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The Unbearable Lightness of Being

by Milan Kundera

A surgeon, two women and the weight of love in Prague during the Soviet invasion

1984Slow paceThoughtful

What it is about

Tomas is a Prague surgeon who loves many women but cannot give up his wife Tereza. His friend and lover Sabina lives free of ties. As the Soviet army takes over their country in 1968, each of them is tested by questions about love, loyalty and freedom.

Who will enjoy it

Readers who like novels of ideas and European fiction.

What you will get

A thoughtful and sometimes playful book. It mixes romance and philosophy, and rewards slow reading.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting

Genre

Literary Fiction · Love · Freedom · Philosophy

Length

320 pages · ≈ 9 h

More about this book

Characters

Tomas, Tereza, Sabina and Franz.

Setting

Prague and Zurich, around the Soviet invasion of 1968.

What makes it different

A novel that stops to reflect on ideas as it tells the story.

Feel

Cerebral, erotic and sad.

About Milan Kundera

Milan Kundera1 book on Tori BooksCzech-French novelist (1929–2023). The Unbearable Lightness of Being appeared in 1984.

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