El Proceso (The Trial) (Abridged) Audiobook

" This is the first book by Franz Kafka I have read, and to be honest, were it not for the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, it would quite possibly be my last. The value of The Trial as an addition to the literary canon is unquestionable, but I did not enjoy reading it. It raises great and classic questions about the law and judicial system and what role they should be permitted to play in the lives of people, as well as about the nature of guilt, but it never resolves them. I understand, in a way, that that is part of the beauty of the work, but I still found the reading tedious. I also understand that it is an unfinished work that the author never wished to be published, but my understanding is that was the way he felt about everything he wrote. Most of all, I think the thing I found disappointing was the extent to which the book felt dated. It did not have the timelessness and relevance which I expected, and I think that is the root of my disappointment. "

" He didn't know why he was on trial and I didn't know why I was reading about it. Neither of us received an answer. There's no story here, only writing to write. Regardless of how good a writer Kafka is or isn't, writing just to write is a waste of everyone's time. "

" Probably the greatest existential novel (and I love my existential novels). Creepy, paranoid, merciless, and often quite funny. Like Alice in Wonderland if the Red Queen executed everyone. "

" Kafkaesque? Kidding - it's frustrating, maddening and filled with entertaining terror. "

" Very interesting and very freaky. The Trial makes you feel very alone and in the end it leaves you feeling exactly like the character feels throughout the book. Quite brilliant actually and a very quick read. "

" Had to read this book for school a while ago, have yet to re-read it. The class was on modernity and i think the focus was meant to be bureaucracy. Full of surreal imagery and symbolism. I learnt what the term "Kafkaesque" meant. Was my second Kafka book, first of course was Metamorphoses. "

" It's a shame this work was never finished. "

" A classic that just becomes more and more true. "

" Meh... Mildly entertaining read which at timed confused me as much as it did the protagonist. I'll probably be shot for saying this, but my first foray into Kafka revealed little more than a poor man's Murakami... "

" Possibly the worlds most brilliant, well-crafted, and nuanced allegory. Marvelous. Kick back and ponder with Kafka what exactly we're all on trial for, who's judging (and whether they have any valid credentials whatsoever), and if perhaps worrying about it all really just fuels the problem. Enjoy! "

" Symptomatic of alienation rather than an alternative to it. Hard going but worth it. "

" I loved it! Mostly the part when he describes how justice is so unreachable. "

" One of the best books ever written! "

" I found it disappointing and hard to follow. Maybe I'm just not high-brow enough to understand it. "

" I read the Trial in undergrad and could not believe what I was reading. The Trial is unrelenting and harsh. I envisioned everything washed in gray. With all its bleakness, I couldn't put it down. It's a great, bleak, quick read. "

" Rereading atm. This book is eerily relevant. "

" Nothing good can come from a crime a man doesn't even know he has commited. "

" When I first read it (I was 17) I lay nights awake thinking how someone could write a book this perfect. Kafka is for me some kind of untouchable God figure. "

" I recall seeing and reading many similar cases in history books and documentaries, where people were just dragged out of their homes, detained for weeks or even months when there was no evident proof to link them to any civil crimes. Detention without conviction. "

" One of my favorite books, EVER. "

" OK, I glad I went through the experience of reading this book. Now I feel like I need to attend a lecture about it. "

" I believe we read this in History in 9th grade at Taft... I remember being disturbed, in a good way. "

" Though Kafka died before finishing the book,but it is definitely a masterpiece!! "

" I like Kafka, but this book was so roundabout and frustrating that I literally got dizzy. "