Reviews with content warning for War - The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Reviews tagging 'War'

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

26 reviews

kajasversion's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

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

2.0

I don’t t even know how to begin describing this book. I would dare to say it’s even more traumatising than Saltburn. None of the characters are lovable, every single one makes hurtful and selfish decisions, dragging eachother lower in life than them. Even after studying this book in school I cannot figure out what its point is. To me, it was a waste of my time. I barely made it through and I disagree with the level of praise it has received.

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eggdiamond's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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venusynth's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an interesting read. The story has me saying, “Yes, but…” or “No, except…” I thought I would hate the characters upon learning their flaws. I couldn’t but I don’t love them either. There’s an unexplainable quality about this book that has me rate it 4 stars. Maybe its ability to keep me turning to the next page compels me to think of it highly. There was only one part that disturbed me, even when the premise is already upsetting.

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onthehummingbirds's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

It's called The Unbearable Lighteness of Being because when you finish it that's exactly how you feel

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risemini's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

2.75

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is partly the story of Tomas and Tereza’s relationship, as well as relationships involving Franz and Sabina, set against the background of the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and partly a philosophical tome. I frequently felt like I was reading a non-fiction text rather than a work of fiction. The big picture philosophical ruminations took me out of the story but were an interesting way of considering the characters and their actions. None of the characters are faithful to each other or especially likeable. The author’s depiction of their sex lives felt overly prurient and left me feeling a little icky. I think this may have been partly because it was written in the third person, from the point of view of an outside observer, but also some of the male attitudes had me cringing. I’m glad to have finally read this one. It definitely pushed my conception of what a novel could be and there were passages of beautiful and insightful writing. As to whether I liked it, I’m still trying to decide. I definitely liked parts of it; other aspects not so much - or not at all.

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