comes over here and stares up at our lighted windows.” “When did he say this?” “At the playground.” “I thought you went to another playground.” “Oh, I do, I do, but he followed me. He’s crazy, darling. I know he’s crazy, but I feel so sorry for him. He says that he spends night after night looking up at our windows. He says that he sees me everywhere—the back of my head, my eyebrows—that he hears my voice.“
August 29, 2025
Cheever always delivers. In this short story, we see a marriage getting dangerously close to divorce but ultimately dodging it. However, the question lingers, did they really dodge a bullet? No. In 'The Season of Divorce', Cheever examines the toll that everyday life has on the psyche of human beings; one might think that normal people are meant to live normal lives, but that sometimes just isn't the case, and this story depicts that truth with such a precise style that even tense and even violent moments like the confrontation towards the end feel like a soft headache you can't seem to shake off.
And that's ultimately the message this conveys: Living unsubstantial, lame lives is an illness you can endure, it won't kill you, but God wouldn't it be awesome to enjoy life? In this case, the sickness that afflicts the marriage we meet in 'The Season of Divorce' is an unfulfilling marital life that has been slowly but steadily making both wife and husband hate the reality they live in, ultimately accepting this fastidious discomfort because of the tedious and draining process that actual divorce would mean. It is married life itself what deprives them of the energy necessary to embrace a new life, therefore making it clear at the end of the story that they will never get out of the misery of their lives.
The most surprising thing of all is that Cheever lays out this complex idea with a crystalline prose and a simple plot that at the end of the day says more about the silent deceptions and disappointments waiting for us out there, hidden in plain sight, waiting for us to fall into a rabbit hole of disillusionment from the comfort of our nice, normal living room.
This has been the third story i've read from 'The Stories of John Cheever' and, up until now, the best. I'm sure i'll keep finding valuable, rich pieces of short fiction in Cheever's masterpiece collection as I read my way through the world of american suburbia, turned into a thrilling adventure by this pulitzer prize-winning genius.
And that's ultimately the message this conveys: Living unsubstantial, lame lives is an illness you can endure, it won't kill you, but God wouldn't it be awesome to enjoy life? In this case, the sickness that afflicts the marriage we meet in 'The Season of Divorce' is an unfulfilling marital life that has been slowly but steadily making both wife and husband hate the reality they live in, ultimately accepting this fastidious discomfort because of the tedious and draining process that actual divorce would mean. It is married life itself what deprives them of the energy necessary to embrace a new life, therefore making it clear at the end of the story that they will never get out of the misery of their lives.
The most surprising thing of all is that Cheever lays out this complex idea with a crystalline prose and a simple plot that at the end of the day says more about the silent deceptions and disappointments waiting for us out there, hidden in plain sight, waiting for us to fall into a rabbit hole of disillusionment from the comfort of our nice, normal living room.
This has been the third story i've read from 'The Stories of John Cheever' and, up until now, the best. I'm sure i'll keep finding valuable, rich pieces of short fiction in Cheever's masterpiece collection as I read my way through the world of american suburbia, turned into a thrilling adventure by this pulitzer prize-winning genius.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2025
It's not an HEA story but it's a happier than I expected ending. It's a realistic look at what a lot of families might have been experiencing in the early Baby Boom years.
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2025/com...
Family Home Labyrinth 336699
https://pussreboots.com/blog/2025/com...
Family Home Labyrinth 336699
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