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1.93k reviews for:
What We Talk about When We Talk about Love / Beginners (A Vintage Short)
Raymond Carver
3.83 AVERAGE
1.93k reviews for:
What We Talk about When We Talk about Love / Beginners (A Vintage Short)
Raymond Carver
3.83 AVERAGE
A review by Michael Wood on the back cover of my edition of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love does a much better job than I could at conveying the uncomfortable authenticity/realism of this collection of stories: "[Carver] has invented a country of his own, like no other except that very world... is the world to all of us."
This was not a pleasant reading experience; Carver removes any semblance of rose-colored glasses we might have for our lives and our humanity and paints a rather bleak picture of our world. There are moments of beauty; there are moments that struck me to my core as Carver deftly put into words a piece of my identity I wouldn't have been able to describe (specifically, the final paragraph of Why Don't You Dance). Most of the stories are rather disheartening. It is a side to humanity that we prefer not to acknowledge.
Raymond Carver is a masterful writer. These stories are deft daggers where others might have used broad sweeps to convey the same sentiment. If you don't expect to be comforted by this book, you will be able to fully appreciate his craft and his insight.
This was not a pleasant reading experience; Carver removes any semblance of rose-colored glasses we might have for our lives and our humanity and paints a rather bleak picture of our world. There are moments of beauty; there are moments that struck me to my core as Carver deftly put into words a piece of my identity I wouldn't have been able to describe (specifically, the final paragraph of Why Don't You Dance). Most of the stories are rather disheartening. It is a side to humanity that we prefer not to acknowledge.
Raymond Carver is a masterful writer. These stories are deft daggers where others might have used broad sweeps to convey the same sentiment. If you don't expect to be comforted by this book, you will be able to fully appreciate his craft and his insight.
"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" doesn't convey a thought, tell a story, or share an idea. It paints a picture. A deeply personal picture of 20th century Americana told through an anthology of short stories which share little in the way of characters, themes, or plot. What they do share, and what stands out to me about this book, is tone. The author's dry, almost frank description of the characters, their settings, and interactions inspires an image so quintessentially American that it is nigh impossible to put into words. Dusty. Faded. Not quaint but similarly removed from my lived reality and my experience. Overall, I can't say that I loved the book or clicked with it, but I can appreciate Carver's authorship as so distinctly its own that it borders on stereotypical.
The best of these stories are devastating; even the lesser stories pack a wallop and impress with Carver's style. I've recently read that his editor may be credited for the famous spareness of these stories, but I'm not sure that matters to me a the moment.
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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:
Complicated
A pesar de lo que el título pueda sugerir, Carver no pretende responder a ninguna categoría absoluta. En cambio, se explora justamente la interrogante y, aún más allá, el hecho de que nos interroguemos. Se trata de internarse en la necesidad humana misma de preguntar y responder, pero ante todo contemplar.
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:
No
I actually HATE THIS lmaoo and the audiobook narrators voice makes me kind of nauseous
Collection of short stories with ambiguous endings, you draw your own meaning to each story and what happens after the period as you move on to the next story