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The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
When The Unbearable Lightness of Being was first published in English, it was hailed as ""a work of the boldest mastery, originality, and richness"" by critic Elizabeth Hardwick and named one of the best books of 1984 by the New York Times Book Review. It went on to win the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction and quickly became an international bestseller. Twenty years later, the novel has established itself as a modern classic. To commemorate the anniversary of its first English-language publication, HarperCollins is proud to offer a special hardcover edition.
A young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing; one of his mistresses and her humbly faithful lover -- these are the two couples whose story is told in this masterful novel.
Controlled by day, Tereza's jealousy awakens by night, transformed into ineffably sad death-dreams, while Tomas, a successful surgeon, alternates loving devotion to the dependent Tereza with the ardent pursuit of other women. Sabina, an independent, free-spirited artist, lives her life as a series of betrayals -- of parents, husband, country, love itself -- whereas her lover, the intellectual Franz, loses all because of his earnest goodness and fidelity.
In a world in which lives are shaped by irrevocable choices and by fortuitous events, a world in which everything occurs but once, existence seems to lose its substance, its weight. Hence we feel, says the novelist, ""the unbearable lightness of being"" -- not only as the consequence of our private acts but also in the public sphere, and the two inevitably intertwine.
This magnificent novel encompasses the extremes of comedy and tragedy, and embraces, it seems, all aspects of human existence. It juxtaposes geographically distant places (Prague, Geneva, Paris, Thailand, the United States, a forlorn Bohemian village); brilliant and playful reflections (on ""eternal return,"" on kitsch, on man and animals -- Tomas and Tereza have a beloved doe named Karenin); and a variety of styles (from the farcical to the elegiac) to take its place as perhaps the major achievement of one of the world's truly great writers.
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"Brutally honest yet compassionate, profound and funny...the book lives up to the promise of the title. Kundera steers clear of all unessential details. I'd have better enjoyed the narrative if I had sufficient background in western philosophy-there are numerous allusions. Overall a delightful read."
— Uma (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Brilliant…A work of high modernist playfulness and deep pathos.”
— New York Review of Books -
“A meditation on life, on the erotic, on the nature of men and women and love…full of telling details, truths large and small.”
— People -
“Both a love story and a novel of ideas…Witty, seductive, serious…also full of feeling and enormously experienced in the tricky interplay of sex and politics.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“Kundera has raised the novel of ideas to a new level of dreamlike lyricism and emotional intensity.”
— Newsweek -
“In an appealing performance, Richmond Hoxie lets his subtle use of inflection and tempo deliver the necessary action and character differentiation…Hoxie’s mellow voice and skilled pacing provide a steady guide as the characters move through tortured relationships and situations seeking the purpose that will make their lives bearable.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A Barnes & Noble bestseller
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A New York Times Book Review Book of the Year
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Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Listener Reviews
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" I liked this book to the extent of wanting to finish it, to see where the story goes. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, or care about what happens to any of them. The characters seemed to be unreal and lacking in personality. This book is full of ridiculous instances that make no sense. Kundera portrays all the women as weak sexual objects not worthy of any kind of real relationships. However the men, such as Thomas (who compulsively cheats on his wife), we are supposed to believe to be profoundly desirable for no real reason at all. This book is full of sexual encounters, but not one of them I found to be appealing in any way, much the opposite actually. I thought it disruptive to the story, how the author frequently gives explanations for why characters feel or act a certain way. There are definitely some interesting concepts in the book, but still I found myself to be very detached from the story. This book is extremely overrated, in my opinion. "
— Rachelle, 2/13/2014 -
" One of my absolutely favourites. Every single time I re-read it I find something completely new. "
— Nancy, 2/11/2014 -
" I think this book will continue to guide me each time I read it. And I'm sure it'll give me powerful insights over and over again. "
— Lÿdia, 1/30/2014 -
" It was a strange way of telling a story, he fell sometimes in teaching lessons... but still an amazing novel "
— مناÙ, 1/18/2014 -
" Did not especially like until the very end. "
— Autumn, 1/6/2014 -
" The best of Kundera's works. "
— Renata, 1/2/2014 -
" Excellent title ... it was cool and chic in the 90s to think that this was a sexy, political, philosophical and deep look at the shallowness of human experience that would join the canon of great literature ... Worth reading but hasn't quite stood the test of time for me. "
— Steven, 12/23/2013 -
" Great work and perfect ending "
— Caleb, 12/17/2013 -
" Poetic stuff. Utterly original. And every word would mean something new upon subsequent readings. One of my favourite magical realists, right alongside Marquez and Borges. "
— Apoorva, 12/10/2013 -
" The unbearable boredom of trying to read this book... stopped after the first 80 pages... "
— Ralph, 10/3/2013 -
" I thought this was an interesting read. It's different in the way it is written, which is thought-provoking. I liked the philosophy, the unique writing style, and that the story was interesting enough to keep me reading on. "
— Jacqueline, 9/16/2013 -
" Couldn't get trough this. Maybe I should try in english next time. "
— Katie, 7/26/2013 -
" Not as bad as the woman who loaned it to me said it was.I was amazed...at her stupidity.lol. A thought provoking book. "
— Bonnie, 6/20/2013 -
" The writing in this book was incredibly beautiful. Some really amazing quotes. "
— Hannah, 6/10/2013 -
" Awesome read with an almost unbearable grasp of the human condition and the complexity of marriage, infidelity and overall human relationships. Love the different perspectives of each character in this book. "
— Kindra, 6/1/2013 -
" Pretentious drivel disguised as philosophy. I found the movie to be less ridiculous. "
— Laura, 4/11/2013 -
" I meant to read this before the movie came out (yes, in the 80's). I finally got around to it now even though I always get annoyed with the "powerless" female characters, there was so much more to like in this book. It was definitely worth the wait (weight). "
— Tara, 3/5/2013 -
" He is a good writer, but I expected it to be a bit better. It was a bit of a bore for me. "
— Layla, 1/1/2013 -
" This book was deep. I loved the philosophical musings and the way characters' decisions were explained. The essay writing style was unique, too. While this wasn't an amazing book, it was still pretty good. "
— Rebekah, 11/28/2012 -
" Having already loved the film years ago, I'm now thoroughly enjoying this, though I feel it less intensly than I did back then. This is no doubt due to the fact that my life is much better now. This said I wished I'd read the book first, as always. "
— Natl, 10/13/2012 -
" Really enjoyed this book - profound and thought provoking. Multiple perspectives of the same situation and intersecting story lines make the book more compelling. Definitely one of the best books I've read in awhile! "
— Jennifer, 5/29/2012
About Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera (1929–2023) was the author of several novels and a short-story collection originally written in Czech, and works of nonfiction originally written in French. His is best know for the novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which was adapted for an Oscar-nominated film.
About Richmond Hoxie
Richmond Hoxie has performed on Broadway in I’m Not Rappaport and off-Broadway in The Dining Room, Vienna: Lusthaus (Revisited), To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, and Landscape with Waitress. On television, he appears frequently in all of the incarnations of Law and Order. His film work includes JFK, Still of the Night, Without a Trace, and For Love or Money.