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_sofiia_'s review against another edition
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
orianamatavalerii's review against another edition
4.0
Una telaraña de personajes e historias irónicas pero trágicamente divertidas.
Mientras más lo leo, más compruebo que las crisis existenciales de los personajes de Kundera siempre dejan un sabor amargo cuando se vive en revolución.
Por ejemplo, esta cita: «Fue con paso rápido hasta el coche, abrió la puerta, se sentó al volante y se dirigió hacia la frontera. Hasta ayer había pensado que iba a ser un momento de alivio. Que se iría contento. Que abandonaría un sitio en el que había nacido por error y del que no formaba parte. Pero en este momento sabía que se iba de su única patria y que no tenía otra.»
Mientras más lo leo, más compruebo que las crisis existenciales de los personajes de Kundera siempre dejan un sabor amargo cuando se vive en revolución.
Por ejemplo, esta cita: «Fue con paso rápido hasta el coche, abrió la puerta, se sentó al volante y se dirigió hacia la frontera. Hasta ayer había pensado que iba a ser un momento de alivio. Que se iría contento. Que abandonaría un sitio en el que había nacido por error y del que no formaba parte. Pero en este momento sabía que se iba de su única patria y que no tenía otra.»
ynbvu's review
3.0
A novel in a clever format about grandiose insignificance. This probably won't haunt me like my last read (The Sympathizer), but it's dense enough to ponder over even when the book's been put down.
Unfortunately, having already read another Kundera novel, the patterns in his writing are becoming obvious. The promiscuous male type & the jealous female are getting a liiiiiittle repetitive.
Unfortunately, having already read another Kundera novel, the patterns in his writing are becoming obvious. The promiscuous male type & the jealous female are getting a liiiiiittle repetitive.
whitelotusreads's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
kaislea's review
3.0
Absolutely horrible story! I really don't know whether this was a tragic comedy or a comical tragedy, but nevertheless it was very dark. It might take me some time to get over the ending.
Before starting the book I was reminding myself of Kundera's misogynic way of representing women in his stories, as well as his cynical hatred towards youth, idealism and all things that represent meaningfulness or anything that makes life heavy and deep. And well, this book definitely filled those expectations, and much more dramatically than what I could have thought of.
In this story Kundera walks us through his theory of life's unexpected lightness, the one that makes everything chaotic and purposeless, quite throughly. He points out how the decisions between life and death can be made without much of an thought, that the ones behind the most horrible actions can be admired, that suffering can be caused in the mids of everyday life even for the ones we love most just for the burst of a moment, and none of that might make more of an impact than any everyday life decision - as he performs it: do we drink expensive wine from a clean glass or cheap, bad wine from a dirty one.
He points out vividly that no one really ever gets lessons from karma, but that the idealistic, romantic people will enevitably suffer, usually for no good reason whatsoever. It's probably a rule of his that Kundera makes the romantic, idealistic characters suffer all the more they believe in something with a purpose. That probably should represent how the meaninglessness and lightness (nothingness) of life is the only thing that follows, and the young people with their stupidity are the only ones getting fooled by that. But I think this story was way too cynic, unethic and misogynist for it to even be taken seriously in the end. It was just ugliness that the reader had to endure.
I think the lightness of everything is a beautiful and freeing thought - to be unable to control anything and to consider ones life more of a humorous joke really makes everything quite a lot more easy to bare. But when all of his characters constantly pay for all of their naive, beautiful, life-loving, enthustiastic, idealistic or romantic thoughts with horrible consequenses, I think the stories turn out to be unrealistic and cliché in their own world
.
All of the women in the book are walking stereotypes of two categories: the mothers and the whores, all of the characters have their stories unfold upside down and inside out, and only the ruthless will always win in the end.
The tit-covers were a topping to the cynic cake. I think I just listened an angry old man shout at me that there is no hope and that women are all stupid and evil, for 3 hours. Quite enough.
Before starting the book I was reminding myself of Kundera's misogynic way of representing women in his stories, as well as his cynical hatred towards youth, idealism and all things that represent meaningfulness or anything that makes life heavy and deep. And well, this book definitely filled those expectations, and much more dramatically than what I could have thought of.
In this story Kundera walks us through his theory of life's unexpected lightness, the one that makes everything chaotic and purposeless, quite throughly. He points out how the decisions between life and death can be made without much of an thought, that the ones behind the most horrible actions can be admired, that suffering can be caused in the mids of everyday life even for the ones we love most just for the burst of a moment, and none of that might make more of an impact than any everyday life decision - as he performs it: do we drink expensive wine from a clean glass or cheap, bad wine from a dirty one.
He points out vividly that no one really ever gets lessons from karma, but that the idealistic, romantic people will enevitably suffer, usually for no good reason whatsoever. It's probably a rule of his that Kundera makes the romantic, idealistic characters suffer all the more they believe in something with a purpose. That probably should represent how the meaninglessness and lightness (nothingness) of life is the only thing that follows, and the young people with their stupidity are the only ones getting fooled by that. But I think this story was way too cynic, unethic and misogynist for it to even be taken seriously in the end. It was just ugliness that the reader had to endure.
I think the lightness of everything is a beautiful and freeing thought - to be unable to control anything and to consider ones life more of a humorous joke really makes everything quite a lot more easy to bare. But when all of his characters constantly pay for all of their naive, beautiful, life-loving, enthustiastic, idealistic or romantic thoughts with horrible consequenses, I think the stories turn out to be unrealistic and cliché in their own world
.
All of the women in the book are walking stereotypes of two categories: the mothers and the whores, all of the characters have their stories unfold upside down and inside out, and only the ruthless will always win in the end.
The tit-covers were a topping to the cynic cake. I think I just listened an angry old man shout at me that there is no hope and that women are all stupid and evil, for 3 hours. Quite enough.
gh7's review against another edition
3.0
Kundera's third novel and a kind of limbering up for his golden years. As always there's a male sexual predator (Kundera's alter ego) though, unusually, Kundera gives this philanderer his comeuppance. The entire novel is set in a spa town and in particular a clinic for women finding it difficult to conceive. The characters are closer to archetypes than nuanced individuals. They are all working through one single dilemma. They are all stuck with one tyrannical emotion. In a nutshell, the light comic side of this novel is more successful than all its attempts at gravitas and wisdom. It felt like it was a very easy novel to write. Like Kundera wasn't challenging himself in the slightest. It almost reads like a pastiche of Kundera at times.
About a third of the way in I realised I had already read it and utterly forgotten it until I reached the rather daft plot device with a poison pill. I wouldn't be surprised if this experience repeats itself. 3+ stars.
About a third of the way in I realised I had already read it and utterly forgotten it until I reached the rather daft plot device with a poison pill. I wouldn't be surprised if this experience repeats itself. 3+ stars.
neverunderstoodabookinmylife's review against another edition
4.0
Βρίσκω την γραφή του Κούντερα (αν και εκδηλα μισογύνης) εξαιρετικά ευφυή. Καταφέρνει να συνδεει και να περιπλέκει τις ζωές άσχετων φαινομενικά χαρακτήρων (και αντιπαθεστατων επίσης ) αλλά πάνω απ'όλα να τους δίνει υπόσταση και ψυχολογικό υπόβαθρο. Αναλύει τις σκέψεις τους ,τους δισταγμούς,τις απολαύσεις και τις τύψεις τους λες και έχει εισχωρήσει με κάποιο ακατανόητο τρόπο στο υποσυνείδητο τους. Παράλληλα, η πλοκή μολονότι στηρίζεται και τροφοδοτείται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από την ιδιομορφία και τη μιζέρια των χαρακτήρων είναι εξίσου απολαυστική και ως ένα σημείο τραγελαφική.