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Slowness
Slowness
Author: Milan Kundera, Linda Asher (Translator)
Two tales of seduction, separated by more than two hundred years, interweave and oscillate between the sublime and the comic in this, Milan Kundera's lightest novel. In the 18th century, the marvelous Madame de T. summons a young nobleman to her chamber and gives him an unforgettable lesson in the art of seduction and the pleasures of love. ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780060928414
ISBN-10: 0060928417
Publication Date: 1997
Pages: 176
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 8

3.7 stars, based on 8 ratings
Publisher: Perennial
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Slowness on + 17 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A book that crosses two periods in time with a parallel story involving one castle. The men meet in passing and feel an unspoken comaraderie. The narrator directs us through the numerous characters which is an understatement to the depth and dimension of the individuals Kundera develop. There is a hint of reality when the narrator's wife calls him by the author's pet name used by his own wife. Fun, fast read worth the time to explore.
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reviewed Slowness on + 224 more book reviews
This is a beautiful book from the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It is not a light read, but it is worth the trouble. I was going to try to give a flavor of what it's about, so here goes...There are two parallel stories, one about a seduction by a woman of a young nobleman in the eighteenth century. The other story takes place in the same chateau near the end the twentieth century, when a young intellectual experiences a less successful night. The statement on the book jacket which I think captures it is: "Underlying this libertine fantasy is a profound mediation on contemporary life; about the secret bond between slowness and memory, about the connection between our era's desire to forget and the way we have given ourselves over to the demon of speed.
reviewed Slowness on + 3 more book reviews
I absolutely loved this. Slightly odd but in a beautiful way, makes you rethink the current pace of our lives. Just writing this makes me want to read it again.
angelablueskies avatar reviewed Slowness on + 5 more book reviews
Kundera writes like a composer writes, full of rhythm and lyricism, ever conscious of the pacing of his language, and how that drives the overall story. His theme, "slowness," is brilliantly buried just below the surface of every part of the story, and it seems to me that the content of the story always feels secondary to his masterful ability to spin language. Kundera draws the reader into the same "slow" rhythm of his story, and the experience of reading this work becomes a delicious meditation.
reviewed Slowness on + 146 more book reviews
A playfull envoi from a tender misanthrope; a rant set to music by Mozart. An ode to sensuous leisure, to the enjoyment of pleasure rather than just the search for it.


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