Rating: 
Summary: a now even older Europe
Review: This book puts a somewhat lascivious grin on my face. The light touch that Kundera has is endearing and it is the perfect touch for conveying the feeling of youthful revolution under Communist oppression. Something wild seemed to have bloomed in Prague in the late sixties as it did elsewhere in other countries but in Prague it took on an especially poignant air. To read the playwrites of the time is to see that humor and satire were the weapons of the day and Kundera captures the sense of laughter in the face of tyranny which in the beginning of the book is an unseen Kafkaesque committee of spies that have settled in to rule the land. The worst part is that here the Kafkaesque is no exaggeration for neighbors and fellow workers are informing on each other(later the tyranny becomes all too real when Soviet tanks enter Prague). Kundera captures the absurdity of this moment in time as only a student of the Central European Novel can(Kundera pays homage to his favorites in Art of the Novel). Perfectly balanced on their respective tightropes are Sabrina, Teresa, Tomas, and Franz. All of them are charming. This is one of the few novels that tells many stories and each one is equally interesting. The philosophy that threads these lives together is Kundera's and there is a lot of it. It is a philosophy of the moment because at any given moment the world can change. You may not agree with every single word that his swinging brain has to offer but it is all very readable and at the very least provocative . If you do disagree with him you will find you have to admit he is an interesting person to disagree with. The sex is fun too. I would love to read a sequel to this work, and I have never said that before of any other work. One of the few contemporary works that I think deserves its reputation. Intellectual and sensual, theres a combo I can live with.
Rating:
Summary: 10 starts
Review: if "Harry Potter" has 5 starts, then this book deserves TEN starts!
Rating: 
Summary: Beginning with a brilliant concept, but not maintaining it..
Review: I bought this book after looking at all the wonderful reviews that this book has received. The first few chapters illustrate a beautiful concept, however, Kundera does little to maintain our interest. After the first few chapters, my interest started fading. The characters are uninteresting and as a reader, I felt I couldn't give any sympathy to them, regardless of what the situation was. There's not enough character development such that the characters have grown on to me. This is unfortunate because Kundera outlined a wonderful concept, only to fill it with mundane words.
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreakingly beautiful story and prose!!!
Review: Beautifully written and heartrendingly compelling, this work is an exquisite journey of discovery. Set in Prague during the communist takeover, it gives one a taste of being there, as seen from the eyes and into the mind of a man who was part of the experience. Kundara's prose is lilting and poetic, his characters spring to life off the pages, and he is able to masterfully convey the spirit of the time as well as the spirit of the man and his journey into the Lightness of Being. It's a journey that is poignant, and filled with imagery and romance all along the way. Pick up the book and start down the path with Kundara -- it's an unforgettable experience!!! Highly, highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Bearable
Review: Kundera uses fiction as a medium to explore various ideas. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a rhapsodical exploration of four characters attitudes towards romantic relationships as they go through life, going off on many tangents about abstract ideas. If you like ideas like I do, this book is a great read, but if you are more interested in a solid, fast-paced plot, you probably won't care for this book.
Rating:
Summary: Spell-binding
Review: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera is the uncanny, carefully structured, multi-layered love story I greatly cherished. More than a love story, the Unbearable Lightness is a full exploration into love and human relationships including disappointment, guilt, devotion and how lovers can grow to hate one another. Tomas is a respected surgeon in Prague, Czechoslovakia, with a die-hard habit of womanizing. Tereza an unhappy, mistreated girl from a small town outside of Prague, is one of his women. Tomas marries her out of a combination of love and pity. Tomas' desire to be a responsible husband creates a conflict with his lifestyle as Tereza's need and adulation of Tomas conflicts with her guilt of changing his lifestyle with Sabina, Tomas's favorite mistress intruding and enjoying it, all creating a spectrum of emotions, all studied and explained from several angles by Kundera, our gentle narrator who simultaneously presents Freudian, metaphysical and historical perspectives. Meanwhile, the book is given a political layer as Communist Russia takes hold of the books' backdrop of Prague. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is unlike any other book I have read. Kundera dissects emotions with the care of a surgeon and the grace of a maestro. Unbearable Lightness is an unforgettable, lyrical and life-altering novel.
Rating:
Summary: Insight on the human condition...
Review: Why do you do things the way you do? What affects to you have on other people, and how do they affect you? Things that as humans we do not think about every day, but real issues that Kundera adresses in this novel.In a writing style that wraps you around his finger, begging you to hold on, Kundera explores the depthes of his characters' minds and uncovers intense emotions. He explores the different levels of love and how they come about. Love for a spouse, love for a parent, a lover, a pet, a momento, a city, a job and even of an ideal. The story evolves in a multi-layered manner, filled with commentary of past polictal events (which Kundera experienced in his lifetime)and charcters interacting at diferent points in time. At times, this format makes the characters seem a bit transparent, but, as Kundera explains, they are a based on a single idea, a moment; combined with Kundera's own unconscious and unrealized possibilites for himself. This gives you the feeling that in the midst of the novel, Kundera is sturggling with his own believes, and hashing them out on the page. Do you feel at peace with the conclusions in the end? Does he? Read it and find out.
Rating:
Summary: Life is a big coincidence
Review: Although I personally prefer Book of Laughter and forgetting and Immortality, none the less I still love this book and have read it atleast three times and watched the movie once. (The movie does absolutely no justice). I love this book because I subscribe to the philosophy that life is but a series of coincidences and there is no such thing as a predestined event. It just happens. That is what the book communicated to me. Also it paints a rather poignant picture of the lives of individuals and the effects of their own action in a situation over which they have no control. What was most wonderful was that I actually ended up watching Good Will Hunting after I had read the book a second time and it was a whole different experience.
Rating:
Summary: Disjointed and slow
Review: I just struggled to finish this book. I don't know what all the fuss is or maybe I just missed the point. I found the book to be very disjointed with only a vague story. I didn't feel that the characters' personalities were well developed. I can now say that I read it but for me it was a waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: A novel good for many readings
Review: Speaking from personal experience, this is the best "beginner" novel for avid readers eager to delve into the wondrous world of Central and Eastern European literature. Kundera touches elements of the Human Condition like few other modern authors. His characters remain etched upon the brain for years to follow.
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