Reviews - What We Talk about When We Talk about Love / Beginners (A Vintage Short)

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1.96k reviews for:

What We Talk about When We Talk about Love / Beginners (A Vintage Short)

Raymond Carver

3.83 AVERAGE

jgh514's review against another edition

3.0

medium-paced

sofieversteeg's review against another edition

4.0

reflective

kennagrace24's review against another edition

4.0

Impeccable collection of short stories. Some made no sense, some were left unfinished, and some had me hanging on every word and I loved it all. I could reread this book multiple times and get something different out of it each time I read it

lorcann's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Excellent dialogue. The title story was really great

kakasparsha's review against another edition

4.0

Turns short stories into an exercise in minimalist art. What's not to recommend? Lish's intervention notwithstanding, it would be utterly reductive to simply chalk everything up to his editorial prowess - for better, or worse. I'm personally used to short stories with more bulk, so this was also an exercise in readerly re-adjustment. Picked up on a whim, Carver did not arrive in my reading list via an MFA program; perhaps, that's for the best, as these insightful cuts into the American middle class prove to be fascinating in a world where the universal middle class seems to not exist in the ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots. But they're also just that - grander profundity and ascribed meanings are just that; projections of illusions that may not be there. While I wouldn't go around proselytising the religion of Carver; I'd say, try this collection out for a nice little afternoon of leisurely reading.

popdog3000's review against another edition

4.0

'so much water so close to home' and 'what we talk about when we talk about love' were such highlights for me. one or two stories that kinda breezed by without too much investment, but some really lovely stuff here. can see myself revisiting a lot in the future.