Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?

Feels like a warmup for the total banger that is What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, but still some absolutely beautiful stories in here that reverberate long after you’ve put the book down

So far, I love Raymond Carver. If you like disfunctional (and sometimes functional) love / family stories, this is for you. He reminds me of Ray Bradbury in a strange way, though Bradbury was a much kindler, gentler version of Carver. Carver is more about what life is actually likely to serve you up, versus what is ideal.

Este livro trouxe-me memórias de tempos menos bons, mas as suas histórias tornaram tudo mais fácil.

I appreciate how the author manages to talk about ordinary tales with very peculiar points of view. For most of them, I’m sure there could be full blown novels to continue the stories. I just wish the best ones didn’t end up so sudden, like if the best part is yet to come... Overall, a nice read.

As with most short story collections, which is why I don't normally read them, it was hit and miss. If you like plot, don't read Carver. If you like character development, don't read Carver. But if you like ordinary stories about ordinary Americans that are drenched in symbolism, read Carver. I'll be picking up more of him later in the year. Definitely not for everyone. Favourites - Student's Wife, Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, Jerry and Molly and Sam, Sixty Acres and Nobody Said Anything.

3.5 stars for me