Reviews

Farewell Waltz by Milan Kundera

abarbaramf's review against another edition

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3.0

shoulda read crime and punishment before

jhowland's review

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dark funny lighthearted sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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okapipo's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

brendan_h's review against another edition

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4.0

pretty sweet. Kundera remains one of those authors who can leave me consistently and completely disoriented.

novalgina's review against another edition

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2.0

Non so cosa dire di questo libro, non mi ha lasciato molto. Narra le storie di un certo numero di persone i cui destini cambiano nel momento stesso del loro incontro. Si capisce "il valzer" a cui fa riferimento il titolo, perché quando un protagonista arriva ad una comprensione di uno degli altri, questi cambia idea e si allontana, avvicinandosi mentalmente ad un altro, e via così, di valzer, appunto.
E' scritto molto bene, è uno spicchio di vita dell'ex Cecoslovacchia, ma i toni li ho trovati freddi e distaccati e qualche volta mi sono trovata disgustata e in disaccordo da come i protagonisti considerano le donne.
Ni. Non lo consiglierei a nessuno.

chairmanbernanke's review against another edition

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2.0

A story about concerns, solutions, and complications.

pgopiing's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

skconaghan's review against another edition

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dark funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Kundera weaves the oddest of tales with such morbid humour and unique satire, and it's teeming with sharp political criticisms and biting ironies. This one is for fans of Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut who like a sly intellectual giggle.

A spa town given to licentiousness and governed by a regime that farcically maintains control by expressing shocked indignation at salacious behaviours is the comical setting for a number of intertwined relationships. Dramatic irony abounds.

So do the severely awkward relationships between men and women, the tensions and jealousies that destroy women at their hive's core, the crappy advice men give men about strained relationships, all the lies people tell one another in attempts to preserve what cannot be, and an exposé of irrational fears humanity harbours at the risk of engaging in romance.

In the midst of it all are the little blue pills that keep a population subdued and under the impression they are content. Not to be mistaken with the other blue pills. But of course, this mixup is a an accident waiting to happen.

A rose-lensed satirical study in misunderstood socialism, misapplied communism, several wonky interpretations of love and God, and the green-grass promise of capitalism that lingers on the fringes of a mildly disgruntled and fatally misdirected society.

At once tactless, vulgar, and blunt, darkly comical in its unfolding, and profoundly insightful in its criticisms. An easy study for First Year Twentieth-Century-Literature-in-Society academics.

aldwynreads's review

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3.0

Everything seems to be in 3s in this book - the little stories, the way the sentences read, and the larger chapters - just like the sound of a waltz. How very very nice.

thebookthiefgirl's review against another edition

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3.0

“(...) a sinceridade exige o autoconhecimento e o conhecimento de si próprio é fruto da idade “

“A escola não tardará a roubar -mo para lhe lavar o cérebro , enchendo -o de contraverdades que eu próprio combati em vão durante toda a minha vida.”

Estreia com Kundera , um livro que se lê muito fluidamente mas com o qual não me identifico. Uma trama divertida , até ligeiramente absurda , devido aos seus laivos de dramatismo. Para mim, o cerne do livro está em Jakub, que representa as ideias do próprio autor face à sua pátria e repressão da liberdade . Há também temas como a natalidade e o aborto.

Fiquei com curiosidade em conhecer mais a República Checa dos anos 50/60 num período pré e pós invasão soviética .

Uma bela valsa delineada por um autor que seria candidato ao Nobel e não o foi. A Valsa do Adeus ganhou , não obstante , o Prémio Mondello, em 1977.