Prague - Arthur Phillips

(Nadja, an elderly jazz piano player)

Nadja was off again, in rare and wonderous form, bewitching her audience with another recollection, exquisitely told, satisfying in its construction, lyrical and glamorous, slightly improbable but nowhere impossible. And John did not doubt its probability. Lives like Nadja's must exist; he had read enough to know this was true.

Arthur Phillips has created a very intelligent and ambitious first novel. Readers will find it no surprise that he was a 5 time champion on the game show Jeopardy. The book is witty and creative. The author experiments with different forms of writing and does it well. For those who enjoy the art and skill of writing, this book will be enjoyable to read. At times, the writing came off as too cleverly crafted. Mostly, however, I found myself smiling and often re-reading sentences which were bright and original.

The story takes place in Budapest in 1990. The title, Prague, refers to the city our characters would have prefered residing in. As Hungary begins its move toward capitalism, five ex-patriots, discover a sort of bohemian life in a city undergoing an upheaval. The period in time is short-lived and those who lived through it are challenged by its meaning.