--- product_id: 2131626 title: "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries)" price: "$26.41" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/2131626-will-you-please-be-quiet-please-stories-vintage-contemporaries store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries) **Price:** $26.41 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries) - **How much does it cost?** $26.41 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/2131626-will-you-please-be-quiet-please-stories-vintage-contemporaries) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The first collection of stories from “one of the great short story writers of our time” ( The Philadelphia Inquirer ) breathed new life into the American short story, showing us the humor and tragedy that dwell in the hearts of ordinary people. "[Carver's stories] can ... be counted among the masterpieces of American Literature." — The New York Times Book Review "One of the great short story writers of our time—of any time." — The Philadelhpia Inquirer "The whole collection is a knock out. Few writers can match Raymond Carver's entwining style and language." — The Dallas Morning News Review: An Amazing Snapshot of the Lives of Ordinary Americans - This was my first go at Raymond Carver's short stories. They were perfect little segments of the lives of ordinary people. I felt, when starting another one of these short stories, that I was stumbling into the lives of people that I knew or was familiar with ... or that could have been me. Carver is an author that knows people so perfectly. He knows the secret thoughts of people, the wild lust and exuberance, and the darkened black suspicions. Carver's writing style is unorthodox, seemingly a writer that wrote completely on his own terms. And the structure is reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway. I drew many similarities between the two. In short, I can't wait to delve into more of Raymond Carver's work. My favorite stories in this collection are "Will You Please Be Quite, Please?" and "Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarets". Review: Dated, but great dialogue and characters - Just re-read this collection, took less than a day. I first read it about thirty years ago in my youth, where I found it more impactful. I read this thinking this is what the future held for my adult life, after all, I saw parts of these stories in the lives of my parents, step-parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, bosses, etc… Now re-reading this book and the “What We Talk About When We Talk About love” collection I know that these lives are for the most part on the fringe. Couples don’t all break up, cheat, drink to excess, and in general physically or emotionally destroy each other. I don’t mean to say Carver is similar to Bukowski in using almost exclusively alcoholic characters dragged from run down bars and boardinghouses. No, Carver pulls characters many could see as next door neighbors, co-workers, friends, your dentist, etc… but pretty much everyone but a few unnamed characters are white middle class. So it reads a bit dated. Makes sense for the era they were written where society was more segregated racially and by wealth. But the writing is crisp, the dialogue is spot on, and the stories are efficient. So I still rec’ Carver’s stories, whether you just want to enjoy good writing, interesting stories, or are interested in a historical snapshot of short stories from the latter half of the twentieth century. Lastly, you can see many films based of these stories, even some in recent years. Robert Altman’s “Shortcuts” is a film where he used numerous Carver stories featured here as a basis for the various storylines, with a great ensemble cast of stars. A great film, but the original stories are much richer. In my youth these would have been a 5, but now they are that much more dated. 4.0 ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #58,442 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #832 in Short Stories (Books) #1,742 in Classic Literature & Fiction #4,016 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 689 Reviews | ## Images ![Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?: Stories (Vintage Contemporaries) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81gUlArxneL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Amazing Snapshot of the Lives of Ordinary Americans *by N***L on March 13, 2015* This was my first go at Raymond Carver's short stories. They were perfect little segments of the lives of ordinary people. I felt, when starting another one of these short stories, that I was stumbling into the lives of people that I knew or was familiar with ... or that could have been me. Carver is an author that knows people so perfectly. He knows the secret thoughts of people, the wild lust and exuberance, and the darkened black suspicions. Carver's writing style is unorthodox, seemingly a writer that wrote completely on his own terms. And the structure is reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway. I drew many similarities between the two. In short, I can't wait to delve into more of Raymond Carver's work. My favorite stories in this collection are "Will You Please Be Quite, Please?" and "Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarets". ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dated, but great dialogue and characters *by C***S on October 13, 2023* Just re-read this collection, took less than a day. I first read it about thirty years ago in my youth, where I found it more impactful. I read this thinking this is what the future held for my adult life, after all, I saw parts of these stories in the lives of my parents, step-parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, bosses, etc… Now re-reading this book and the “What We Talk About When We Talk About love” collection I know that these lives are for the most part on the fringe. Couples don’t all break up, cheat, drink to excess, and in general physically or emotionally destroy each other. I don’t mean to say Carver is similar to Bukowski in using almost exclusively alcoholic characters dragged from run down bars and boardinghouses. No, Carver pulls characters many could see as next door neighbors, co-workers, friends, your dentist, etc… but pretty much everyone but a few unnamed characters are white middle class. So it reads a bit dated. Makes sense for the era they were written where society was more segregated racially and by wealth. But the writing is crisp, the dialogue is spot on, and the stories are efficient. So I still rec’ Carver’s stories, whether you just want to enjoy good writing, interesting stories, or are interested in a historical snapshot of short stories from the latter half of the twentieth century. Lastly, you can see many films based of these stories, even some in recent years. Robert Altman’s “Shortcuts” is a film where he used numerous Carver stories featured here as a basis for the various storylines, with a great ensemble cast of stars. A great film, but the original stories are much richer. In my youth these would have been a 5, but now they are that much more dated. 4.0 ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Raymond Carver's style of writing *by S***N on May 11, 2024* I enjoy reading all of Raymond Carver's short stories, non-fiction writing, and his poetry. I simply love his style of writing. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/2131626-will-you-please-be-quiet-please-stories-vintage-contemporaries](https://www.desertcart.us/products/2131626-will-you-please-be-quiet-please-stories-vintage-contemporaries) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-05-13*