It's a while since I read it but it remains one of my favourite books. Cheever, himself, is a most wonderful writer and his daughter provides a sensitive and beautiful portrait of a deeply troubled man, if one can find beauty in ugliness. This is eminently preferable to the later publications pumped out by the Cheever children. My copy is s classic and elegant in ots attention to traditional publishing that it remains an inspiration to book designers I work with, and I buy every copy I can find just so that I have enough to give away to special readers. Susan Cheever write beautifully but if you want the whole experience, read Cheever in the original. The Wapshot series will have you gasping at the beauty of the writing, smiling and laughing out loud. The short stories are exemplary in their art.