Reviews

Farewell Waltz by Milan Kundera

braaitay's review

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4.0

Equal parts absurdity and tragedy painted with comical, self-aware strokes. I love this stuff.

abbyyedge's review

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4.0

It was just that one part. Women’s boobs do not perk up if they’re happy. Didn’t think I’d have to spell that one out for you, Milan.
I liked it despite its flaws. His writing would greatly improve if he would just speak, just once, to an actual woman.

mariaellabetos's review

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3.0

I dunno, I felt kulang.
More thoughts soon.

chaneywrites's review against another edition

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4.0

The Farewell Party is more approachable than many of Milan Kundera's other works. He still uses the novel as a way to ponder deeper issues concerning humanity and a human's place in the greater world along with the undertones of government repression that appear in many of his works. However, unlike some of his other shorter novels, the ideas do not weigh down the flow of the narrative itself.
There are virtually no characters to like in this novel as all written with the flaws of their humanity on their sleeves and it is these exact flaws that drive most of the farce of the story forward. The tight construction on the narrative moves propels the narrative forward and I didn't notice the pages flying by until about ten from the end.
Each character deals with the imposing behemoth of a controlling state, which in this novel is only alluded to by character's actions rather than by actual representation. In this way, each character shows how they respond to a lack of control in their lives and how one of the common denominators of life, love, can be wielded as a tool to try and exert control over one's fate.
Overall, this is an enjoyable short novel that fans of Milan Kundera will enjoy.

gazakas's review against another edition

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5.0

Μέγας Κούντερα.

danipmendonca's review against another edition

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Acho que pra mim o grande problema desse livro foi o combo eu não ter gostado muito das reflexões e temas que ele entrou (e isso é sempre a coisa que eu mais gosto nos livros desse autor ai eu fiquei triste né) e eu detestei todos os personagens, tava nem ai pra ninguém na história e fiquei extremamente irritada com homens babacas querendo dar pitaco em coisas que não deveriam (o que não é nenhuma novidade rs).

laviniag's review

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4.0



I didn't think I'd be able to read Kundera again, given my experiences so far, but I did and I loved it. At some point there were so many charcters entangled, I felt like in Murdoch's [book: A Severed Head], but thank goodness, Kundera stops at the right time and doesn't let everybody sleep with everybody. Just some :))

zaphirenia's review against another edition

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4.0

Η ιστορία αγγίζει τα όρια της φαρσοκωμωδιας και συνδυάζει το προσωπικό δράμα των ηρώων με την κατάσταση της κομμουνιστικής Τσεχοσλοβακίας. Με μεγάλη ψυχογραφική επιδεξιότητα ο Κούντερα προσεγγίζει σε βάθος την ανθρώπινη συνείδηση μέσα από συμπτώσεις και κωμικές ανατροπές, με μαύρο χιούμορ που πολλές φορές παγωνει το χαμόγελο στα χείλη.
Με αυτό το βιβλίο ο Κούντερα "αποχαιρετά" , μαζί με τη χώρα του, τη συγγραφή σκοπεύοντας να ειναι το Βαλς το τελευταίο του βιβλίο. Ευτυχως δεν ήταν.

qinglanw's review

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3.0

Different perspectives but slow in parts.

sawsan_bhaa's review against another edition

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4.0

كونديرا ماهو الا فنان .. بيتكلم عن الحب والحياة والسياسة وكل حاجة بطريقة غاية في السلاسة والاستمتاع ..
انا بقرا وكنت حاسة ان هو محرك دمى او مخرج بيحرك الممثلين .. الشخصيات قدامي وهو بيحللها وبيفكر ف تصرفاتها كاننا بنتفرج ع فيلم مثلا ..