Rating: 
Summary: Unbearable to let go...
Review: I almost feel sad that I have finished this book! In my opinion, a much better book than "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting" - I cared more about the characters, and the descriptions were clenching and vibrant. It grabbed on to my melancholy self, which is the most European part of me... Sabina, Franz, Thereza and Thomas (+Karenin the dog!) were so delicately, yet strongly presented - the only drawback (or is it?) was that I pictured the actors from the movie as the written characters - it became impossible for me to think of Thereza without seeing Juliette Binoche! The settings were also well characterized - I mused over the various American comments and reflections in particular. I especially liked the description of New York as a place of "beauty by mistake" as compared to the well-planned, "rigid" beauty of European architecture (Sabina loves it, Franz does not). Part of the tactics described of the Communist Regime reminded me of Orwell's 1984. This is certainly a book I will read again some day! Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Ain't it a little overrated?
Review: Milan Kundera employs his trademark meditative, philosophical writing style in his, novel "The unbearable lightness of being". If you are looking for a flowing cohesive storyline, look elsewhere, for this book is essentially a book of musings and inner speculations based loosely on the themes of love and infidelity. The story revolves around two couples, Franz and Sabina, Tomas and Tereza and their attempts at infidelity and betrayal of love.
The book makes for an interesting, light-hearted read, which inevitably sets you to ponder over some of the issues raised. Milan Kundera approaches certain subjects from pretty unconventional ways of thinking, such as those on the kitsch, the duality of soul and body, weight and lightness and the non-recurring nature of life. He exposes you to a plethora of perspectives and compels you to question your own beliefs and viewpoints. The narrative is unimportant here. Removing the veil of the flimsy storyline, what you get is what Milan intends to explore - the essence of "being". Though this book may have come from a Czech writer, with various allusions to Czech history and its way of life, the topics discussed are universal and will resonate with any reader in any part of the world.
I was touched by the last chapter, "Karenin's smile" (which related the death of a dog) and amused by the chapter "Words Misunderstood" (which offered contrasting viewpoints on a single topic). "The unbearable lightness of being" is yet another book which deserves a re-reading, for only so will you uncover and better appreciate many of the gems hidden in the pages. "3 stars" for I expected much more out of the book - perhaps something heavier and more gripping. Nevertheless the novel is one of the more representative reads of Czech literature.
Rating:
Summary: Love Story as a Philosophy Text Book
Review: Kundera is a fascinating author. A product of the Czech Republic when it was a satellite nation of the Soviet Union (and called Czechoslovakia), this book deals with the 1968 "Prague Spring"- a time when things seemed to be lightening up in Czechoslovakia. Its a book of the decisions that a woman must make, and how she deals with her surroundings. This book is a combination of a lot of things, hard to understand at times but utterly relevant, in today's world and for thousands of years from now. There's a lot of philosophy as well, which deals with the way people live, and how we live our own. How are our lives shaped by events we are able or unable to control? Kundera really understands men and women, and love as well. Like its title, The Unbearable Lightness of Being is full of contradictions. It was the kind of book I had to read several times in order to understand what Kundera was saying. Even now there are some things I don't quite grasp about this novel. I had to allocate a lot of time in order to re-read it. Also recommended: The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, also by Kundera.
Rating:
Summary: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Review: The Unbearable Lightness of Being is an interesting mix of social commentary, history lesson and relationship examination all rolled into one novel that is told, not by a narrator, but by Kundera himself.The lightness of being is at the focal point of this novel. We are first presented with a brief essay-like section on whether life is a light or a heavy experience, and if it differs for others. He uses historical figures as evidence as to the weight of life, some, like Parmenides, consider life to be a light burden, as 'lightness' is positive and so is being alive, and Nietzsche appears to agree, though for very different reasons. Throughout the novel, Kundera takes over the narration to discuss, contrast and compare the actions of the characters as regards to the philosophy of great men, trying to determine whether life is in fact light or heavy. The conclusion he seems to come to is that it is up to the person themselves to decide, and after that, to decide which out of light or heavy is the negative aspect. In terms of story, most of the activity centres around Tomas and Tereze, who met through a bizarre sequence of activities. In another show of polarity, Tereze considers these amazing coincidences proof that they should be together forever, whereas as Tomas thinks it means that their relationship will be as fleeting and ephemeral as the chance of them ever meeting. We also get to see on of Tomas' (many) mistresses, Sabine, although the details of her life are presented more to understand Tomas. About halfway through the novel, we are taken on an excursion into the way life was in Czechoslovakia, with the threat of the Russians and communism, and the way people were deluded. This part is interesting from a historical and social aspect, as our heroes are involved in the proceedings, but thankfully the author does not let his own political ideology take over the narrative at the expense of the characters. Since we are being told this story by Kundera and not some nameless, faceless narrator, the writing is very playful, tangential and casual. Many things are explained then further explained in brackets (like so), which might seem like the author is bashing our head with the point he is trying to make, but it never comes across as this. Rather, we are thankful for such personal insight. The book can be very sad, and very weighty, but most of the time it remains light-weight and playful - thus mimicking the subject matter and narrative structure of the story itself. The insight into the Czechoslovakia as a nation and as people is quite interesting also, but as said above, the focus remains on Tomas and Tereze's relationship, and through that, an analysis of all relationship's is made.
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