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Angerichtet (Gekürzte Fassung)
Angerichtet (Gekürzte Fassung)
Angerichtet (Gekürzte Fassung)
Audiobook (abridged)7 hours

Angerichtet (Gekürzte Fassung)

Written by Herman Koch

Narrated by Joachim Król

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Der preisgekrönte Bestseller aus den Niederlanden erzählt ein Familiendrama, das um die Fragen kreist: Wie weit darf Elternliebe gehen? Was darf man tun, um seine Kinder zu beschützen? Ein Roman, der ins Herz schneidet.
Zwei Ehepaare - zwei Brüder und ihre Frauen - haben sich zum Essen in einem Spitzenrestaurant verabredet. Sie sprechen über Filme und Urlaubspläne und vermeiden zunächst das eigentliche Thema: die Zukunft ihrer Söhne Michel und Rick. Die beiden Fünfzehnjährigen haben etwas getan, das ihr Leben für immer ruinieren kann. Paul Lohman, der Erzähler und Vater von Michel, will das Beste für seinen Sohn. Und ist bereit, dafür weit zu gehen, sehr weit. Auch die anderen am Tisch haben ihre eigene, geheime Agenda. Während des Essens brechen die Emotionen auf, schwelende Konflikte zwischen den Brüdern entladen sich, und auf einmal steht eine Entscheidung im Raum, die drei der vier mit aller Macht verhindern wollen. Mit unglaublicher Raffinesse und großem Sprachwitz erzählt Herman Koch eine Geschichte von bedingungsloser Liebe, Gewalt und Verrat. Angerichtet ist ein aufwühlender Roman, der lange nachhallt. Ein starkes Stück Literatur.
LanguageDeutsch
PublisherArgon Verlag
Release dateJan 21, 2013
ISBN9783839810583
Angerichtet (Gekürzte Fassung)
Author

Herman Koch

Herman Koch is the author of eight novels and three collections of short stories. The Dinner, his sixth novel, has been published in twenty-five countries, and was an international bestseller. He currently lives in Amsterdam.

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Reviews for Angerichtet (Gekürzte Fassung)

Rating: 3.412787852131308 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

2,041 ratings191 reviews

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  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I picked this book up because my local independent bookstore recommended it. Bad decision on my part. This story was just another example how a certain few believe their lives are worth more than others.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The premise is interesting---a story unfolding over the course of a dinner---but I'm not sure it worked well in practice. The narrator established himself as a liar fairly early on, and once I stopped believing him, I found I couldn't believe anything he said and was no longer invested in the story. I couldn't tell which were the narrator's lies and which were mistakes on the author's part. Even if the Dutch criminal justice system is ridiculously lenient, I can't imagine some of the things the narrator claims to have done just being brushed under the rug with no consequences. And what the heck kind of mental illness can be detected by amniocentesis? It reminded me a little of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch; the reader couldn't trust anything that narrator was saying either. I liked Tartt's novel more than I did this one. It felt more like a puzzle, and I enjoyed trying to spot the lies, but both novels leave me wondering what the point was. I think that means that the novels are postmodern. I don't think I like postmodernism. At least The Dinner wasn't as long as The Goldfinch.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Though it was billed as being disturbing, I thought the subject matter of this book was stuff you’d typically hear on the news. I wished it was more shocking, but it was interesting to have to think of what you would do as a parent to give your kid the life you think they should have.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I hated everyone in this book. I think the author was trying to explore how far parents would go to protect their children, but he engaged in ridiculous plot devices that made no sense. Did I miss something?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Gripping read, provocative and often funny despite its very black subject, it is still a far cry from the "life-changing" novel some of the critics insist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Dinner was a quick, dark read full of terrible people and terrible deeds. There is no point of redemption for any of the characters in this book. As the story reaches its final few pages, it becomes quite clear that redemption was never on the menu. This is about depravity, sickness, and brutality. And in that sense, it's quite satisfying in just how sinister it gets without becoming exploitative or obscene. It's violent, but not gory. Koch has done an excellent job of creating characters who are unreliable and abhorrent on nearly every level.A main complaint I've seen in the reviews is that the characters are unrelateable - well I'd hope so. If you relate to any of the characters in The Dinner then I think you have bigger problems than finding a book you like. Relatability is not a main priority for me, so that didn't keep me from enjoying the book, but if you're a reader who likes to really empathize with your protagonists, you might want to keep looking.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's the kind of book where you can't look away - like driving slowly past a traffic accident. Every detail is important. In the early part of the book, the details may seem trivial, but then as more information comes out, it comes together. The story started in a way I thought I understood, I thought I knew where it was going. And then before my eyes it completely changed direction! By then I was utterly hooked. There are some weak spots in the plot but they are easily overlooked. This is dark, disturbing, unpleasant and shocking, but undoubtedly clever.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This book was compelling at the beginning but once the details of the situation emerged it became pretty boring. The characters were hard to identify with, which I understand isn't always the point, but I started to loathe them all and stopped caring about the outcome. Still, I suppose it is good to read a 'not nice' book every now and again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Got a free advance copy of this at a conference. Fast read, similar in tone to Gone Girl but not as good.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book starts out innocuously enough. Narrator Paul Lohman, and his wife Claire, are meeting his brother and sister-in-law, Serge and Babette, for dinner at an upscale restaurant. Serge is a candidate for Prime Minister of the Netherlands in the upcoming election. The couples exchange pleasantries over dinner, but the reader gradually becomes aware of an underlying tension. We begin to understand that all is not as it seems.

    The book is structured around the courses of the meal: aperitif, appetizer, main course, dessert, and digestif. The plot unravels slowly. The narrator is unreliable. The darkness of tone increases until the reader realizes the polite discussion and detailed descriptions of each course are concealing unsavory and disturbing secrets. This book is filled with unlikeable characters. The true extent and horrific nature of the one (or more) of the characters is not revealed until near the end.

    I have tried to describe this book without spoilers, but it is difficult. I recommend going into it without knowing much about it. I am impressed by the author’s ability to tell a well-crafted and engrossing story. Koch is commenting on the way labels and abdication of responsibility have led to an acceptance of cruelty and violence.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The description made me want to read this book, but while the story held my interest I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters or empathize with any of their decisions. There was not so much a "tragedy" that any one was faced with nor did it make me wonder what I myself would do if faced with such an impossible "tragedy" The characters were too unreal. The plot was too implausible and the narrative too often stated "I'm not going to tell you" As in the wife is hospitalized but "I'm not going to tell you why" She had multiple surgeries but "I'm not going to tell you" what they were. One character has a mental illness of some sort but "I'm not going to tell you" what it is (since no such condition exists) oh and this illness could have been diagnosed before birth with an amnio but "I'm not going to tell you" This was less a story of how far you would go to protect those you love and more a story of how far you would dig yourself into a deeper hole along with someone who was never in a million years going to be able to get away with what they've done.



    I received this book from Blogging for Books for review
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Love me an edgy, quasi - literary thriller, and one featuring an unreliable narrator in an exotic locale is on paper a perfect book for me. This was a good intriguing read, though didn't feature any truly jaw dropping moments or quite pack the punch I was hoping for.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I can review this book with one word: Disturbing. And unsettling. But it is un-put-downable. I am giving it three stars because the characters are so detestable and distasteful, but it is well-written and a page-turner.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    adult fiction. Kinda like having to sit through a miserable dinner at a table full of self-righteous people that hate each other. Supposedly the sharp banter and acidic humor combined with the intrigue (what exactly has transpired between the couples' two teenage sons?) makes you want to stay tuned, but in my case it didn't work.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 stars

    I don't know what to say about this book. Everyone in it seems to be crazy. I didn't know what was going on at first. Now that I've finished I don't know how to rate it. It's a weird story, but it's uniquely weird. I just don't know. This book is an experience for sure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I still don't know if I liked the ending, but I did like getting there. Great narrative.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 Initially this seems like a surface novel of manners. Narrated by Paul Lohman as he and his wife, Claire meet his brother Serge and wife Babette at a fancy restaurant, initially it seemed like a serious comedy - Paul internally criticizes everything about the evening from the pretentious waiter and the posh food to the man next to him at the urinal in the rest room. It seems like a classic case of envy - Serge is running for political office in Holland and receives much attention and praise, which Paul stews over. This gets a little tiresome and whiny until he begins to reveal the fears hovering below the insecurities and critical shield. Both couples have teenage sons, who together have committed a heinous crime and posted it on you-tube. Though they are unidentifiable in appearance on the video, it is only a matter of time until they are found out. This is the elephant at the table. Paul believes he is the only one who knows and wants to bury the information, but also confront his brother. As each course is served, the tension ratchets up a bit and more is revealed to the reader. Ultimately, we learn Paul has his own history with violence, so it is no wonder his son has pursued the same path. Serge wants to do the right thing and withdraw from the political race. All players seem morally bankrupt as they wrestle with these weighty topics over a contrastingly superficial, expensive dinner. Creepy in an unexpected way that leaves lots to consider, discuss and debate.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Very disappointing. The story had so much potential, but the author didn't take it anywhere. A crime is committed and the parents hide it to protect their child. The end.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    A pageturner but garbage, felt like stopping a few times nearer the end.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Wow. Those are some seriously unlikable characters. I couldn't get through this book. I hope someone tells me how it ends.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Takes place during a dinner in a restaurant shifting back and forth in time. Explores the length people will go to protect their children. It also explores the nature versus nurture theme. These are framed in a nice, tense, thriller of a novel where you think you know who a character is but soon realize you don't. I really liked this novel
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Disturbing story. Unpleasant, ugly characters and events. Still, it was well written and compelling in its own way.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The description asks what each of us would do in the face of tragedy? I sure don't believe that I would do what these stupid people did. To start with all of the characters were so loathsome that it actually made the story rather unpalatable...to continue on the dinner theme. I can't believe these adults actually reacted the way they did to what these kids did. These little 15 year old "angels" saw nothing wrong...and had no remorse what so ever...except they got caught on camera...with setting fire to a homeless woman for the "fun" of it just to see what would happen. I don' see how these parents could possibly eat dinner after viewing this. The one interesting "twist" that got this 3 stars instead of 2...was that one of the fathers turned out to show some common sense. He actually wanted to take some sort of action to the situation...while the other one was actually a psychopath whose "little apple" didn't fall far from the tree. I will say I don't believe I've ever read anything quiet like it... and I have read some gruesome ones.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Our book club read this month was Herman Koch's The Dinner. I had seen Goodreads friends who had read it and enjoyed it. I didn't realize it was a dark 'thriller'.The novel begins slow, and well, is actually boring, the narrative voice telling how he and his wife are getting ready to meet another couple at an upscale restaurant. They are not looking forward to it.We learn that the other couple is the narrator's brother and sister-in-law, and the brother is going to run for Prime Minister. The brothers have a strained history and relationship. The narrator had a 'meltdown' in the classroom when he was teaching and was on medication. There is a scene before the dinner where the narrator looks at his son's cell phone and is not pleased with what he discovers. How would this evening, our dinner at the restaurant, have proceeded, had I indeed quit right then and there? from The Dinner by Herman KochThere is a lot of description of the meal and the staff and how the sister-in-law is wearing dark glasses to hide that she has been crying.And when we discover what it is that brought these parents together, you may wish you were not reading this book. It's too late--you have to keep turning pages. The crime is so horrendous! And the cover-up is even more disturbing.The plotting is masterful. But I wish I had not read this book! Did I mention it is DISTURBING? I worried about nightmares! I am not a lover of books that do this to me!What would YOU do if your fifteen-year-old son had committed a crime? How far would YOU go to protect your child?Maybe we don't take that seriously enough...How young they are. To the outside world, they're suddenly adults, because they did something that we, as adults, consider a crime. But I feel that they've responded to it more like children. from The Dinner by Herman KochWould you rationalize your child's behavior? Hide the crime? Smooth the way without repercussions? Or make the child own up to his error, support their turning themselves over to the authorities? Would consider bribery or threats or violence? Or set a standard of morality and law?So be forewarned--you will encounter some nasty folk, and if you pick the book up, be prepared for a slow simmer that comes to a roiling boil!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reading this book was like eating an orange gone bad, very bad. As you reveal the fruit inside, you find out it is rotten through and through. I began getting an uneasy feeling at the halfway point and it never went away. Your initial perceptions are proven wrong. Clever, very clever. I'm sure if this isn't already optioned for a film, it will be soon.

    I recommend it!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Best book I've read this year so far. The writing is tight and sharp and hilarious, and there are plenty of surprises packed into this one little dinner, between these two couples. I asked my friend Francie to bring this book to me because it is not going to be published in the United States until 2013 or 2014. I owe Francie a big one for bringing this from Scotland for me. I can't talk a lot about the plot or anything, because it would give the entire story away, but I will say, a perfectly well deserved five stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Herman Koch’s The Dinner, translated from the Dutch, is set in modern Amsterdam. Most of the novel’s action takes place over the course of an expensive dinner endured by two couples at an upscale restaurant. The narrator, Paul, begins by expressing his dread over the upcoming evening and alludes to his antipathy toward the other party. The reader is drawn into his thoughts, memories and apprehensions. Paul and his wife Claire are joined by his famous sibling and his wife. It is apparent that there is some long-standing resentment and tension between the four. Throughout the dinner, they seem to be building toward an unavoidable confrontation- one that keeps Paul searching for ways to postpone the reason for their gathering. The book tackles questions of wealth and privilege, fame and reputation in the face of potential scandal. It also addresses the issues of parental obligations and advocacy, and the lengths to which parents are willing to go to shield their children from the consequences of their actions. The reader is led to contemplate the point at which these self-serving goals begin to alienate people from each other and create inevitable competition even within families. Each section of The Dinner is titled after a course as it is served during the meal. The characters are extremely interesting and morally ambiguous, unlikeable in many ways- and perhaps too familiar. Despite the constrained timeline, the novel is psychologically deep and suspenseful. Koch has created a work that is timely, thought-provoking and ultimately disturbing. Readers who prefer dark thrillers that focus on character and larger ethical concerns would find the Dinner to be extremely satisfying.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pretty disturbing story about the how far parents would go to protect their children. The author does a good job making you dislike all the characters for their behaviour. Interesting to watch the unfolding of the narrator as a psychotic. Well written but a chilling story.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Holy Shit!! This book was crazy!! It's not one of those books that's full of action but it is a mindF**k. The narrator was so unreliable, yet still he was interesting. I recommend this book but be prepared to not like anyone!! Old crazy ass family!! Except maybe Sergio...anyway I dont want to give away too much...check it out. Has anyone else read this? What'd you think?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is one of the ones where I'm giving it four starts because it's objectively good, although I didn't *enjoy* it per se. Reminded me lots of Camus's The Stranger, which I'm going to re-read again now I think. Terrible characters who you come to see are not so much morally questionable as completely morally corrupt. Masterful use of readers' innate instinct to trust/sympathize with a story's narrator, which makes the ending more disturbing. So like... it's good. And I suppose I'd recommend it. But I don't think I'd read it again. Should make for an interesting book club discussion tomorrow night!!