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Prague Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,283 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the 1990s, five young American expatriates meet in Budapest. As they seeks fortune and success, their lives reflect various facets of a city that is shaped by its history, culture, and the aftermath of Communism.
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"Shockingly good. Arthur Phillips' prose is elegant and clever. From the first scene, describing five American expatriates in Budapest after the fall of Communism as they play a twisted game of lies and truth-telling called "Sincerity", it is clear that each of these characters is not quite what they seem. Phillips goes on to craft an expert first novel that is a tribute to the great expatriate writers of the Lost Generation without ever falling into the trap of becoming a cheap imitation."
— Spencer (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Arthur Phillips’s bold and ambitious novel, Prague, is one of those rare books that help define and identify a whole generation, in the same way that Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises introduced his lost generation.”
— Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides -
“A…remix of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, a meditation on a generation, a polemic, a love story, a new branch of sociology, Prague tries to do it all and succeeds.”
— Pagan Kennedy, author of Black Livingstone -
“An intricate and wordly-wise novel, with sly and acute perceptions on every page, Prague sets itself the challenge of extending the tradition of brainy Central European fiction from an American perspective, and succeeds handily.”
— Philip Lopate, author of Portrait of My Body -
“[A] dazzling first novel…utterly original…This novel is so complete a distillation of its theme and characters that it leaves a reader wondering how on earth Phillips can follow it up.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Phillips’s exhilarating exploration of time, memory, and nostalgia brings to mind such giants as Proust and Joyce.”
— Library Journal -
“Ingenious…Phillips presents his characters with a wry generosity and haunting poignancy to rival his wonderfully subversive wit.”
— New York Times -
“Stop yearning for that elegant, entertaining novel that used to be. Thanks to Phillips, it’s right here, right now.”
— Newsweek -
“Heartbreaking…A masterpiece of caustic satire.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Few first novels blaze with such all-knowing poise…Phillips is a wisecracking microbiologist of society and spirit.”
— People
Awards
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Winner of the 2002 Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Prize for First Fiction
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One of the 2002 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction
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A 2002 San Francisco Chronicle Best Book for Fiction
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A 2002 People Magazine Best Book for Fiction
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A 2002 Los Angeles Times Best Book for Fiction
Prague Listener Reviews
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" I read it in Budapest, which is surprisingly apt despite the title. "
— Michelle, 2/6/2014 -
" Hilarious narrative about young expatriate hipsters in Prague, and the collision of worlds after the walls came down. "
— Robert, 1/30/2014 -
" This book was almost too well-written for its own good - in some passages, the author was almost playing with words to show off. The funny thing is that this book takes place completely in Budapest, and I went to Budapest within weeks of finishing it...so if you're off to Hungary, I would highly suggest this. I also got a kick out of one of the characters, Mark, who is a PhD student and likes to play around with colons in the titles of his works (not that I have ever written anything like that...okay, guilty). "
— Erin, 1/27/2014 -
" Not a bad story, or even poorly written, but for some reason it took me over 3 months to get through. and it doesn't even take place in Prague. "
— Molly, 1/17/2014 -
" A good book about a movement I missed by about 8 years. It was a great time to leave college, leave america and start over in a new eastern europe. I, like the Author, would have chosen Budapest---now that's a city. "
— Patrick, 1/13/2014 -
" Not bad, but didn't touch enough. "
— Olga, 1/8/2014 -
" It's an interesting book about Budapest, around the change of regime (1990). It contains some strange parts that I don't like. "
— Beáta, 1/7/2014 -
" I've tried -- 3 times, I've tried. I give up. It wins. I just cannot finish it. "
— Cheryl, 1/4/2014 -
" Ugh. I'm sure I missed something here, but by the end of the book I did not care about or for a single character in this book. "
— Meredith, 12/15/2013 -
" This book brought back great memories of my summer in Budapest. It was colorful and fun, but could've been shorter because it dragged a bit. Good read. "
— Christine, 11/25/2013 -
" #25 for 2009. "
— Craig, 9/25/2013 -
" Slow going and less "clever" than Phillips' later novels, but I liked it well enough in the end, if only for the descriptions of Budapest. "
— Tiffany, 9/1/2013 -
" It took me several attempts to get into this book. I don't know why. That happens to me sometimes with certain books. Once I did get into it, the pay off was great. This is a story that grabs ahold and doesn't let go. Characters I will always remember. "
— Peter, 5/9/2013 -
" I did not like this book. This is the second Arthur Phillips book I have read and I didn't much care for either book. I will not read any more Arthur Phillips books. Life is too short to read dumb and pointless books. "
— Shaun, 4/13/2013 -
" This book was so terribly boring and overwritten that I could not finish it--and I very, very rarely stop a book halfway through. But my spare time is just too precious. Very disappointed. "
— Amy, 12/15/2012 -
" Really liked the premise, but it became a little too unhinged towards the end. Also dragged on too long. "
— Annie, 12/12/2012 -
" Great for someone who lived in Hungary in the early 1990s. I loved all the references to the way of life I'm so familiar with...and miss. I did have a hard time staying engaged in the story, though, because it's so random. "
— Allison, 12/3/2012 -
" Is hard to slog through. Has some interesting parts, but I've completely read 3 other books while also reading this one off and on. Not really holding my interest...hope to finish it someday though. "
— Kaci, 2/24/2012 -
" Many characters from those years are recognizable. I wish Phillips had stuck around another year or two and woven together more of the oddness. I have trouble separating my views of the book from my desire to match memories with the text. "
— Henry, 8/13/2011 -
" The next generation of ugly Americans makes it to Eastern Europe in the early 90s. While the book is highly entertaining and informative, Phillips makes the unfortunate mistake of seeming to celebrate rather than condemn, as Alex Garland did so ably in the Beach. "
— Ron, 7/14/2011 -
" The four stars are entirely earned by two slim sections of the book: Lone Wolf Aspirants and any and all things dealing with a failing but ingeniously sourced doctoral thesis on nostalgia. "
— Louisa, 6/27/2011 -
" Eh, I think his writing is good but this book wasn't grabbing me. I have heard his other stuff is better "
— Zoyd, 6/3/2011 -
" i liked when it captured the feel of what it is like to be young and traveling through europe, meeting new people, drinking too much, and in general being ridiculous. but other than that, not so much did i love it. "
— ehnonymus, 6/1/2011 -
" book actually about Budapest, I had hoped for a story about Prague. "
— Pamela, 5/14/2011 -
" 208 pages in, I give up. This was unbearable. "
— Roma, 5/14/2011 -
" Is hard to slog through. Has some interesting parts, but I've completely read 3 other books while also reading this one off and on. Not really holding my interest...hope to finish it someday though. "
— Kaci, 4/27/2011 -
" Ugh. I'm sure I missed something here, but by the end of the book I did not care about or for a single character in this book. "
— Meredith, 4/10/2011 -
" One of my new favorites among living authors. I liked this work a lot and could relate to the characters for the most part but often felt myself a little alienated by their dialogue. It often seemed a bit too rough and left me a little put off. Other than that is was a lot of fun and a great read. "
— Matthew, 3/24/2011 -
" I did not like this book. This is the second Arthur Phillips book I have read and I didn't much care for either book. I will not read any more Arthur Phillips books. Life is too short to read dumb and pointless books. "
— Shaun, 2/24/2011
About Arthur Phillips
Arthur Phillips is the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of The Song is You, Prague, The Egyptologist, and others. Prague was named a New York Times Notable Book and received the Los Angeles Times/Art Seidenbaum Award for best first novel. His books Angelica and The Song Is You were both optioned for film, the former by Mitchell Lichtenstein and the latter by Focus Features. Phillips received his BA in history from Harvard University, and he had several occupations before becoming a novelist, including a speechwriter, a jazz musician, and a child actor; he is also a five-time Jeopardy! champion. He lives in New York with his wife and two sons.
About Andy Paris
Andy Paris is an actor and writer. His audio narration have earned him the prestigious Audie Award, as well as AudioFile Earphones Awards. A member of the Tectonic Theater Project, he and others wrote The Laramie Project, which was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 and in which he played Stephen Belber. He has also appeared in Law & Order.