I picked up this short story on a whim because I enjoy Kundera and the edition was so charming. I’m glad I did. The story’s brevity does not allow for a deep examination of aging and beauty, but what it does pack in its few pages is impressive. Considering the decade in which the story is written, I found it remarkably sensitive to both the psychology of ageing as well as to the impossible, conflicting expectations of women. The switch that magically flips a woman from maiden to crone one day without her knowledge or consent is laid bare here as only Kundera could manage. And it asks the question: so, what happens when the men in a woman’s life demand both at once?

loved the writing style (as i often do with kundera), but did not quite love the story as much.