Cathedral

Amazing book. You know a short story writer is truly fantastic when each and every story hits you hard in the gut. But there's nothing spectacular or over the top about these stories - every day people in very ordinary experiences. Yet the power and special sadness of each story so sharply speaks to the experience of humans and our everyday relationships with each other. Each and every story is beautifully brief and poignant. Definitely would recommend to anyone who appreciates amazing, tactful writing.

Such a great short story - so simple and deep. Carver writes in basic, simple sentences. They are short and to the point. I loved reading this story and getting a glimpse into that time period. They had just gotten a color TV, so it takes place in the 1960's. Very “Mad Men-style” story. Great for fans of that television series.

I accidentally bought this book. I thought it was Raymond Chandler. I wanted crafty hard boiled noir prose. Instead I got basic, simple sentences. I got stories without plot. And I couldn't have been happier.

I'd never heard of Carver, despite having an English degree. I read his wikipedia and was constantly surprised – He is considered to be amongst America's greatest writers, and i had no idea. Such is life. The things i don't know are constantly going to outweigh the things I do know.

I read a piece by stephen king on Carver in the NTY, and Carver's life was pretty damn dark. He was an abusive alcoholic. He was not a good man. It's hard to not see pieces of him in his characters. I was astonished by how unlikable they were sometimes. It's a truth that is rare in fiction.

I'm going to pick up his other collections. They're refreshing stories, despite coming from a troubling artist.