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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
http://authorsandappetizers.com/2014/07/summer-house-with-swimming-pool-by-herman-koch/
Origins:
I received this book from Bloggingforbooks.org. It is available for sale right now in Hardcover and E-book Formats. The book was released for sale in June of 2014.
Seeing how I read his other Novel The Dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it; I just knew I had to snatch his newest novel up when I saw it was up for grabs by Bloggingforbooks.org. I was introduced to Herman Koch’s novels through a book club my good friend Krysten L. Hager invited me to online.
About The Novel:
When a medical procedure goes horrible wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he’s not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high-profile doctor to the stars, Marc can’t hide from the truth forever.
It all started the previous summer. Marc , his wife, and their two beautiful daughters agreed to spend a week at the Meier’s extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean. Joined by Ralph, his striking wife Judith, her mother, a film director Stanley Forbes and his much younger girlfriend. The group settles in for days of sunshine, wine tasting, and trips to the beach. But when a violent incident disrupts the idyll, darker motivations are revealed, and suddenly no one can be trusted. As the ultimate vacation turns into a nightmare, the circumstances surrounding Ralph’s subsequent death begins to reveal the disturbing reality behind the summer’s tragedy.
My Thoughts On This Novel:
If your are looking for a fantastic, thought provoking, gritty summer read this is the book for you. I must say however; I recommend this book for 18 and up (No not do to sex scenes) but this is due to the medical graphic details through out the book and some of the language used by the characters through out. Also keep in mind I am above 18 and I loved all these details mentioned above. They made the main character believable, it showed you he truly knows his career of choice, and gave us insight to what a doctor may truly be thinking during a normal visit.
So the first chapter was extremely good. I felt with his first novel The Dinner it took me a few chapters into the book to feel attached and loving the juicy bits. With Summer House with Swimming Pool by the first five pages Mr. Koch had me totally invested; lets just say it jumps right off the diving board into the deep end of the pool. I loved Dr. Marc’s detailed discriptions of what they go through when patients see them and how they may or may not day dream about other things while giving their patients full exams.
In this book I found three main turning points. The first one was the mystery at the beginng of the book between Marc and Ralph, second is the secret longing for another person, and the third
(best one in my opinion) is the what happened and who did it on the beach. I have to be honest 3/4 ths of the way into the book I seriously thought it was going from great read to cheesy love story. Which I was totally bored with. Give me action ,blood, and guts not kisses lol Then boom a secret twist in the story happens (the third turning point). Mr. Koch got my attention and I was back addicted to the story. I wanted to read those last chapters so bad just so all my questions would be answered. This is one of those books were you will think you know all the answers and who did it… but keeping guessing; Mr. Koch played out this novel well. I guessed four times before getting it right myself and I usually can nail the who did it right from the start of a book.
You will find yourself having a love/ hate relationship with our main character Dr. Marc. I changed many times through out the book on how I felt about him and his actions. With the Second turning point in the book; I think it was over played a bit. When we finally get the answer to the question did they or didn’t they it is truly covered in one sentence and then dropped to the wayside. I had to go back and read that little section twice to catch the answer. I just think if you are going to play it up to that intensity in the novel it could have been packaged up a little better.
This is a great read; I would highly recommend to my friends especially if the liked some of Mr. Koch’s first novels. Oh did I mention I loved the cover on this Novel it looked like a stack of a Dr.’s prescription note pad and the title was like blood on it. LOVE IT!
Origins:
I received this book from Bloggingforbooks.org. It is available for sale right now in Hardcover and E-book Formats. The book was released for sale in June of 2014.
Seeing how I read his other Novel The Dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it; I just knew I had to snatch his newest novel up when I saw it was up for grabs by Bloggingforbooks.org. I was introduced to Herman Koch’s novels through a book club my good friend Krysten L. Hager invited me to online.
About The Novel:
When a medical procedure goes horrible wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he’s not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high-profile doctor to the stars, Marc can’t hide from the truth forever.
It all started the previous summer. Marc , his wife, and their two beautiful daughters agreed to spend a week at the Meier’s extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean. Joined by Ralph, his striking wife Judith, her mother, a film director Stanley Forbes and his much younger girlfriend. The group settles in for days of sunshine, wine tasting, and trips to the beach. But when a violent incident disrupts the idyll, darker motivations are revealed, and suddenly no one can be trusted. As the ultimate vacation turns into a nightmare, the circumstances surrounding Ralph’s subsequent death begins to reveal the disturbing reality behind the summer’s tragedy.
My Thoughts On This Novel:
If your are looking for a fantastic, thought provoking, gritty summer read this is the book for you. I must say however; I recommend this book for 18 and up (No not do to sex scenes) but this is due to the medical graphic details through out the book and some of the language used by the characters through out. Also keep in mind I am above 18 and I loved all these details mentioned above. They made the main character believable, it showed you he truly knows his career of choice, and gave us insight to what a doctor may truly be thinking during a normal visit.
So the first chapter was extremely good. I felt with his first novel The Dinner it took me a few chapters into the book to feel attached and loving the juicy bits. With Summer House with Swimming Pool by the first five pages Mr. Koch had me totally invested; lets just say it jumps right off the diving board into the deep end of the pool. I loved Dr. Marc’s detailed discriptions of what they go through when patients see them and how they may or may not day dream about other things while giving their patients full exams.
In this book I found three main turning points. The first one was the mystery at the beginng of the book between Marc and Ralph, second is the secret longing for another person, and the third
(best one in my opinion) is the what happened and who did it on the beach. I have to be honest 3/4 ths of the way into the book I seriously thought it was going from great read to cheesy love story. Which I was totally bored with. Give me action ,blood, and guts not kisses lol Then boom a secret twist in the story happens (the third turning point). Mr. Koch got my attention and I was back addicted to the story. I wanted to read those last chapters so bad just so all my questions would be answered. This is one of those books were you will think you know all the answers and who did it… but keeping guessing; Mr. Koch played out this novel well. I guessed four times before getting it right myself and I usually can nail the who did it right from the start of a book.
You will find yourself having a love/ hate relationship with our main character Dr. Marc. I changed many times through out the book on how I felt about him and his actions. With the Second turning point in the book; I think it was over played a bit. When we finally get the answer to the question did they or didn’t they it is truly covered in one sentence and then dropped to the wayside. I had to go back and read that little section twice to catch the answer. I just think if you are going to play it up to that intensity in the novel it could have been packaged up a little better.
This is a great read; I would highly recommend to my friends especially if the liked some of Mr. Koch’s first novels. Oh did I mention I loved the cover on this Novel it looked like a stack of a Dr.’s prescription note pad and the title was like blood on it. LOVE IT!
This will probably stick with me for a while. Marc, a doctor and the main character, is not a "likeable" character and I hope I haven't and won't ever enconter a doctor that thinks the way he does. I didn't find him humorous - the scene where he follows a camper to the restrooms was creepy (borderline psycho) - if you are so disgusted by someone, why follow them anywhere. Maybe his wife knows what he's like, maybe not. We don't know and won't, because Marc is the narrator. There is a lot of stuff to think about in this book, and it would definitely make for some great book club discussions. If The Dinner made you wonder what you would do to protect your children, read this. What would you do to protect society from someone you know is capable of horrendous things? Recommended, even though, after finishing the book I still don't like Marc.
Ik had dit boek uit mama haar kast gehaald en dacht dat het luek ging zijn maar ik blame Herman Koch alles over hoe verschrikkelijk ik mij soms voelde dit lezende want some people in this book were disgusting, très horrible!!
Koch writes miserable, unlikeable protagonists so well. This was a fairly easy read, fast-paced, but psychologically intense. If this is your thing, this is your book.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
The writing is phenomenal but you have to be strong for some of the story, it's not always an easy read. This is my second book by the author and I'm going to catch up on his backlist and hope for a new one soon.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Sexism
De typische Koch-humor en -observaties. Vond de plot echter iets minder pakkend dan in sommige van zijn eerdere boeken (bv. Het Diner, Odesssa Star). Desalniettemin vermakelijk om te lezen.
Ik zal wel de azijnpisser zijn waar 'De Standaard' het over heeft, want wat een vre-se-lijk boek was dit. De personages spraken me totaal niet aan (kuddos voor de schrijver die 's werelds hatelijkste en tenenkrommende karakters bedacht heeft), evenals de vieze passages die zich afspelen in zijn huisartsenpraktijk. Wat een hypocriete zak is die Marc, en Ralph en Judith waren niet veel beter. Ik kan mijn vinger er niet opleggen wat me precies tegenstond aan dit verhaal, maar dit is/was niet mijn boek. Toch 2 sterren, puur omdat het boek snel uit was.
Herman Koch's laid back yet suspenseful prose is so attractive to me as a reader. All of his characters are brilliantly constructed--complex and questionable--which only adds to the depth of the moral and ethical questions his novels pose. While his books are brilliant and exciting to read, I can understand how they might not be for everyone. However, being able to explore them for days and talk about them for hours is, I think, the sign of a truly great book.
If I had to classify Herman Koch’s talent, I would say he fearlessly writes naked people. He dares to strip away façade—manners, civility, clothes, and skin—and write every nuance of a flailing human ego in a world of other flaming egos. He writes civilized, educated humans in their most primitive form—terrified for their survival in a world where they can’t control anything or anyone or ever "get enough," where they are tribal, competitive, judgmental, craving, and scheming.
No, this is not how we want to see ourselves, but I believe we all contain all these things as well as our more compassionate, generous, and curious qualities. We can loathe his psychopathic characters or, even as their behavior disgusts us (and, believe me, in this book, it does), we can feel their fear and their defenses, or stare straight in the eyes what we have witnessed in others and denied because it is too uncomfortable to acknowledge, and say, yes, it is true, and, in seeing, become more of our complete selves.
Having read The Dinner and now Summer House with Swimming Pool (the gripping story of a doctor who cannot bear to see people uncovered, as he bares himself and everyone around him through his narrative), I'm aware that these are stories that many of us civilized folk would call despicable. But they express something necessary.
I used to have a boss who'd suddenly declare, "People are no damned good." And we'd all laugh. In times of great frustration with other people's neuroses, I used to joke about opening an abuse therapy practice, and people would laugh. There's the famous Monty Python Argument Clinic sketch. Hilarious. Why? Because these things tap into the truth—our fleeting, secretive, psychopathic thoughts. I will never act out as Koch's characters do, but seeing them reeling in their bare-naked psychopathy is a relief—the relief of truth.
And there's more:
Not only is Koch is a teller of difficult truths, but he is a master of story structure, drama (he is a scriptwriter and actor—no surprise), and occasionally howlingly funny (particularly in the theater material). In other words, Koch is my kind of author and I'm grateful that he is on the planet, daring to write the books he writes. More, please.
No, this is not how we want to see ourselves, but I believe we all contain all these things as well as our more compassionate, generous, and curious qualities. We can loathe his psychopathic characters or, even as their behavior disgusts us (and, believe me, in this book, it does), we can feel their fear and their defenses, or stare straight in the eyes what we have witnessed in others and denied because it is too uncomfortable to acknowledge, and say, yes, it is true, and, in seeing, become more of our complete selves.
Having read The Dinner and now Summer House with Swimming Pool (the gripping story of a doctor who cannot bear to see people uncovered, as he bares himself and everyone around him through his narrative), I'm aware that these are stories that many of us civilized folk would call despicable. But they express something necessary.
I used to have a boss who'd suddenly declare, "People are no damned good." And we'd all laugh. In times of great frustration with other people's neuroses, I used to joke about opening an abuse therapy practice, and people would laugh. There's the famous Monty Python Argument Clinic sketch. Hilarious. Why? Because these things tap into the truth—our fleeting, secretive, psychopathic thoughts. I will never act out as Koch's characters do, but seeing them reeling in their bare-naked psychopathy is a relief—the relief of truth.
And there's more:
Not only is Koch is a teller of difficult truths, but he is a master of story structure, drama (he is a scriptwriter and actor—no surprise), and occasionally howlingly funny (particularly in the theater material). In other words, Koch is my kind of author and I'm grateful that he is on the planet, daring to write the books he writes. More, please.