Reviews

It's very very good but the chapter that is supposed to bore you with the inefficiencies of the legal system hit the nail on the head so well I was so unbelievably bored it broke my brain and I had to get the audiobook version to get through that chapter. This is much better than the metamorphosis but I really enjoy that one more and would recommend it to anyone! Now for some light reading...

alecjackr's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

ryan_pc's review against another edition

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4.0

OK here goes... It starts out with the arrest of our protagonist, "K.". See, simple isn't it?

He is confused by the arrest and doesn't know the crime he has committed. Not to worry, because neither do the guards arresting him. Thankfully he takes the initiative to get a lawyer - who also doesn't know - to help him navigate the confusing legal system that he will spend the next year entangled in. His journey involves escaping inexplicable sexual advances from women he doesn't know, taking legal advice from a painter knows a lot but not what he needs to know, and meeting various other in-the-know people, who... wouldn't you know it, don't know either.

I understand that doesn't really make any sense. The wonderful thing about this book is, if you go with it you end up getting so thoroughly confused that the things you're confused about start making perfect sense, which in itself is a very confusing experience.

There is no clear way to explain this book to someone who hasn't read it because you would sound like a crazy person. However, it is truly worth reading if only to give into it's absurdity, which I think is the point... although, don't listen to me, I may be confused still.

brooklyn1's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

I found The Trial to be an infinitely more compelling and interesting experience to read than the Metamorphosis. I found it to be thought-provoking, especially the final third. I liked the Law and the gatekeeper parable, and after skimming some online commentary, I realize there was more depth to that than I had originally caught. And I found K. to be the perfect character to navigate this hopeless court system, so despite the slow pace, I didn't find the book to slog too much.

Also, Mitchell's translation was commendable. Definitely recommend.

halfcentreader's review against another edition

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2.0

Whew! That's over!
At times I was intrigued by the nightmare quality of the narrative (and by nightmare, I mean anxiety dreams where you're trying to run but its in slow motion or you got through your day at school only to look down and see you forgot your pants that morning... bizarre and disturbing but not horror) But I was more than equally impatient for some kind of outcome that explained why Josef was undergoing this ordeal. All the law talk went on way too long. It was just a frustrating book.

kaca's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

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