In the end, I quite like the Prague story but I don't care for most of the characters, albeit in a somewhat interesting way I associate with Mawer.
But should I share my rant? Yeah, probably. From the notes:
Why is every damn book set in Prague about a bumbling white man and some mysterious czech woman that he treats like shit. Every one! Moreover, dudes, why do you think you are the heroes?
I read Mawer once 20 years ago, I liked the book, I thought maybe he'd do better here. But it's the same thing, like as soon as you meet a woman who's at all different than the archetypal Wife of your culture, it means you don't have to treat her with respect or honor her boundaries or even see her as fully human. She's not a Rusalka, bud, and frankly even if she were that doesn't make her yours to exploit. UGH. ( )

There's a review at The Guardian which recounts how in 1975 Mawer was caught in an avalanche on the North Face of Ben Nevis and had to cling to an ice ledge for 22 hours. Whether this experience informed his ability to capture the suspense of existential moments I do not know, but while Prague Spring is not a cliffhanger, it becomes unputdownable as the pages move towards their inexorable conclusion.

It is history that makes the conclusion inexorable. Set in 1968 when Czechoslovakia enjoyed a brief taste of freedom under Dubček before the Soviet tanks rolled in, the novel traces the narratives of a naïve young couple of hitchhikers who stumble into trouble, and the story of an English diplomat walking a tightrope between love and duty. Ellie and James are an ill-matched pair from Oxford, playfully choosing a route through Europe by a roll of the die, while Sam Wareham, progressing his career at the embassy, is disarmed by falling in love with Lenka — who not only has the kind of past that tests the UK-Soviet relationship, but is also sufficiently optimistic about the prospects of 'socialism with a human face' that she does some rather imprudent things.

Well, only imprudent because we all know what happened. Mawer's characters do not have the wisdom of hindsight, and his omniscient narrator sometimes reminds us of that. The presence of Soviet tanks massing on the border gives the novel a contemporary relevance not merely because of current events in Europe but also because of the protests in Iran where authorities are cracking down on dissidents with an iron fist.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/01/13/prague-spring-2018-by-simon-mawer/ ( )

Having been to Prague I enjoyed reading about the city during 1968 just prior to and at the Soviet invasion. We see Prague through the eyes of 2 young English hitchhikers, through a embassy official and a local students and her friends who all come together in the novel. Lightly a spy thriller. ( )

Historical novel around the 1968 reformist movement that ended in the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the USSR in August 1968. The characters were interesting and the story well-told. I can't comment reliably on the fact vs. fiction, but the major players were woven throughout a believable story about the times. I was originally told this was espionage...it is not. ( )

Written by Simon Mawer how could it be anything but the best of reads. All the characters are finely drawn and there are quite a few. The book appears to be accurate with the facts. He has left an opening for a sequel. All I would hope that he writes more books as i have read all of his novels. He writes simple and beautifully, his descriptions are superb without unnecessary adjectives - I always feel a better person for reading his novels as I have always increased my knowledge - in this case of the Prague Uprising. ( )