The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Twentieth Anniversary Edition: Amazon.co.uk: Milan Kundera: Books

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Customer Reviews

40 Reviews

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
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4.5 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)

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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joy and a revelation, 19 Feb 2003

By	Tom "stardashstar" (London) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Paperback)

Milan Kundera is an unconventional storyteller. He never lets you forget his presence as author and narrator and even goes so far as to speak in the first person. He introduces his characters like acquaintances and his stories like anecdotes although parable is the more appropriate word. The story is far from incidental in his work and his characters are fully fleshed and involving but Kundera never lets his reader forget a wider significance. He also takes lengthy asides to expound a particular point or explore a particular train of thought yet this all adds rather than detracts from the beauty of the work.
Primarily this is a work about love and freedom which Kundera explores metaphorically through the opposition of weight and lightness. The essential question asked by this book is is it better to be weighed down by responsibility or to chose the unbearable lightness of being where our actions are "as free as they are inconsequential"? What price love?
This is explored through a number of different prisms and Kundera is equally at home discussing medieval theology as he is the death camps. Perhaps inevitably the Prague Spring of 1968 is given a major role and Kundera, as one who lived on both sides of the iron curtain is keen to demonstrate the way such experiences shape perception.
Kundera writes with a simple wisdom that makes his truths seem self evident and make you more aware of the way you view the world. The themes he deals with are both localised and universal. This is certainly one of my favourite books of all time and one that I keep on coming back to, either in its entirety or in small section like a reference book. Unsurpassed.

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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful, 27 Feb 2003

By	Mr. Paul J. Bradshaw (Midlands, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Paperback)

A book about fidelity and infidelity, communication and misunderstandings, and why people do what they do.

This is a work of considerable confidence and control that follows the differently connected lives of a group of people as they fall in love and fall into line, disperse and return. It's all about how our lives are all about making mistakes and never being able to do things again.

In the telling of it, Kundera's voice is often particularly strong, and his plot has the freedom to follow threads which you barely noticed to begin with. It's often philosophical and yet eminently readable - I devoured it in 4 days. Thoroughly recommended.

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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, 17 Jul 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Paperback)

I happened to pick this book up by accident. Intrigued by its title, I read through the first two pages. It was very dense, and I thought it would be a hard read...but it flowed easily while touching many philosophical questions. As you followed the characters along, you realize how the characters represent what is human in all of us. This book was an amazing experience. Kundera develops the characters so well, that you become very attached to them. They become a part of you. Kundera also beautifully describes their thoughts and experiences. He puts into words everything you have thought about life and people and (mis-)communication but never really made it to the surface of your thoughts. A wonderful read that keeps you captivated until the end. It's not difficult to read, but you will constantly be thinking.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Never forget how much of life is affected by chance
Interesting book and an enjoyable read. What really matters in life? Kundera has some uplifting suggestions about what true love and happiness are. Read more

Published 1 month ago by noc

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite good
Well previous reviewers have described this book adequately; it just remains to say that it is a little hard to get into but if you perservere it'll be well worth it. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Binro The Heretic

1.0 out of 5 stars Unbearably Heavy Going
I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it was like something by Michel Houellebecq with less overt misogyny. Read more

Published 2 months ago by S. Hartwell

5.0 out of 5 stars the unbearable lightness of being
I am very glad of my purchase. It was fast and cheap, and the book was in really good conditions. I will be buying again through this site very soon. Thanks.

Published 3 months ago by Mario Gaite-navarro

5.0 out of 5 stars The power of ideas...
Milan Kundera has the uncommon ability to twist and manipulate words to their full value and extract from them meaning that is not at first obvious. Read more

Published 11 months ago by H. Pope

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely needs to be read more than once.
This is an unusual book, and well-worth reading just for its originality. I like what Kundera has done in using a novel as the basis for philosophical speculation. Read more

Published on 27 Aug 2006 by W. Pearce

5.0 out of 5 stars Weird indeed...

... but weird is in no way bad. As a start, the story captures your attention from the very first page and the book is hard to put down. Read more

Published on 19 Jul 2006 by Ewis

2.0 out of 5 stars I would stick a
I would stick a "weird" label on it. I cannot say I disliked it completely, but I think it is indeed odd book. A few episodes of life from 4 main chars of the book. Read more

Published on 28 April 2006 by _astra_

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story with a deeper meaning
This book really lived up to the top reviews I had read before I bought it. The characters are strong, the emotions finely balanced, the discussion fascinating. Read more

Published on 11 Jan 2006 by M. Carson

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely fantastic
a tale of love, sex and infedility mixed with wonderful philosophical speculations. milan kundera once again prove that he is the greatest writer of twentieth century. Read more

Published on 6 Dec 2005 by manzij narayanan

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	90% buy the item featured on this page: The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Twentieth Anniversary Edition 4.5 out of 5 stars (40)
	4% buy Love in the Time of Cholera 3.8 out of 5 stars (56) �5.49
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	2% buy Unbearable Lightness Of Being - 2 Disc Special Edition [DVD] 4.2 out of 5 stars (5) �4.78


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The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Twentieth Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)

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