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Me, Myself & Prague: An Unreliable Guide to Bohemia
Armed with a romantic soul and a pressing need to escape her overbearing family, Rachael Weiss heads for Prague with vague plans to write a great novel and perhaps, just perhaps, fall madly in love with an exotic Czech man with high cheekbones. They make it seem so easy, those other women who write of uprooting themselves from everything they know, crossing the world and forming effortless friendships with strangers—despite not understanding a word they say—while reinventing themselves in beautiful European cities. So it's not surprising that Rachael is completely unprepared for the realities that confront her in her strange new world. However, in this warm and witty tale of life in a foreign land, Rachael, somewhat to her own surprise, finds herself gradually creating a second home in Prague, complete with an eccentric and unlikely tribe of extended family and friends; and realizes along the way that while she's been striving so hard to become someone else, she has inadvertently grown to rather like the person she has always been.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
13 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Rachael Weiss
7 books12 followersRachael Weiss is an Australian author, living and writing in Dublin. She considers her greatest achievement to be her fourth place in the New South Wales Scrabble tournament. Her first two books are Me, Myself and Prague (Allen & Unwin 2008), and Are We There Yet? (Allen & Unwin 2005). -from author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 19, 2014
Being myself a Czech expat living in US for over fifteen years, I was curious about experiences of expats from other countries trying to make it in my old country.
This book is on one word EXCELLENT! Light and funny and informative, filled with fresh excitement from discovering new things and experiencing Czech way of life poured straight on the page.
I can attest, based on my experience of being born and living there for 32 years, that everything she wrote is true leave for a couple of minor and quite understandable misconceptions/generalizations.
I recommend it to everybody interested in learning about Czech Republic and be entertained while doing that.
I loved it, so did my American wife and so did her English mother.
This book is on one word EXCELLENT! Light and funny and informative, filled with fresh excitement from discovering new things and experiencing Czech way of life poured straight on the page.
I can attest, based on my experience of being born and living there for 32 years, that everything she wrote is true leave for a couple of minor and quite understandable misconceptions/generalizations.
I recommend it to everybody interested in learning about Czech Republic and be entertained while doing that.
I loved it, so did my American wife and so did her English mother.
October 17, 2017
Visiting Prague this summer, this was the right book for me, wherein an English speaker learns the city, the language, and the culture, but she has a year to do it instead of my few days. Weiss finds Prague and Czechs difficult to figure out, which sounds right.
I really dislike the title. It has the Eat, Pray, Love vibe that made me expect "and then while looking for Prague, I found myself." And actually, there is some of that, but I'm pleased to say its outweighed by interesting cultural insights.
I really dislike the title. It has the Eat, Pray, Love vibe that made me expect "and then while looking for Prague, I found myself." And actually, there is some of that, but I'm pleased to say its outweighed by interesting cultural insights.
October 17, 2009
I bought this book at an English language book store in Prague. I love memoirs and reading about people's experiences, so it seemed like a perfect fit for me, as Rachael spent a year in Prague. It was a good book, well written. She has a cynical tone at times, but it is a humorous book as well. The book gave me some insight on various things to do in Prague and the surrounding area, which was good. Overall, I definitely enjoyed the book, but mainly I think that is because I am in Prague and experiencing similar things. I don't think I would have enjoyed it very much if I had no direct links to Prague.
July 29, 2025
Generally, I think there will be two kinds of people who will enjoy this book. People moving and having moved to Prague or (like me) people who moved out and love a bit of nostalgia. Realistically, I don't think a person outside this description would enjoy this book, but I think I did. Although it wasn't filled with things I didn't know, it made me appreciate my city more. Can't wait to pass the book along to my future sister in law who is moving to Prague soon. :)
November 12, 2014
Started off slowly as "another one of the expats finding her roots (ho hum)" books. However, by the end, which was powerful without being overdone, I hadn't wanted it to end. Forgotten that I read her previous book about a road trip through her native Australia, which I recall having liked. Weiss is very funny, and easy to relate to as a person. Recommended.
October 12, 2012
I like a book that sticks with its thesis and this one does. (It's disappointing to begin an anticipated adventure and find that the title, cover, blurbs, etc. have been misleading.) In this book Rachael Weiss tells who she and her experience of Prague; it is not a travel guide for Bohemia (where it is very difficult to find Bohemians).
Weiss begins with the "I". "The Norma" (a grocery store where her feelings are hurt), her father's apartment (is not "Bohemian", which she would like it to be), the meticulous arrangement of linens (how will she ever meet her stepmother's standards of linen folding?) and much else is introduced in the beginning through her reactions. I almost put it down, but it was well written and my interest in Prague propelled me. I'm very glad I stayed with it. Each of these anecdotes becomes part of a larger description of Prague and Czech culture. In fact, they recur as themes and are skillfully connected at the end.
The personal is wonderful in that you get to understand not only Weiss, but also her family, its history and how this history effects the lives of each generation. You understand them slowly through descriptions, phone calls, documents found in the apartment and eventually meeting relatives in Studenice. At the end, we experience her father in person (instead of being on the phone) and finally a visit to Terezin, the ground zero for the family trauma.
Through the narrative we meet Czechs and ex-pats. We hike along with Weiss, visit Marienbad and more.
I highly recommend this for those who are looking for insight more as well as travel.
Weiss begins with the "I". "The Norma" (a grocery store where her feelings are hurt), her father's apartment (is not "Bohemian", which she would like it to be), the meticulous arrangement of linens (how will she ever meet her stepmother's standards of linen folding?) and much else is introduced in the beginning through her reactions. I almost put it down, but it was well written and my interest in Prague propelled me. I'm very glad I stayed with it. Each of these anecdotes becomes part of a larger description of Prague and Czech culture. In fact, they recur as themes and are skillfully connected at the end.
The personal is wonderful in that you get to understand not only Weiss, but also her family, its history and how this history effects the lives of each generation. You understand them slowly through descriptions, phone calls, documents found in the apartment and eventually meeting relatives in Studenice. At the end, we experience her father in person (instead of being on the phone) and finally a visit to Terezin, the ground zero for the family trauma.
Through the narrative we meet Czechs and ex-pats. We hike along with Weiss, visit Marienbad and more.
I highly recommend this for those who are looking for insight more as well as travel.
August 21, 2015
Weiss describes her year in Prague best, I think, when she calls it a year in which I had no great adventures, nothing happened, I didn't find the love of my life... (316) and yet it makes for a fairly entertaining read. Weiss sets off for Prague at almost 40: her life to date has been relatively uninspiring, and she hopes that in her father's homeland she'll find what she's missing.
She does, and she doesn't. She makes friends, but they're (almost) all expats. She learns some Czech, but not enough (or in time) to communicate with her relatives. She has a fling but doesn't fall in love. Her father's apartment is at her disposal, but it's hardly the bohemian garret of her imagination (and, arguably, never really qualifies as home). She's in the enviable position of having enough money to get through the year without working...but that means, as I interpret it anyway, that it takes even longer to achieve any kind of integration into Czech life. Arguably, this is less about a year living in Prague than it is about a year vacationing in Prague.
It's relatable, though—who hasn't taken a plunge only to have it not turn out quite as planned? That's just what happens here, but Weiss takes it in stride, acknowledging that the Prague life of her fantasies was never really going to line up with the reality of who she is.
I'll be passing on the follow-up, which sounds like more of the same (also, the library doesn't have it), but this was worth a read as living-abroad lite.
She does, and she doesn't. She makes friends, but they're (almost) all expats. She learns some Czech, but not enough (or in time) to communicate with her relatives. She has a fling but doesn't fall in love. Her father's apartment is at her disposal, but it's hardly the bohemian garret of her imagination (and, arguably, never really qualifies as home). She's in the enviable position of having enough money to get through the year without working...but that means, as I interpret it anyway, that it takes even longer to achieve any kind of integration into Czech life. Arguably, this is less about a year living in Prague than it is about a year vacationing in Prague.
It's relatable, though—who hasn't taken a plunge only to have it not turn out quite as planned? That's just what happens here, but Weiss takes it in stride, acknowledging that the Prague life of her fantasies was never really going to line up with the reality of who she is.
I'll be passing on the follow-up, which sounds like more of the same (also, the library doesn't have it), but this was worth a read as living-abroad lite.
May 7, 2014
When I was abroad in my early 20s, I harbored secret dreams that my travel journals would one day become great pieces of writing that were widely read and appreciated. I have long since come to the realization that, while the journals are extremely valuable to me personally, they’d probably be pretty dull to anyone who’s not as interested in my life as I am.
Me, Myself, and Prague reads much like I imagine my own living abroad journal would read, with better writing and an editor. There were moments of awe and wonder, delight in the little pleasures and hard-won friendships, and bouts of terrible loneliness. These moments were relatable and fun to follow. But at its core, the book was filled with anecdotes that I imagine are really only meaningful to the author. Discovering her family tree or hooking up with an old friend were no doubt momentous for her, but she fails to make the stories interesting on a more universal level or to draw conclusions applicable beyond her own life.
Me, Myself, and Prague reads much like I imagine my own living abroad journal would read, with better writing and an editor. There were moments of awe and wonder, delight in the little pleasures and hard-won friendships, and bouts of terrible loneliness. These moments were relatable and fun to follow. But at its core, the book was filled with anecdotes that I imagine are really only meaningful to the author. Discovering her family tree or hooking up with an old friend were no doubt momentous for her, but she fails to make the stories interesting on a more universal level or to draw conclusions applicable beyond her own life.
November 12, 2012
I wasn't crazy about this book in the beginning, but it grew on me. It's the story of a 40-year old Australian woman who goes to Prague for a year to become a writer. Her father is Czech so while there, she discovers her roots. Because I have recently moved to the Czech Republic, it was nice to compare her experienced to my own, although of course our experiences are in some ways very different: she has never seen snow before, for example.
On the whole, the book is a warm, positive tale about a woman finding herself and it leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
On the whole, the book is a warm, positive tale about a woman finding herself and it leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
March 23, 2009
Here is a nice easy book about the post-communist country through the eyes of an Australian. She does not understand where is the customer service, why no one smiling on the street, why elegantly dressed man on a bus trying to steel from her bag? Rachel Weis, who had Czechs' roots, did not pretend to have a life-changing moment in Prague, but to discover a vibrant city with great food, amazing architecture and interesting history.
July 18, 2013
I loved this gentle tale. The writer is so honest and generous in what she shares about herself. I have been an expat myself and it's so reassuring to hear about the loneliness and the way you inevitably end up hanging out with other expats despite all your intentions to explore the culture and meet the locals. I loved her intimate, non-pretentious writing style and subtle humour.
April 18, 2015
Details the year of an Australian woman who decides to move to Prague for a year. Is pretty slow going at the start, but does have some fabulous recounts of both Prague and her study of people that made me smile. I particularly liked the final chapter and her realisation of her family tree, where she came from. Really enjoyed the honesty and self deprecating style of the book.
May 19, 2016
This was a fun read. I've been to Prague and am of Czech descent, so it appealed to me first on that level but Rachael Weiss is a down to earth, what you see is what you get kind of person and the book was interesting and laugh out loud funny at times. Living in Prague for an extended period of time is a retirement dream of mine. I hope I do it as well as she did!
May 4, 2017
This book had it's ups and downs. I found myself getting a little bored and irritated with the author/main character at times. But the descriptions of Prague were really lovely and I enjoyed finding images of all the places she mentioned on the internet.
July 24, 2016
I cannot write anything about this memoir that will accurately display how much I love it. Rachael is a hilarious, cheeky, clever woman who I want to be best friends with. I quite literally couldn't put this book down.
March 26, 2019
This book is an entertaining piece of travel writing and memoir with a bit of Czech history. The style of writing is very easy to read. There is a nice balance of personal experience and factual historical writing which seamlessly blend together.
I was gushing about this book when I met up with my ex-pat cousin currently living in Prague. I highly recommended this book to her and to anyone who is looking for former-communist insight or plan to travel.
I was gushing about this book when I met up with my ex-pat cousin currently living in Prague. I highly recommended this book to her and to anyone who is looking for former-communist insight or plan to travel.
December 23, 2019
An Australian women sets off to Prague for a change of air. She lives in an apartment owned by her father who migrated to Australia after the war.
The book is very average. Not average for a book, just average for a story in general. It is hard living abroad for a while but not many of the stories were incredibly unique or interesting.
In the epilogue it says, “I never wrote my Great Australian Novel. I wrote this book instead, the story of my year in Prague. A year in which I had no great adventures, nothing happened, I didn’t find the love of my life, but in which, indefinably, something seismic occurred. I found myself.” This could not be described better.
Overall the book was not bad, I just wanted more.
The book is very average. Not average for a book, just average for a story in general. It is hard living abroad for a while but not many of the stories were incredibly unique or interesting.
In the epilogue it says, “I never wrote my Great Australian Novel. I wrote this book instead, the story of my year in Prague. A year in which I had no great adventures, nothing happened, I didn’t find the love of my life, but in which, indefinably, something seismic occurred. I found myself.” This could not be described better.
Overall the book was not bad, I just wanted more.
November 1, 2021
Some intriguing realities of the ex-pat life. Rachel seemed in her 20s not 40, like someone writing journal entries out of university.
May 26, 2013
Another city another love story(well for me that is). Cheating on Paris somewhat I also developed a love for Prague in the past few years and having spent a little time in the city was again looking for an author who might open up the city to me. Unfortunately as with Paris English language books(other than straight out historical texts or fiction) on the city are a rarity, therefore I was very pleased to discover a copy of this on the shelves of a charity book store on the Gold Coast of all places. Weiss is an Australian author of Czech origin who decided to take a years sabbatical to her father's home town to work on her novel. What starts off as a self imposed exile soon turns into a wonderful exploration of the city and the people as her novel falls by the wayside as she procrastinates by exploring the city and becoming part of the small but vibrant expat community. While strictly speaking the book is not a very in-depth examination of many aspects of the countries turbulent history, Weiss offers us an insight into many aspects of the city through her own interactions with the local people she meets(including her extended family) and her own awkward attempts at integrating into what to her is simultaneously both familiar and foreign. A great companion piece to Sarah Turnbull's Almost French I would recommend it to anyone who has visited the city and like myself is in search of a greater understanding of the city and its people.
May 2, 2013
Author Rachael Weiss decided to give her life a shake up and live in Prague for a year in her father's apartment. With grand plans to write The Great Australian Novel and live a truly bohemian life, she set out to discover herself and figure out why the Czechs never seem to smile. Me, Myself & Prague is much like the author's year in Prague - rambling and getting nowhere fast. I actually found the last chapter, where she visits Terezin and learns about the fate of her father's family in WWII the most engaging and I wanted to learn more about that, but I guess that would have been a totally different book.
This is a fun read and you'll get through it really quickly - although it has dated massively since being published in 2008, with mention of playing 'Snake' on her phone and no internet per se. Seems like a totally different world already!
This is a fun read and you'll get through it really quickly - although it has dated massively since being published in 2008, with mention of playing 'Snake' on her phone and no internet per se. Seems like a totally different world already!
September 29, 2016
Rachael Weiss writes an honest and humorous piece about what it means to be an expat on the great traveling adventure. At times portraying a funny and candid view of the ins and outs of learning how to live in Prague (from combatting the language barrier and the cultural divide of Czech demeanor), and other times soulful and pensive, this book is a good read for those moving to Prague, or have ever experienced the expat life. My only minus to this book is that at times, I could not bring myself to agree with her Aussie perspective as a reader. But perhaps that is part of writing (and reading) non-fiction.
September 13, 2008
I am off to Prague soon, and so was inspired to read this.
I found it a struggle to finish, although I do think it has a solid thoughtful ending.
I daresay there was something about the writer that didn't gel with me and so I didn't enjoy it quite as much as expected.
I found it a struggle to finish, although I do think it has a solid thoughtful ending.
I daresay there was something about the writer that didn't gel with me and so I didn't enjoy it quite as much as expected.
August 14, 2011
Have finished the book and found it to be a good read. A little like Eat, Pray, Love but includes more history. Rachael gets in touch with her family, the side she never knew much about and in the year that she spends in Prague she finds out more about herself.
October 11, 2012
Luin lähinnä virittäytyäkseni niihin maisemiin, joissa ystävä viettää seuraavan vuoden. Weissin kirja sisältää paljon ihanaa triviaa ja myös varmasti paikkansapitäviä havaintoja tsekeistä ja prahalaisista varsinkin. Tälläisiä kirjoja on vaan ihana lukea.
January 20, 2014
The well-articulated journey of a 40 year old Australian who decides to pack up and move to Prague for a year (her father is from there). From the comedic instructions for maintaining her father’s flat to her overcoming timidity to make friends, she writes lucidly.
March 14, 2010
Well, yeah. Interesting maybe for some. I suppose for 'travel literature' it's ok. Bit ho hum in most places but a few interesting flashes or splashes of introspectives.
March 18, 2011
I thought that the information about life in modern day Prague was very interesting but the writing was only okay and I didn't find the author very likeable.
July 16, 2015
A very funny and charming book about the author’s journey back to her roots in Prague. The writing makes this book a pleasure to read - it's wonderfully sincere, satisfying and enjoyable.
October 8, 2012
A cleverly written account of a year the author spent living in Prague. It isn't at all a guidebook, but gives a bigger-picture impression of life in the Czech Republic.
March 3, 2015
Heartwarming - and so completely "me"! I simply love this book <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews