Rating: 
Summary: Ugly Americans (and dull, too)
Review: To tell the truth, I purchased this book for partly snobbish reasons. Based on the reviews I was seeing, and the titles this one has been compared to, I thought that I would love "Prague". The characters are unlikeable. Usually, when I see in reader reviews that characters are "not nice" or otherwise objectionable in some way, my interest increases. Unlikeable characters tend to do things and have opinions. In "Prague,"the first few pages sketch out a barbed conviviality amongst our protagonists, which for me was the high point of the book. As it turns out, they don't really know each other, or themselves, and that seems to be the point. Our view of each character is written from his or her perspectives, keeping the blinders firmly in place. Or, in the case of John and Emily, she is reflected through John's inexplicable fascination with perhaps the dullest of women. Their manufactured angst is likely all too familiar to anyone who has passed through their 20s with delusions of grandeur and a longing to be part of something vaguely noble. Despite the fact that I dislike the characters, there is no question that this story is very well-written. There are a few descriptive phrases (regarding the waiters' untied bowties, for instance) that will likely stick with me long-term. The descriptions of the decrepit, outdated restaurants and the tired, resentful Hungarians are occasionally amusing, always depressing, and seem very, very accurate. They are realistic, in any case. They have succeeded in relieving me of any interest I may have had in visiting Hungary. Reading other reviews, I see that many people who loved this book are fond of it because it reminds them of their experiences in Prague or elsewhere in Eastern Europe during this same time frame. While I was not there, I had friends who were, and they came home convinced they had been something other than tourists, that what they had "done" was important. Everyone wanted to "be a part" of the (hopefully ultimately positive) upheaval in the region, but really they were tourists. And while that shouldn't diminish the enjoyment of the memories, the residual positive feelings, or any lasting friendships, it just doesn't seem to be enough for many - no, it had to MEAN something. Unfortunately, the lives of visitors run merely parallel to those of residents, for whom political and social changes really *do* mean something. If you have ever heard an acquaintance's story about their trip to a place that is Less Than the U.S. in some way, their mutually enriching experiences with the kind, simple people of that place, and their tales of skillful bargaining combined with the impressive buying power of the U.S. dollar, you've already heard this story. This book seems particularly cruel toward its little group of protagonists, which seems odd for a book that the author has said is meant to be an homage to his own time in Europe. I do think the author is talented, and I'll be interested to see what he does in the future. I think he's done what he wished to accomplish, but I can't figure out why he wanted to do it.
Rating:
Summary: Fell Short of Expectations
Review: This book has a great premise and an ambitious objective. Phillips uses wonderful prose and an avant guard style to portray the life of five North American expats living in Budapest during the early 90s. The Americans are unable to comprehend what life was like under communist rule. They are extremely self-interested and have no appreciation for the culture or history. There is a great deal of irony and tragedy concerning the character's ignorance, which remains a central theme throughout the novel. This book has received much praise and criticism, and both are well deserved. There are moments of brilliance followed by pages of complete boredom. The first couple of chapters act as an excellent hook but then finishing the book becomes a laborious task. Prague may be a good choice for a book club because so many people either love it or hate it and the author's style is very original. However, it's hard to imagine that the average reader won't be at least a little disappointed because the story never reaches its full potential.
Rating:
Summary: Talent on Parade.
Review: Is this just another example of a brilliant writer with nothing to write about? Yes and No. Phillips is obviously trying to tell us something In "Prague", but by the end you are reading it more for his excellent prose than any real concern for what is going on in the story. I look forward to his next book. By then maybe he will have found a subject worthy of his skills. Otherwise, this novel is little more than a parade of talent marching nowhere. Three stars for suberb prose.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing Read
Review: I bought Prague because of several extremely favorable reviews I had read and because of the subject matter (I'm an expat living in Bangkok). Yes, I finished it, but it was a struggle. Some parts were truly entertaining and engrossing, especially the life story of the Hungarian publisher. However, I never figured out what the critics saw in the novel and my main reason for finishing the book was to try to discover what I was missing, a task which did not end successfully for me. The book simply went nowhere and the ending left me believing that either the critics were wrong or I was inadequate to the task. With all the great books to choose from, I now wonder why I didn't just close this one after the first few chapters. It never got any better.
Rating:
Summary: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Review: Depth is hard to fake. Fortunately Arthur Phillips's 'Prague,' since it is about Gen Xers living in Budapest, doesn't have to fake it too often to be credible. However, the deeper characters, and in particular the foreign ones could be more realistically deep and foreign. Part of the story is a bit of America 'discovers' Europe, much as Europeans 'discovered' America hundreds of years ago, with the Hungarians standing in as 'noble savages.' That is, there's a sense in which the people who actually live in Budapest, i.e., Budapest natives, don't really exist in this novel. Meanwhile, the North American characters are so large that they seem to block the view of anything else. There is one exception, i.e. Imre Horvath, the exiled publisher, but even he is made to serve the interests of disaffected North American youth. All this to say, it's not a Hungarian/American story, not even an American/Hungarian story, it's an American story set in an exotic locale. The view of Budapest and Budapest life suffers as a consequence. Also, and this is a criticism directed mainly at the way this novel has been publicised, the introductory scene which features a game called 'sincerity' where the players try to lie to each other and which was supposed to have been invented by one of the characters, is not original, nor is the Gen X ironic view of North American life ("Everything about this dazzling first novel is utterly original," claims one over-ecstatic review). Actually, there's a French Canadian game show with the same premise called: "Les Detecteurs de Mensonges" and Douglas Copeland was the original Gen X novelist, of course. In fact, the ironic stance that many novelists have adopted since Copeland is not particularly revelatory in this context and some of it comes off as unnecessarily vague and/or solipsistic. Some of the early sections of the novel need work and Phillips is overly fond of certain turns of phrase e.g. "a gold -painted wooden frame embracing a young woman," "she smiled slightly from within the embrace of large ornate chair," and "he pounded the stamp into the moist red embrace of an open ink pad." His editor should have made him cut one or two of these. In any case, nowhere does the writing jump up and say 'sparkling' or 'Kundera.' It's not all bad though. The sights of Budapest and the bits of Hungarian history that are included are often interesting and accurately rendered. This is a plus. The best line in the book is one describing the Gulf War... but I won't spoil it for you. Overall, I'd say that Prague is pretty good, but it's not Hemingway, not by a long shot.
Rating: 
Summary: Weak and boring
Review: Being a Hungarian American I was excited about the book but once I started reading things slowed down. The writer used very descriptive language and phrases but the book goes nowhere. After reading the book almost a third of the way I stopped. I will perhaps continue to read it and struggle with it when I fly on business, however the book is slow and boring. It was a waste of my money!
Rating:
Summary: false advertising
Review: Having visited Prague last summer, I wanted to read a novel set in that beautiful city. The only part of the story that actually takes place in Prague was the last paragraph or two. What a disappointment!!
Rating:
Summary: Magyar Melrose place
Review: This book starts out great. Phillips really has a handle on Hungary in general and after-the-fall Budapest in particular. (I say this as a Clevelander with hungarian blood, who is married to a Transylvanian Magyar, who visited Budapest in 1990, who went to grad school with the author's brother (I think)....). The characters are compelling and well developed. BUT, about halfway through the book it becomes "all about sex," and this goofy publishing house takeover deal. I was waiting for Heather Locklear to get off a MALEV flight from LA to kick some serious butt.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I bought this book based on the reviews, with high expectations. However I was disappointed; it was dull and dry. He maybe had a good story in hand but it could have been made better. Wait for the paperback.
Rating: 
Summary: Stellar study in generational character that's fun to boot
Review: A tremendous debut, Phillips' novel gently insinuates itself into the inner life of each of its characters. The beauty is that it never forces the point, never insists--his points are clear and sharp, but never sledge-hammered home. He balances insight and wit to paint a picture of the way our choices, truths, and lies create the metaphorical geography of our lives. Not only that, but it's damn funny too. This one will be a holiday gift for a handful of my friends.
|
