The Unbearable Lightness of Being in The Roundtable

Sep 04, 2016 Irene rated it really liked it

This is a complex philosophical essay couched in the guise of a novel about two womanizing men, their respective wives and the mistress they have in common. At the outset of the book, the author notes that people regard heaviness, being tied down by obligations, weighed down by the mundane as something negative while viewing lightness, the freedom to soar above tedious commitments and the unending repetition of the ordinary as a positive. But, is lightness really what brings happiness and fulfil ...more

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Aug 21, 2021 Pamela rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: guardian-1000-read, boxall-1001-read

I’d put off reading this book for a long time as I’d been told it was full of long philosophical discourses and political arguments, and although I enjoy the occasional intellectual challenge, I read mainly for entertainment these days. Actually, I found it handles its themes very lightly, and was much more entertaining than I’d expected.

At the root of the novel is a conflicted love affair between philandering doctor Tomas and his second wife Tereza. This love is seen in contrasts - body/soul, l ...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Meghan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, modern-classics, own, favorites, european, translated

Beautifully written--poetic, lyrical, with simple eloquence--and I read the translation. I cannot imagine how powerful it is in the native Czech.

Powerful and politically relevant for today's world. Not just in government politics, but gender and race. So much can be applied to the issues of today.

And for all its talk about sex and infidelity and betrayal, it was poignant and sweet and tender.

Not for the unenlightened and faint of heart. A lot of people won't be able to get past the frank talk o ...more

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Dec 06, 2014 Heather(Gibby) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1001-to-read

This is such a well written, complex novel about love, sex, human relations, attraction, etc. It is masterfully written, and one of the very few "philosophy" books I have ever read and enjoyed.

If you are having trouble getting through the first couple of chapters, stick with it, and you will love the story of Sabine, Franz, Tereza, and Tomas. ...more

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