The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Discuss the December 2016 Group Read here!

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Planning to start this week. Anyone else joining me?

[Jessica-sim]

Yes! Actually started this afternoon on the bus home. So far, very different from what I was expecting. Somehow I thought it would be "John Greeny", but far from it!

[C-shaw]

Well, I've never read it and may join you, but I'll have to get a copy first. It doesn't appear that Amazon has a Kindle copy available for immediate download.

[C-shaw]

My podunk country town doesn't have a bookstore, so I depend on Amazon or have to drive 60 miles to Knoxville to find a bookstore. I was going to order the paperback from Kindle, but after looking at a preview, I am going to have to renege on you, Matthew. My apologies. I just don't think I can enjoy this book, but will look for your review and hope to join you soon in another group read.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

C-Shaw - understood! Not all of these are everyone! :)

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Just started and not what I expected. Decent through part one with interesting character development. Looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

[Jessica-sim]

Made it to part three! I never care for a shift in perspective and a consecutive re-telling of the same events. Maybe the, as yet unnoticed, added insight into these events will become apparent later on, if not .... pfff

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Simone wrote: "Made it to part three! I never care for a shift in perspective and a consecutive re-telling of the same events. Maybe the, as yet unnoticed, added insight into these events will become apparent lat..."

Not bothering me too much so far, but not quite to where you are yet.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Hmmm, okay Kundera, thanks af the Anna Karenina spoiler . . .

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

So much deep artsy-ness . . . not sure if I am going to end up liking this one in the end. When I read last night I realized my mind was drifting . . .

[Jessica-sim]

I know what you mean, however, I'm starting to warm up to it. Relations are established and new things are happening. Though we already know how it's going to end, I am invested enough now to patiently read it through.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Simone wrote: "I know what you mean, however, I'm starting to warm up to it. Relations are established and new things are happening. Though we already know how it's going to end, I am invested enough now to patie..."

Yeah - there was just a MAJOR spoiler . . . and I was actually quite surprised. It piqued my interest.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

"Love is a battle" . . . "And I plan to go on fighting. To the end."

"Love is a battle?" . . . "Well, I don't feel at all like fighting."

[RachelvlehcaR]

I will start this soon. :)

[Jessica-sim]

Yes, can you imagine the satisfaction in that moment of just turning around and walking away?

Counter quote:
"loves are like empires: when the idea they are founded on crumbles, they, too, fade away.”

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Maybe I am just getting used to the writing, but the second "Lightness and Weight" section is very interesting!

[Jessica-sim]

Finished! Glad I finally managed to pick it up despite it's pretentious title. Safe to say it wasn't at all what I expected, in fact it was actually pretty good.

Will have to ponder it over a couple of days to make sense of all the things it threw at me.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Simone - I agree! It ended up being better than I thought.

Here is my review: Matthew's Review

[Simone]

I finally finished it too. I was also surprised by the book, it completely exceeded my expectations.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

Simone wrote: "I finally finished it too. I was also surprised by the book, it completely exceeded my expectations.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Great review!

And, apparently everyone named Simone is reading this this month! :)

[C-shaw]

I appreciated your reviews, but after reading them I am convinced that I certainly wouldn't have liked this book. For me, it would have been _The Unbearable Hatefulness of Reading_! I confess to being a lightweight reader in my old age and these deep philosophical novels just make my butt want to dip snuff.

[Matthew, Assistant List Master]

C-shaw wrote: "make my butt want to dip snuff. "

I am not sure what this means, but I like it! :)

[C-shaw]

I don't know either! Cribbed it from my best friend, whose grandma always said it. It is absolutely meaningless, but so funny.

[C-shaw]

But her salty ole grandma said "ass."

[Phil]

Matthew wrote: "Hmmm, okay Kundera, thanks af the Anna Karenina spoiler . . ."

Yeah, that bugged me. I can only hope that if I get around to reading it, there will be something interesting in between the beginning and the ending!

[Carol]

C-shaw wrote: "I don't know either! Cribbed it from my best friend, whose grandma always said it. It is absolutely meaningless, but so funny."

According to one Angela Blair, "This statement obviously means whatever is being discussed is disgusting and no one would even consider doing it – the commenter is obviously turned off by the whole incident, etc."

https://hubpages.com/family/Talkin-Co...

[C-shaw]

Carol wrote: "C-shaw wrote: "I don't know either! Cribbed it from my best friend, whose grandma always said it. It is absolutely meaningless, but so funny."

According to one Angela Blair, "This statement obviou..."

Ha ha! Thanks for sharing this, Carol. It's so funny. Ulp - I use way too many of these country vernacular saying my own self. :-]