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sonderbar's review against another edition
4.0
My girlfriend gave me a copy of Falconer as a gift and I was quite intrigued by the blurb. It said something about a prisoner who killed his brother, finding redemption through a relationship with a fellow inmate. The novel is so much more than that. It is kind of hard to describe what happens in Falconer, which is weird because the story is pretty straight forward. The reason I say this is because there are so many subjects that are being dealt with over the course of the book. It is a very short novel but nonetheless it tackles subjects like drug addiction or sexuality rather profoundly. Cheever never stays with a subject for very long though. You could think of it as a very brief succession of meditations on life and humanity, for which the story in prison only acts as a vessel in the form of beautiful prose:
What he felt, what he saw, was the utter poverty of erotic reasonableness. That was how he missed the target and the target was the mysteriousness of the bonded spirit and the flesh. He knew it well. Fitness and beauty had a rim. Fitness and beauty had a dimension, had a floor, even as the oceans have a floor, and he had comitted a trespass. It was not unforgivable - a venal trespass - but he was reproached by the majesty of the realm. It was majestic; even in prison he knew the world to be majestic. He had taken a pebble out of his shoe in the middle of mass.
Cheever's storytelling in Falconer is very serious but at times it has a very magical feel to it. There is somehow always a feeling that life is beautiful and that everything happens for a reason, which is weird considering the bleak overtone of the novel. I think that this ambiguity is exactly what Cheever meant to accomplish because it can be found within pretty much every character of the novel. Farragut, the main character, seems to be rotten to the core but there are flashes of great kindness and empathy. The prison guard Tiny is a terribly violent and heartless person at the beginning of the novel but surprises the reader by being the only person in prison that treats Farragut humanely and fair. Cheever perfectly displays the paradoxical being of humanity, its beauty and its ugliness, because one cannot exist without the other. Sure, there are good-natured people that do a lot of things right and there are purely evil people but you can find a little bit of both in almost anyone. Humans are often ignorant of their ignorance, just as Farragut thinks his above average intellect will get him out of prison, just by writing a couple of pseudo-intellectual (but ultimately douchy) letters to people in power. Cheever succeeds at creating characters that are not easy to like but are also hard to hate, which can sometimes be a sign of bad writing but in this case it signifies something bigger, something that goes beyond the prisoners of Falconer.
My only real problem with the novel was the lack of any real character development, which can probably be attributed to its length and its wide array of topics. While the blurb advertised the novel as a story about a relationship saving someone from himself, I felt like said relationship did not have much impact on Farragut at all. Sure, he was affected by it for a while but in the grand scheme of things it did not really change him as a person. The story gives too much room to symbolism and philosophical questions, which prevents Farragut from noticeably evolving. For me personally, this was not a big deal because I still gained a lot from reading the book but the story was not as rewarding as it could have been.
First and foremost, Falconer is a meticulous study of human nature, of its beauty and its flaws. While all of us make wrong decisions almost every day, there is a good spirit within a lot of us that always seems to prevail. Of course, one could interpret it the other way around: We sometimes stumble upon occasional goodness, even though we are inherently malicious beings. I believe that both can be the case. History has shown that our world is capable of raising humans that are capable of inconcievable evil. But I can only speak for myself when I say that I have experienced inherent goodness within many people over the course of my short life. I believe in the goodness in people and quite frankly, I believe this to be the more productive approach. Maybe not in business, but in leading a virtuous life.
Originally posted to my blog The Mugwump Diaries
What he felt, what he saw, was the utter poverty of erotic reasonableness. That was how he missed the target and the target was the mysteriousness of the bonded spirit and the flesh. He knew it well. Fitness and beauty had a rim. Fitness and beauty had a dimension, had a floor, even as the oceans have a floor, and he had comitted a trespass. It was not unforgivable - a venal trespass - but he was reproached by the majesty of the realm. It was majestic; even in prison he knew the world to be majestic. He had taken a pebble out of his shoe in the middle of mass.
Cheever's storytelling in Falconer is very serious but at times it has a very magical feel to it. There is somehow always a feeling that life is beautiful and that everything happens for a reason, which is weird considering the bleak overtone of the novel. I think that this ambiguity is exactly what Cheever meant to accomplish because it can be found within pretty much every character of the novel. Farragut, the main character, seems to be rotten to the core but there are flashes of great kindness and empathy. The prison guard Tiny is a terribly violent and heartless person at the beginning of the novel but surprises the reader by being the only person in prison that treats Farragut humanely and fair. Cheever perfectly displays the paradoxical being of humanity, its beauty and its ugliness, because one cannot exist without the other. Sure, there are good-natured people that do a lot of things right and there are purely evil people but you can find a little bit of both in almost anyone. Humans are often ignorant of their ignorance, just as Farragut thinks his above average intellect will get him out of prison, just by writing a couple of pseudo-intellectual (but ultimately douchy) letters to people in power. Cheever succeeds at creating characters that are not easy to like but are also hard to hate, which can sometimes be a sign of bad writing but in this case it signifies something bigger, something that goes beyond the prisoners of Falconer.
My only real problem with the novel was the lack of any real character development, which can probably be attributed to its length and its wide array of topics. While the blurb advertised the novel as a story about a relationship saving someone from himself, I felt like said relationship did not have much impact on Farragut at all. Sure, he was affected by it for a while but in the grand scheme of things it did not really change him as a person. The story gives too much room to symbolism and philosophical questions, which prevents Farragut from noticeably evolving. For me personally, this was not a big deal because I still gained a lot from reading the book but the story was not as rewarding as it could have been.
First and foremost, Falconer is a meticulous study of human nature, of its beauty and its flaws. While all of us make wrong decisions almost every day, there is a good spirit within a lot of us that always seems to prevail. Of course, one could interpret it the other way around: We sometimes stumble upon occasional goodness, even though we are inherently malicious beings. I believe that both can be the case. History has shown that our world is capable of raising humans that are capable of inconcievable evil. But I can only speak for myself when I say that I have experienced inherent goodness within many people over the course of my short life. I believe in the goodness in people and quite frankly, I believe this to be the more productive approach. Maybe not in business, but in leading a virtuous life.
Originally posted to my blog The Mugwump Diaries
habeasopus's review
3.0
What a weird little book. Fun to read though. Makes me pretty sure I don’t want to go to prison.
lory_enterenchanted's review
"Long ago when they first invented the atomic bomb people used to worry about its going off and killing everybody, but they didn't know that mankind has got enough dynamite right in his guts to tear the f*** planet to pieces."
Read this with one of my English students who had enjoyed a story by Cheever ("The Swimmer") and wanted to try a novel. I'd never read this author before and did not know what we were in for.
Falconer is a nightmarish, phantasmagorical tale of imprisonment and escape, more of a series of vignettes than a coherent narrative, of which some or even most of the scenes may be dreams or fantasies. The protagonist, a former WASP professor who rejoices in the name of Ezekiel Farragut, has been sent to prison for killing his brother (an act he denies and which is further explained only in the final few pages of the book). Through Cheever's stylized, mannered prose, we move in and out of his current and past experiences, impressions, memories, and visions, which are comic, repulsive, pathetic, and squalid by turns.
I would not go to this book expecting realism of any kind. It's not a realistic prison exposé. It's a sort of Inferno through which Farragut must pass, coming in the end to a kind of apotheosis, but not giving us anything solid for our tidy minds to grasp. We are only left with the certainty of what another prisoner expresses in the quote above, that in the guts of man is all the explosive needed to blow up the world -- but maybe also all that is needed to redeem it.
Read this with one of my English students who had enjoyed a story by Cheever ("The Swimmer") and wanted to try a novel. I'd never read this author before and did not know what we were in for.
Falconer is a nightmarish, phantasmagorical tale of imprisonment and escape, more of a series of vignettes than a coherent narrative, of which some or even most of the scenes may be dreams or fantasies. The protagonist, a former WASP professor who rejoices in the name of Ezekiel Farragut, has been sent to prison for killing his brother (an act he denies and which is further explained only in the final few pages of the book). Through Cheever's stylized, mannered prose, we move in and out of his current and past experiences, impressions, memories, and visions, which are comic, repulsive, pathetic, and squalid by turns.
I would not go to this book expecting realism of any kind. It's not a realistic prison exposé. It's a sort of Inferno through which Farragut must pass, coming in the end to a kind of apotheosis, but not giving us anything solid for our tidy minds to grasp. We are only left with the certainty of what another prisoner expresses in the quote above, that in the guts of man is all the explosive needed to blow up the world -- but maybe also all that is needed to redeem it.
kirstiecat's review
4.0
This is an interesting novel and about a subject that isn't written about too often..it takes place within the confines of a prison and there's a great deal of characterization of the prisoners and their stories as well as the philosophical thinking of the protagonist, who perhaps accidentally killed his brother and his addicted to methadone. There's some ideas of prisoner's rights as well as memories, a homosexual love affair, a clergy visit, and even a little of revolution but it leaves you with a very strange idecipherable sort of feeling throughout, including the ending, which I feel could be taken either as a literal closure or a metaphorical one.
In any case, wither when it was written in the 70s or in our present time, there aren't many authors that are really exploring the humanity of prisoners including the qualities and the flaws as well as somewhat the prison guards themselves (though more on the prisoners). Cheever brings a certain quality to the novel in terms of the way they speak and their own life histories they seem to be desperate to tell, even to the point of bribes.
I think this novel is worth reading but even more so I feel it is worth pondering because we often think of criminals in a much different way and, though this novel is only a little over 200 pages, Cheever seems to take his time developing the storyline around characters that are too easily overlooked and forgotten, and again not often the focus of the vast majority of novels.
Memorable quotes:
pg. 38 "Loneliness taught the intransigent to love their cats as loneliness can change anything on earth."
pg. 51 Farragut, lying on his cot thinking of the morning and his possible death, thought that the dead, compared to the imprisoned, would have some advantages. The dead would at least have panoramic memories and regrets, while he, as a prisoner, found his memories of the shining world to be broken, intermittent and dependent on chance smells-grass, shoe leather, the odor of piped water in the showers. He possessed some memories, but they were eclipsed and indisposed. Waling in the morning, he cast wildly and desperately around for a word, a metaphor, a touch or smell that would grant him bearing...
pg. 80 "It was a very heavy and beautiful snow that, like some juxtaposition of gravity, seemed to set the mountain range free of the planet."
pg. 188 "I wouldn't be able to speak to you softly and with patience at this point if I did not believe that mathematics and geometry are a lying and a faulty analogy for the human disposition. When one finds in men's nature, as I do in yours, some convexity, it is a mistake to expect a corresponding concavity. Thiere is no such thing as an iscosceles man."
pg. 200 "...so I figure I must come into this life with the memries of some other life and so it stands taht I'll be going into something else and, you know what, Zeke, you know what, I can hadly wait to see what it's going to be like..."
pg. 207 "Had he raised his head, he would have seen a good deal of velocity and confusion as the clouds hurried past the face of a nearly full moon.."
pg. 208 "I got plenty of money. I been evicted because I'm a human being, that's why.
In any case, wither when it was written in the 70s or in our present time, there aren't many authors that are really exploring the humanity of prisoners including the qualities and the flaws as well as somewhat the prison guards themselves (though more on the prisoners). Cheever brings a certain quality to the novel in terms of the way they speak and their own life histories they seem to be desperate to tell, even to the point of bribes.
I think this novel is worth reading but even more so I feel it is worth pondering because we often think of criminals in a much different way and, though this novel is only a little over 200 pages, Cheever seems to take his time developing the storyline around characters that are too easily overlooked and forgotten, and again not often the focus of the vast majority of novels.
Memorable quotes:
pg. 38 "Loneliness taught the intransigent to love their cats as loneliness can change anything on earth."
pg. 51 Farragut, lying on his cot thinking of the morning and his possible death, thought that the dead, compared to the imprisoned, would have some advantages. The dead would at least have panoramic memories and regrets, while he, as a prisoner, found his memories of the shining world to be broken, intermittent and dependent on chance smells-grass, shoe leather, the odor of piped water in the showers. He possessed some memories, but they were eclipsed and indisposed. Waling in the morning, he cast wildly and desperately around for a word, a metaphor, a touch or smell that would grant him bearing...
pg. 80 "It was a very heavy and beautiful snow that, like some juxtaposition of gravity, seemed to set the mountain range free of the planet."
pg. 188 "I wouldn't be able to speak to you softly and with patience at this point if I did not believe that mathematics and geometry are a lying and a faulty analogy for the human disposition. When one finds in men's nature, as I do in yours, some convexity, it is a mistake to expect a corresponding concavity. Thiere is no such thing as an iscosceles man."
pg. 200 "...so I figure I must come into this life with the memries of some other life and so it stands taht I'll be going into something else and, you know what, Zeke, you know what, I can hadly wait to see what it's going to be like..."
pg. 207 "Had he raised his head, he would have seen a good deal of velocity and confusion as the clouds hurried past the face of a nearly full moon.."
pg. 208 "I got plenty of money. I been evicted because I'm a human being, that's why.
mmcloe's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Interesting analysis of male intimacy in carceral spaces that I wouldn't expect from a mid century white guy! Not as vivid or hitting as his short stories but I nevertheless thought it was an interesting addition to the body of pre-AIDS queer writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
anoddingsmuggler's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
morrisonka17's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
bjr2022's review
3.0
I'm glad I read Falconer, I admire the writing, but I don't think I will want to reread this book.
Cheever masterfully wrote men (and I do mean men, not women) in their most degraded state. Because of this, the humor, when it came, made me belly laugh, and, for that, I love the book. Degraded men stuck in a cage with nothing to lose have nothing to do but talk. And talk, they do.
I grew up near Sing Sing, which I'm guessing is the model for Falconer. Cheever, who lived near me, may have even been an acquaintance of my parents; my mother Edna Robinson revered his writing. I've come late to the party, but I understand the reverence. Next, I'll read his short stories.
Cheever masterfully wrote men (and I do mean men, not women) in their most degraded state. Because of this, the humor, when it came, made me belly laugh, and, for that, I love the book. Degraded men stuck in a cage with nothing to lose have nothing to do but talk. And talk, they do.
I grew up near Sing Sing, which I'm guessing is the model for Falconer. Cheever, who lived near me, may have even been an acquaintance of my parents; my mother Edna Robinson revered his writing. I've come late to the party, but I understand the reverence. Next, I'll read his short stories.
fromfieldnotes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
greenblack's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5