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Rating: 
Summary: Shockingly funny... and sad!
Review: It is a strange story .. at the beginning you might think it is one of those books dealing with something that could happen everyday .. but the way the characters are woven into the story .. the complications and the revelations of each one of them is way extreme! A five day adventure .. a hideous ride .. a mockery of human life .. six different characters.. none of them was happy or satisfied with what he/she had .. each one of them wanted more and something better .. and took hard measures to reach their goals just like Dr. Skreta whom I think is ironically funny, smart and desperate! Kundera keeps you in touch with his characters .. you know what they think and how they feel .. you know their weaknesses and their strengths .. and what they want to accomplish ..yet I didn't expect such a tragedy!
Read it and enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Lightness of the tragedy?
Review: On the surface this novel couldt be regarded as mystery, but Kundera isn't a crime-writer at all. He keeps the reader always on track what's going on. Nevertheless the story becomes more and more suspenseful regarding the question wether there'll be at the end a victim or not. But that I don't reveal here. As ever I was very impressed by Kunderas mastership in drawing the characters. Every figure comes forward with all of it's strenghts and weakenings, with all of it's rarity and commonness. Nobody get's a prefered position by the author. Even nobody seems to bear the blame, blame appears more as dereliction. In a very subtile manner Kundera clarifies the reason why under communist dictatorships humanity failes more often than elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Farewell my lovely . . .
Review: Really a major accomplishment, FAREWELL WALTZ is a must for those interested in Kundera. Look out for the word of a Czech-American "saint" and for the actions the spa fertility doctor undertakes and that is just enough. No other contemporary European author can be so philosophical and funny at the same time as Kundera. I rate this book 10 out of 10, for it is my favorite. Not the most philosophical, although there is that, but the one which introduces readers outside Europe with a very accessible alternative to our expectations of novels. If you enjoyed American novelist Jackson McCrae (CHILDREN'S CORNER and the shocking, funny, and disturbing BARK OF THE DOGWOOD), then you'll probably like "Waltz" as well.
Rating:
Summary: A PILL AWAY
Review: Set against the backdrop of a Central European spa town, Kundera once again orchestrates his polyphonic style to intertwine lives and stories to play out a small portion of the human condition. In what seems like an orgy of loves unfulfilled, partnership of the most unlikely kind; a nurse, her boyfriend, an American, a famous musician and his wife and a potential émigré and his ward mix and mingle and form some sort of relationship soup that manages to hold together. Despite the playful tone of the story and dialogue, "Farewell Waltz" deals with the profound issue of the fragility of life. Far be it for Kundera be labeled a symbolist, the blue pill speaks to me of how easy it is to choose the back door of living and to cash it all in for one reason or another. On one level, the accidental taking of the pill by Ruzena shows us just how easily life can be taken away. With Kundera's books you can be guaranteed that is that and much more. The irony of Dr. Skreta lies in his bizarre power to create - a very Mary Shelley touch - of science without soul. Makes me stop to think about the true nature of my origin. Over and above all this, Kundera play on how human we are and celebrates the fragility, the emotion and the universal need for love....
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING
Review: This book is absolutely amazing. True, it is not like the Unbearable Lightness of Being or Immortality, in which Kundera takes the philosophical aspects of every situtation and magnifies it to the "meaning of life" (how's that for a cliche phrase?) This novel appears to be a lot lighter (no pun intended). It doesn't chew through every philosophical theory, but implies it with the characters' absurd and almost silly actions, which they take so seriously that one cannot help but smile. Believe it or not subtelty is key here as far as complex ideas go, even amidst all the plot twists. The reviewer who thought this novel not as contemplative or polished as Kundera's other and more famous works, certainly missed the point of it. This novel is probably one of Kundera's most structured and polished. Unbearable Lightness of Being and Immortality tend to ramble (not that the ramble isn't absolutely wonderful!) and have a bit of the old author-commentary-through-narrative-overkill. The Farewell Waltz is simply perfect! In fact I think that this novel better evoke, without ever spelling it out, the whole mood, attitude, and meaning (or lack there of) of the state he likes to call "the unbearable lightness of being". Oh, and some great politics and sex too. Any faithful Kundera fan will certainly enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING
Review: This book is absolutely amazing. True, it is not like the Unbearable Lightness of Being or Immortality, in which Kundera takes the philosophical aspects of every situtation and magnifies it to the "meaning of life" (how's that for a cliche phrase?) This novel appears to be a lot lighter (no pun intended). It doesn't chew through every philosophical theory, but implies it with the characters' absurd and almost silly actions, which they take so seriously that one cannot help but smile. Believe it or not subtelty is key here as far as complex ideas go, even amidst all the plot twists. The reviewer who thought this novel not as contemplative or polished as Kundera's other and more famous works, certainly missed the point of it. This novel is probably one of Kundera's most structured and polished. Unbearable Lightness of Being and Immortality tend to ramble (not that the ramble isn't absolutely wonderful!) and have a bit of the old author-commentary-through-narrative-overkill. The Farewell Waltz is simply perfect! In fact I think that this novel better evoke, without ever spelling it out, the whole mood, attitude, and meaning (or lack there of) of the state he likes to call "the unbearable lightness of being". Oh, and some great politics and sex too. Any faithful Kundera fan will certainly enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Among Kundera's best, but...
Review: This is one of my favorite Kundera novels (I've read them all), though it is certainly a bit of an oddball. As other reviewers have noted, it sticks to the story, without commentary from the author. There are also some structural differences, such as the number of chapters (see The Art of the Novel) and such. My only complaint is with this new translation. Perhaps it's just because I first read The Farewell Party, but there were some subtle changes that I just didn't understand. The spelling of one character's name was changed (possibly due to difference in English pronounciation, with the intent of preserving the original sound) and another peripheral character's name was changed altogether. There were others as well. Given Kundera's complaints about overzealous translators in Testaments Betrayed, I suspect he might not have approved. Still, I can't imagine anyone preferring Slowness to this.
Rating:
Summary: Among Kundera's best, but...
Review: This is one of my favorite Kundera novels (I've read them all), though it is certainly a bit of an oddball. As other reviewers have noted, it sticks to the story, without commentary from the author. There are also some structural differences, such as the number of chapters (see The Art of the Novel) and such. My only complaint is with this new translation. Perhaps it's just because I first read The Farewell Party, but there were some subtle changes that I just didn't understand. The spelling of one character's name was changed (possibly due to difference in English pronounciation, with the intent of preserving the original sound) and another peripheral character's name was changed altogether. There were others as well. Given Kundera's complaints about overzealous translators in Testaments Betrayed, I suspect he might not have approved. Still, I can't imagine anyone preferring Slowness to this.
Rating:
Summary: Atypical Kundera fare
Review: This is the most readable of Kundera's works, and is handled differently form his other novels. The contrast with "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" is striking; he sticks to the plotline and avoids the philosophical. Kundera's standard formula is to put the character in a situation that is profound and offers some insight, then step back as narrator and explain to the reader exactly why this situation is profound and what is the insight. This is not a criticism. Kundera is clearly a master and Unbearable Lightness is one of my favorite novels. It is simply that "the Farewell Waltz" is different; those expecting more standard Kundera fare might be disappointed. I myself was delighted. The characters were diverse, irreverent, and interesting. Despite the farcical nature of the novel they remain believable. This is a novel that one can read and enjoy for the story, the character mix, the black humor, and the occasional political musings. Kundera does not beat the reader over the head with the philosophical points; these are left for you to discover. A wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Atypical Kundera fare
Review: This is the most readable of Kundera's works, and is handled differently form his other novels. The contrast with "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" is striking; he sticks to the plotline and avoids the philosophical. Kundera's standard formula is to put the character in a situation that is profound and offers some insight, then step back as narrator and explain to the reader exactly why this situation is profound and what is the insight. This is not a criticism. Kundera is clearly a master and Unbearable Lightness is one of my favorite novels. It is simply that "the Farewell Waltz" is different; those expecting more standard Kundera fare might be disappointed. I myself was delighted. The characters were diverse, irreverent, and interesting. Despite the farcical nature of the novel they remain believable. This is a novel that one can read and enjoy for the story, the character mix, the black humor, and the occasional political musings. Kundera does not beat the reader over the head with the philosophical points; these are left for you to discover. A wonderful book.
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