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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
No significant violence
Language
Barely any
Mild profanity
Sexual Content
Some
References to romance and sexuality; one character works in a brothel briefly; not explicitly depicted
Substance Use
Barely any
Social drinking typical of the era
Emotional Intensity
Barely any
Mild themes of family duty, eccentricity, and the passage of time; gentle rather than dark
What this book is about
The Wapshot family of St. Botolphs, Massachusetts — patriarch Leander, his eccentric cousin Honora, and his two sons Moses and Coverly — navigate love, ambition, and family duty in the years before and after World War II. Cheever's first novel, winner of the National Book Award, is picaresque and lyrical, blending comedy with elegy for a fading New England world. Leander's journal entries interspersed throughout are some of Cheever's finest writing.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Brief reference to prostitution
Adult themes in romantic relationships
Reader Verification
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