One. Two. Three. That’s all it takes to drive the nail into her head, to leave her hanging on the wall. She deserved to die. Now all he needs...
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reviews
Oct 07, 2011
karen
rated it: 
sorry, no.
but the people that froth over The Girl With the Dragon Tattoowill likely find something to appreciate here. this has all the same over-the-top violence and sexual abuse coupled with characters i can't seem to give a damn for with many branching storylines that eventually converge in a way that seems overplotted.
so, very reminiscent of that book, to which i gave three stars, but which the more i think about, the less i actually feel it deserves. violence doesn't bot More...
but the people that froth over The Girl With the Dragon Tattoowill likely find something to appreciate here. this has all the same over-the-top violence and sexual abuse coupled with characters i can't seem to give a damn for with many branching storylines that eventually converge in a way that seems overplotted.
so, very reminiscent of that book, to which i gave three stars, but which the more i think about, the less i actually feel it deserves. violence doesn't bot More...
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Oct 09, 2011
Lennongirl
rated it: 
ATTENTION! I found out that an English translation of this book will come out on 20 September 2011. So I'm writing this (spoilerfree!) review in English so you non-German speakers now also know what to look forward to ;)
First of all: I doubt Drvenkar is for everybody. His writing (narrative) style is probably something you either love or hate. I for once love it. Either way, what we can agree on: It's something very different.
So here are the things you might want to know More...
First of all: I doubt Drvenkar is for everybody. His writing (narrative) style is probably something you either love or hate. I for once love it. Either way, what we can agree on: It's something very different.
So here are the things you might want to know More...
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Oct 23, 2011
Tegghiaio
rated it: 
Si pudiera puntuar con decimales, en mi opinión este libro probablemente sería merecedor de un 2,50 o un 2,75; pero si he podido vivir con el hecho de haberle dado 3/5 a "Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres" a pesar de lo mucho que me aburrió la primera mitad, no voy a empezar a darle importancia a eso ahora.
Si bien el libro me resultó entretenido y no puedo decir que en algún momento me haya costado avanzar con la lectura, mi problema con esta historia es que es digna More...
Si bien el libro me resultó entretenido y no puedo decir que en algún momento me haya costado avanzar con la lectura, mi problema con esta historia es que es digna More...
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Jan 14, 2012
Wendy
rated it:
Four friends are having a rough time of it. Frauke's mom has been committed to an asylum and since her father can't sleep alone, he relies on Frauke to retain his sanity. Wolf is heartbroken and filled with grief; the woman he loved overdosed and died. Kris is a journalist but was fired and Tamara lives with the guilt of giving custody of her daughter Jenna to her ex-lover, and the fact that she is a terrible mother in her own mind.
One evening when they are hanging out, they come up More...
One evening when they are hanging out, they come up More...
Feb 01, 2012
Rett
rated it: 
Unapologetically thrilling
Who is “you” and who is “I?”
Figuring that out is part of the entertainment in this gripping and slippery, grisly thriller that keeps convoluting reality with its use of language and shifting points of view.
But stick with it and try to keep up as time and narrator change. It’ll be worth it. “Sorry” is that kind of a novel that will stay buried in your head for a long time to come.
A literary trickster, Drvenkar is best at manipula More...
Who is “you” and who is “I?”
Figuring that out is part of the entertainment in this gripping and slippery, grisly thriller that keeps convoluting reality with its use of language and shifting points of view.
But stick with it and try to keep up as time and narrator change. It’ll be worth it. “Sorry” is that kind of a novel that will stay buried in your head for a long time to come.
A literary trickster, Drvenkar is best at manipula More...
Jan 25, 2012
Robert
rated it:
Zoran Drvenkar, Sorry (Knopf, 2009)
Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Amazon Vine.
Here we have a thriller in which the opening scene shows us the crime: a man crucifies a woman to a wall. From there, we are given a back-and-forth effect, with each chapter divided into After, where the protagonists attempt to solve the crime, and Before, where we are given insight into why the criminal did what he did.
How, exactly, do you make this boring More...
Full disclosure: this book was provided to me free of charge by Amazon Vine.
Here we have a thriller in which the opening scene shows us the crime: a man crucifies a woman to a wall. From there, we are given a back-and-forth effect, with each chapter divided into After, where the protagonists attempt to solve the crime, and Before, where we are given insight into why the criminal did what he did.
How, exactly, do you make this boring More...
Dec 31, 2011
Kim
rated it:
This is a tough read. *SPOILERS*
I don't think it's a badly written book. In fact, I admire it's bold, experimental POV style. However, in addition to the relentless bleakness of the plot (horrifically abused child grows into revengeful, murderous adult) and the graphic nature of the backstory (which I found uncomfortable to read), the demands of this book may prove too much as it continually shifts back and forth in time and in POV. You need to concentrate!
Sadly, I found More...
I don't think it's a badly written book. In fact, I admire it's bold, experimental POV style. However, in addition to the relentless bleakness of the plot (horrifically abused child grows into revengeful, murderous adult) and the graphic nature of the backstory (which I found uncomfortable to read), the demands of this book may prove too much as it continually shifts back and forth in time and in POV. You need to concentrate!
Sadly, I found More...
Nov 12, 2011
Margaux
rated it:
Four young friends come up with an idea - make apologies for a living. Their business takes off and they are living the good life until a killer client comes along. This isn't your average thriller as the reader is introduced to "you." "You" have nailed a woman to the wall and "you" want to employ these friends to apologize for her death. Great.
I found this novel to be highly original and although I did not love all of it; I was compelled to read on. The j More...
I found this novel to be highly original and although I did not love all of it; I was compelled to read on. The j More...
Oct 01, 2011
Cheryl
rated it:
Kris is sitting in the park, when he spots a woman and her boyfriend arguing. He breaks up with her and leaves her crying. Kris comforts the woman and tells her all the right things to make her feel better about herself. One of the things Kris says is that even though the guy did not say it, he is sorry. Later that morning, Kris arrives at work, only to be fired. His boss attempts to apologize but does a poor job of it. After meeting up with his friends, Tamara, his brother, Wolf, and Tamara’s f
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Sep 29, 2011
Tony
rated it:
Drvenkar, Zoran. SORRY. (2009; Eng. trans. 2011). **.
This English edition was translated from the German by Shaun Whiteside. It was a best seller in Europe. Set in Berlin, the author was born in Croatia and then moved with his family to Germany when he was very young. He has a goodly list of books to his credit before this one, but most of them were written for children. This is not a children’s book. The theme of this “thriller” reflects our times, when educated and talented peop More...
This English edition was translated from the German by Shaun Whiteside. It was a best seller in Europe. Set in Berlin, the author was born in Croatia and then moved with his family to Germany when he was very young. He has a goodly list of books to his credit before this one, but most of them were written for children. This is not a children’s book. The theme of this “thriller” reflects our times, when educated and talented peop More...
Feb 05, 2012
CuteBadger
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 19, 2011
Denise
rated it:
2.0 out of 5 stars SORRY - this was not for me.
This suspense thriller about four disaffected friends whose unique business venture goes dreadfully wrong was not for me. I would call it a complicated mess. As a device, the author used shifting points of view throughout the narrative as well as all different voices (first, second and third person) alternatively so that the reader was often confused. Not only that, but there were also backward and forward movements in time so that any sen More...
This suspense thriller about four disaffected friends whose unique business venture goes dreadfully wrong was not for me. I would call it a complicated mess. As a device, the author used shifting points of view throughout the narrative as well as all different voices (first, second and third person) alternatively so that the reader was often confused. Not only that, but there were also backward and forward movements in time so that any sen More...
Nov 04, 2011
Althea
rated it:
I picked up this thriller because I saw it recommended for fans of Stieg Larsson, and I saw that it's translated from the German. I kinda figured that if it's good enough to translate, it must be a cut above the average.
For most of the book, I did think that it was above average. I think the translator did an excellent job; I didn't notice any awkward language at all. I very much liked the narrative style, which I truth was brought over faithfully from the original. I thought it was very we More...
For most of the book, I did think that it was above average. I think the translator did an excellent job; I didn't notice any awkward language at all. I very much liked the narrative style, which I truth was brought over faithfully from the original. I thought it was very we More...
Aug 10, 2011
Michele
rated it:
For the last couple of years I have been seeking out crime thrillers from foreign authors translated into English (the Stieg Larsson books opened up a whole new world for me). This novel, translated from the German, fell quite short for me. Each chapter is told from a different person's POV. Most are told third-person narrative from one of the various characters POV, but interspersed are chapters told in second-person (ie, you) in what I'm assuming is an attempt to draw the reader further int
More...
Aug 21, 2011
Randy
rated it:
A German thriller, the translation is by Shaun Whiteside.
I'm tempted to make jokes about the title. I'll do one. I love thrillers. Sorry, just not this one.
The author had a good idea: a killer who likes to nail his victims to a wall. The four main characters business that brings them into contact with the killer less so, though I could live with it. The idea that any business would ever pay someone to apologize for firing people or laying them off, jilted lovers, was a bit ou More...
I'm tempted to make jokes about the title. I'll do one. I love thrillers. Sorry, just not this one.
The author had a good idea: a killer who likes to nail his victims to a wall. The four main characters business that brings them into contact with the killer less so, though I could live with it. The idea that any business would ever pay someone to apologize for firing people or laying them off, jilted lovers, was a bit ou More...
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Mar 09, 2011
Rosalina
rated it:
¡Qué difícil es pedir perdón!
Sabiendo esto, un grupo de amigos decide crear una empresa que se dedique a eso, a pedir perdón cuando el otro, por la razón que sea, es incapaz de pedirlo. El problema surge cuando reciben el encargo de perdirle perdón a un cadáver torturado.
“El perdón no conoce límites.” Ese es el lema de su empresa y ellos experimentarán en carne propia si es cierto o no.
Con una narrativa intensa, Zoran Drvenkar nos sumerge en una historia angustiosa More...
Sabiendo esto, un grupo de amigos decide crear una empresa que se dedique a eso, a pedir perdón cuando el otro, por la razón que sea, es incapaz de pedirlo. El problema surge cuando reciben el encargo de perdirle perdón a un cadáver torturado.
“El perdón no conoce límites.” Ese es el lema de su empresa y ellos experimentarán en carne propia si es cierto o no.
Con una narrativa intensa, Zoran Drvenkar nos sumerge en una historia angustiosa More...
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Nov 17, 2011
Mary
rated it:
The plotline of this mystery-thriller was far-fetched to say the least, if not downright preposterous, and convoluted as well---told in first-, second-, and third-person, no less! It was hard to develop real feeling for any one character sice the narration was constantly changing from one person to another. I imagine this fluctuation of point-of-view was supposed to add to the mystery but I found it confusing at times. It was a little too clever if you know what I mean. Nevertheless I was compel
More...
Nov 25, 2011
Carol
rated it:
NOTE; THIS BOOK IS FOR ADULTS ONLY!! While parts of this book were extremely shocking, and hard to read, this man is a wondrously masterful writer and certainly kept my attention throughout. As usual I had NO clue who the perpetrator was until the end. I consider this a must re-read book. read this only if you have a strong constitution and ability to remain unattached as the content could be very disturbing to some delicate souls. I loved the 4 main characters and their devotion to eac
More...
Feb 14, 2012
Jennifer
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book even though parts are quite disturbing. At first I was iffy on it - it is written from a few different points of view one of which is "you" At first that bugged me - you are doing this, you think that, you go here. Now let's meet Tamara. She is this, she is that, and now we will briefly meet Wolf and so on. I kept wishing I could get the German version of the book for the first 50 pages or so as I felt like maybe it was missing something in the translation. T
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Dec 25, 2011
Sheri
rated it:
This takes the cake as far as crime noir that I've read in quite a few years. Makes the Dragon Tattoo series seem a bit tame by comparison. Creepy beyond anything I imagined, but surprises that don't stop right up until the final pages. In a nutshell, four young German 20-somethings start a company that apologizes to businesses & persons on behalf of clients who don't want to make the apologies themselves. The business is successful beyond their wildest dreams, until they are hired by the cl
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Nov 28, 2011
Al
rated it:
Four twenty-somethings in Germany come up with a great idea for a business: offer an apology service to those who are too vain or weak to render their own apologies. The business goes well, but they soon are engaged by psychopath to apologize to his murder victims, and things go downhill from there. The usual mix of failed opportunities to call the police, foolish choices, and unfortunate coincidences stir the pot. Mr. Drvenkar is good at dribbling out enough details and new informat
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Sep 19, 2011
Rich
rated it:
There's a saying that applies here: "Nothing good ever comes for free." Zoran Drvenkar's thriller novel Sorry is a nearly ideal illustration of this idea.
It's a deceptively simple yet compelling idea...the sort of thing that sounds brilliant when you're drunk and hanging out with your friends. And that's exactly what happens at the outset of Sorry. Old friends Kris, Frauke, Wolf, and Tamara each seem lost on their own, but one night they have an idea. Just a spark, but it More...
It's a deceptively simple yet compelling idea...the sort of thing that sounds brilliant when you're drunk and hanging out with your friends. And that's exactly what happens at the outset of Sorry. Old friends Kris, Frauke, Wolf, and Tamara each seem lost on their own, but one night they have an idea. Just a spark, but it More...
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Jan 26, 2012
Jules
rated it:
Zuerst einmal: Dieses Buch ist, was die Gewaltdarstellungen anbelangt, stellenweise schon sehr explizit, und das ist es auch, was es mir ein bisschen verdorben hat. Die Geschichte ist nämlich eigentlich echt gut, die Grundidee und der Aufbau haben mir gut gefallen.
Ich wollte grade schreiben, dass ja alles recht harmlos anfängt, dabei stimmt das gar nicht. Schon der Prolog enthält ein paar ekelige Szenen – aber eigentlich ganz gut, denn in diesem Stil geht es weiter, deswegen kann man s More...
Ich wollte grade schreiben, dass ja alles recht harmlos anfängt, dabei stimmt das gar nicht. Schon der Prolog enthält ein paar ekelige Szenen – aber eigentlich ganz gut, denn in diesem Stil geht es weiter, deswegen kann man s More...
Oct 27, 2011
Karen & Gerard
rated it:
This is about four people who start an agency that will tell people that you are sorry for you. Everything is going along great until one day they get a job and when they arrive at the apartment, a woman is dead and nailed to the wall! This is a very good read! It's filled with a lot of twists and turns; I didn't know what was going to happen next but was anxious to find out. I loved it and finished it in just two days! You will be sorry if you don't read Sorry!
(Gerard's review)
(Gerard's review)
Dec 10, 2010
Forn
rated it:
Gar nicht schlecht. Ich wusste nicht, was mich erwartet, wurde aber ziemlich gefesselt, da der Autor es versteht, die Spannung hochzuhalten, indem er immer wieder Andeutungen über die Identität der verschiedenen Charaktere macht, das Ganze aber erst am Ende des Buches auflöst. Tatsächlich werden hier die Grenzen zwischen Gut und Böse verwischt, bzw. das Böse relativiert. Dazu trägt auch der ständige Wechsel der Erzählperspektive bei, teilweise wird in der ersten und der zweiten Person erzählt, w
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May 30, 2011
Martina
rated it:
This was far the worst book I've ever read. I still got nightmares when i think of it *brr*
The Story Outline of an Excusion-Agency seems very promising but it turn out to be just... disgusting - the murders are horrible, the all-too-graphic description of the rape of an underage boy was too much for my stomach!!
The Characters are not realistic at all - I don't understand why the book got good reviews - Just don't touch it!!
The Story Outline of an Excusion-Agency seems very promising but it turn out to be just... disgusting - the murders are horrible, the all-too-graphic description of the rape of an underage boy was too much for my stomach!!
The Characters are not realistic at all - I don't understand why the book got good reviews - Just don't touch it!!
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Dec 10, 2011
Cori
rated it:
Very, very complex story that is hard to understand as there are so many different narrative voices, dealing with a variety of time-frames. However, the more you find out reading along, the more you want closure in getting all the characters sorted out and knowing what happened. There's alot of awful things that go on in this book, so I rather wish I hadn't picked it up to begin with...
Dec 19, 2011
Jeanne
rated it:
An inventive book, by a German author, recently translated into English. A group of friends decides to start a business apologizing on behalf of clients who can't/won't/don't want to do it on their own. But one client lands them in the midst of murder. I'm a bit ambivalent - it was original, and the premise was interesting, but the execution (pardon the pun) was not stellar.
Oct 22, 2011
Becky
rated it:
Four friends start an agency for apologies. When one commission leads them to a dead body, they find themselves completely over their heads and at a killer's beck and call. But there's so much more to the story than they know.
Dark and disturbing stuff. The book is well written and the author plays around with the narration. Overall a good mystery and a great translation.
Dark and disturbing stuff. The book is well written and the author plays around with the narration. Overall a good mystery and a great translation.
Dec 31, 2011
Jacquelynn
rated it:
Four friends form their a web company that will appolagize for you. They work well toghether and are making money, when they are hired by a killer. There is alot of violence and you come to understand why the killer committed the murders. The way the story is told from each character's point of view was more interesting than the characters.
