Re "Czech Eden", I have the advantage (or maybe disadvantage) of having read the essay by Ivan Klíma in the book as well as this text by Michael Famighetti on Monteith's website:
http://www.matthewmonteith.com/texts/czech_eden.html
It is pointed out in these essays that these pictures are really not meant to be a documentary about a place, but rather a half-ficitional half-diary-like essay by someone who happened to spend some time in a foreign country.

Could it be that some of your critisism is just a natural skeptical reaction towards an "outsider" taking pictures of "your" country? I really don't want to offend anybody here... just a thought. I think if some American photographer would make a book "Austrian Paradise" or something I'd also be skeptical.

I do like the book although on some days more than on others. The pictures are very well done technically, nice to look at. But I wonder how much do they really say as a series? Those often-covered themes, loneliness, alienation etc. I mean, they are beautiful pictures and sometimes I see connections between them, although there are also some photos I have no idea why they are included in the book. I mean, I like the pictures but I'm not sure if I "get" the concept. Sometimes when I look through this book I get the impression that Matthew simply took some pretty portraits, landscapes and still-lives and relies on the viewer to make up his own story.

Btw, the couple that can be seen in this picture http://www.matthewmonteith.com/czech_eden/6.html
are Aleksandra Vajd and Hynek Alt:
website: http://www.manwomanunfinished.com/
found the info here:
http://www.shanelavalette.com/journal/2007/12/21/aleksandra-vajd-and-hynek-alt-man-woman-unfinished/)
In the book they can be seen in several pictures, as a couple as well as alone - although I didn't realise this at first.

Tomas, how do you know that picture is not staged?