TIME'S MAGPIE A Walk in Prague

Myla Goldberg makes a charming guide in this travelogue. Goldberg lived in Prague in 1993 and returned a decade later to see how the city had changed as it shed its Communist past. There are the usual descriptions of Prague's architecture and history, but the observations always sound fresh. Goldberg has a sensitive eye and a quirky wit that make more memorable descriptions of the city's aging subway system, its Museum of Communism (run by an American and located next to a McDonald's), and its cartoonish police officers, who shamelessly milk foreigners for on-the-spot jaywalking fines. This is smart, wholly unpretentious writing, perfectly mirrored by Goldberg's own youthful voice. D.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 05]