2024 the best dinner review

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The darkly suspenseful tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives—all over the course of one meal. Now a major motion picture.

“Chilling, nasty, smart, shocking, and unputdownable.”—Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl
 
It’s a summer’s evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened.
 
Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act—an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children, and as civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.
 
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
 
“A European Gone Girl . . . A sly psychological thriller.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Brilliantly engineered . . . The novel is designed to make you think twice, then thrice, not only about what goes on within its pages, but also the next time indignation rises up, pure and fiery, in your own heart.”—Salon
 
“You’ll eat it up, with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”—Entertainment Weekly

“[Koch] has created a clever, dark confection . . . absorbing and highly readable.”—New York Times Book Review
 
“Tongue-in-cheek page-turner.”—The Washington Post

“[A] deliciously Mr. Ripley-esque drama.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008ZPGDX0
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hogarth (February 12, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 12, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6474 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
Reviewer: C. Collins
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A carefully written tale of crime and family that is disturbing throughout
Review: Many reviewers really disliked this book while many reviewers really liked it. I found that despite some faults, overall the book is good and deserves four out of five stars.The plot is often described in these book reviews and the primary focus of these plot summaries is on the two brothers, the laid-off high school teacher with the explosive temper and his politician brother who might become Prime Minister in the upcoming elections. However, the wives of these two men play critical roles, especially Claire, the calm wife of angry Paul. The two sons of these two brothers have committed a crime, only the parents know due to poor video footage, however an adopted African son of the politician also knows of his brother’s actions, and this fact, forces an unexpected and violent ending to the book.The story unfolds at a dinner at an upscale restaurant which is lampooned continually during the middle of the book. However, flashbacks and other literary devices are used to give the reader a gradual and frightening look at Paul and all his pent up explosive resentments and anger as well as his propensity to see violence as a solution and way to achieve his goals. But here is where Koch shows his real skills for as we are drawn to the conflicts between brothers and are increasingly alerted to Paul’s propensity toward violence, we only gradually get a focus on Claire. She emerges slowly, a loving supportive wife and mother, until the reader realizes that she is not what she appears. I found this twist of plot to be sophisticated, cool, well written, and realistic to the characters that Koch develops.The fact that these two teenage cousins get into some nasty business is highly realistic for our day and times. In fact, that parents would discuss this with other parents is also realistic. That there would be differences of opinion is realistic, and finally, that the violence is further extended to protect the boys is also realistic and is probably Koch’s primary point to the reader.There is some criticism that Koch plays games with the readers, only gradually revealing the crime and the discussion of that crime by the parents of the two boys. I found this to be brilliant and strategic since he has to build the characters of the two brothers and their wives so we can understand the different reactions to the crime and the very different solutions to the issue. Also, the reader begins to piece together what Paul knows and what Claire knows and how they may know different things about the incident and have taken different steps to conceal, support, confront, and manipulate.Overall, I think the book was good and would recommend it to others. Not everyone is compelled to know the details of the crime, the juicy part, too quickly. It is revealed around page 100. But in this novel, the crime of the boys is not the juicy part. It is the subsequent actions that unfold as a result of the initial crime that are most terrible.

Reviewer: Larry Hoffer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Tremendously intriguing but not entirely satisfying. Kind of like some dinners I've had...
Review: I'd give this book 3.5 stars.Are children truly destined to repeat the sins of their parents? Are parents' protective instincts so ingrained that they'd stop at nothing to ensure their children's futures aren't harmed? These questions are addressed in Herman Koch's intriguing yet somewhat frustrating novel, The Dinner, which has sold millions of copies in The Netherlands (where Koch originally published the book) and across the world.Paul and Claire Lohman have agreed to have dinner with Paul's politician brother, Serge, and his wife, Babette, as they do from time to time. Always wanting to impress, Serge chooses a trendy restaurant at which you can rarely get reservations unless you call months ahead, the type of place where the host explains the origin of every ingredient, and the food is expensive and fussy. It's the last thing that Paul and Claire want to do, but they have an important topic to discuss.After the talk about vacations and the latest Woody Allen movie has died down, after a prolonged emotional outburst or two, and even a photo request from a restaurant patron and his daughter, the discussion hits its target. Both couples have a 15-year-old son, and the two have been involved in a horrific act of violence which has sparked a police investigation and affected each boy differently. Each couple has a very different idea of how things should proceed, but one couple is far more determined to ensure their son's future is protected.The core idea of this book is tremendously intriguing, and Koch draws out the suspense as he reveals detail after detail, much like peeling an onion. What the boys did is so disturbing that it's fascinating--and repulsive--how the parents are treating what has happened. The dynamics of the two couples, borne by both the protective nature of parents and the resentment of brothers, is very interesting; what remains unsaid is just as compelling as what is. My frustration with this book, however, is it takes far too long to get to the discussion about how to address what the boys have done. The narrative meanders all over the place, and while everything it touches on--Paul's own history of violence and anger, his fractured relationship with Serge and Babette--is relevant, I just wanted to know what would happen and found everything else a little distracting.You may be able to predict some of how the book will conclude, but I was surprised by part of it as well, and I didn't feel it all worked. I can't figure out whether Koch, too, is commenting on the fierce instincts of parents and the lawless nature of teenagers today, or whether he believes, as he has Paul express, that some people deserve to be victims.For me, The Dinner had tremendous potential that wasn't quite realized, but it is still a book worth reading, for both the way Koch lets the plot slowly unfold, and the shocking nature of the story. I would just keep in mind that the plot moves as slowly as dinners often do, and much like some dinners, it might not completely satisfy you in the end.

Reviewer: Amazon-klant
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Ik heb het boek nooit ontvangen en ook geen geld retour ontvangen

Reviewer: Amazon-Kunde
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I really liked that there is an unexpected twist in the story that also arises questions about how far you would go for your own family.I won't give five stars because I didn't enjoy the backstory that much.

Reviewer: akanksha patadia
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The Dinner is a psychological thriller set in a restaurant in the Netherlands. This is a dark, twisted book about how two families chooses to deal with a crisis over the course of a meal. The families consist of two brothers and their respective wives, each of whom have a 15 year-old son. The book shows the contrasting parenting styles and how far each family is willing go to ensure their child’s future. The book is laced with dark humour and will make you question the reliability of the narrator. Reviewing the book without any spoilers is a challenge, but I have done my best without giving any spoilers.The Good-1. Writing- The book is originally written in Dutch and is translated to English by Sam Garrett. The book is cleverly written with minute clues spread all over the book. I was transported into their lives and could vividly imagine the restaurant, the annoying manager, and the meals. The book is an easy and enjoyable read.2. The Plot Line- This book is a slow burn. During the first quarter of the book, nothing important happens. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes more and more engaging until you can’t put it down. The book runs through all the courses, from aperitif to digestive, from light conversation to an intense debate. The book also goes back and forth between the past and present. The ending of the book has many potential explanations; I’ve included my own in the description. You are not going to like a single character in this book, but the book itself, you’ll fall in love with.3. Dark Subtle Humour- I enjoy dark humour and this book has plenty of it. It hit the right spot for me. Paul’s rant about WWII victims was my favorite moment from the book.The Bad-1. I found it a bit hard to believe that a family with such a grave issue at hand waited till the very end of the meal to discuss it, let alone choosing a public restaurant to be the location where they do.2. If you are not a fan of dark humour, you are going to hate this book. It will certainly be a tough read.

Reviewer: Fernanda Langsch
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: ...but was disappointed. I read some reviews that compared this book to Gone Girl, so I expected some major turnaround in the story, just something. I remember being 75% done with the book and still hoping something exciting would happen. Instead I went through all of it with no emotion whatsoever, the characters all seemed fake to me, couldn't relate to any of them. And I also had trouble following the narrator's thoughts.Overall, don't wast your time or money.

Reviewer: LeKe
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: well written on a ever more common subject that a parent might have to face with their own children. A good read!