Reviews

“laughter has no object, it is the expression of being rejoicing in being”

“she does not want to give back to the past it’s poetry. she wants to give back to it it’s lost body. what is urging her on is not a desire for beauty. it is a desire for life”

sebasnbarata's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

rissaleighs's review against another edition

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2.0

Reading this book was much like getting a tooth drilled. Except a tooth drilling is over with mercifully sooner. It would have been a 1-star read for me, except I can't write off the profundity of the author's ideas about memory, laughter, and music. It WAS, at points, an interesting look into Czech culture under communist Russia, and of life under changing political regimes in general. There were passing mentions of statues being torn down and history rewritten which could only pique one's interest given the current news headlines. But in general, I think I would have preferred to read a book of essays by this author on these subjects instead of these stories. The characters and plotlines we're almost uniformly nauseating. Though, that may have been intentional....

danthompson1877's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny medium-paced

3.0

abrswf's review against another edition

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5.0

I read this wonderful book decades ago and I’ve never forgotten it. Right up there with The Unbearable Lightness of Being as one of the best of the twentieth century.

alexanderjamie's review against another edition

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reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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