Immortality: 'An artist, clearly one of the best to be found anywhere' (Salman Rushdie) Paperback – 21 Aug. 2000

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.

Great novel. I think this is Kundera's best work so far. It's a mystery why he's still not got Nobel Prize.

I've sat staring at the screen for a while now, wondering how on Earth to start a review of this book. Kundera's lack of narrative structure prevents any kind of blurb or rough synopsis that might start off a review and the book is so crammed with ideas and opinions that it would take me just as many words to review it fully as it took Kundera to write it. Not, of course, that that's a bad thing. His narrative style is different, which is fantastic but more importantly, he does it extremely well.This kind of novel is one that I truly love - one that pulls enjoyable fiction in with accessible philosophy. Having fond (albeit extremely vague) memories of experiencing The Unbearable Lightness of Being, I was overjoyed when Betty chose Immortality as this months book club choice. I say 'experiencing' instead of 'reading' because that is exactly how Kundera's work comes across. It takes you on a journey of thought and expression that most ordinary novels simply can't do.A philosophical novel, Kundera weaves his thoughts into the thinly stretched story of Agnes and her life, her family. His fictional family crash up against 'real-life' (Avenarius and himself) with surprising regularity and even more surprising clarity - a feature of writing that I think I will always love. The story itself is endearing and Agnes is a likeable character but without the philosophy behind it, it would be nothing. Kundera uses her tale to express his thoughts on society, on life, on history and of course, on immortality - that thing that so many strive for. Kundera seemingly flicks from one thought to another but they all wind together seamlessly, making the read fascinating. His theories on imagology, journalism, politics and the self truly get you thinking and I'm inclined to agree with him on most of it.And so I find myself sat here again, staring at the screen, wondering how to end the review. It really is amazing just how quickly Kundera had my brain racing as I was reading the novel and just how quickly Kundera has stopped me in my tracks when I have to explain myself.Well worth a read.

excellent quality for a second hand book, timely delivery. the novel itself is amazing, I've read it several times in the past.

Super condition.Have yet to finish it but it is very good.

I was taken a little off-guard with this one, and can't really decide how I feel about it. Divided into seven parts, it starts out normally enough and then became a little strange, throwing me off and confusing me. I didn't know if it was just me, but I couldn't understand what was happening or what Kundera was trying to do. There was no specific flow to the story, it was all over the place, jumping back and forth in time and between characters. At one point, it felt like a collection of short stories instead of one comprehensive story line.Some parts I enjoyed reading, other parts I was completely indifferent to. I liked the parts that involved Agnes and her journey in life. I loved the twists at the end where you slowly peeled back layers of her character until you discovered the shocking series of events that took place in her life. I had absolutely no interest in Laura, her sister, or Laura's relationship with Bernard Bertnard. I also had no interest in Goethe and Bettina's bizarre relationship and correspondence and her creepy obsession with him. I loved, however, the interactions between Goethe and Hemingway in the afterlife. That being said, I don't know how any of that was relevant to Agnes's story.And then, as if all of that wasn't confusing enough, we have parts that seemed almost autobiographical as we read sections with Kundera himself having conversations with Professor Avenarius as they discuss Agnes and Laura among other things.All in all, it was a good read, confusing in its nature, but good. Not sure I would recommend it to anyone though, I've had more enlightening experiences with some of Kundera's other novels.

A book for life.

For those who are familiar with Milan Kundera's work, you sort of know what to expect: a mixture of philosophical musings, good story-telling, imaginative vignettes and of course indelible characters. 'Immortality' does not disappoint. When reading the book you will pause and think 'I recognise that feeling' or 'I recognise that thought'. The book moves at a quick pace and so does require concentration. But with that comes great rewards. Long after reading it, this novel will stay with you. And what's more, it'll give you a greater insight into human behaviour.