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Product Description
From Amazon
The last story collection published during Carver's life (he died in 1988) contains most of his greatest hits from his earlier books, as well as seven stories that hadn't been collected up to that point. The breadth of the collection makes these 37 stories an extremely complete map of Carver territory, of a particular area of America and of the specific texture of the people Carver writes about -- their difficult attempts at survival in a world where happiness does not arrive wrapped up in neat packages but comes in far more peculiar parcels, if it comes at all.
From Publishers Weekly
The cool streamlined style of this modern master of the short story has spawned dozens of younger writers who seek to follow in Carver's footsteps. But where the Brat Pack frequently produces flat, unresonating fiction, Carver has the ability to render graceful prose from dreary, commonplace, scraping-the-bottom human misery. This collection consists of 30 stories selected from four previous volumes, and seven new tales. Appearing in order of original publication, they reflect Carver's developmentfrom 1963 to the present. We meet many of his characters just as something dear to them is slipping away. Jobs, cars, the affection of a spouse or child, the routine of lifeall can be lost. Even in the more upbeat stories, a narrator recalls a happy occasion that, in retrospect, marked a change for the worse, or a high point in a life since gone sour. In Carver's world, ashtrays overflow, wives are usually ex-, and drinkers are drunks. Seedy and dishonest characters are glimpsed in the process of once again doing the wrong thing. One of the new stories, "The Errand," which is in part an account of Chekhov's death, is offered as a tip of the hat to the great short story writer. Even here, with more affecting and finished prose than ever before, Carver's rendering gives us all the intimacy of a medical chart. Aptly named, he is a carver of flesh from the bone. Paperback rights to Vintage.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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I could hear them out in the kitchen. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
I could hear them out in the kitchen. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories (Paperback)
Real people. Crystalline sketches of believable situations. Understated. Artful. In the Hemingway tradition. Some of these were intensely moving to me ("Cathedral"), others were eye-opening and breathtaking even though they took place in ho-hum surroundings like diners ("Fat").Great stuff.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Look deeper,
By A Customer
This review is from: Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories (Paperback)
Raymond Carver wrote stories with extremely detailed and fascinating plots, characters, and dialogue. Yes, he was a minimalist. That does not mean that he wrote stories without a plot. Instead, Carver's plots are simple and obvious, they serve as vessels for the message Carver is packing, one that he always delivers with one hell of a wallop by the end of each of his stories. Reading each story once will not yield complete understanding for the reader. Great fiction is usually like this. Instead, rereadings will bring the true meanings, they'll show what this master of prose was trying to say. Raymond Carver never wrote a novel because he didn't have to, because he could always express what he was trying to say in about 20 pages of beautiful, elegant, simple prose, unlike Tom Wolfe, who takes 740 pages in A Man in Full to say absolutely nothing. Carver's wife and editor did not interfere with his writing, that's a common myth that was spread and kept alive by all those jealous of Carver's accomplishments. I felt the need to respond to the previous review so that possible buyers of Where I'm Calling From would not be dissuaded and give this book a shot. You will find in its pages a genius, a man who is sorely missed and for very good reason. Raymond Carver was a true master of the short story, and he shows it here.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Complexity of Every Day Lives,
By
This review is from: Where I'm Calling From: New and Selected Stories (Paperback)
I have read a couple of Carver's stories through the years but this is my first deep dive. I was not disappointed, in fact, I even reread a few right away because for a minimalist there is so much depth to his stories. Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes reminded me of the play Carnage of the Gods which I recently saw on Broadway. Sets of parents that attempt to untangle conflicts amongst their children often only make matters worse. They're Not Your Husband deals with self improvement except the wrong character is the focus. Fat is one of the best short stories I have read - it played vividly in my head.Why, Honey? is downright creepy and one that can be read several times with new bits revealed each time. Are These Actual Miles? conjures up Yates' Revolutionary Road and Cheever's work which is all so fantastic. The couple's uncoupling due to financial reasons is stark and their actions surprising. Gazebo explores infidelity and the loss of trust which is akin to a death. One More Thing is serious but equally funny as one character needs to have the last word. Why Don't You Dance? is another heartbreaker within a benign setting. And the male character in A Serious Talk needs some serious help. If forced to identify a favorite among the thirty-seven I would say Boxes. It reminded me of the years my mother lived on her own after my father's death. I cannot articulate the worry I felt for her which could manifest itself physically. She, of course, would dismiss me and smile saying all was well. So needless to say I connected with the son in this story. Where I'm Calling From is a great collection but I definitely enjoyed the stories from Carver's earlier years more than his later work.
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