The Swimmer Audiobook By John Cheever cover art

The Swimmer

The John Cheever Audio Collection

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Swimmer

By: John Cheever
Narrated by: John Cheever
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $1.43

Buy for $1.43

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Here is the preface to 12 magnificent stories, originally part of The John Cheever Audio Collection, in which John Cheever celebrates - with unequaled grace and tenderness - the deepest feelings we have.

As Cheever writes in his preface, "These stories seem at times to be stories of a long-lost world when the city of New York was still filled with a river light, when you heard the Benny Goodman quartets from a radio in the corner stationery store, and when almost everybody wore a hat."

Listen to more classic short stories in The John Cheever Audio Collection.©1978 John Cheever (P)2003 HarperCollins Publishers Anthologies & Short Stories City Life Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Short Stories Urban
All stars
Most relevant  

Would you consider the audio edition of The Swimmer to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the short story or seen the movie in more than 20 years. I became interested after reading rave reviews of the new Blu-ray edition. It includes this audible story. Well, I listened to it as I drove home. And, it was wonderful. John Cheever's reading is heartfelt and you feel like you are in the room with him. One of the best 20 minutes you can spend with a book. Try it again.

Time to Take Another Lap with the Swimmer

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A pretty good little short audio. I have heard of Cheever before, but never thought to read (listen) any of his stuff until I ran across this one on sale. Glad I picked it up. The premise was very good and the story was well executed.

Ned is not running away from his problems. He’s swimming. In and out of the water, over hedges, thru cocktail parties, across the freeway and into the approaching storm. He just wants to get back to his family. One swimming pool at a time.

4 Audible Stars. I would be interested to read a longer work from this author.

Good premise and well executed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Amazing story focusing ones entire life compacted into a days journey. Cheever is a master story teller.

One of Cheevers best stories

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What made the experience of listening to The Swimmer the most enjoyable?

Listening during a melting heatwave I would have a dip with the swimmer each time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Swimmer?

Definitely nearing the end when realization or some form of it came upon him.

Which scene was your favorite?

He gets home and it is not home anymore.has not been for a long time.

Who was the most memorable character of The Swimmer and why?

The main character the"swimmer" is an exceptional example of a man"s psychological devolution.

Any additional comments?

I met my own neighborhood and some of it's inhabitants in cheever" s story.faced some of my own ghosts.

Swimming lessond

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the movie the swimmer. I wanted to read the short story to see what it was like. The movie was better because it was more detailed but if it weren't for the short story the movie wouldn't even exist. If you saw the movie you might be a little disappointed in the story as I was it was just l much shorter and had less detail had less detail. You have to keep in mind this was only a short story and the movie was a whole movie. If I had not seen the movie I probably would've liked the story better.

This story created my favorite movie of all time

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Firstly, John Cheever may be a great writer but he reads his story flat flat flat. But we Can understand the words and it’s not a long thing, and truly mid-century strange, so if you hang in there you will have a real treat.

Odd story of suburbia

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I didn't enjoy this at all and I enjoy most things. Very outdated unless I just wasn't into it.

Brutally dated

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.