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piercedkl's review against another edition
4.0
I had heard and read so much about this book that when I found it used for $2, I couldn't resist picking it up. It was a good read. I'm sure there were some "Literary" aspects of it that I missed but I was interested through all of it.
mattmatros's review against another edition
2.0
Boy am I glad to see the Goodreads and Amazon scores for this book are so low. After all the critical praise, I thought I had completely lost my mind. The novel is borderline unreadable, with boring, delusional characters, a plodding narrative voice, and an unrelenting need to force history lessons down the reader's throat. I throw in a second star because Phillips has obvious talent at writing sentences, and his ideas about nostalgia I at least found interesting. Reading this book, however, was excruciating.
jordantaylor's review against another edition
2.0
This complex novel gives insight into the lives of five young Americans living in Budapest in the 1990's. I decided to read it due to a recent interest I have found with Americans living in Paris during that Golden Age of the 1920's. I had also heard Phillips compared to Kundera, one of my top three favorite authors.
"Prague" is intricate, with a great many things going on, contrasting and interesting characters, and a wide span and understanding of human nature in general. I appreciated its complexity, and I can certainly see how people could compare this work to Kundera's novels.
In a typically Kundera-esque chapter, the author veers off randomly from the story as a character walks by an old house. Here, the author leaves the character to continue walking by without us, and switches to the story of the house - detailing its inhabitants and their lives from the 1800's. Eventually, it vaguely tied back into the story, but it was a stretch. Kundera can do these things effortlessly, beautifully, but here, it felt forced and detached.
The writing was deep and philosophical, but not powerful enough to ever inspire any strong emotions toward any characters or events in this book.
Also, the setting of Budapest never really came across to the reader. The city was not absolutely essential to the story, as I felt it should have been.
I would be open to reading more of Arthur Phillips' work, as I can see that he is a talented, intellectual writer, but this one just never pulled me in.
"Prague" is intricate, with a great many things going on, contrasting and interesting characters, and a wide span and understanding of human nature in general. I appreciated its complexity, and I can certainly see how people could compare this work to Kundera's novels.
In a typically Kundera-esque chapter, the author veers off randomly from the story as a character walks by an old house. Here, the author leaves the character to continue walking by without us, and switches to the story of the house - detailing its inhabitants and their lives from the 1800's. Eventually, it vaguely tied back into the story, but it was a stretch. Kundera can do these things effortlessly, beautifully, but here, it felt forced and detached.
The writing was deep and philosophical, but not powerful enough to ever inspire any strong emotions toward any characters or events in this book.
Also, the setting of Budapest never really came across to the reader. The city was not absolutely essential to the story, as I felt it should have been.
I would be open to reading more of Arthur Phillips' work, as I can see that he is a talented, intellectual writer, but this one just never pulled me in.
julierich21's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
svenseven's review against another edition
3.0
strange book. Everyone is looking elsewhere for a better life than where they are. Life is always better somewhere else. Good stories and descriptions to take you to a place and time you have never been but not enough plot to make it a great book.
maisiesmom's review against another edition
2.0
This sat on my shelf for many years, and I started and did not finish it it many times. I should have just stopped trying.
I have a fondness for novels set in Central Europe, and I always wanted to go to Prague so I kept this book. Last year I went to Prague, and this year this book fit a reading challenge prompt , so I read it and discovered it actually takes place in Budapest.
For the most part I actively disliked this book. A story of a group of Westerners living in Budapest the 90s, the book tries to say something about that moment in time .... lots of comments on the opening of Central Europe, the Persian Gulf War, corporate media, CNN, MTV. I’m in the same generation as these characters, and have been to Budapest, but still couldn’t get into this story. The book is boring, the treatment of most of the characters is shallow and irritating. Reading this in 2020 makes a lot of these comments seem far less clever and relevant than the author meant them to be. I am happy that is is in the read pile, and will promptly move it out of my library.
I have a fondness for novels set in Central Europe, and I always wanted to go to Prague so I kept this book. Last year I went to Prague, and this year this book fit a reading challenge prompt , so I read it and discovered it actually takes place in Budapest.
For the most part I actively disliked this book. A story of a group of Westerners living in Budapest the 90s, the book tries to say something about that moment in time .... lots of comments on the opening of Central Europe, the Persian Gulf War, corporate media, CNN, MTV. I’m in the same generation as these characters, and have been to Budapest, but still couldn’t get into this story. The book is boring, the treatment of most of the characters is shallow and irritating. Reading this in 2020 makes a lot of these comments seem far less clever and relevant than the author meant them to be. I am happy that is is in the read pile, and will promptly move it out of my library.
aroseshaw's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kjerlil12's review against another edition
3.0
A slightly odd book. The writing style was intentional in the way that there were always gaps between stories, and sometimes it was hard to fill in completely. I can see the appeal but the plots and characters weren't compelling enough to keep me interested.