Posted on

“The Dinner” by Herman Koch.

Scroll down to see more content

I finally finished book number 2 of the year.

I don’t mean “finally finished” as if it’s taken me a long time to read this particular book, but it has taken me awhile to read the second book, whichever it was supposed to be.

It seems like everything went wrong in two different ways: trying to read more than one book at a time, and borrowing so many movies at the same time.

Considering the fact that it has been a long time since I have been a regular reader, I should have eased back into it… reading a few books in a row before I attempted two or three at once.

The good news is that I’m already almost halfway through another book, which I started before the book that I just finished.

So the book, The Dinner, I previously wrote about here and based on the picture on the front, the font, and the reviews on the back (the major seller, they sounded so good!)- I checked it out and put it first in line to finish. I read it all in 4 days (didn’t have much time to read, but I have to find time) and I have to say… I didn’t like it.

I’ve never read any of Herman Koch’s novels before… and there were certain moments in the story that I liked… but overall- it got to the point where I kept telling myself “you have to finish that book!” I even contemplated returning it without finishing it… but I would have wondered what happened at the very end… and everything happens in the end!

I remember it took about 110 pages before anything even remotely close to what the book was actually about happened.

There was so much time spent writing about the actual food that they were eating at the dinner, and every surrounding detail, like the staff at the restaurant…

Bleh.

I don’t recommend it.

I’m happy it’s over.

Also, some reviews have said it’s “like a Dutch Gone Girl”- I haven’t read Gone Girl, but I’ve seen the movie, and I don’t think there’s any comparison.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

Now I know to take the reviews on the back with a grain of salt. Those reviews made me feel like I was crazy not to read this book… now I’m looking at those authors like “sayyy whattt??”

I’m also thinking maybe my NYE goal of reading 52 books was completely unreasonable… but I have SIX books on the table beside me right now that all look really great…

Let’s see how many of them I finish this month.

🙂

7 thoughts on ““The Dinner” by Herman Koch.”

  1. I agree with you about the reviews on the back of the book, etc. I guess they need to sell the book and so…you know the rest. I have found Goodreads a good source of info about books I’m wondering about reading, if you are on the fence.

    Or – ask the librarian if anyone has mentioned the book. The librarians in my library seem to know a lot about books just from what patrons say.

    Because life is too short to read books that don’t hold your interest and there are so many books out there that will. That’s what I think!

    I love your book-reading excitement and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Sometimes I look things up on Goodreads right on my phone in the library. Helps me get beyond the book blurbs and the hype and see if it’s the kind of book I like (not necessarily if it’s a “good” book but the kind I like to read!) It’s saved me reading things I’m not really going to like. And I am a person who can stop in the middle of a book and look at the end, if the book is boring me, but I hate to do it. Still, life is just too short for all the books out there!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah! This one took forever. The entire book takes place during one dinner, so wayyyy to much of the book is about the actual dinner. Too many details about the food, the wine… he even went into how many bites they took of the food. EHHH.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment