• The Sorrows of Gin

  • The John Cheever Audio Collection
  • By: John Cheever
  • Narrated by: Meryl Streep
  • Length: 38 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (32 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
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 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Sorrows of Gin  By  cover art

The Sorrows of Gin

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

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $7.19

Buy for $7.19

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

Editorial reviews

Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep draws on her varied experience and affects the flat, sorrowful tones of two characters of the affluent Northeast: Amy, the young daughter of a couple in the midst of hosting late night revelries, and the household cook. Inhabiting these characters, Streep dramatizes the tragedy of alcoholism with a self-righteous tone that evokes sorrow in the listener for Amy's plight and her eventual heartbreaking decision on what do about her parents. Streep uses her acting and vocal range to add new layers of emotional insight to the polished prose of this master storyteller.

Publisher's summary

Here is the preface to twelve 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

More from the same

What listeners say about The Sorrows of Gin

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    21
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    15
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The demoralization and destruction of alcoholism

This short story is outstanding. Meryl Streep as narrator makes it even better.

First, it should be noted that John Cheever could write this from the heart. He was a lifelong alcoholic whose relationships were decimated by alcohol abuse. His story is told from the point of view of Amy, the daughter of 2 society-type alcoholics.

Never have I read anything, or watched anything, that could so distill the negative effects of alcoholism on a family. I did Not say alcohol, which most people can drink in moderation and from time to time. An alcoholic, for whatever reason, cannot.

In Sorrow, the parents steal time and love and care from Amy. Their alcoholism diminishes Amy's respect for them and for herself and, in one way so excellently illustrated in the story, leads to the unexpected demoralization of the family as a unit.

This should probably be required reading for Al-Anon or children of alcoholics suffering psychological problems (though I'm no psych... person).

For a short story of decent length by such a good writer as well as pitch-perfect narration, it's certainly worth a few bucks. I highly recommend it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A child's view of the world of adults.

These days children seem to segue into adulthood quite seemlessly. The transition was far more remarkable in the mid 20th Century, as this story illustrates.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!