Reviews

Traps by Friedrich Dürrenmatt

evieburrows's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

surprisingly good!! (I say surprisingly because of just how pretentious the introduction was haha)






killing 3 birds with one stone:
- reading this for a student i'm tutoring
- reading a book in german (which i'm supposed to do once a month)
- reading a book from switzerland (my 'reading around the world' challenge)
I feel extra productive hehehe
(thankfully it's only 50 pages because i'm teaching in like 2 days)

misscoralinejones's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

In un mondo governato dal caso è possibile per l'uomo prendere le redini della propria sorte? E se lo Scrittore non vuole essere né giudice né giudicato qual è l'unica storia che è possibile scrivere? È questa: la Panne.
Un uomo a causa di una panne viene ospitato a casa di un vecchio. Qui si è soliti fare un gioco in cui l'ospite viene giudicato e vi sono 4 vecchi (tra cui il padrone di casa) che fanno l'avvocato, il pm, il boia e il giudice (espediente che lo scrittore usa per non dare il proprio giudizio). Viene messo in atto un vero e proprio processo che ha tuttavia le sembianze del giudizio di Minosse, a cui le anime confessano le proprie colpe senza nascondere nulla.
Questa storia è lo scontro tra il Fato e il Destino. Il Fato è il caso, dal latino fatum che significa "ciò che è stato annunciato". Il Destino viene deciso dall'uomo, deriva dal latino destinare che significa "volere, stabilire".
In questo racconto la prima parola (la panne) è scritta dal Fato, ma è il Destino a mettere il punto finale.

chiara029's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

chronicznymol's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

elle_0808's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

susytore's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

4,5*

julia__tabea's review against another edition

Go to review page

inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

ignadze's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

рассказ мне напомнил моменты социальных контактов с одинокими стариками. Бррр

sanperse's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.0

I went into this with high expectations, and came out somewhat underwhelmed. 

It is an interesting examination of how guilt and innocence can be framed and re-framed, and justice becomes absurd, as it becomes a mere game and evening's entertainment. (Or is it more than that?)

I also found it fascinating that the audio drama and the theatre play had different endings. 

"Die Panne" is a quick read, the story and its twists are fast-paced, and its absurdity does border on the comical at times. But, damn, did I find the characters grating and the the sexism, especially present in the play, hard to stomach. I also found the play much less funny than I expected, considering it is named a "comedy". 

I do wonder if I would feel differently seeing on stage, considering that a good cast can really elevate a play, but as it stands, I don't find it a good read. I do still quite like Dürrenmatt, but I would recommend starting anywhere other than here.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nadia_ahmed's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No

3.0