dilan11's review against another edition

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dark funny sad 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

3.5

I have certainly read the title story in anthologies and I believe I may have read the entire book back in the 80s when it came out. I certainly didn't like it, not at all but I do recognize that Carver has a unique talent and certainly has been an influence on many writers over the last half century. I admire how his style accords with his material - raw, minimal, masculine. But all that drinking, that violence toward women, that despair was way too much for me. Also, the violent men, the accommodating women were just a bit too cliched for me much of the time. My favorite story was "After the Denim." That male character was still angry but he was older and I felt his sorrow and the woman's love for him in a way I didn't in many of the other stories.

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beccaellison17's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
this book is just all violence 
i really hate the way he writes r
this book is so sinister 

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actiaslunasaturniidae's review

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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


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wishlissa's review against another edition

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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


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ahoran's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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jadecsc's review against another edition

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reflective 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

3.5


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erinbarton's review

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

beautiful writing — each story is so concise and subtle, carver really depicts these flawed relationships so brilliantly. however, i feel like 17 stories in a collection of just 144 pages means the stories get somewhat repetitive after a while

fave stories: why don’t you dance?, i could see the smallest things, after the denim, a serious talk, what we talk about when we talk about love, one more thing

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lucyisabella's review against another edition

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reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I feel like it really touched on the fragility of different relationships and their dynamics. It gets you to think somewhat about the relationships that we say are love.

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cameeroo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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


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