Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver

9 reviews

sxndaze's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I could hear my heart beating. I could hear everyone's heart. I could hear the human noise we sat there making, not one of us moving, not even when the room went dark.

for a period of about two years, i was obsessed with the movie stuck in love. it references the titular story and quotes the ending lines at the end of the film and from that moment, i had wanted to read this collection.

this collection is a lot. short stories still mystify me, and i’m working on my understanding of them. i enjoyed a few of them and felt like i glazed through the rest, but the title story really spoke to me. is it because i tried more? who knows. but im glad i read it.

Content Warnings

trhyne's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

actiaslunasaturniidae's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

storyeatsmybrain's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.5

Content Warnings

wishlissa's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

realslimschaefy's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective sad tense medium-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

2.5

This was the first of Raymond Carver’s fiction I had read, and I went into it with high expectations that were not met. I see the lure of this collection and the vignettes— being dropped into someone’s world, then quickly removed without being able to ask any questions or understand the full context. However, Carver’s writing to me was very dry and to-the-point, which I know many people appreciate; but, I am someone who likes more flowery and prosaic writing, so this felt dull and a bit boring for my tastes. Some of the stories have shock value, but most are nothing absolutely wild that you couldn’t find (although two endings made me feel absolutely sick!), with greater emotional detail, in other works.

Content Warnings