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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I'm used to lengthy sci-fi stories, so this caught me completely off. Carver's wonderfully concise deft writing and compelling haunting plots make these stories demand to be read at least twice.
5 stars in terms of the writing itself. 3 stars in terms of enjoyment (which, to be honest, sounds more like a me-problem). Carver's writing style is very minimalistic and reminds me a lot of Hemingway's. My favorite stories are "After the Denim," "Popular Mechanics," and "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." One warning for those who're interested to read, though: violence is one of the book's main themes. Personally, this wasn't something I expected when I started reading it. The title gave me a false idea that the collection’s gonna be about love and heartbreak (and it kind of is to some extent, I guess?), but some stories are fairly disturbing.
Maybe a 4.5
«No pleasantries, just this small exchange, the barest information, nothing that was not necessary»
That's the best way I can think to describe Carver's writing. Simple, to the point, straightforward, but without loosing the ability to emote. What I liked about the stories is not what he says or how he says it, but how it makes you feel. Each story is bleak and painfully raw, so much so that they can be discomforting, and made me feel uneasy (and confused) yet so connected to what was being said. Every word has a role, every idea, no matter how small, plays a part. That's what makes Carver so remarkable.
I was expecting to like it more than I did, but oh well. Special points to the title story, Gazebo and I Could See The Smallest Things, though I found myself wanting to bookmark most of the stories.
«No pleasantries, just this small exchange, the barest information, nothing that was not necessary»
That's the best way I can think to describe Carver's writing. Simple, to the point, straightforward, but without loosing the ability to emote. What I liked about the stories is not what he says or how he says it, but how it makes you feel. Each story is bleak and painfully raw, so much so that they can be discomforting, and made me feel uneasy (and confused) yet so connected to what was being said. Every word has a role, every idea, no matter how small, plays a part. That's what makes Carver so remarkable.
I was expecting to like it more than I did, but oh well. Special points to the title story, Gazebo and I Could See The Smallest Things, though I found myself wanting to bookmark most of the stories.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-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