Summer House with Swimming Pool
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Peter Berkrot
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By:
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Herman Koch
About this listen
The blistering new novel from Herman Koch, author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Dinner.
When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he’s not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high-profile doctor to the stars, Marc can’t hide from the truth forever.
It all started the previous summer. Marc, his wife, and their two beautiful teenage daughters agreed to spend a week at the Meiers’ extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean. Joined by Ralph and his striking wife, Judith, her mother, and film director Stanley Forbes and his much younger girlfriend, the group settles in for days of sunshine, wine tasting, and trips to the beach. But when a violent incident disrupts the idyll, darker motivations are revealed, and suddenly no one can be trusted. As the ultimate holiday soon turns into a nightmare, the circumstances surrounding Ralph’s later death begin to reveal the disturbing reality behind that summer’s tragedy.
Featuring the razor-sharp humor and acute psychological insight that made The Dinner an international phenomenon, Summer House with Swimming Pool is a controversial, thought-provoking novel that showcases Herman Koch at his finest.
©2011 Herman Koch (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Translation © 2014 by Sam GarrettListeners also enjoyed...
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Award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos crafts an irresistibly touching debut novel. Love Walked In is a contemporary tale, steeped in nostalgic, cinematic charm, of love in all its forms. Unapologetically idealistic about love, Cornelia Brown appears to catch the break of a lifetime when the dashing Martin Grace, her own personal Cary Grant, comes strolling into her life. But it is Martin's connection to 11-year-old Clare Hobbes that touches Cornelia's heart in ways she never imagined.
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Dreadful audio quality
- By Marenghi on 09-16-11
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Falling Together
- A Novel
- By: Marisa de los Santos
- Narrated by: Julia Gibson
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s been six years since Pen Calloway watched her best friends walk out of her life. And through the birth of her daughter, the death of her father, and the vicissitudes of single motherhood, she has never stopped missing them. Pen, Cat, and Will met on their first day of college and formed what seemed like a magical and lifelong bond, only to see their friendship break apart amid the realities of adulthood. When, after years of silence, Cat - the bewitching, charismatic center of their group - e-mails Pen and Will with an urgent request to meet at their college reunion, they can’t refuse.
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Narrator's breathy voice a turn off
- By Amy on 10-16-11
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The Unsung Hero
- Troubleshooters, Book 1
- By: Suzanne Brockmann
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor, Melanie Ewbank
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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After a near-fatal head injury, Navy SEAL lieutenant Tom Paoletti catches a glimpse of an international terrorist in his New England hometown. When he calls for help, the Navy dismisses the sighting as injury-induced imaginings. In a last-ditch effort to prevent disaster, Tom creates his own makeshift counterterrorism team, assembling his most loyal officers, two elderly war veterans, a couple of misfit teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton.
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New narration breathes life into this for me
- By Kindle Customer (VH) on 06-21-16
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Private Relations
- By: Diane Chamberlain
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the Chapel House, the old oceanfront mansion where a group of close friends share their hopes and dreams and where love is sometimes an unexpected guest. Heartfelt and deeply moving, Private Relations won the 1989 RITA Award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel from the Romance Writers of America.
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What???
- By Kimberly K. Roberts on 06-12-18
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Outside Looking In
- A Novel
- By: T. C. Boyle
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1943, LSD is synthesized in Basel. Two decades later, a coterie of grad students at Harvard are gradually drawn into the inner circle of renowned psychologist and psychedelic drug enthusiast Timothy Leary. Fitzhugh Loney, a psychology PhD student, and his wife, Joanie, become entranced by the drug’s possibilities such that their “research” becomes less a matter of clinical trials and academic papers and instead turns into a freewheeling exploration of mind expansion, group dynamics, and communal living.
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STORYTELLING AS CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING
- By Christopher Meeks on 05-25-19
By: T. C. Boyle
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Stories
- All-New Tales
- By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, Al Sarrantonio - editor, Joe Hill, and others
- Narrated by: Anne Bobby, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The best stories pull readers in and keep them turning the pages, eager to discover more—to find the answer to the question: "And then what happened?" The true hallmark of great literature is great imagination, and as Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio prove with this outstanding collection, when it comes to great fiction, all genres are equal.
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Something for Everyone
- By Nicole on 05-24-17
By: Neil Gaiman - author/editor, and others
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The Road Home
- By: Ford Michael Thomas Ford
- Narrated by: Blake Somerset
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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When a car accident leaves photographer Burke Crenshaw in need of temporary full-time care, he finds himself back in the one place no forty-year-old chooses to be--his childhood bedroom. There, in the Vermont home where he grew up, Burke begins the long process of recuperation, and watches as his widowed father finds happiness in a new relationship that's a constant reminder of everything Burke wants and lacks. Exploring local history, Burke discovers an intriguing series of letters from a Civil War soldier to his fianc.
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No need to check your scepticism at the door!
- By Orlando on 08-23-13
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High Dive
- By: Jonathan Lee
- Narrated by: Doyle Gerard
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Taking us inside one of the 20th century's most ambitious assassination attempts - "making history personal", as one character puts it - High Dive moves between the luxurious hospitality of a British tourist town and the troubled city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the height of the armed struggle between the Irish Republican Army and those loyal to the UK government.
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Humor? Not Funny.
- By W Perry Hall on 04-10-16
By: Jonathan Lee
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The Unit
- By: Ninni Holmqvist
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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When Dorrit Wegner turned fifty, the government transferred her to a state-of-the-art facility where she can live out her days in comfort. Her apartment is furnished to her tastes, her meals expertly served, and all at the very reasonable non-negotiable price of one cardiopulmonary system. Once an outsider without family, derided by a society bent on productivity, Dorrit finds within The Unit the company of kindred spirits and a dignity conferred by 'use' in medical tests.
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Makes you think
- By Sylvia on 01-30-11
By: Ninni Holmqvist
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Strong Motion
- By: Jonathan Franzen
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 20 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Louis Holland arrives in Boston in a spring of ecological upheaval (a rash of earthquakes on the North Shore) and odd luck: the first one kills his grandmother. Louis tries to maintain his independence, but falls in love with a Harvard seismologist whose discoveries about the earthquakes' cause complicate everything.
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Compelling Story, Ridiculous Narrator
- By DianeReads on 02-28-16
By: Jonathan Franzen
What listeners say about Summer House with Swimming Pool
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mel
- 09-23-14
Big Boys Behaving Badly
Months ago I finished this novel, attempted to review, but my fingers hovered over the keyboard and my head felt scrambled -- the condition is called being *dumbstruck.* As a reviewer wrote, Summer House is "uncommon" and if you read Koch's previous novel, The Dinner, you know the author has a blunt-force style that is anything but common. He is out of the box, out of bounds, and you need to brace yourself for a style that might leave you a little dumbstruck. It's not that he is offensive -- he is completely unique and captures his characters in sticky icky situations, at the edge of civility, then pushes it to places we hope we are incapable of falling to ourselves.
Subject matter is borderline, of course, it's Koch, and if just hearing *lecherous older men and barely-into-their-teens young girls* already has you grimacing -- not your book because that is just the beginning. (I had to keep in mind that nude sunbathing and swimming is de rigueur in some cultures.) Throw in lots of alcohol, a doctor that is repulsed by the human body, adultery, rape, and nude frolicking on the beach... it's gritty and uncomfortable (like getting sand in places usually covered by your bathing suit). And as if it isn't already prickly enough, there are plenty of moments where you shouldn't be laughing, but you are...that watching someone stumble and ride down the stairs laugh. Koch connects with a part of us that some of us don't want to know is there, and that is what is the most discomforting.
Koch is a good writer and does what he sets out to do well. He keeps you engaged even when it's uncomfortable -- but so does an electric fence. I occasionally like a book where I am expected to boo and hiss the bad guys -- it's all good fun. But, I think Summer House crossed MY line by featuring too many taboos. In the end (and what about that end??-huh?) I recognize the author's uniqueness and talent, but Summer House "enriched me not" and left me feeling almost guilty, "poor indeed." If you think you have the mental fortitude, you don't have bouts of depression triggered by icky situations, you love to hate the characters and dark deeds, don't mind sand in cracks...this may be your book.
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67 people found this helpful
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- Jasmine
- 05-07-15
Typical Koch Let Down
I purchased this audiobook after reading the synopsis - it genuinely looked promising. I wanted to know what happened during that ill-fated summer by the pool? I should have known better though, because I was disappointed reading "The Dinner" in a similar fashion. About three-quarters of the way through the book, nothing made sense or seemed to follow logic. Who was the real villain? What happened to the Marc Schlosser's daughter? In my opinion, Koch gets so focused on creating a story in which what you think is happening is not actually the reality of the book. It's frustrating because by the time I finished the story, I was trying to figure out why I wasted over 11 hours of my life. I was utterly confused and just disappointed overall.
Unfortunately, this is probably the last Herman Koch novel that I will ever pick up. His books are like bad climaxes - you just wish that they were never initiated.
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- Julie W. Capell
- 08-11-14
Had to quit after chapter 13 -- huge "ick" factor
It pains me greatly to be giving this book only 2 stars, because I think Herman Koch is a brilliant writer. In the first several chapters alone, I found dozens of passages that were flat-out genius, such as the section where he lampoons the myriad abuses to which Shakespeare’s plays are subjected by small theater companies. But I have decided to give up reading this novel after Chapter 13 for a highly personal reason: too many nitty gritty, nasty details about the human body and medical conditions. As in his previous novel, “The Dinner,” the author treats the reader to a stream-of-consciousness from within the head of the protagonist. In “Summer House,” the main character is a doctor, and when his mind goes off-topic, he nearly always reflects on the gross things a doctor has to see and do during the course of a day seeing patients. Because Koch is such a good writer, the descriptions are quite realistic and cringe-inducing, which I surmise is exactly the reaction Koch is looking for, but it is too creepy for me. If you can get beyond this “ick” factor, you may enjoy the book, but if you, like me, can barely watch an episode of “CSI” without getting grossed out, you may want to skip this book.
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43 people found this helpful
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- Simone
- 06-10-14
I am all over the place with this one!
I ADORED “The Dinner” I am in love with the writing style so when I saw that there was another English language book by the same author I bought it right away without reading the synopsis.
This book really made an impression, but perhaps not for the right reasons! The plot was interesting, I liked the story, but his I think his descriptive writing style is a little too good – it’s so shocking and jarring!
There is so much distain and revulsion and negative energy in the main character that it’s sometimes hard to read! He makes you feel dirty and off-center; he’s so unlikable and his thoughts are so disturbing. His thinking is so sick and detestable it makes you wonder why you’re still reading, yet you do because you’ve never read anything like it before and you’re genuinely curious to know where it will lead. A little like watching a train wreck.
Perhaps because this was an audio-book I was extra disquieted because I was actually hearing someone vocalize the thoughts – actually saying the words; I think that had a bigger impact.
Personally, I was let down by the ending but the ride was so “different” that I didn’t mind. I’d love to read another book by the same author, but honestly I hope it won’t be as alarming!
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42 people found this helpful
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- Alison
- 06-28-14
Wasn't sure where it was going...
This is my first novel by Herman Koch. I had no idea where it was going. But I'm glad I hung in there. The first half was slow... painfully. It was kind of like American Psycho goes doctor without the blood and chainsaws. But in the end it's a story of a sad broken family, lead by a narcissistic, scary physician.
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18 people found this helpful
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- EJJ
- 04-13-15
Tedious
I bought this because Koch's THE DINNER was so good. This book, however, has not one likable character, entirely too much philosophizing by the protagonist, and much too long a wait for something of interest to happen.
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- ferngarden
- 07-09-14
Wishing for more substance
It's tough when you can't find any redeeming values in the main character. His distaste for his patients got irritating.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Gudrun
- 02-07-15
Beautifully weird
I have already read The Dinner by Herman Koch which I enjoyed so lead me to read this. This book was very well written and observed. Unfortunately the characters, although they may be realistic, were so unlikable that I found it hard to root for anybody. It would have been nice to have felt sympathetic towards at least one character.
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2 people found this helpful
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- susan
- 05-28-15
Intriguing Book with a Confising Conclusion
I loved this book at least until the end. The main character is dispicable but like a car crash, one can't look away. The writing is dry and pointed and overall very good. The characters are very well developed and the mystery keeps one coming back for more. My only complaint is the ending. It leaves far too many loose ends dangling. Where one would hope for a satisfying conclusion, or a question, or even two emaining, there are five or six that remain unanswered. This lead me to confusion and a search on the internet for answers, where I found others just as confused as I. Except for this I was held spellbound by the main horrible, disgusting character and his thoughts and was totally enraptured by the story...until the dissapointing ending.
The narrator does a very good job , with just the right amount of cold laser-like intonation when relating Marc's thouhts while at the same time softening things down for other characters.
I can't give this book a wholehearted recommendation due to the ending, but if you want to hear the secret thoughts of a disturbed and frustrated , even monsterous man...this is a bok for you!
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- Leesha
- 03-27-17
Twisted, sinister, disturbing!
What did you love best about Summer House with Swimming Pool?
Twisted, sinister, disturbing and most important of all... wickedly entertaining!
Warning: If you read this, you'll never be able to look your doctor in the eye again.
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