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moco71's review against another edition
1.0
Not sure why I finished this...i've liked other books by this author, but couldn't get into this one where the main character becomes obsessed with the idea that his wife is cheating on him.
ktaroo939's review against another edition
The English version of this book isn’t on goodreads but it exists and was really good. I will probably go back read it again.
arienne311's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
msalexisshea's review against another edition
1.0
Okay I didn’t actually finish the book. Ironically in the book the narrator talks about how far into a book you read before you realize it’s complete shit. I realized it 20 pages in and then made it another 150pgs before I just couldn’t take it.
This book is AWFUL. Awful awful awful. Don’t read it. I wasted 17 days on this shit.
This book is AWFUL. Awful awful awful. Don’t read it. I wasted 17 days on this shit.
lauraxbakker's review against another edition
4.0
Laten we zeggen dat dit mijn eerste Koch is aangezien ik 'Makkelijk Leven' liever niet mee tel. Ik vond het een heel fijn boek om te lezen. Een literaire fictie waarin het leven van de burgemeester van Amsterdam wordt gevolgd. Erg vermakelijk en leest onwijs snel weg.
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
The mayor of Amsterdam is at an obligatory holiday party when he sees his wife laughing at something one of his councilmen has said. His suspicions are raised. He can't believe his wife would even be having a conversation with that man and when he goes over to them he finds their behavior to confirm his suspicions. If you've read any of Herman Koch's other novels, you'll know that his worries about this possible affair quickly overwhelm him. And as he studies his own wife's behavior, his father is having a crisis of his own. He and the mayor's mother want to die peacefully before they become incapacitated.
This is a novel in which the narrator/protagonist is a very unpleasant man, prone to short rants about everything from recycling to using windmills to produce clean energy (he has negative opinions about both) and while this should make for an unpleasant reading experience, Koch knows how to write a character who is both vile, insecure and charismatic. And as his actions become more and more extreme, the novel becomes harder to set aside. This is an entertaining thriller that has the added bonus of being set in Amsterdam, a city that the protagonist assures us is provincial and dull. I wouldn't want to spend any time with these people in real life, but they do make for a fun book.
This is a novel in which the narrator/protagonist is a very unpleasant man, prone to short rants about everything from recycling to using windmills to produce clean energy (he has negative opinions about both) and while this should make for an unpleasant reading experience, Koch knows how to write a character who is both vile, insecure and charismatic. And as his actions become more and more extreme, the novel becomes harder to set aside. This is an entertaining thriller that has the added bonus of being set in Amsterdam, a city that the protagonist assures us is provincial and dull. I wouldn't want to spend any time with these people in real life, but they do make for a fun book.
maudreeskamp's review against another edition
3.0
Koch schrijft altijd op een komische manier, dit boek verveelt wederom niet. Helaas geen voldaan gevoel toen ik het boek uit had. Misschien kwam dat omdat er voor mij nog te veel open plekken bestonden aan het einde van het verhaal..
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the author's best attempts, the main allegorical plot about the protagonist's gender power dynamics imbalance in marriage, and the setting's various intellectual digs (topics include ageist discrimination, euthanasia, racism, hypocrisy of the green movement, celebrity politicians), were not as effectual in evoking the piercing black humour of his earlier work [b:The Dinner|40718205|The Dinner|Herman Koch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530713598l/40718205._SY75_.jpg|6463092]. Nevertheless, I still look forward his future works.