What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
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- Create Date：2021-07-16 09:54:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Raymond Carver
- ISBN：0099530325
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Summary
This powerful collection of stories， set in the mid-West among the lonely men and women who drink， fish and play cards to ease the passing of time， was the first by Raymond Carver to be published in the UK。 With its spare， colloquial narration and razor-sharp sense of how people really communicate， the collection was to become one of the most influential literary works of the 1980s。
Reviews
Henderosn
，
Hot！ hot！ What else is there to say。
Zel
，
im not yet done reading this book and i intend to finish it but i doubt my view about it will change once i do
tee
，
i took my time with this， reading seventeen short stories over six months， and i’m happy that i did because i’m pretty sure this book taught me how to read。 the back of my copy had a quote by the daily telegraph that called carver “the master craftsman of the modern american short story” so i had high expectations that were not fulfilled when i read the first couple stories， which i realized， as i went on， was my own inability to recognize the richness of his words。 he efficiently uses so little i took my time with this， reading seventeen short stories over six months， and i’m happy that i did because i’m pretty sure this book taught me how to read。 the back of my copy had a quote by the daily telegraph that called carver “the master craftsman of the modern american short story” so i had high expectations that were not fulfilled when i read the first couple stories， which i realized， as i went on， was my own inability to recognize the richness of his words。 he efficiently uses so little to say so much， what a master craftsman i think！ i love how there are always going to be books in my life which will push back against my patterns and habits of understanding and retention—i will learn and evolve and reflect those changes for as long as i will be able to breathe， to think :-）“but he stays by the window， remembering。 they had laughed。 they had leaned on each other and laughed until the tears had come， while everything else—the cold， and where he’d go on in it—was outside， for a while anyway。” i could not relate to any of these stories for they deal with bleak turns of the lives of middle aged men and women， and i am nineteen with no idea where and how the rest of my life will turn out， but hopefully it will be better than whatever these characters had going on for them。 and of course， reading this with abeer my beloved heightened my enjoyment and perception of this book exponentially—always the greatest and cant wait to read more books together！！ 。。。more
Shreyasi
，
The witchcraft sorcery in writing these short stories and ending with just the right sentences， blowed my mind。 We don't dwell on what the characters are feeling or thinking， only on what once happened， and what they did。 Every story， every character a masterpiece。 I couldn't really understand the abrupt endings in the starting but as soon as I started looking at these stories as snippets from life I was less concerned about the moral in it。 Just life。 Tragic old life。 The witchcraft sorcery in writing these short stories and ending with just the right sentences， blowed my mind。 We don't dwell on what the characters are feeling or thinking， only on what once happened， and what they did。 Every story， every character a masterpiece。 I couldn't really understand the abrupt endings in the starting but as soon as I started looking at these stories as snippets from life I was less concerned about the moral in it。 Just life。 Tragic old life。 。。。more
Piscopo
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Characters that are interesting and complex。
Kevin
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I first read Raymond Carver’s stories during undergrad。 Something about his stories and writing left an imprint on me—they tend to have an ambiguous ending and leave you thinking about the mundane moments in your life。 This collection of short stories leaves you wanting more when you reach the end of each short story， but Carver has this ability to also make you feel OK with the uncertainty of where the characters will end up。 He covers a variety of themes in this collection and I think that spe I first read Raymond Carver’s stories during undergrad。 Something about his stories and writing left an imprint on me—they tend to have an ambiguous ending and leave you thinking about the mundane moments in your life。 This collection of short stories leaves you wanting more when you reach the end of each short story， but Carver has this ability to also make you feel OK with the uncertainty of where the characters will end up。 He covers a variety of themes in this collection and I think that speaks to his status of being a well known American writer。 。。。more
Mohid Malik
，
"We'd reached the end of something， and the thing was to find out where new to start。"I feel like even if the weather was not gloomy outside， Craver would've made me feel as if it was。 His writing is often terse and to the point。 Even though these stories are short， I feel like I'm sat in a living room with these characters as they share their ruminations and recollections and engage in dialogue with one another。 This collection of short stories are great。 Although there are some that I wasn't m "We'd reached the end of something， and the thing was to find out where new to start。"I feel like even if the weather was not gloomy outside， Craver would've made me feel as if it was。 His writing is often terse and to the point。 Even though these stories are short， I feel like I'm sat in a living room with these characters as they share their ruminations and recollections and engage in dialogue with one another。 This collection of short stories are great。 Although there are some that I wasn't moved by， I enjoyed all of them for what they had to offer。 It's a sad collection but it's honest in its reflections on the pain that people experience。 I love feeling happy and uplifted， as anyone would， and so perhaps the sorrow with which these stories are laced maybe do not lend to that desire。 But， through the pain of these stories， Craver allowed me to introspect and exhibit gratitude for my life。 As a possible critique， I do think some people might not like the way these stores end -- abruptly and almost unfinished。 But I don't mind because I'm not weighed down by the frustration of wanting to know what happens next。 I'm content with the conclusions because "I look at the word love and then I underline it。 。。。more
Roozbeh Daneshvar
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A collection of short stories， some of which you cannot forget for a long time。 I liked the following samples from this book: Things change， he says。 I don’t know how they do。 But they do without your realizing it or wanting them to。 Yes， that’s true， only— But she does not finish what she started。 In addition to being in love， we like each other and enjoy one another’s company。 “It was love，” Terri said。 “Sure， it’s abnormal in most people’s eyes。 But he was willing to die for it。 He did die fo A collection of short stories， some of which you cannot forget for a long time。 I liked the following samples from this book: Things change， he says。 I don’t know how they do。 But they do without your realizing it or wanting them to。 Yes， that’s true， only— But she does not finish what she started。 In addition to being in love， we like each other and enjoy one another’s company。 “It was love，” Terri said。 “Sure， it’s abnormal in most people’s eyes。 But he was willing to die for it。 He did die for it。” 。。。more
Faroukh Naseem
，
This book shines！ A collection of short stories about relationships and well， love。 💕。#theguywiththebookreview presents What We Talk About When We Talk About Love （I struggle reviewing short story collections so excuse my incoherence）。Most of these stories are pretty much situations and a lot of dialogue between a set of people， usually a couple。。Carver focuses on the littles of things that leave huge impacts on people lives。 How little things like an ashtray brings out memories of happiness， of This book shines！ A collection of short stories about relationships and well， love。 💕。#theguywiththebookreview presents What We Talk About When We Talk About Love （I struggle reviewing short story collections so excuse my incoherence）。Most of these stories are pretty much situations and a lot of dialogue between a set of people， usually a couple。。Carver focuses on the littles of things that leave huge impacts on people lives。 How little things like an ashtray brings out memories of happiness， of pain。 It’s all told brilliantly。。There one some stories I couldn’t really get into （I’m used to novels and need to learn how to appreciate short stories more， but that’s just me）。This is a great weekend read and I think most readers will appreciate the nuances in the story telling。 It’s about defeat and also about small victories… 。。。more
Alice Mcquillan
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still trying t get into short stories but tis was very interesting and i enjoyed:）
Shady Gradington
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Devastating
Daniel
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Minimalistic， emotionally brutal， often tragic， and even a little obtuse。 It’s hard not to see why Carver was so revered。
Hrydika
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I'm sure the unedited versions will be better， but Lish really did dirty with this I'm sure the unedited versions will be better， but Lish really did dirty with this 。。。more
Emmie Solleveld
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I think it’s an interesting topic， because love is such a hard thing to define。 There are so many kinds， and who is to say one is better than the other？ Or one way of expressing it is better than the other？ The conversation between the friends wasn’t very lineal， it went back and forth， and some ideas were often left unfinished; but I think it made it all the more real。 That’s how conversations usually are， especially if you’re drunk。 The ending did feel kind of anticlimactic， but that was part I think it’s an interesting topic， because love is such a hard thing to define。 There are so many kinds， and who is to say one is better than the other？ Or one way of expressing it is better than the other？ The conversation between the friends wasn’t very lineal， it went back and forth， and some ideas were often left unfinished; but I think it made it all the more real。 That’s how conversations usually are， especially if you’re drunk。 The ending did feel kind of anticlimactic， but that was part of the point， too。 It was a real conversation between real people。 There doesn’t have to be a grand ending to things。 There almost never is。（I only read the short story named like the book， but I’m interested to see what the rest has to offer） 。。。more
Hattie Long
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I mean you can see why this is so popular。 His voice is so honest and somehow captures the depressing mundane so well。 The last couple of stories cemented the masterpiece for me。 Common themes of drink， marriage and violence。 The third thing that killed my father off really stuck with me and I find myself thinking of Dummy any time I am near a body of water。 This is one of the most interesting stories to me as it shows love in a different way。 The love Dummy has for his fish， the love the father I mean you can see why this is so popular。 His voice is so honest and somehow captures the depressing mundane so well。 The last couple of stories cemented the masterpiece for me。 Common themes of drink， marriage and violence。 The third thing that killed my father off really stuck with me and I find myself thinking of Dummy any time I am near a body of water。 This is one of the most interesting stories to me as it shows love in a different way。 The love Dummy has for his fish， the love the father clearly had for Dummy， the love between father and son and the loveless marriage and wife’s love for other men。 Ending tragically but written in such a way that it is completely believable as if it happened down there village and we are talking about it a few years later。 After the denim also stuck with me。 We only get a short snippet of the couple’s life yet details are strung around as if we have known them their whole life。 What we talk about when we talk about love is deeply interesting and relatable。 One for the pessimists 。。。more
Danielle Waite
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“Things change， he says。 I don’t know how they do。 But they do without you realizing or wanting them to。”
NoodleNoods
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Loved the spare writing and how the scenes really stick with you - the room arranged in the front yard， the estranged neighbors at the gate at moonlight。 I’ve already reread this book a few times and enjoy it every time。 Thanks to Murakami for the suggestion。
Fernando Iglesias
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¡Realismo sucio garantizado！17 cuentos ajustados al milímetro que asechan tu alma para arrebatarte la tranquilidad y hundirte en la miseria cotidiana de lo marginal。 Siempre escueto， Carver esconde información y te obliga a inmiscuirte， a conectar con sus personajes， aunque escueza。 Me gustaron:“¿Por qué no bailáis？”， atracción y zozobra。“Belvedere”， donde todo se desmorona。“Tanta agua tan cerca de casa”， desamor， una relación embrutecida。 “Mecánica popular”， brutalidad encapsulada。“Diles a las ¡Realismo sucio garantizado！17 cuentos ajustados al milímetro que asechan tu alma para arrebatarte la tranquilidad y hundirte en la miseria cotidiana de lo marginal。 Siempre escueto， Carver esconde información y te obliga a inmiscuirte， a conectar con sus personajes， aunque escueza。 Me gustaron:“¿Por qué no bailáis？”， atracción y zozobra。“Belvedere”， donde todo se desmorona。“Tanta agua tan cerca de casa”， desamor， una relación embrutecida。 “Mecánica popular”， brutalidad encapsulada。“Diles a las mujeres que nos vamos”， locura y muerte。Leyendo a Carver echas las tripas y…te quedas a gusto， ¡con tu cigarrito y tu cervecita， uno en cada mano！En Instagramhttps://www。instagram。com/p/CQ6vbPTlqq_/ 。。。more
Bente de Haan
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I like to start a book knowing as little as possible about it。 The same was true for this one; I picked it up on a whim。 Thinking this would be a story about prefect romance， the surprise could not have been greater。This collection of short stories is a terribly sad but in a way also extremely realistic portrayal of how “love” acts in the real non-literary world。 The writing style fits perfectly with the stories as it is choppy， with short sentences and breaks many rules I have learned in classi I like to start a book knowing as little as possible about it。 The same was true for this one; I picked it up on a whim。 Thinking this would be a story about prefect romance， the surprise could not have been greater。This collection of short stories is a terribly sad but in a way also extremely realistic portrayal of how “love” acts in the real non-literary world。 The writing style fits perfectly with the stories as it is choppy， with short sentences and breaks many rules I have learned in classic literature courses。 That is also what makes this collection as special as it is。The stories feel like walking past somebody’s house and just having a glimpse of what happens inside there。 It leaves more open than it answers questions， leaving the reader to fantasise what could have happened before and after the stories finish。 Although books usually give a chance to escape reality for a little while， this book smacks you in the face with it。 An interesting read that begs to be reread。 。。。more
Julia
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I read a description of this book as an “unrealistic” collection of short stories but I would argue it presents the opposite。 They are completely realistic。 Often mundane but vibrating with tension。 Sometimes there is no pay-off and they are just nice stories。 But you see， now you have trust issues and you do not expect just a nice story。 Interesting that after reading ‘So Much Water So Close To Home’ I got freaky déjà-vu before realising it is the premise of ‘Jindabyne’ an Australian movie High I read a description of this book as an “unrealistic” collection of short stories but I would argue it presents the opposite。 They are completely realistic。 Often mundane but vibrating with tension。 Sometimes there is no pay-off and they are just nice stories。 But you see， now you have trust issues and you do not expect just a nice story。 Interesting that after reading ‘So Much Water So Close To Home’ I got freaky déjà-vu before realising it is the premise of ‘Jindabyne’ an Australian movie Highlighting that while these stories are lean， ambiguous but enjoyable in their own right， they can be vignettes of a much larger story。 。。。more
Deepanshi Sharma
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What we talk about when we talk about love by Raymond Carver。A book， I didn't really expected myself to like， like seriously but it happened the other way。 I liked it。 For no good reason。 It's just that the stories gave me a strange sense of pleasure even though they were unsatisfying。 Feel me。It's strange， really。 With each passing story， I used to wonder， will it lead me anywhere？ like goddamn will it lead me anywhere？ Strangely， the answer throughout was a book no， which is true。 This is a co What we talk about when we talk about love by Raymond Carver。A book， I didn't really expected myself to like， like seriously but it happened the other way。 I liked it。 For no good reason。 It's just that the stories gave me a strange sense of pleasure even though they were unsatisfying。 Feel me。It's strange， really。 With each passing story， I used to wonder， will it lead me anywhere？ like goddamn will it lead me anywhere？ Strangely， the answer throughout was a book no， which is true。 This is a collection of hopeless and hopeful stories of love and separation。 Yet， they made me fall in love with them。Written in a very good way， the stories are about husbands and wives and of lovers。 Present or ex。 And， they are really very unsatisfying， let me be very honest。But， they give you a very weird pleasure。 Even after being unsatisfied， you'll feel fulfilled。 Strange enough， right？ I know and that's how it is。But， if you're into cliché love stories and the aftermath of it not being successful， you'll love it， I'm sure。"I could hear my heart beating。 I could hear everyone's heart。 I could hear the human noice we sat there making， no one of us moving， not even when the room went dark。" - Raymond Carver。 。。。more
Joyce
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“I could hear my heart beating。 I could hear everyone’s heart。 I could hear the human noise we sat there making， not one of us moving， not even when the room went dark”。 the feel of these short stories can best be exemplified through the above quote。 essentially， the stories in this book are just filled with human noise。 human noise that is not dramatized， or over-exaggerated in any way。 Carver simply writes of life in this book for what it is: mainly mundane and sometimes ugly and rarely fascin “I could hear my heart beating。 I could hear everyone’s heart。 I could hear the human noise we sat there making， not one of us moving， not even when the room went dark”。 the feel of these short stories can best be exemplified through the above quote。 essentially， the stories in this book are just filled with human noise。 human noise that is not dramatized， or over-exaggerated in any way。 Carver simply writes of life in this book for what it is: mainly mundane and sometimes ugly and rarely fascinating。 but in the monotony， he finds meaning。 but he doesn’t shove that meaning down your throat through big words or melodramatic statements， he’s able to do it through the most （seemingly） simple sentences。 i’m in awe。 these stories just feel so distinctly 1970s/1980s American also。 when stories end， i find myself wanting to cling on longer to the characters。 know them more。 understand them better。 but like， i said， Carver depicts life the way it is， and life is mostly mundane。 sometimes ugly。 rarely fascinating。 but in those few flickers of light， moments of meaning， we should try to grasp on as tight as we can。 cling on to them。 make something out of them。 that’s what Raymond Carver does in this book。 that’s what I hope to do in my life too。 。。。more
أمنية زكريا
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Boring。 Read the half of it and only enjoyed one story。
Gode
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ვერ დავუმუღამე。 როგორი შეგრძნება დამრჩა， იცით， აი， კიბეებს ავუყევი სახლისკენ და რომელიღაც სართულზე ერთ-ერთი ბინის კარი ღიაა， ჰოდა იქედან მესმის რაღაც წინადადებები， ნაწყვეტები ამბის， ვცდილობ მოვუსმინო， რომ მივხვდე რა ხდება， მაგრამ ხომ არ დავდგები და მოვუსმენ， არა？ მიწევს გავაგრძელო გზა და ვრჩები ასე გაურკვევლობაში。 პ。ს。 ჩემი თავის ამბავი რომ ვიცი， სახლში მისული მოვტრიალდებოდი და ისევ დავეშვებოდი ქვევით， რომ კიდევ გამეგონა რაღაცები， ჰოდა ამ წიგნთან მიმართებითაც ვფიქრობ რაღაც პერიოდში თავიდან გადავ ვერ დავუმუღამე。 როგორი შეგრძნება დამრჩა， იცით， აი， კიბეებს ავუყევი სახლისკენ და რომელიღაც სართულზე ერთ-ერთი ბინის კარი ღიაა， ჰოდა იქედან მესმის რაღაც წინადადებები， ნაწყვეტები ამბის， ვცდილობ მოვუსმინო， რომ მივხვდე რა ხდება， მაგრამ ხომ არ დავდგები და მოვუსმენ， არა？ მიწევს გავაგრძელო გზა და ვრჩები ასე გაურკვევლობაში。 პ。ს。 ჩემი თავის ამბავი რომ ვიცი， სახლში მისული მოვტრიალდებოდი და ისევ დავეშვებოდი ქვევით， რომ კიდევ გამეგონა რაღაცები， ჰოდა ამ წიგნთან მიმართებითაც ვფიქრობ რაღაც პერიოდში თავიდან გადავიკითხავ。 ეგებ მერე დავუმუღამო， ვინ იცის。 。。。more
Thomas Goddard
，
I'd been meaning to get to get to some Carver for a long time。 I love a good short story and I live for amazing ones。 Sometimes you'll just be able to pick up a single one in a collection。 Less if it is meant to be a collection of the best short stories for the year （they always fail to meet their objective）So， what can I say about Carver。 Well， this collection took me an age to get through。 Not because it was tedious， but because I had to take a step back after each story。And not due to the she I'd been meaning to get to get to some Carver for a long time。 I love a good short story and I live for amazing ones。 Sometimes you'll just be able to pick up a single one in a collection。 Less if it is meant to be a collection of the best short stories for the year （they always fail to meet their objective）So， what can I say about Carver。 Well， this collection took me an age to get through。 Not because it was tedious， but because I had to take a step back after each story。And not due to the sheer emotional density at play， but also the display of skill。 Every story， every line， every word is purposeful。 There's no other word that fits。 As a writer， that's something that I respect a lot in good writing。 If a writer is sloppy， it sticks out。 And with most things I read， something always sticks out。But welcome to the school of stories。 Particular favourites。。。 Viewfinder， Tell The Women We're Going， Popular MechanicsIn terms of tone。 Go in knowing you'll be facing the darker aspects of humanity。 There's a knowing wink in hopes direction， but it's always you who goes the extra step toward a conclusion。 He takes you to the edge， but it is always you who jumps off into that final bleak realisation。 。。。more
Marley
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Not used to this minimalist writing style， but I did enjoy it。
Madisyn
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I often surprise myself when I read a book out of my normal ， how much I enjoy it。 I would suggest you give this one a try。
Thùy Thu
，
Những câu chuyện không có mở đầu cũng không có kết thúc， không có nguyên nhân cũng không có kết quả。 Đơn thuần là những câu chuyện được kể， theo cách một gọn gàng và đơn giản nhất。 Với mình khi đọc cuốn này， cảm giác như thể tác giả dẫn mình ra cạnh bờ hồ， chỉ mình xem mặt hồ yên ả， để mình ở đó rồi bỏ đi。 Song theo một cách tự nhiên nhất， mình có thể cảm nhận đâu đó có những dòng chảy xiết ở phía dưới mặt hồ kia vậy。
Winona Muliadi
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I honestly had high expectations for this book， seeing the high ratings and how Carver has been deemed as one of America’s greatest short stories writer。This book fell flat for me， with the only quite likable stories being the featured title， “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love，” as well as “Sacks” and “The Bath”。I understand how Carver is smart in creating short， but crisp and realistic dialogues within a number of pages， yet as a reader who is looking to be emotionally entwined with th I honestly had high expectations for this book， seeing the high ratings and how Carver has been deemed as one of America’s greatest short stories writer。This book fell flat for me， with the only quite likable stories being the featured title， “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love，” as well as “Sacks” and “The Bath”。I understand how Carver is smart in creating short， but crisp and realistic dialogues within a number of pages， yet as a reader who is looking to be emotionally entwined with the stories， they are too abrupt for my taste。 It’s doubtful that I’ll be picking up another Carver anytime soon。 。。。more
Roy
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