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  <id>317764</id>
  <title><![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]></description>
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  <original_publication_year type="integer">1956</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>Der Besuch der alten Dame</original_title>
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        <name><![CDATA[Friedrich Dürrenmatt]]></name>
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    <name><![CDATA[Pia]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
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  <average_rating>3.98</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
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  <date_updated>Mon Mar 24 11:20:08 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Brilliant! I've compared this book to fine German engineering... every perfected detail has a purpose and nothing is superfluous. Swiss born Durrenmatt was a minister's son who lived through WW2, and spent his life working and re-working (and re-re-working!) these plots while figuring out his own st...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/569048">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Der Besuch Der Alten Dame]]>
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    <![CDATA[Includes the full German text, accompanied by German-English vocabulary. Notes and a detailed introduction in English put the work in its social and historical context.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
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    <body><![CDATA[Really loved this tragicomedy. Dürrenmatt's works are timeless, but they are also the product of a Swiss vantage during cold war. In &quot;The Visit&quot; or in German &quot;Der Besuch der alten Dame&quot; an old lady who becomes the wealthiest person in the world returns to the village that cast h...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39851602">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39851602]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>13384615</id>
    <user>
    <id>766524</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Robert]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Lakewood, OH]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jan 24 07:59:11 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 24 07:59:11 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Friedrich Durrenmatt, The Visit (Grove, 1956)<br/><br/>Another excellent piece of work from Friedrich Durrenmatt, the story of The Visit takes place in a ..town in central Europe somewhere; the country is not given (the reasons should be obvious). As the town is on the verge of bankruptcy, with almo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13384615">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13384615]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13384615]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>9024704</id>
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    <id>177616</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Rick]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Glasgow, The United Kingdom]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/177616-rick-light]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">879673</id>
  <isbn>0224009141</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780224009140</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">3</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit]]>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/879673.The_Visit</link>
  <average_rating>4.50</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: &#8220;I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,&#8221; and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place &#8220;somewhere in Central Europe&#8221; and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 1979</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Nov 12 16:40:44 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Nov 13 17:13:42 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[&quot;The Visit&quot; stands as a small masterpiece of misanthropy, a play whose cynicism is so thickly layered that the greed driving the plot at its surface seems almost the least of its characters' sins. For Durrenmatt, people, not money, are the root of all evil. <br/><br/>Unlike Miller's &quot;...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9024704">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9024704]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9024704]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>31656632</id>
    <user>
    <id>205579</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Cecilia]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Carrboro, NC]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/205579-cecilia]]></link>
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  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Sep 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 31 09:20:29 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 09 20:06:00 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is another play about how absolutism, no matter what the purpose or just cause, is dangerous and savage and only brings about brutality.<br/><br/>In this play a small backwater economically failing little German town gets a visit from a millionairess who grew up there. The town, knowing of he...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31656632">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31656632]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31656632]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>935613</id>
    <user>
    <id>4693</id>
    <name><![CDATA[علی]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[3050, Denmark]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4693]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 29 06:37:45 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 29 06:42:46 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I've seen such people a lot ...<br/>دختری که در نکبت از شهر رانده شده، سال ها بعد که ثروتمندترین زن دنیاست، به دیدار زادگاه خود می آید. مردم شهر که در فقر و بدبختی اند، از مردی (آلفرد ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/935613">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/935613]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/935613]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>58656304</id>
    <user>
    <id>863686</id>
    <name><![CDATA[David]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/863686-david]]></link>
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  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jun 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 06 11:12:22 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jun 06 11:14:35 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A really great play, and well identified by &quot;tragi-comedy&quot;. And, like all good plays, the events and conversations resonate and linger in your mind afterward.<br/><br/>Very nicely done. I dig this writer. He should be more well-known here.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58656304]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58656304]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <id>40183</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Matt]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New Haven, CT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/40183-matt]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1188521443p3/40183.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">317764</id>
  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Mar 23 18:01:07 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 23 18:03:57 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A strange and enveloping play.  It draws you in as it marches onward toward tragedy, with moments of odd humor throughout.  It's surreal, for sure, but definitely also extremely thought-provoking and engaging.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50231957]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50231957]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>45808775</id>
    <user>
    <id>1888594</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Claire]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Minneapolis, MN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1888594-claire-s]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1235005193p3/1888594.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <id type="integer">317764</id>
  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun May 01 00:00:00 -0700 1983</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Feb 09 03:32:56 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Feb 09 03:32:56 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>7</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I was assigned this during my later (of only a few years) German language class.. read it and re-read it and re-read it. To have such a play as this be used for such a purpose is - some would say - twisted; but we contextualized it and it was great. I really have a fondness for it, both for itself a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45808775">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45808775]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45808775]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>52680607</id>
    <user>
    <id>373703</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Adrian]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Los Angeles, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/373703-adrian-colesberry]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1239216794p3/373703.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <isbn13 nil="true"></isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184516654s/1512794.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1512794.The_Visit</link>
  <average_rating>4.29</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>7</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: &#8220;I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,&#8221; and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place &#8220;somewhere in Central Europe&#8221; and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Apr 14 14:22:17 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Apr 14 14:23:25 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Love the female protagonist in this play and the hypocrisy of the little village and her mercy. Have never seen this play. Would love to.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52680607]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52680607]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>37518900</id>
    <user>
    <id>86397</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Christopherseelie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Las Vegas, NV]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/86397-christopherseelie]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1197531044p3/86397.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">317764</id>
  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Nov 12 09:12:24 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Nov 12 09:31:42 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A fantastic play at turns grotesque, comic, and austere. The classically tragic vein is more apparent here than in other works by this author, and yet any claims to moral certainty seems forced. A play to make you think. Durrenmatt destabilizes the meanings of words like Justice, Integrity, and Prog...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37518900">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37518900]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37518900]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>78533994</id>
    <user>
    <id>2379011</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Amsterdam, Netherlands]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2379011-jonathan]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">722498</id>
  <isbn>3150081300</isbn>
  <isbn13>9783150081303</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Der Besuch Der Alten Dame]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177633532m/722498.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177633532s/722498.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722498.Der_Besuch_Der_Alten_Dame</link>
  <average_rating>3.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>2</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: &#8220;I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,&#8221; and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place &#8220;somewhere in Central Europe&#8221; and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Nov 21 09:20:35 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Nov 21 09:20:35 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[None]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78533994]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78533994]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>73793429</id>
    <user>
    <id>2742842</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Laysla]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Toronto, ON, Canada]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2742842-laysla]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1254961019p3/2742842.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">879673</id>
  <isbn>0224009141</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780224009140</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">3</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179145166m/879673.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179145166s/879673.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/879673.The_Visit</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: &#8220;I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,&#8221; and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place &#8220;somewhere in Central Europe&#8221; and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Oct 07 17:02:49 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Oct 07 17:04:22 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Great plot!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73793429]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73793429]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>71255510</id>
    <user>
    <id>150699</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Anabelle]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Philippines]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/150699-anabelle-dario]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">317764</id>
  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Sep 14 22:14:51 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 14 22:15:55 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Greed conquers all]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71255510]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71255510]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>55304246</id>
    <user>
    <id>655975</id>
    <name><![CDATA[André]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Leipzig, Germany]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/655975-andr]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1196690794p3/655975.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">523593</id>
  <isbn>3257230451</isbn>
  <isbn13>9783257230451</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">3</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Der Besuch der alten Dame]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175528657m/523593.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175528657s/523593.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/523593.Der_Besuch_der_alten_Dame</link>
  <average_rating>3.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>57</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The full German text of Dürrenmatt's play is accompanied by German-English vocabulary. Notes and a detailed introduction in English put the work in its social and historical context.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="not-my-own" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Helen Geyer]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu May 07 15:46:55 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 24 03:21:56 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Aw well, I read better stuff than this, also better stuff from Dürrenmatt, but it wasn't bad. The story was an interesting idea, but I didn't really like the way the people talked, although I know that this was intended. I felt sorry for Mr. Ill, too. I didn't enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55304246">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55304246]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/55304246]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2875761</id>
    <user>
    <id>147280</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Wilson]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Jamaica Plain, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147280-wilson]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1255885338p3/147280.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">1512794</id>
  <isbn nil="true"></isbn>
  <isbn13 nil="true"></isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184516654m/1512794.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184516654s/1512794.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1512794.The_Visit</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: &#8220;I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,&#8221; and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place &#8220;somewhere in Central Europe&#8221; and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 09 15:44:48 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 09 15:51:32 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I first became interested in this play in fourth grade when my Dad told me that the name of the town in which it is set, Guellen, translates into &quot;liquid manure.&quot; It's withstood the test of time since then. There is a Senegalese movie adaptation of the book called &quot;Hyenas,&quot; but I...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2875761">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2875761]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2875761]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>27053207</id>
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    <id>1318511</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Leah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1318511-leah]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">2205696</id>
  <isbn>0423827006</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780423827002</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Besuch der Alten Dame (20th Cent. Texts, Ger. S)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2205696.Besuch_der_Alten_Dame</link>
  <average_rating>4.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>9</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;div&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: &#8220;I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,&#8221; and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place &#8220;somewhere in Central Europe&#8221; and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/div&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 12 12:56:25 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 12 12:59:19 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read this book entirely in German. If you find it in English, read it. It's pretty hilarious. This old lady (der alten dame) who was spurned when she was young by this guy, Alfred. Now that she's rich, she comes back to town and offers the town a large sum of money if they allow her to kill Alfred...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27053207">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27053207]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27053207]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>6031331</id>
    <user>
    <id>370311</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Cutfromabove]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Vienna, Austria]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/370311-cutfromabove]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1189789137p3/370311.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">317764</id>
  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Sep 11 03:33:12 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 11 03:33:12 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A sad, short little play about the corruption of the soul. Interesting though not fantastic. It has great political and social-justice elements that should be explored more thoroughly, it's all together rather tongue in cheek, which keeps it from having a very deep impact on paper.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6031331]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6031331]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>4564801</id>
    <user>
    <id>115193</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Adrian]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Baltimore, MD]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">642795</id>
  <isbn>0395040892</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780395040898</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">3</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Der Besuch Der Alten Dame]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176667227m/642795.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176667227s/642795.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/642795.Der_Besuch_Der_Alten_Dame</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Includes the full German text, accompanied by German-English vocabulary. Notes and a detailed introduction in English put the work in its social and historical context.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[students of German]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Aug 14 19:53:10 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 05:15:48 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[My introduction to Modern German Literature (which I enjoyed much better than 19-20th Century French Literature!).  Would love to see the play.  <em>Kastriert und geblindet!  Kastriert und geblindet!  KASTRIERT UND GEBLINDET!</em>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4564801]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4564801]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>43388879</id>
    <user>
    <id>1923622</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Natalia]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Freiburg im Breisgau, 01, Germany]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1923622-natalia]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">317764</id>
  <isbn>0802130666</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780802130662</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">21</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Visit: A Tragi-Comedy]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032m/317764.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173725032s/317764.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317764.The_Visit_A_Tragi_Comedy</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>414</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[&lt;DIV&gt;&lt;DIV&gt;Dürrenmatt once wrote of himself: “I can best be understood if one grasps grotesqueness,” and The Visit is a consummate, alarming Dürrenmatt blend of hilarity, horror, and vertigo. The play takes place “somewhere in Central Europe” and tells of an elderly millionairess who, merely on the promise of her millions, swiftly turns a depressed area into a boom town. But the condition attached to her largesse, which the locals learn of only after they are enmeshed, is murder. Dürrenmatt has fashioned a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.&lt;/DIV&gt;]]>
  </description>
  <published>1956</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jan 17 14:46:51 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 15 08:03:38 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Sehr klug gemacht, eine sehr witzige Geschiche über Rache, Vergangenheit und Grundbedürfnisse, die gestillt werden müssen, sowie innerliche Konflikte, mit denen man kämpfen muss.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43388879]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43388879]]></link>
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