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rebcamuse's review against another edition
4.0
In typical Kundera fashion, you aren't sure whether to laugh or cry while reading this novel. Kundera likes to teeter on the edge of blasphemy, always pulling the reader back with the sheer humanness of his characters. While this Aaron Asher translation was released here in the states in 1998, it was originally written in 1969-70, and in that context, becomes a far more controversial and provocative novel. It is a good read, and full of poetic and prosaic gems. Kundera hands the reader the truths of life on a platter, accompanied by the Dom Pérignon of his prose.
jhowland's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Infertility, Medical content, and Sexism
okapipo's review against another edition
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
4.0
pretty sweet. Kundera remains one of those authors who can leave me consistently and completely disoriented.
novalgina's review against another edition
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.
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
2.0
A story about concerns, solutions, and complications.
pgopiing's review against another edition
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
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.
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 against another edition
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.