Author | John Cheever |
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Language | English |
Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Publication date | 1982 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | |
Pages | 100 |
ISBN | 0394513347 |
Preceded by | The Stories of John Cheever |
Oh What a Paradise It Seems is a 1982 novella by John Cheever. It is Cheever's last work of fiction, published shortly before his death from cancer.[1]
The main character is Lemuel Sears, an elderly computer-industry executive, twice-widowed, who pursues an ardent but unsuccessful love affair with Renee, a beautiful but elusive woman who works in real-estate.[2] There are numerous subplots. Sears becomes involved in another love affair, and is also funding an investigation of the pollution of Beasley's Pond in Connecticut, where he enjoys ice skating.[2] The novella reprises many of Cheever's familiar themes, including love, lust, life in suburbia, and a sense of displacement.[3]