The Unbearable Lightness of Being
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being
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Narrated by:
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Richmond Hoxie
About this listen
One of the century's most famous novels, available for the first time on audio - read by Richmond Hoxie. Milan Kundera's iconic novel of love and politics in communist Czechoslovakia is 'a dark and brilliant achievement' (Ian McEwan).
'A cult figure.' Guardian
'Shamelessly clever ... Exhilaratingly subversive and funny.' Independent
'A modern classic ... As relevant now as when it was first published. ' John Banville
A young woman is in love with a successful surgeon - a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanising. His mistress, a free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals - while her other lover stands to lose everything because of his noble qualities.
In a world where lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and fortuitous events, and everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance and weight - and we feel 'the unbearable lightness of being'.
A masterpiece by one of the world's truly great writers, Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being encompasses passion and philosophy, infidelity and ideas, the Prague Spring and modern America, political acts and private desires, comedy and tragedy - and illuminates all aspects of human existence.
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What listeners say about The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- P N.
- 19-06-24
Great performance but a drawn out metaphysical wreck of a story
Loved the narrator, story less so. Herman Hesse-lite. Some of the character development was wonderful though.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- woodwild
- 09-04-19
I love this book
I've read this book many times, hearing it was like reading it again for the first time, it is a great piece of writing
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison Hallett
- 28-03-24
Interesting and reflective
This book wasn’t gripping but more a reflective and insightful book of philosophy through creation of characters and reflections on life and our ways of making what we can from it and finding meaning
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Milena
- 23-07-24
Thought provoking book
This is a simple yet very complicated book which provokes all sorts of thoughts and raises interesting questions. It’s beautifully written in its simplicity and very touching and sad in many parts.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlie O'Doherty, London
- 04-04-20
Blissful and brilliant
Kundera is a master of truly touching writing. Few other contemporary writers come so close. If you haven't experienced this novel, go ahead right now. You'll be swept away by its beauty.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dead Books
- 24-08-24
wow
So much depth on the human condition, now I understand why it's frequently on the top must read/digest lists.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Ant
- 30-07-13
Strives to be deep
There are parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. There are moments of great beauty through skilful prose and a thoughtful story. However, I think you can only enjoy an opinionated book if you agree with the opinions expressed. Unfortunately, in enough of the cases to spoil it, I did not.
My other complaint is quoting the ancients to prove your point rather than illustrate it. Euclid was a truly great mind - it took us a couple of thousand years to show his work as incomplete, but eventually we moved past him.
I would go as far as to say I could possibly be a fan of the author, but not the philosopher.
I know others have found this book very deep and enjoyable - it is well written, so I am wary of putting another reader off it just because I didn't enjoy parts of it.
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37 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ManOfTheWeevil
- 03-10-16
Breaking News: Famous classic is really good
The reading was very well done. He brought me close in against the feeling of the book and prevented it from ever getting dull, as a more prosaic, dispassionate reader could have.
I don't think there's anything i can say about the book which hasn't been said better by others. It's a book of philosophy / psychology but unusually dense with substance. Expresses every idea with a very high ratio of beauty to wordcount.
The book will affect how I see things for a long time. Particularly the idea that there are at least two correct and valid ways of seeing the same situation e.g. a strange coincidence.
The prosaic and factual one which says 'By law of probability coincidences are bound to happen constantly.'
And the poetic view which intelligently seeks out and appreciates the beauty and conceptual nuances in such events.
To limit yourself only to the former view is to rob yourself of beauty in your life.
That's something I'm going to change.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Roly
- 04-09-22
Destiny under oppression
I remember almost nothing of this semibiographical(felt like) novel read in my teens; charting lives in Czechoslovakia under Communist oppression and melding philosophical ideas of destiny, love, sex, relationships and the imperative to survive. Initially the narrative was very inward looking but expanded and flowed with touching sensitivity at the finale. I was struck by the meanness and relentless cruelty of communism that forced individual to betray one another but fortified by the courage that emerged.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jason 2013
- 18-01-15
Emotional and happy memories
I read this at university and it brought back lots of memories. Great story bit of philosophy, bit of love, bit of history, and all good. Throughly enjoyed it, narrated well.
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8 people found this helpful