Prague Spring

by Simon Mawer

New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Room Simon Mawer returns to Czechoslovakia, this time during the turbulent 1960s, with a suspenseful story that mixes sex, politics, and betrayal.

In the summer of 1968—a year of love and hate, of Prague Spring and Cold War winter—Oxford students James Borthwick and Eleanor Pike set out to hitchhike across Europe, complicating a budding friendship that could be something more. Having reached southern Germany, they decide on a whim to visit Czechoslovakia, where Alexander Dubček's "socialism with a human face" is smiling on the world.

Meanwhile, Sam Wareham, First Secretary at the British embassy in Prague, is observing developments in the country with both a diplomat's cynicism and a young man's passion. In the company of Czech student Lenka Konečkova, he finds a way into the world of Czechoslovak youth, its hopes and its ideas. For the first time, nothing seems off limits behind the Iron Curtain. Yet the wheels of politics are grinding in the background. The Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev is making demands of Dubček, and the Red Army is amassed on the borders. How will the looming disaster affect those fragile lives caught up in the invasion?

With this shrewd, engrossing, and sensual novel, Simon Mawer cements his status as one of the most talented writers of historical spy fiction today.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Czech Literature, Book Club, Thriller, Novels

393 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Simon Mawer was a British author who lived in Italy.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel about the intertwined lives of four people who meet in Czechoslovakia during the “Prague Spring” of 1968. James and Ellie are students hitchhiking through Europe during their summer break. Sam is a diplomat at the British Embassy who is involved with a Czech woman, Lenka. Most of the text is taken up with the ups and downs of the two relationships. This is my third Simon Mawer novel and I would say that in this respect it follows the same pattern as the previous two.

I didn’t dislike the book but thought it a bit lacklustre. The setting interested me, I couldn’t say the characterisation was faulty, nor could I pick holes in the plot, but overall it never really came alive for me. I listened to this on audiobook, something I mainly do in the car. I found it moderately diverting without ever feeling any regret when I turned it off at the end of a journey. As you can imagine, the last section features the Soviet invasion, and that got my attention a bit more than the rest of the book. At several points the novel contained scenes that were a sort of contrived history lesson, for example one scene where Sam meets Lenka’s mother, and another where James and Ellie are put up by a German woman and her nephew. Anyone who reads my reviews will know I’m a keen history reader, but it’s not really what I’m looking for in fiction. I will admit though that through this novel I learned about a real-life woman called Milada Horàkovà, and she certainly seems to be someone worth remembering.

The novel features numerous Czech place names as well as bursts of dialogue in Czech, Russian, German and French. On top of that the English dialogue features people speaking with all of the above accents plus a few more, so the narrator, Dugald Bruce Lockhart, faced a considerable challenge in his delivery. He seemed to handle the various languages with great dexterity, at least to my untutored ear. I wasn’t totally convinced by his American accent but I’m nit-picking a bit there.

Not bad, but it left me a bit cold. 2.5 stars rounded up to three.

[kristyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do I review THIS? Mawer's new book is a masterpiece. The story will touch you through its gentleness, it will hold your heart, caress it and then crush it. Parts of beautifully poetic language are followed by raw story-telling which gets to the point, quickly and simply. I loved the book, that's all I can say, and I bow before Mr. Mawer.

Full review soon to be posted on my blog.

Czech review: http://thebooktalkblog.blogspot.com/2...

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you know anything about the Prague Spring—which started in January of 1968 and went on until August 21 of the same year, when the Soviet Red Army invaded, it is the time of mild liberalization and democratization of the media and travel, and of the citizens’ ability to enjoy more freedoms in Czechoslovakia. You can always research the history online, which does help to comprehend the importance of this time. Dubček's “socialism with a human face,” as this time was called, gave rise to many outspoken intellectuals and students, as well as the civilian population tired of living in a communist bloc behind the Iron Curtain. Mawer attempts to give it a human face, also, by centering on three British Nationals and one Czechoslovak woman, with mixed results, in my opinion.

Two storylines inevitably converge. As it opens, two Oxford students, James and Ellie, who barely know each other (she from a rich family, he from humble beginnings), decide to go hitchhiking around Europe together during summer break. While they are navigating their way through Europe, camping most of the time, they are also navigating the terms of their relationship. From the outset, that is the most intriguing part of their story. It’s personal, individual, set against 1968 and all that entails socially and politically. With little money for this venture, they start off with a sense of spirited enterprise, flipping a coin at intersections to choose directions to follow, which countries to go to next. It’s all very spontaneous and governed by instinct, contingency, and adventure.

The second storyline concerns Sam Wareham, a British First Secretary to the Ambassador, stationed in Prague because of his fluent Russian and passable Czech. His quasi-girlfriend is leaving for Germany, and the future status of their relationship is unknown. Not long after she leaves, Sam takes up with Lenka, a naturally striking young woman from Prague with a tragic and secretive past. Sam is smitten with her, and takes her with him wherever he goes, including diplomatic gatherings and errands out of town.

The narrative is pleasant enough. Mawer is a skilled and sophisticated writer who doesn’t mince words and has complete control of his narrative. However, for me, there’s not much liftoff. I was always hoping for something to happen other than the ineluctable Soviet invasion that I know will come on August 21st. I assumed, like the blurb written for this book, that it would be masterly and chilling. But it came across as lukewarm to me. Just as I felt that we may be getting close to the characters, the text sort of pans out, or leaves me with tepid thoughts about all these relationships. A subplot of Russian musicians seeking asylum just distracts from getting inside the main characters’ stories.

I’ve read other books by Mawer, and was spellbound by THE GLASS ROOM. Even TIGHTROPE kept me in suspense for much of the novel. But I felt no real tension with this one. The history added color--the Moody Blues coming to play, the ongoing protests, the encroaching Red Army crawling closer like insects, the ineluctable chaos when they come. When the fate of one character is left hanging in the balance, I was puzzled and didn’t think it was necessary—either that, or the author’s reason for doing so didn’t work for me. I’m aware that this may just be me not engaging with PRAGUE SPRING sufficiently, and I don’t want to dissuade other readers from giving this a try. I loved the scenes of Prague and the surrounding countryside, which brought me back to that magical city of 100 spires. But I failed to see the magic in this novel.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

...the Russian bear was right outside the hive. While all the little bees were panicking you could hear his heavy breathing.

In 1968, Czechoslovakians were striving for new freedoms, of speech, movement and expression, but their Russian masters could not tolerate that. In this tense and moving account of that summer, Simon Mawer describes the weeks leading up to the Russian invasion that would end the country’s hopes for change. Simon Wareham is a junior diplomat at the British Embassy who demonstrates a surprising lack of judgment throughout. James and Ellie are students at Oxford University on a hitchhiking holiday who, by happenstance, end up in Prague just days before the invasion. Mawer brings these and other main characters such as Lenka, Simon’s Czechoslovak girlfriend, together for the denouement. The style is slightly different from his other novels. At times, he breaks from the narrative to describe a situation or event in a way which for me was reminiscent of film noir voiceovers. It works well and helps with historical context. The main characters are all believable and easy to relate to, although I wonder about Simon Wareham’s future career in the diplomatic service after such consistent errors of judgment! There is a satisfying mix of historically true and fictional characters and events and I’m left with a long list of Google searches to follow up.

Easily 4.5 stars, pushing towards 5. With this, Simon Mawer has returned to the heights of The Glass Room and The Fall.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Prague Spring (Czech: Pražské jaro, Slovak: Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. (5 January 1968 to 21 August 1968) It ended when the Soviet Union and most Warsaw Pact members invaded the country to suppress the reforms.” -Wikipedia

With a return visit to Prague on my horizon, I thought a little historical fiction from Simon Mawer would be just the ticket to put me in a Czech frame of mind. Mawer wrote one of my all time favorite novels, Mendel’s Dwarf, so my expectations going in were high. Was I disappointed? Maybe just a little.

Don’t get me wrong, Simon Mawer is a brilliant writer. He’s very adept at weaving historical facts into his fictional tapestries. But for me, Mendel’s Dwarf with its generous infusion of science (specifically genetics) still edges out Prague Spring and its sociopolitical dossier.

[Karolina Myskova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je pro mě dost těžké, že jsem svému oblíbenému Mawerovi dala jen tři hvězdičky, a budu se s tím asi dlouho vnitřně srovnávat. Jenže! Já jsem měla tak vysoká očekávání, že jsem prostě trochu zklamaná. Kulisy léta 68 jsou věrohodné, ovšem za mne plné drobných či větších klišé a milostná linka mi nepřišla nijak originální. Ale nemůžu knize upřít čtivost, děj odsýpá a nejsou tam hluchá místa. Ovšem můj zamilovaný Skleněný pokoj to není...

[Tereza Eliášová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Při čtení Pražského jara se u mě vystřídala celá řada pocitů. V první řadě se to celé čte jako trochu lepší milostný román na pozadí zajímavých historických událostí. To mi přišlo maličko škoda a celé to srovnávání s Kunderou a Nesnesitelnou lehkostí bytí je podle mě aktuální právě pro tu milostnou linku. Nebo teda hned několik linek. Ale pořád je to Simon Mawer, takže je to chytré a čtivé a poslední třetina mě tak bavila, že přidávám čtvrtou hvězdičku. Nebude to pro mě autorova nejoblíbenější kniha, ale to je asi i tím, že moje očekávání byla fakt veliká.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There’s a pattern in Czechoslovak history: 1918, 1938, 1948, 1968.”

Prague Spring is a deep dive into Soviet Europe Eastern Bloc politics in an historical fictional novel. Simon Mawer (Man Booker Prize shortlisted author), has captured the tumultuous period in 1968 in Czechoslovakia that ultimately became known as the Prague Spring. The book is a voyeuristic peek behind the Iron Curtain that was Communist Europe, almost dystopian in some ways, a world of control, secrecy, intimidation and collectivisation.

Through a series of events in the years preceding, the country was ripe with unrest, particularly among students and writers and incoming First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubček, ultimately paved an ill fated path towards democratisation, essentially, the antithesis of communist philosophy.

Mawer’s book is an expert historical fictional piece and for me as the reader, I was enthralled to learn and soak in this piece of European recent history. Always fascinated by the Soviet bloc politics and life behind the Iron Curtain, Prague Spring was right up my alley. I was unfamiliar with this period of Czechoslovak history and having visited Prague for the first time in 2017 I found myself walking the streets of Malá Strana, Wenceslas Square, the Old Town, Hradčany, and Charles Bridge.

Some elements of the book were a little cliche for me - something about Sam and Lenka and Ellie and James but otherwise an really awesome 4.5 star read.

[Lindz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am way to analytic when it comes to the books I read. This could be a fuction of working in a bookstore, using goodreads and pretending I am a reviewer and just down right pretenious-ness. But it is becoming rarer and rarer that I just can enjoy something because I just like it.

I could nit pick this book apart. But I just enjoyed the sentimental romantism of the piece. Of the city of Prague, of young love, with a person and with history. It was an easy book to sink into. And sometimes that has to be enough.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of two young Oxford students who get to know each other from acting in a play. It is 1968 and time to decide what to do on "vac" and the female of the two is the driving force in pushing for a road trip through Europe. Everything as described is quite believable, but why they managed to survive this road trip is "blowing in the wind."
A coin toss decides on their direction that takes then into the political turmoil of the Prague Spring.

I was a chicken and never took a trip like the one described here, but certainly both my brothers did so and they also managed to stay alive somehow.

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the summer of 1968, this is about two couples who get caught up in the events of Prague Spring, when reform briefly came to Czechoslovakia before the Russians moved in and took control. Ellie and James are students at Oxford who are spending the summer travelling round Europe and who come to Prague on a whim. Sam is a First Secretary at the British Embassy who has fallen in love with Lenka, a Czech student. They are all caught up with enthusiasm that change is in the offing, but the reality of course is that the Czechs will be screwed as they have been so many times in years ending with an 8.

This is the third book I've read by Simon Mawer. He's a skilful writer and this is a very well written book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It takes an awfully long time to get going - really, it's not until after the halfway mark that it gathers any momentum - and I simply did not care about any of the four central characters. And the ending, which leaves the fate of one of them unknown, is really frustrating! Every now and then he takes a chapter out to give us a lecture on Czech history which admittedly is interesting, and adds to our understanding of the situation, but it's still an odd approach and I'm not sure it was entirely successful.

[Bosorka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mawerovy knihy mě většinou baví, ale nikdy nemám pocit, že bych je měla ohodnotit plným počtem, vždycky jim chybí takové nějaké to "cink", ten pocit, který vás přiková, drží a nepustí. Pražské jaro je zajímavé tím, jak na československé období nahlíží cizinec. Mawer skvěle postihl náladu tehdejší doby, to očekávání, pocit, jak se vše mění k lepšímu a jinak už to být nemůže až k velmi hořkému prozření. Knížka nabírá grády, jak se blíží k 21. srpnu. Pak bohužel ke konci zase trošku ztratí dech, když skončí tak nějak do prázdna. Zvláštní, když člověk čte knihu o událostech, které jsou mu blízké, od zahraničního autora. Pořád má tak trochu pocit, že ho musí načapat při nějaké nevědomosti. Celou dobu pozorně čte a obdivuje ho, jak má reálie nastudované. To staví knihu ještě do trošku jiného světla.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What great old time story telling. Beautifully written, complex characterisation, focused on Europe in 1968, I loved every minute of it. Main characters Sam and Lenka reside in Prague, while Elly and James play young people struggling with themselves on a journey of discovery through Europe. Their haphazard approach to life - throw a coin to see where to go- contrasts sharply with the carefully formed persona of Sam the diplomat and Lenka, a Czech nationalist with a tragic past. The plot follows various paths, based around the building of hope in Prague. The author took on a huge task, he blends history into the narrative with a convincing and insightful result. It's drama at its best.

[Calzean · Rating 2 out of 5]

1968. In the West there is the swinging sixties, the US is in Vietnam, the Cold War is threatening but drugs and rock and roll rule. In the East, Russia is dominating its allies and is threatening Czechoslovakia for relaxing it's political love of Communism.
Ellie and James go hiking in the summer - tourism in the Eastern bloc is very much a novelty. In Prague, Sam is a UK diplomat who finds love with the alluring Lenka.
There's a lot about the various relationships. Not sure why so much was devoted on Ellie and the love struck Sam. It took a long time to get to the actual Russian invasion and the ending was just as unsatisfying as the rest of the book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As this superb tense thriller shows Simon Mawer writes wonderful historical fiction, and creates an interesting cast of diverse personalities, whose lives inter-play against the dramatic background of Dubceck’s ‘Prague Spring.’

First love, jealous and possessive, and attractions, strengthening and diminishing, are laid bare in all their many clumsy forms and blundering facets, and are handled with great sensitivity. The characters will stay in the memory long after the book is finished.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea. I found at the beginning the story uninteresting and the characters lacking engagement with the reader. The second half of the story was a bit more engaging, but because I wasn't invested in the characters it fell flat. I would recommend reading a bit about the history which surrounds this novel before taking it on to help with the immersion of the narrative.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history is accurate, the plot moves towards it inevitable conjunction at an admirable pace, the descriptions of Prague set the scene perfectly, but above all the spirit of 1968 is captured admirably. Lenka, to me the main character, symbolises Czechoslovakia and her fall under the onslaught of the Warsaw pact troops. An excellent novel.

[ansvarcova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Od Simona Mawera jsem už četla více knih, hlavně Skleněný pokoj mě velmi nadchl. Tím spíš jsem se na očekávanou novinku, znovu se odehrávající na pozadí českých dějin, velmi těšila.
V knize se odehrává více příběhů - britský diplomat pobývající na území tehdejšího Československa se seznamuje s českou dívkou Lenkou, která se svou divokostí úplně liší od ženy - taktéž diplomatky - se kterou žil předtím a tím spíš se mu dostává pod kůži. Navíc ho svým hrdým češstvím téměř fascinuje. Další dějovou linkou je příběh dvou anglických studentů, Jamese a Ellie, jež osud svede náhodou dohromady a oni se společně vydávají na cestu stopem po Evropě, přičemž jejich poslední zastávkou je čirou náhodou Praha. Praha v roce 68, Praha v krátkém období svobody, Praha plná nových myšlenek a nadějí.

Obě dějové linie byly zajímavé a jak jistě tušíte, v určitém bodě se společně sejdou a hrdinové začínají tvořit linku společnou. Mawer navíc kapitoly prokládá informacemi o historických událostech, které se na území (nejen) Československa děly, takže jste si během odehrávajícího se příběhu vždy jistí, v jakém čase se nacházíte.
Když to shrnu, v knize samozřejmě byly pasáže slabší, kdy jsem se trochu nudila, ale hravě to vyrovnaly ty, během kterých jsem text přímo hltala - to bylo hlavně ke konci, kdy příběh gradoval a Mawer popisuje atmosféru hlavního města během vpádu Sovětů. Kniha se mi líbila, ale zas tak dobré jako třeba již zmíněný Skleněný pokoj to nebylo, proto dávám hvězdičky jen čtyři.

[Romana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow start and a build-up (quite nice but not much more than a romance-drama), then everything happens in the last 100 pages (gripping and dramatic and a great read). But - WTF WAS THE ENDING ABOUT?!?! I really really don't like open endings, okay? So that's one star off. Plus, I appreciate the author trying to imbue the story with Czech and even using diacritics, but he could have at least got someone to check if his Czech is actually correct (it often wasn't). Apart from that - loved the style and the characters. And I could definitely see this as an awesome movie too.

[Jevhenija Syvulja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hodně bolestivý příběh vzhledem k tomu, co rusové vyvádějí posledních x měsíců na Ukr..
Příběh krásný, napínavý, dojemný, podle mě by se (bez ohledu na nepřesnosti v knize) takhle měla učit historie - skrz příběhy obyčejných lidí.
"Vlastně o ní téměř nic neví. A pak ho napadlo, kolik toho vlastně potřebujeme o druhém vědět, než se zamilujeme. Nejspíš skoro nic, připustil v duchu. Vždyť co věděl Romeo o Julii?"

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book set in Prague during the Spring of 1968 that tells the story of two mismatched couples; British hitchhikers from Oxford who end up in the city on a whim and a British diplomat and his new lover, a Czech student. All become caught up in the historic events of the time, at the height of the Cold War. Dubček leads a reformist government with the hope of offering greater freedoms to his people, giving cause for wary optimism in downtrodden Prague. But Brezhnev’s communist Russia is not impressed, and with tensions rising, heavy artillery soon invades the city, quashing any chance of reform. Mawer’s writing is brilliant, portraying the hopes and fears of all characters in a very insightful way. I also appreciated the dry, understated British wit. And what a change for Prague in the last 50 years. Now an easily accessible, top tourist destination. Very different from its days hidden behind the Iron Curtain.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Girl Who Fell From the Sky & Tightrope but this is much better than those two books. There is more depth in the story and the characterisation, the political context is more carefully drawn and yet it remains a page turner. I would say this is the same kind of satisfying read on all fronts that The Glass Room was.

Two story strands - young students hitching round Europe end up in Prague, and a Diplomat and a Czech dissident - both equally well rendered and then the strands collide.

Excellent. Simon Mawr deserves to be more widely read.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

The situation is interesting but the plot and characters aren't, really.

[Anett Jamecna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I assumed two stairs meant 'did not like it,' but it is only one star on Goodreads! This book has left me extremely disappointed. When I first read the cover page, I was astounded and had perhaps unrealistic expectations.

Let me begin by saying that the book's major event, the invasion of Czechoslovakia, begins only 70 pages before the end. The build-up to that point was extremely weak, and the description of historical events was far too brief.

The only character I could sort of identify with was Lenka; the others were uninteresting. Even though there were some character developments, overall I felt their portrayal was weak and I had no interest in them.

And the ending. OMG, I do not like open endings, and this one felt like the author was trying to make things easier for himself because he just couldn't think of a good one.

This book had so much potential, but the story, the characters, the display of the political climate, and the events that followed were just bland.

[Catherine Davison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly appreciate books which manage to capture my attention with a good taut storyline while at the same time send me off searching for the history of a place, people and culture. This book did both. There’s only one reason I’m not giving this book the full five stars but I don’t want to be spoilerish by explaining exactly why. Read it and you may also experience that slight let down which attests to how skilfully Mawer created his characters: if they weren’t so well developed I wouldn’t have cared about this small detail. Highly recommend this one.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting read, and full of history. Set in 1968 Prague. It weaves a story of 2 hitchikers, a diplomat and 2 defectors, in to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Russians.

[Tonstant Weader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Mawer’s latest book Prague Spring is sent in the short flourishing of freedom in Czechoslovakia when Alexander Dubcek sought to create “socialism with a human face” by lifting censorship and expanding cultural freedoms. This was soon crushed by the Warsaw Pact invasion to end, as they put it, the counterrevolution. James and Ellie are two Oxford students hitchhiking Europe during their holiday. James is infatuated with Ellie and Ellie is amused by James. She’s studying literature; he’s studying science. She has the lighthearted confidence of class privilege; he has the studious matter-of-factness of the working class. They decide not to decide as they travel, flipping a coin to make decisions. At one crossroad, they flip a coin and go to Prague.

Sam Wareham is a British diplomat working in Prague. He is sending off his not quite fianceé Steffie when we meet him, but then he meets Lenka Konečková and realizes that not-quite is really quite a good thing. Lenka is bold, sensual, and self-possessed. She challenges him and he falls for her, even knowing that affairs with the locals is a dangerous thing behind the Iron Curtain.

Of course, these two pairs come together and through Sam we see the historical and political context of the Prague Spring. Through Ellie and Sam, we see the cultural context, the movement of youth not yet disappointed and discouraged by repression. Lenka bridges the difference, situating that youthful optimism and activism not just in the cultural flowering, but also in the history, particularly in the history of her own family who suffered both Nazi and Communist repression.

It has been twenty years or so since I first read “Mendel’s Dwarf,” a book that still resonates with me to this day. I evangelized that book for years. In fact, I think I evangelized that book within the last six months. It’s a lot to live up to.

Prague Spring is a good story. Mawer excels at painting the historical picture, not just the time and place, but the zeitgeist, the swirling interplay of culture, society, and power. He creates characters who are likably imperfect, complex enough to surprise the reader and sometimes even themselves. And yet, by telling this story from the perspective of outsiders, Mawer takes the high stakes of liberation and repression and offers us the lowered stakes of what will likely be a travel anecdote to liven up their middle age. There is so much more at stake for Lenka and for the other Czechs, I found myself not really caring about what happens with Ellie and James. I care about Sam and Lenka because Lenka’s stakes are higher.

I received an e-galley of from Prague Spring the publisher through Edelweiss.

Prague Spring at Other Press
Simon Mawer author site


★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the title, those with a knowledge of recent European history will recognise the setting - the brief 'spring' when the Czechoslovak Communist leadership undertook liberal reforms, including freeing up the press. Sam Wareham is the British diplomat in Prague at this time: he has just said goodbye to his lover Steffi who has returned to England. Then he meets Lenka, a young woman in the centre of a group of political reformers. Meanwhile James and Ellie are a young English couple hitchhiking through Europe and deciding on their route by the toss of a coin. They end up in Prague as uncertainty about the future of the Prague Spring takes hold and the arrival of Russian troops seems imminent.

I took a while to engage with the two strands of this story and particularly with the prickly relationship between James and Ellie. However, as the political situation became more tense, so did the story until the situation and the fate of the characters took hold of me and didn't release me until it ended. The last section was particularly powerful and impressive, as was the development of Wareham as a complex character, no longer the self-controlled diplomat he is at the start. I felt very moved by the ending, even though (because?) it left me with unanswered questions.

I have enjoyed all the Simon Mawer novels I've read, particularly The Fall and The Glass House. This is another example of his capacity to write fine and engrossing novels.

[Ef Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ze začátku mě to bavilo hodně, pak už se to tak nějak spíš příjemně vleklo. Skleněný pokoj za mě rozhodně lepší, ale i tak - vykreslení doby, lidé prožívající historii národa vlastně zvnějšku (jiné národnosti), ale přitom se jich přímo dotýká.
Asi tak v půlce čtení jsem narazila na to, že to někomu připomíná Kunderu, takže už jsem se toho pak při dalším čtení nemohla zbavit, ale spíš mi to i zjednodušilo mé pojetí, protože jsem taky uvažovala, koho mi to jen připomíná. Lidé z gest a odkazy na jiná díla (kafquesqie).

[Vojtech · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pro mě byla kniha spíše zklamáním. Sice se dobře čte, ale příběh je poměrně mělký a nic se v něm neděje. Víceméně jsem neměl důvod se o nějakou z postav blíže zajímat. Konec přišel poměrně narychlo a nezdá se mi, že by se cokoli vyřešilo nebo došlo uzavření - linka jedné postavy zůstane neuzavřená úplně. Slabý odvar předchozích knih stejného autora.