letto nel 2022 - Raymond Carver descrive uno spaccato di vita sociale della provincia americana, eccellente descrizione e sintesi nei racconti americani, ben scritto e chiaro, l'argomento di sottofondo - la condizione sociale della sperduta provincia - è interessante ma la chiarezza espositiva lo è decisamente di più ( )

This has been sitting on my DVD shelf for a few years now as the Criterion companion to the movie. While I really enjoy the movie, I think I ended up buying it just because there was a book included in the packaging. And thank goodness...Carver might have continued to go undetected by me as--for the most part--all I've ever heard him discussed is a one sentence nod of approval in passing. Not that I could have predicted it, but I'm glad I've waited to read his work because I might not have appreciated it as much had I read it before this particular moment of my life...whatever that is.
So this is a collection of his stories (plus one poem) that Robert Altman used in his film, which added a whole other level to my reading that I enjoyed. I usually like to read the book before I see the movie, but in this case I'm glad it went the other way around. It was fascinating to find what elements Altman used and their point of departure, and really I can't say that I enjoyed one more than the other in its own right. However, Carver's style really shines through...I love the open ends he leaves in his stories. In other authors' writing, this technique often seems to me like a cop out, a lazy solution for a plot they never quite thought out, but with Carver I feel a sense of certainty planted within what might seem ambiguous. Like this is where we close our eyes to go to sleep for the day, and even though the future likely will sling us every which way, at least we know tomorrow will come, even if maybe not for us...that much we may rely on.
I give this four stars because this is Altman's selection of Carver. Now I want to read Carver's selection of Carver, the way he intended. I am enamored. I have been wooed. I am prepared to blissfully writhe in his stories like a pup when he finds that funky patch of grass in the park. Yeah. ( )

Very effective realism, but these people are so forlorn, so lost. Sometimes it is hard to read on that account. ( )

It was really interesting to go back to the volume of short stories to look again at the (post-Hemmingway) father of the contemporary short story. He really was a masterful writer, and I don't know too many authors who can capture the unease, trouble or human question behind a set of circumstances, or a relationship, with saying so little. All of these stories are uneasy in some way or another, mostly marriages in trouble, and Carver's characters tend to be alcohol-sodden and hard to like. But that said, such is humanity. I don't think all of these stories work, and some push the boundaries of weird for the sake of being weird (and not in a good way). But overall, a strong collection and well worth re-visiting considering the resurgence of the short story form. It's also really refreshing to read some "real" short stories amidst the surge of "magic realism" currently glutting the market. ( )

Esse é o primeiro livro que leio de Raymond Carver, e fiquei fascinada pela sua habilidade de contista. O primeiro conto, "Neighbors", sobre um casal que lentamente assume as vidas de um casal vizinho, que está viajando e cujo estilo de vida eles admiravam, é uma abertura fantástica.
"Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" é sobre um homem que se torna obcecado com a idéia de que a mulher, com quem é casado desde a faculdade, o traiu.
"So Much Water So Close to Home" é sobre uma mulher que fica horrorizada ao descobrir que o marido e os amigos encontraram o corpo de uma jovem durante uma pescaria, e só chamaram a polícia no dia seguinte para continuar com a pescaria.
"A Small, Good Thing" é sobre um casal cujo filho é atropelado, e que passa a sofrer com o confeiteiro que liga constantemente para pedir que eles busquem o bolo encomendado para o aniversário do menino.
Esses quatro contos, que estão entre os mais famosos de Carver, impressionaram-me tão fortemente que me deram vontade de ler todos os contos do autor, além de Catedral, livro considerado por muitos como sua obra-prima.
Os outros contos também são muito interessantes. ( )