Rating: 
Summary: Stink-0
Review: This book is nothing more than a litany of unhappy wasps. A handful of stories are good, the rest are really, really dull. None of it is genius, 99.9% of it is abysmally depressing. If you want genius short stories, go read Lardner or Fitzgerald.
Rating: 
Summary: This book rocked!
Review: This book rocked! I had to read it for an AP English, so I expected it to be boring like everything else we read, but the themes and motifs (particularly fantasy/reality) were awesome. The twists in the plot were great, but I don't recommend reading this book before bed... it can get kind of spooky (The Hartleys, The Swimmer...). It's good reading.
Rating:
Summary: Master of Short Prose
Review: This is a fantastic collection of stories. Cheever is a master of setting up a situation, making you like or dislike the main characters (sometimes at the same time), and providing a satisfying (or shocking) ending. I found myself either smiling or gasping at the end of each story. Highly recommended. Personal favorites: Torch Song and Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor.
Rating:
Summary: A Good American Short Story Book
Review: This is one of the best short story American books I've read. Cheever narrates these stories about ordinary people in a simplistic and nervous fashion. Cheever subtlety describes his characters as pathetic in a sarcastic way but effectively manages to get his readers to like them. His stories are at times shady, moralistic, and mystical that keeps you practically glued to the pages of the book. My favorites are The Swimmer, and The Enormous Radio. Even though his topics touch on the lives of the so called "Wasps", I don't think you have to be one, but have the knowledge of how people that live in quiet desperation live in order to understand and enjoy Cheever's writings.
Rating:
Summary: One of the all-time greats
Review: Wanting to have good national writers is a powerful motivator. I think that this has happened with John Cheever, from the retrospective praise of his work to our fascination with his bisexuality and persistent alcoholism. Indeed, his personal demons are far more interesting than his prose. While I read isolated stories in mags and liked them, reading them in a lump like this makes his weaknesses seem very plain indeed. His stories almost all revolve around a common plot: things in the suburbs don't turn out the way we want, and most often, a lot of alcohol does little to soften the blow of deteriorating reliationships, alienated children, and nothing to do in retirement. When you read 20 stories like that in a row, Cheever appears as a feeble writer indeed. This a throwaway magazing writing, not some timeless achievement that should enter the pantheon. Not recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: over-rated
Review: Wanting to have good national writers is a powerful motivator. I think that this has happened with John Cheever, from the retrospective praise of his work to our fascination with his bisexuality and persistent alcoholism. Indeed, his personal demons are far more interesting than his prose. While I read isolated stories in mags and liked them, reading them in a lump like this makes his weaknesses seem very plain indeed. His stories almost all revolve around a common plot: things in the suburbs don't turn out the way we want, and most often, a lot of alcohol does little to soften the blow of deteriorating reliationships, alienated children, and nothing to do in retirement. When you read 20 stories like that in a row, Cheever appears as a feeble writer indeed. This a throwaway magazing writing, not some timeless achievement that should enter the pantheon. Not recommended.
Rating:
Summary: the kind of book you feel fortunate for having read
Review: What makes this volume so magnificent is that each reviewer will give their favorite stories, and they will all be different. That's because every story by Cheever is touching, compelling and profound and it's impossible not be be affect by each one in some way. My personal favorites are "The Common Day," "The Swimmer," "The Death of Justina," and "The Wrysons." But everyone story is worth reading and more importantly, worth rereading. Cheever's characters beg to be reevaulted and reconsidered. They are fully realized people in a world that touches closely on the mythical and even more closely to the tragic.
I didn't really need to write this review because so many people have well stated what makes these stories so wonderful. But I've rarely been so affected by a work and if my two cents are extra encouragement for someone to read Cheever, that would be great
Rating:
Summary: Cheever sets the standard to which other writers aspire.
Review: Who would have believed that among all those closet victorians living in Shady Hill lurked such passion and antics? These stories are so rewarding to read: they are well crafted tales and they are short, many only 10 or so pages long. It is impossibile to read this collection and not have 8-10 favorites.
Rating:
Summary: You owe it to your bookshelf
Review: You owe it your bookshelf to own this compendium of John Cheever stories. I borrowed mine from the library, and thought I'd read perhaps half in the alloted time. Renewed once, then let the fines pile up, as I kept reading "just one more story." One a night is perfect bedtime reading...but with nearly 5 dozen stories...well you get the picture. These are dark, dark tales of life at its zenith...ultra confident, comfortable post-war America. Florid description, rich portraiture, and slick storylines, Cheever's stories contain more than a few eye-popping twists and surprise endings. All the hallmarks of championship short-stories. Warning: Restock the cabinet with gin and imagine the vermouth before reading. Cheever serves his Martini with a capital M.
Rating:
Summary: You owe it to your bookshelf
Review: You owe it your bookshelf to own this compendium of John Cheever stories. I borrowed mine from the library, and thought I'd read perhaps half in the alloted time. Renewed once, then let the fines pile up, as I kept reading "just one more story." One a night is perfect bedtime reading...but with nearly 5 dozen stories...well you get the picture. These are dark, dark tales of life at its zenith...ultra confident, comfortable post-war America. Florid description, rich portraiture, and slick storylines, Cheever's stories contain more than a few eye-popping twists and surprise endings. All the hallmarks of championship short-stories. Warning: Restock the cabinet with gin and imagine the vermouth before reading. Cheever serves his Martini with a capital M.
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