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1.94k reviews for:
What We Talk about When We Talk about Love / Beginners (A Vintage Short)
Raymond Carver
3.83 AVERAGE
1.94k reviews for:
What We Talk about When We Talk about Love / Beginners (A Vintage Short)
Raymond Carver
3.83 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I enjoy that Carver experimented with form, language, and style but the plot of many of the stories are not my cup of tea. That being said, one story which I do quite like is "Everything Stuck to Him" on page 127.
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wtf even is this. Stories are weird and start and end nowhere and are depressing AF. Why this is considered great American short stories, I’ll never know and after the story about randomly killing two women I don’t care to find out
i've never been able to finish a book of short stories before, but this was wonderful and beautiful.
there weren't as many quotes in this book for me to drop below that really made me think, because short stories make you think anyway as they're so bite-sized.
but here are a bunch of lines that i think would work well as phoebe bridgers song lyrics:
"there was this funny thing of anything could happen now that we realised everything had"
"i look at the word Love and then i underline it. then i see the word backyard. is it one word or two?"
"maxine said it was another tragedy in a long line of low-rent tragedies"
"he said, 'i just want to say one more thing.' but then he could not think what it could possibly be."
my favourite three were
"why don't you dance"
"tell the women we're going"
&
"the bath"
read those if you have time, i loved them
there weren't as many quotes in this book for me to drop below that really made me think, because short stories make you think anyway as they're so bite-sized.
but here are a bunch of lines that i think would work well as phoebe bridgers song lyrics:
"there was this funny thing of anything could happen now that we realised everything had"
"i look at the word Love and then i underline it. then i see the word backyard. is it one word or two?"
"maxine said it was another tragedy in a long line of low-rent tragedies"
"he said, 'i just want to say one more thing.' but then he could not think what it could possibly be."
my favourite three were
"why don't you dance"
"tell the women we're going"
&
"the bath"
read those if you have time, i loved them
Sticking at a fairly consistent quality throughout, it's a very good read, and highly recommended for lovers of short stories.
Also, in all honesty, it really says something that Carver made a career out of completely defining people's relationships with themselves and others in under 20 pages, while giving Roger Altman years of work and allowing Birdman to exist at the same time.
Also, in all honesty, it really says something that Carver made a career out of completely defining people's relationships with themselves and others in under 20 pages, while giving Roger Altman years of work and allowing Birdman to exist at the same time.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
All of the small town American misery of Winesburg, Ohio with none of the reprieve. The title piece is really brilliant, as are many others: "So Much Water So Close to Home", "The Bath", "Everything Stuck to Him", just off the top of my head.
But a real downer. I don't know what it is we talk about when we talk about love; I have to hope it's not this.
But a real downer. I don't know what it is we talk about when we talk about love; I have to hope it's not this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
reflective
medium-paced
Raymond Carver is a barebones writer. There isn't an unnecessary word in his fiction. This keeps the plot moving, often through dialogue, and requires a keen attention to tone and atmosphere. Fortunately for readers, Carver excels at capturing how people talk to one another. Just beneath the sparse printed words exist complex emotional characters, embroiled in inner and outer turmoil, and brought to life in a few pages of what appears to be seamless writing. He has perfected the art of dialogue and short story writing. His male leads are heavily flawed, emotionally insecure, mentally unstable, and compulsively helpless. The writing is sharp, the humor is dry, and the stories believable. Do yourself the service of reading Carver's collection of short stories. You won't be let down.