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Oh What A Paradise It Seems

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( 1,833 ratings, 212 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In an idyllic American village, elderly romantic Lemuel Sears remains capable of falling passionately in love with strangers of both sexes. However, his paradise faces a grave threat as the cherished pond is sullied by unscrupulous polluters linked to organised crime. This wry fable by John Cheever explores Sears's struggle to protect his beloved village, interwoven with witty reflections on modern life β€” from supermarket queue etiquette to the evolution of ice-skating.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers who appreciate literary fiction with a blend of humour and insight, fans of postwar American literature, and those interested in character-driven stories that reflect on contemporary societal themes.

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In an idyllic American village, elderly romantic Lemuel Sears still has it in him to fall wildly in love with strangers of both sexes.

'A delight to read' Evening Standard

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A delight to read – Evening Standard

In an idyllic American village, elderly romantic Lemuel Sears still has it in him to fall wildly in love with strangers of both sexes. But Sears's paradise is under threat; the pond he loves is being fouled by unscrupulous polluters involved in organised crime. Can Sears thwart the monstrous aspects of late-twentieth-century civilisation and save his beloved village?

Cheever's wry fable of modern America is interlaced with musings on everything from the etiquette of supermarket queues to the evolution of the ice-skate.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Celebrated as a delightful and richly realised fable, Oh What A Paradise It Seems showcases Cheever at the height of his powers. Critics have praised its vivid prose reminiscent of Scott Fitzgerald and its insightful portrayal of the complexities of modern America. Anthony Roth lauded Cheever as an enchanted realist with a distinctive voice, while publications like the Observer and Sunday Times acknowledged the novella's unique pastoral charm.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099411512

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 15 September 1994

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 8.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 89g

Pages: 112

About the Author

John Cheever was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1912, and he went to school at Thayer Academy in South Braintree. He is the author of seven collections of stories and five novels. His first novel, The Wapshot Chronicle, won the 1958 National Book Award. In 1965 he received the Howells Medal for Fiction from the National Academy of Arts and Letters and in 1978 he won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Shortly before his death in 1982 he was awarded the National Medal for Literature.

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