Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Dinner

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Dinner by Herman Koch

9 reviews

kaitidid's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

A nice, tense, unreliable narrator read. Had some uncomfortable undertones (racism, classism) that were definitely there to show what kind of people the characters were, but I’d caution against it if that will make you uncomfortable.

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shrncmpbll's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

2.5

This book left me with mixed feelings. While the premise of a suspenseful unraveling during a dinner had potential, the execution fell short for me. I did not connect with the characters, though they were all interestingly flawed. The novel's pacing was inconsistent, with moments of tension punctuated by long stretches of "nothingness". This really overshadowed the exploration of ethical dilemma and, unfortunately, left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

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c_alma_d's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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corinth113's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-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

4.5

Holy…wow. Just finished it, and I feel…bad. Great writing, great tension and suspense building, and really well done but holy cow.

All vibes.

Bad ones, but done in a very well crafted way with slow, disturbing builds, and a dull, slightly sickening atmosphere. You almost don’t notice at first, and then there’s one reference to a film that makes you go “wait” and then it just gets worse from there (in a good way??)

Not really disturbing in the “trigger warning” sense, in case anyone’s wondering. Anyway, great writing as you get to be in this guy’s head for an evening at dinner with brother and their wives. I’m rambling, but it’s because I’m so quietly shook. Read it! Enjoy it…it’ll probably make you feel as satiated and as flabbergasted and as guilty as an overly expensive dinner would with the brother you obviously can’t stand at a place where the portions are way too small to begin with.

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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sofiazee's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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niliii's review against another edition

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dark slow-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

0.5

A truly terrible book. .5 stars because at least it was a fast read, though it felt like it took forever.

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readbeales's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a really strange book. I can't say I've ever read anything quite like it, and I don't think I'll seek out anything else like it in future. It was upsetting and unsettling, but it certainly kept me hooked, and I liked the pacing and the writing. I don't even really mind the ending, however disturbing, because it seemed to suit the characters as they'd been developed. I'd recommend this to someone willing to take a chance on something a little scary and a little weird.

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meganmeread's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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