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surdiablo's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
This book reeks of misogyny and features a toxic miserable relationship that goes nowhere. He tries his hand at some philosophy and political commentary, which came off as pretentious and r/Im14andthisisdeep material, rather than anything profound. Some of the excessive and distasteful events or descriptions seemed to me as if the author was fulfilling his lascivious fantasies through these characters, or simply being gratuitous. I don't know if something was lost in translation but it became rather unbearable indeed with the constant focus on sex for the majority of the book. I don't mind reading about shitty characters or sex, but the way Kundera handles it and the things he focuses on.. It just rubs me the wrong way if that makes sense... I didn't care much about the characters with their unnatural inner monologue, although Teresa's traumatic upbringing was well-written.
Kundera occasionally draws conclusions by linking unrelated elements, which can seem illogical, even though they're presented as if they naturally fit together. This can leave the reader feeling perplexed often (The relation between Teresa's bowler hat and violence for example). It adds a lot to that pretentiousness I mentioned earlier. The political plot was comparatively enjoyable, but there wasn't enough of it and what existed felt rather basic. I have never been a fan of the author telling me what to think or feel, so that didn't help either. At the end of the day, if you ask me Do you feel like you gained anything reading this book?, my answer would be no. I didn't care for his thoughts or insight, and the parts I didn't hate seem forgettable now after all this time, while the irritation remains.
P.S. Kundera definitely has a poop fetish... Oh, and don't read this book if you haven't read Anna Karenina and don't want its ending spoiled.
Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Excrement and War
Minor: Rape and Death of parent
junglejelly's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I absolutely adored the characters who were so well written and I felt like I had known them for years (even if they might not be that likeable).
Unbearable is a great delve into how infallible and complex humans are/can be.
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death, Car accident, and War
Minor: Violence
crystalline_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Kundera’s philosophical asides are either intriguing or bizarre. Touching on various topics like kitsch, interpersonal relationships and freedom/distance, body image, the gaze, duality of body/mind, sex and love, synchronicity, et. al., though his insights aren’t particularly novel.
Each of the primary characters seems to be plagued by their unique mixture of some of those questions.
For the story, the plot is non-linear but I found it relatively easy to follow, save for a few dream sequences which it took me awhile to recognize as being dreams. Various events of the Prague Spring and some
communist revolutions play in the background, though the plot otherwise moves pretty slowly. Most of the focus is on the relationships between the characters or their internal reflection.
As for the likeableness of the characters —
Infidelity is a huge theme here with pretty much everyone. Tomas is such an unbearable philanderer that reading passages which focus on him or the relationship between he & Tereza feels tedious and a bit slimy.
The rest have their flaws but seem redeemable. I have heard critiques that the characters, particularly Sabina and Tereza, are flat, but they were actually more interesting to me than Tomas or Franz.
It was an interesting read, varyingly
enjoyable based on the character in whose perspective we’re reading. The style is a little unusual and I wouldn’t recommend it to most people.
Graphic: Infidelity and Excrement
valentinedevillefort's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity
iris_garden's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Infidelity
navayiota's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cancer, Sexual assault, Excrement, Car accident, and Alcohol
carmentxx's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death
perpetually_isolated_being's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Complex yet artistically written, 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' delves into the intricate lives of four individuals (and a dog), weaving a narrative that explores the interconnectedness of their existence against the backdrop of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. This historical event profoundly influences the irreversible choices they make and the consequential burdens they must bear.
The author exhibits a nuanced perspective on the structure of human relationships, delving into their complexities, including the connections with God and nature. Throughout the book, there are moments when the author interrupts the narrative to introduce his own philosophical discussions and meticulously examines each character.
This book is probably one of my most complicated yet insightful reads of this year.
Graphic: Infidelity
raeviews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexism, Police brutality, Abandonment, and War
kajasversion's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and War