The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera examines the lightness and freedom of human choice. Milan proposes we fear this freedom often craving the heavy burdens of responsibility. The players in this tale are often choosing between living in truth or living in lies. Lies seem burdensome and truth light and difficult to achieve. A lot of unnecessary thick rambling briar bush type prose held up my reading time. It took me several months to get to a solid story line in this book pushing my five start to a four; however, this is definitely worth the read. The characters are complex and it takes some time to understand what truly motivates theme. They are so flawed and grotesque in their twisted logic surrounding ideas on love that are neither idealistic nor completely cynical. Tereza, the wife of womanizing Tomas, is weighted with love for Tomas, and this should be a stock character like say Elizabeth Proctor, the doting wife, the loyal wife, the stand-by-your-man wife, but Tereza has more than one side and she is loyal and noble and certainly respectable, but her motivations for her loyalty are painfully questionable. Tomas is much the same, but his unraveling is easier to grasp. So, in closing, if you find yourself burdened with responsibilities, then take a hard look at the opposite side of that because you too may find that lightness unbearable.
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