The Last Bohemians

by Kit Kimberly

Idealistic American journalist Sam Seton's search for Václav Havel’s brave new civil society – capitalism with a human face – in Prague's "Left Bank of the 90s".

Genres: Fiction

375 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 11, 2013

Reviews

[Katja Vartiainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally got myself a copy. Having been in Prague in the nineties, I was curious about this book, and it brought some place back to life in my mind. I wondered in the beginning where will the story go. A romance?

Well, it was not romance, the whole thing got pretty dark. The story highlights the sad issue of drug invasion and corruption in Prague those years it was starting democracy. Our main character is idealistic journalist, and has herself pretty bad escapist, and trauma based tendencies, which put her to extreme relationships and dangerous situations through her own addictive behavior.

Addiction seems to be e big theme throughout the book. There was a bit too much detailed information about the incinerator at one point, as important as it is to the story, the journalism got too far. There are great dialogues about the differences of east and west, values, hypocrisy, societal differences, about the the 'old system' in Czechoslovakia(was before!). And we meet Vaclav Havel! One wonders how much is true stuff, how much close to the truth?
There were funny parts as well, some translations the characters used, and the boat trip, was pretty comic.
It was a city of paradoxes at the time, with so much beauty, culture and wonderful, interesting people found themselves there. This book is a great read about the short epoch of the 90's Never-Never Land of Prague.

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vivid and detailed portrait of 1990s Prague, a kind of a late-coming-of-age story, with a protagonist who is an idealistic 30-year-old journalist determined to understand everything there is to understand about the complex, byzantine, distressing yet seductive city that is her new home. Bent on offering help where it's not wanted, challenging old ways of thinking where she gets laughed it, she perseveres in her investigation of government corruption and desperately tries to keep her ideals intact even as she keeps coming up against centuries-old culture of pragmaticism. The book is full of well-drawn characters and strikingly beautiful descriptions of the city.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling read full of complex people you'd like to know doing things you'd wish you'd done in places you'd like to visit. It made me want to grab my Docs and passport. It's a story with multidimensional characters and no tidy endings that assumes the reader is a grown-up. Refreshing, that.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly intelligent book - surprising because the protagonist is a young, punk-ish, dope-smoking American ex-pat journalist working for an alternative newspaper in Prague and it sort of comes off like chick lit - but in fact it's a really good examination of cross-cultural morals and investigation of the Czech psyche and political landscape. I was just in Prague, so wanted to read something about it and this was a thought-provoking, engaging, philosophical discussion about the naivete of tilting-at-windmill Americans and their insistence on what is truth, and further supports the quote that 'travel broadens one.' When I was in Europe, I felt smarter; now that I'm back in the states I feel much more stupider! Hah!

[FRay]

I found this book to be a joy to read. It is a vivid slice of an American ex-pats dreams and realizations while she winds her way through life, loves and intrigue in the beautiful, ancient city of Prague. Southern by birth and bohemian by nature, the protagonist of this tale finds everything she was seeking and more than she bargained for in the post, Soviet repressed, Czech Republic. It is a nice feeling when you desire to actually meet a character from a novel. Kit Kimberly has created characters that you would love to spend some time with.

[CBC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been an expat during the period in which this story takes place, it was surreal reading these adventures. I loved it and let me tell you how authentically Kimberly has captured the zeitgeist that was Prague at the end of last century. This is also a page turning fun read. Do yourself a favor and pick this up and read it, it is well worth your time.