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The item is fairly worn but still readable. The book may have some cosmetic wear like creased spine, cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, sunburn, stains, water damage, bent, torn, damaged binding, dent. The dust jacket if present, may be marked, and have considerable heavy wear. The book might be ex-library copy, and may have the markings and stickers associated from the library - The book may have considerable highlights, notes, underlined pages but the text is legible The item is fairly worn but still readable. The book may have some cosmetic wear like creased spine, cover, scratches, curled corners, folded pages, sunburn, stains, water damage, bent, torn, damaged binding, dent. The dust jacket if present, may be marked, and have considerable heavy wear. The book might be ex-library copy, and may have the markings and stickers associated from the library - The book may have considerable highlights, notes, underlined pages but the text is legible See less
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Immortality (Perennial Classics) Paperback – October 20, 1999

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 388 ratings

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New York Times Bestseller

"Inspired. . . . Kundera's most brilliantly imagined novel. . . . A book that entrances, beguiles and charms us from first page to last." — Cleveland Plain Dealer

Milan Kundera's sixth novel springs from a casual gesture of a woman to her swimming instructor, a gesture that creates a character in the mind of a writer named Kundera. Like Flaubert's Emma or Tolstoy's Anna, Kundera's Agnès becomes an object of fascination, of indefinable longing. From that character springs a novel, a gesture of the imagination that both embodies and articulates Milan Kundera's supreme mastery of the novel and its purpose: to explore thoroughly the great themes of existence.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ingenious, witty, provocative, and formidably intelligent, both a pleasure and a challenge to the reader." — Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World

"Brilliantly mordant. . . beautifully translated. . . strong and mesmerizing." — New York Times

"Inspired. . . . Kundera's most brilliantly imagined novel. . . . A book that entrances, beguiles and charms us from first page to last." — Cleveland Plain Dealer

From the Back Cover

Milan Kundera's sixth novel springs from a casual gesture of a woman to her swimming instructor, a gesture that cre-ates a character in the mind of a writer named Kundera. Like Flaubert's Emma or Tolstoy's Anna, Kundera's Agnès becomes an object of fascination, of indefinable longing. From that character springs a novel, a gesture of the imagination that both embodies and articulates Milan Kundera's supreme mastery of the novel and its purpose: to explore thoroughly the great themes of existence.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial Modern Classics (October 20, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060932384
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060932381
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 388 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
388 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and well-written. They appreciate the author's witty and insightful writing style. The pacing is steady and engaging, with complex thoughts and suspenseful twists that keep readers hooked.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and engaging. They describe it as a pleasant, wonderful read that is refreshing. Readers praise the author's writing style and consider it a masterpiece.

"Milan Kundera is the best novelist I have ever read...." Read more

"...about the material and the major point of the story, It is a pleasant read...." Read more

"I love Kundera and this was a typical novel of his. Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating" Read more

"...little grey cells must work overtime for it all to sink in--but it is worth it. I finish each book then begin again to pull all the pieces together...." Read more

4 customers mention "Language quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's language quality. They find it witty, beautifully written, and insightful. The author uses literary devices effortlessly, making the writing engaging and entertaining.

"...His power lies in his great intellect, keen and unerring observations of human behaviors, and his immaculate control of language to yield the exact..." Read more

"I love Kundera and this was a typical novel of his. Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating" Read more

"...pulling Goethe and Hemingway from beyond, effortlessly using literary magic devices in pleasing ways...." Read more

"...I thought it was insightful and beautifully written, and I eagerly wanted to learn more from Kundera...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging with its insightful writing and philosophical exploration of the topic. They appreciate the steady pace, twists, suspense, and complex thoughts. The book explores the theme through historical contexts and is described as thoughtful and caring.

"...His power lies in his great intellect, keen and unerring observations of human behaviors, and his immaculate control of language to yield the exact..." Read more

"...Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating" Read more

"...It's an interesting topic, one that gets to some of our core fears like death and what is the purpose of all this, and Kundera does a good job..." Read more

"Be ready for some twists, suspense, and complex thoughts, all at a steady pace." Read more

3 customers mention "Suspense"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's suspense and complex thought. They find the story fascinating and appreciate the minimal interruptions to the main plot.

"...The story itself is fascinating enough that I never raised a question as to why the two plots are set side by side...." Read more

"...The unbearable lightness of being, primarily due to less interruptions in the main story." Read more

"Be ready for some twists, suspense, and complex thoughts, all at a steady pace." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024
    In great condition & delivered on time.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2010
    Milan Kundera is the best novelist I have ever read. His power lies in his great intellect, keen and unerring observations of human behaviors, and his immaculate control of language to yield the exact effect he desires. Even though I cannot read his works in the original Czech or French, the English translations are as, if not more, satisfying than the greatest of original English works. "Immortality" proves to be even better than the already awe-inspiring "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting." The point really is not the plot, but how it's plotted. It's the originality of working his voice into the surface of the text without subverting the comfortable author-reader decorum. It's the exploration of the nature (or un-nature?) of relationships, the impossibity of understanding between "different" kinds of people, and the longing for those with whom such understanding is possible. Agnes for her father. Her father for a woman that he might have met too late in life. Milan Kundera for an ideal reader.

    The other part of the plot is centered on the anecdotal relation between Goethe and Bettina. It's a long discussion of how the title of the book, immortality, figures in in a relationship such as that between Goethe and Bettina. The story itself is fascinating enough that I never raised a question as to why the two plots are set side by side. I might come upon some insight later on, but one thing is pretty clear, Bettina is what Agnes is not. Even though the book seems to caste Agnes' sister Laura as Agnes' opposite, Bettina is the real counterpart to Agnes. One yearns for immortality in the public memory, the other for a quiet, private understanding. And from the sympathy he bestows upon Agnes, it is quite obvious that Kundera is partial to Agnes' kind yearning. But he also understands Bettina perfectly well. After all, he shares the same yearning for immortality.
    28 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2014
    No argument about the material and the major point of the story, It is a pleasant read.

    I felt that Milan Kundera's viewpoint on immortality is more geared towards the artists' community.
    There are definitely very many points that I started feeling it is now becoming more general, but a lot of interruptions in the story made it sometimes hard to follow the main point.
    I personally enjoyed his other work better, i.e. The unbearable lightness of being, primarily due to less interruptions in the main story.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2020
    I love Kundera and this was a typical novel of his. Light and deep, funny and compelling, wistful and philosophically stimulating
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2022
    I will open my review with a quote from Kundera (supposedly) himself: "...I was becoming sadder and sadder: if a reader skips a single sentence of my novel he won't be able to understand it, and yet where in the world will you find a reader who never skips a line? Am I not myself the greatest skipper of lines and pages?"

    If you are considering this book because you had just finished "The unbearable lightness of being" then I would advise you to reconsider. If you are a die-hard fan of Kundera then this is the book for you. I personally lost interest in following the story lines about 1/3 into the novel. And thus I find myself fast-pacing and skipping lines to the end. This is a brilliant work for an author to create but quite a laborious read (if not boring at time) for a reader. The story line(s) is (are) faintly recognizable and difficult to follow until the end. There are just too much details in between (and vulgarities as well as obscenities) that I personally think ended up inundating the readers. This could have been written better personally if Kundera had intended for his readers to enjoy (and not to skip lines). Instead, I believe he was just satisfying his creativity. Is that good or bad? It depends. I'm not a critic so it somewhat annoys me when I anticipate an enjoyable read. If I am to write a formal review then it could be quite interesting.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2013
    A late-comer to Kundera, my little grey cells must work overtime for it all to sink in--but it is worth it. I finish each book then begin again to pull all the pieces together. At my 3rd reading I begin to underline passages. Unlike any author I've read, I find myself putting down his books after each chapter to cogitate.
    18 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014
    "Immortality" is so rejuvenating to the reading experience, pulling Goethe and Hemingway from beyond, effortlessly using literary magic devices in pleasing ways. It should leave its mark on the way you view a novel. One cannot describe the plot/theme without spoiling the trip.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2015
    By alternating narratives M.Kundera introduces the story of the main character and some insights that he has about the life of Goethe. The reflection revolves around a topic that torments man: death. Immortality like the desperate attempt to overcome that hideous fear of dissapearing...
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mag. Friedemann Derschmidt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
    Reviewed in Germany on April 22, 2024
    Read it! It is amazing!
  • sudipta chakraborty
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in India on May 29, 2020
    Good
  • kim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2016
    I am happy with this book.
  • AVB
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another Kundera Classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2016
    Love Milan Kundera's Writing.
    I have bought this as a replacement to a lost lent copy - from years back.
    love this story and how it weaves lives, and the recognition of who remembers who/what.

    A good read. - looking forward to re-reading it.
  • ST
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps Kundera's best work
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2020
    Great novel. I think this is Kundera's best work so far. It's a mystery why he's still not got Nobel Prize.