The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, with eBook Audiobook

" Of his short stories in this book, "Metamorphosis" was not one of my favorites. I felt some of the early pieces seemed rough and unfinished... but there were two or three later stories that I loved. Glad I read. "

" Although Kafka's friend Max Brod originally promoted these stories as quasi-religious, it is much more profitable to read them, as Kafka apparently did, as (admittedly extremely black) comedies. "

" It's hard out there for a bug. "

" it didn't change my life. "

" Most boring book I've ever started and then taken back to the library in fear my brain would seep out of my ear at night in search of a more stimulation in the head of a squirrel. "

" Not as dark as I had been led to believe. "

" The Metamorphosis and In the Penal Colony are great. Be just! "

" Had to read this for school and LOVED IT. The metamorphosis was an awesome read with a really cool twist! totally recommend it for someone just looking for a small read "

" Liked Metamorphosis, but only dipped in and out of the other stories. I like the way he writes, but after a few sentences I just seem to get a bit lost... "

" The Metamorphosis is terrific, but I didn't care for any of the others really. (A Country Doctor, The Judgement, In the Penal Colony, and A Report to an Academy.) "

" Metamorphosis is Magical Realism at it's most basic, easily understood form. "

" Having Kafka read to you amid the din of early morning traffic is nearly as weird as are his stories. Kafkaesque! "

" 5 stars just for a totally leftfield idea considering when this was written "

" Haunting, existentialism at its height. The Metamorphosis is the standard model for the absurdity of life. The other stories are good, too. I found "In the Penal Colony" to be poignant. These are my opinions, read them and make your own! "

" "Could he be an animal, to be so moved by music? It was as though he sensed a way to the unknown sustenance he longed for. He was determined to go right up to his sister, to pluck at her skirt, and so let her know she was to come into his room with her violin, because no one rewarded music here as much as he wanted to reward it. He would not let her out of his room, at least not as long as he lived; for the first time his frightening form would come in useful for him; he would appear at all doors to his room at once, and hiss in the faces of attackers; but his sister wasn't to be forced, she was to remain with him of her own free will" "

" Great story! Kafka really makes you live the story! "

" what a fantastic writer. i learned how to understand complicated and intriguing metaphore about life and people. "

" Kafka creates bizarre, nightmarish worlds. Several good short stories are included. "

" Read this with my high school students who always have one thing to say at the end: depressing. Always sparks interesting discussions though about so many topics. "

" Absolutely full of a multiplicity of gems (picked straight from all the little things we pass by in life.) "

" I'm not sure what exactly I've learned from this book - it's one of those reads you have to discover a few times before you truly 'get it'. But one thing is for sure - Kafka is one of the great geniuses of our time. "

" A little too weird for me. "

" I don't get it. These stories are completely bizarre. The opening lines really drag you in, but then the stories have no real build up or resolution. If I were the judge, I would not give these stories the status of classics. That's really all I have to say about this. "

" Only read the Metamorphisis. Hated it. Hard to read, visualize and understand much of the plot and characters. I guess I am just not a Kafka fan. "

" Mindblowing. Kafka is one of my biggest influences as an author. "

" I actually read Metamorphosis from this collection in college and loved it! I have yet to read any of his other works in this collection. "

" Brilliant, of course. My favorite stories weren't The Sons ("The Stoker", "The Metamorphosis", and "The Judgement") but "The Metamorphosis" alone and "In The Penal Colony". "A Country Doctor" also haunted me, but perhaps that's because I read it while I was sick. "

" My favorite subject! LONELY PEOPLE! And then you add in the whole bug thing and you have got a sweet ass story, friends. "

" it didn't change my life. "

" This collection of stories gave me the weirdest dreams. Therefore, awesome. "

" I like Kafka, but honestly, most of the time I just don't really know what he's talking about. But I feel like the whole point of his writing is to not know what it means, or maybe I'm way off. But the over achieving honor student inside me, still wants desperately to know what he's talking about. "

" Read this with my high school students who always have one thing to say at the end: depressing. Always sparks interesting discussions though about so many topics. "

" Weird and wonderful. Turns your perspective on its head. "

" One of my all time favorite stories to read, a guy wakes up as a roach one day and tries to communicate with his needy family. "

" One of the classics. Well worth a read. "

" I really enjoyed this book. I was impressed and surprised by how Kafka's simple and to-the-point narration produced such haunting and memorable images, and how original each story was. I hope to read Kafka again. "

" I actually read Metamorphosis from this collection in college and loved it! I have yet to read any of his other works in this collection. "

" The title story is great, of course, but the reason I give this collection a 5 instead of a 4 was because of "A Hunger Artist". "

" only read the metamorphosis.. found it very interesting, although somewhat strange "

" i only read metamorphosis. Had to read it for school. Twice! "

" I don't get it. These stories are completely bizarre. The opening lines really drag you in, but then the stories have no real build up or resolution. If I were the judge, I would not give these stories the status of classics. That's really all I have to say about this. "

" One of the classics. Well worth a read. "

" it was an interesting book, with different stories, one of my favorites is the metamorphosis but was a little sad at the end.. but most dificult was the way Kafka express his ideas, or the situation on the stories. "

" Contains the texts that Kafka published (or prepared for publication?) during his life. "

" In The Penal Colony ... now there's a mental image that will stay with me, unfortunately! "

" I read this book in college as part of the Fiction Writing curriculum. We actually had to write a parody of The Metamorphosis. It's good reading though. I enjoyed his work. "

" What can I say? There are people crazier than I. "

" The Penal Colony was a great short story "

" One of the most disgusting and wonderful books Kafka has written. I was grossed out by the description of the cockroach, no doubt. Loved the story and the story telling. "

" Kafka is one of those iconic writers that I really want to like but just don't. I love the premises of his stories, but I find them a chore to actually read. His language is overly formal and rather obfuscatory to me, which is perhaps intentional on his part, but in reality really puts me off. "