Prague: A Novel | Arthur Phillips | Arthur Phillips' first published novel

Prague: A Novel | Arthur Phillips | Disappointing

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Prague: A Novel

	Prague: A Novel Arthur Phillips Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2003 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 149 reviews view larger image
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Arthur Phillips' first published novel

This is the author's first novel, which preceded his most interesting "The Egyptologist," which I also have reviewed on Amazon. The two books are somewhat different in approach, except they both reflect an innovative writing style and a tremendous command of the factual background in which each novel is situated. This novel is set in Budapest [why it is called "Prague" is well explained in an interview of the author included in the book] of the early 1990's, not too long after the fall of Communism. The author lived for several years in the city, and it shows in his meticulous command of details, settings, business practices, and local folkways. The story focuses upon a group of five or six Americans living for some reason in Budapest, which combine to form three central narratives. My main complaint is that there is a tremendous amount of detail packed into the 360 or so pages of the novel, and things can get mixed up unless the reader remains alert. There is probably too much detail, but that is a matter of taste. As with the "Egyptologist," the author loves a good surprise ending and has a rather dramatic one at the conclusion of this book. While probably too long, Phillips' has just the most unique way of writing novels, even though he may not always bat a thousand. A challenging read with many virtues.

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Disappointing

I read much of the first chapter in the store, and I thought the method of introducing the main characters was so well done that I bought the book. It went downhill from there.

I never would post a negative review just for the sake of doing so. I love books, and I genuinely look for things to like in all of them. I try to stay positive until I've finished a book, and not to let first, second or third perceptions become set in stone until I've finished. This one really challenged my ability to do that.

I agree with others who say it needs a more competent editor. I was frequently distracted by sections that I thought were seriously in need of help. For example there was one (certainly not the only one, just one that I remember) about one of the secondary characters whose hair was pulled back so tight that you could "count every one of her hairs as they came out of the follicles." (Or something like that.) Someone to say, "you know, Arthur, we can stop after 'hairs,'" would have been welcome. (That's just a little silly way to make the point about a larger editorial issue.) The more significant problems were, well, the story, the characters, and the excessive devotion to not-particularly-well-described or important details. There are certainly books that are about the details, and that can be enjoyed entirely or nearly entirely for the author's descriptive prowess. Not this book, though.

Why three stars? Well, I knew nothing about ex-pat life in nascent post-communist eastern europe, and very little about Hungary. That kept the pages turning. The author also did a nice job of sticking to what I imagine was the central "pitch" for the book in the first place -- a book about five people who reflect and embody the ambiguity and transition of the city in which they find themselves. Budapest emerges as the sixth character that helps us understand the other five, and so Phillips achieves what I imagine was one of his central goals.

But, dang, is it tedious at times.

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weekly coiffed, weakly coughed

Without part II, I would imagine that several of the reviews would improve to 4 and 5 stars. Mine sure would. In the couple pages of Q&A with Phillips at the end of my trade paperback edition, he seems to admit that this was bound to upset most readers. You could skip this entire section and get just as much as I did out of the book.

Aside from this long and pretty close to immaterial digression, the novel held my interest reasonably well. The characters are beautifully flawed. The plot is slow but meaningful.

If you're wondering about the title of my review, it stuck out as one of the few moments I caught Phillips consciously trying to be cute. He uses those two expressions 6 words away from each other in one sentence. If you're intrigued by that, read the book.

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If you can't find your opportunity in Budapest, you won't find it in Prague either.

I was looking forward to reading this book, but have to agree with several other reviewers: at times it is very slow, and if you don't have time to read for a week, it is very difficult to get back and try to remember what you read before. Not an easy read, that's for sure. I am glad I read this book, but this is not something I would want to read again - it's a lot of work to go through the hundreds of pages, and et the end only remember one character. This could have been done in a shorter format, with less "suffering", but maybe that was the point...

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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