Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Nieznośna lekkość bytu

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Nieznośna lekkość bytu by Milan Kundera

9 reviews

mandoriin's review against another edition

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funny 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

4.25

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mikarala's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-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

5.0

It only took a few pages for me to fall in love with this novel. It is somehow both incredibly philosophical and yet completely grounded. This is a book that doesn't shy away from dirty topics, and honestly it can be kind of gross at times. But even then, there's a kind of respect for that dirtiness being a part of what makes us human, and I felt that Kundera treated all the characters with a lot of tenderness, even when they had degrading thoughts and experiences. I think that's quite the feat for a book that features a philanderer and nympomaniac as our male lead, with female main characters who can't help but love him and express a kind of obsessive love and desire to be dominated by him at times.

Considering that, I'm kind of surprised to say I actually thought Tereza and Sabina were rendered with quite a lot of respect and thoughtfulness for their individuality, rather than being relegated to being mere sex objects. I often find women written by men, especially in novels where sex is a major topic, can feel quite one-dimensional or objectified. I didn't feel that way at all about Tereza and Sabina. I thought they were both extremely complex and well-written female characters, I would honestly say probably some of my favourite female characters ever written by a male author.

Altogether, an incredibly thoughtful meditation on the human condition, on surviving the everyday indignities associated with our existence and doing your best to find happiness in whatever form you can. Definitely a novel I need to return to and experience again, because I feel like there's so much more to it that I wasn't able to fully appreciate this time. Highly recommend.

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vasi83177's review against another edition

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absolute garbage book. the word "unbearable" accurately describes this book. sexist narrator. sexist characters. you could feel the hatred towards women in the way that they were portrayed. especially compared to male characters, which were depicted in neutral tone of voice. disgusting scenes. LOTS of gaslighting, mental and sexual abuse, lack of consent etc.

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_quinnsreads's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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softgirlari's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

VERY dark book, not for those who have relationship struggles

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jelliestars's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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mansinnikam's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

a complex--and complexly structured--philosophizing novel w/ thought-provoking, brow-raising ideas + ruminations that has quite a bit of truth and wisdom, and offers a fascinating study on the complexity of humans, in addition to spot-on, if a bit ironic, depictions of american imperialism, leftist self-righteousness, etc. def didnt understand everything, but i do get why this is considered a contemporary classic.

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nsv's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

2.0

The unbearable lightness of being contemplates on the egotistical life of a man too self involved to understand the world does not move around him. He even tries to make her main partner kill herself to “relieve her of her pain”.

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