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A review by crystalline_
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
Heard a lot of praise for this book, not sure if it lives up to it.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Excrement