Reviews

The Dinner by Herman Koch

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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.

Content Warnings

kiley2k's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

gouldstandard's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.25

rlegard's review against another edition

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2.0

A little too much of a slow burn at the beginning (but wow did it ramp up). I had a hard time finishing it because I really hated almost every single character which maybe was the point?

notbjork's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

In some ways, I felt this book disappointed me—but that may just be the bad taste the characters left in my mouth. I found the writing compelling, and I didn’t want to put this book down. A disturbing read, but enjoyable to experience it unfold.