The John Cheever Collection
John Cheever, , read by Meryl Streep, Edward Herrmann, Blythe Danner, George Plimpton, Peter G. Caedmon, $14.99 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-06-196535-7
This greatest-hits omnibus of Cheever’s prose offers a cornucopia of famous voices and differing approaches to the great short story writer’s work. Meryl Streep tries slowly spiraling paranoia; Edward Herrmann well-tended calm; Blythe Danner quirky allure. The late George Plimpton, with his boarding school slur, reads two stories, wonderfully if not entirely legibly. And Cheever himself contributes two stories on the last disc, including one of his most famous, “The Swimmer.” Cheever reads a bit breathlessly, his accent nearly British where his “r’s” are concerned. The rawness and unalloyed feeling of his reading are unforgettable.
Reviewed on: 01/25/2010
Genre: Audio
Compact Disc - 978-0-06-055483-5
Downloadable Audio - 978-0-06-079964-9
Downloadable Audio - 978-0-06-074402-1
