Short Story Reviews
In Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes by Raymond Carver we have the theme of pride, conflict and connection. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Carver may be exploring not only […]
Read moreIn The Pheasant by Raymond Carver we have the theme of paralysis, connection, struggle, conflict, identity, change and control. Taken from his Fires collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Carver may be exploring the theme of paralysis. There is […]
Read moreIn Night School by Raymond Carver we have the theme of desperation, loneliness, letting go, paralysis and escape. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story Carver appears to be exploring the theme of […]
Read moreIn Sixty Acres by Raymond Carver we have the theme of tradition, doubt and conflict. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and begins with the main protagonist, Lee Waite, receiving a phone call from his friend and fellow American […]
Read moreIn Why Don’t You Dance? by Raymond Carver we have the theme of separation, change, connection, appearance, uncertainty and acceptance. Taken from his What We Talk about When We Talk about Love collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises how important […]
Read moreIn Sacks by Raymond Carver we have the theme of infidelity, conflict, regret, separation, acceptance, moving on and letting go. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man called Les Palmer and very early on the reader realises that […]
Read moreIn After the Denim by Raymond Carver we have the theme of acceptance, escape, powerlessness, displacement and conflict. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story begins with Edith and James Packer getting ready to go to bingo. What is interesting about the opening scene of the story […]
Read moreIn A Serious Talk by Raymond Carver we have the theme of conflict, control, jealousy, acceptance, separation, letting go and moving on. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and very early on the reader realises that […]
Read moreIn The Calm by Raymond Carver we have the theme of identity, conflict, indecision, paralysis, acceptance and moving on. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and is written in the form of a frame narrative (story […]
Read moreIn They’re Not Your Husband by Raymond Carver we have the theme of embarrassment, appearance, acceptance, control, obsession, selfishness and insecurity. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story Carver appears to be exploring […]
Read moreIn Preservation by Raymond Carver we have the theme of change, fear, helplessness and paralysis. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after first reading the story the reader realises that Carver is using a lot of symbolism. The book that Sandy is reading […]
Read moreIn Jerry and Molly and Sam by Raymond Carver we have the theme of change, insecurity, guilt, control and conflict. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator. Very early on in the story Carver explores (slightly) one of the main […]
Read moreIn The Bath by Raymond Carver we have the theme of conflict, uncertainty, helplessness, fear and communication. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and is an early version of another Carver short story (A Small, Good […]
Read moreIn Chef’s House by Raymond Carver we have the theme of isolation, connection, separation, hope, recovery, identity and memories. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the first person by a middle aged woman called Edna and very early on the reader realises that Carver is delving into the theme of separation. […]
Read moreIn The Father by Raymond Carver we have the theme of connection, letting go, alienation and identity. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and in many ways Carver begins and ends the story (through the use of the colour […]
Read moreIn Gazebo by Raymond Carver we have the theme of trust, dignity, responsibility, infidelity, memories and separation. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man called Duane and in the space of an afternoon Carver details the breakdown of […]
Read moreIn Call If You Need Me by Raymond Carver we have the theme of separation, infidelity, connection, trust, acceptance, letting go and moving on. Taken from his collection of the same name the story is narrated in the first person by a middle aged man called Dan and very early on the reader realises that […]
Read moreIn Collectors by Raymond Carver we have the theme of paralysis, identity and privacy. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man called (at least the reader believes it to be) Mr Slater. From the beginning of the story, Carver explores the […]
Read moreIn The Compartment by Raymond Carver we have the theme of regret, isolation, detachment and letting go or rather the inability to let go. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and is set on a train travelling from Milan to Strasbourg. Something that is […]
Read moreIn A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver we have the theme of connection, helplessness, loss, conflict, communication, isolation and loneliness. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and in the opening passages of the story the reader realises that Carver is delving into the […]
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