Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Dinner by Herman Koch

48 reviews

hoax_meal's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
do yourself a favor and skip this one. I've read 4 books this year and this is the worst so far. awful characters, racism, absolutely no substance. you would get more out of a peanuts comic strip than this joke of a book. 
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cams_all_booked's review against another edition

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I can handle reading about unlikable characters, sometimes it can be enjoyable. I can also make it through boring sections of certain books to get to the "good stuff." Neither of those was the reason I stopped reading this book. I didn't finish it because I just don't care. I don't care about what might happen later in the book because whatever happens later isn't worth it if I have to sit through what some rich, vapid asshole thinks about whatever the fuck for 100 more pages. If I had to sit through one more disgustingly racist or homophobic remark, I would've broken my mom's kindle.
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kerryac's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Please kill me if I ever start acting this loyal to anyone just because they’re family.  This book premise was intriguing but Paul’s extensive backstory made my eyes glaze over and the current day chapters felt rushed through. 
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mixxy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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saintstefan's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

  The plot of this book would have been great if the author went about it differently. Two couples meet up for dinner to talk about their sons. As the dinner begins to end, tensions rise, and the crimes of their son will finally come to light. The book is divided into the past and the present. Usually, I'm a sucker for flashbacks. But the author seriously didn't have to spend 14 chapters on just ONE flashback. 
  Once again, I got the feeling that nothing was happening. Even though something clearly was happening. The summary of the book made it seem like a really shocking crime but when the crime itself is finally revealed, it was pretty anti-climatic. 
  However, it's not that bad of a book and if you want something to just read, I would suggest this. 
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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 The Dinner begins with two brothers and their wives meeting for dinner at a high end restaurant one night to discuss their sons. It’s told from the perspective of one of the brothers Paul, a former history teacher. I initially loved his snarky tone - the snide remarks about his political brother, pretentious restaurant food, overbearing waiters etc. But as the meal progressed the sneaky suspicion dawned that Paul was perhaps not the most reliable or likeable of narrators. And then when we finally learnt exactly what it was that they needed to discuss my feelings shifted again. Talk about appalling behaviour - both that of the boys and of the parents, some of whom were prepared to go to unbelievable lengths to protect their son from the consequences of their actions. The way the narrator tried to justify and minimise the boys’ actions was truly jaw-dropping.

This books was filled with horrible characters saying and doing terrible things. Yet I found it to be compelling and engrossing in an “I can’t look away” kind of way. I listened to this one which added to the experience. I think the power of the awfulness - the self-interest and entitlement - was increased by having it spoken directly into my ear.

Entertaining, well-paced and, sadly, all-too plausible.
 
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aftin148's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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miriam_mal's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The characters are not likeable, doing despicable things and then trying to justify them. Suspenseful read though. 
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