kvoepp's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
comprised of dark short stories talking about love. quite wonderful to read, makes you feel, makes you laugh. classics are classics for a reason sometimes.
katsusho_'s review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
It's alright, the writing is simple to get through and the stories are fairly interesting. Good for a quick read, though I find that there's nothing too remarkable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Addiction
Moderate: Death
tszyu's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
some of the purposely ambiguous ending is frustrating but loved the writing.
jayegatsby's review against another edition
3.0
Some of these stories were some of the best short stories I have ever read. My favorites were:
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, After the Denim, So Much Water Close to Home, The Bath, Everything Stuck to Him, A Serious Talk, Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit, and Gazebo.
Carver has this beautifully descriptive writing style. You know how writing professors will tell you to show not tell? Well, Carver is that. I'll definitely be reading more of his work.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, After the Denim, So Much Water Close to Home, The Bath, Everything Stuck to Him, A Serious Talk, Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit, and Gazebo.
Carver has this beautifully descriptive writing style. You know how writing professors will tell you to show not tell? Well, Carver is that. I'll definitely be reading more of his work.
theatomicblonde22's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
florence608's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dheaalfa's review
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
fatematapia's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eemcm's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
jadelianne's review
5.0
Picking up this book, I was expecting something sweet and a little sappy... "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love", right? Love is sweet and sappy.
Nope. Nope. No, it is not.
This collection is best described as bleak. There is not a happy or sappy story in the bunch. But it was absolutely wonderful.
The writing was so sparse and uninterested, it added to the grimness of the lives of the characters. The stories never give you more information than you need, and often less than you want, but I think that sort of "leaving it to your imagination" gives each tale even more of an effect. You know what happened. But you're given the space to try to deny it.
I had never read anything quite like this. There were a couple stories near the beginning that didn't really catch my fancy, but once the collection got going, it really went.
I really felt it was an almost perfect collection.
Nope. Nope. No, it is not.
This collection is best described as bleak. There is not a happy or sappy story in the bunch. But it was absolutely wonderful.
The writing was so sparse and uninterested, it added to the grimness of the lives of the characters. The stories never give you more information than you need, and often less than you want, but I think that sort of "leaving it to your imagination" gives each tale even more of an effect. You know what happened. But you're given the space to try to deny it.
I had never read anything quite like this. There were a couple stories near the beginning that didn't really catch my fancy, but once the collection got going, it really went.
I really felt it was an almost perfect collection.