Customer Reviews

Swiss Watching: Inside Europe's Landlocked Island

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As someone who has lived in Switzerland quite recently I would recommend `Swisswatching' highly to anyone moving there or simply visiting the country. Bewes' book gets under the skin of the experience of being a foreigner in Switzerland and does it with a great sense of fun. It also gives an excellent and informed view of the Swiss as a nation and proves beyond doubt that, despite having four cultural and language groups within its borders, there is such a thing as Swissness. Most importantly, the book takes a superb look at the regions of Switzerland, some of which may be well known but most of which will be new to all but the most experienced traveller. It looks at the products we all recognise as Swiss and the figures we may currently be unaware of and tells the story of a country through their histories. Above all this is a thoroughly enjoyable, amusing and entertaining read for anyone with even a passing interest in travel.

This is such a great read, whether or not you are planning to visit Switzerland. If you are, then take this with you because, even though it's not a guide book, you'll end up wanting to visit all the places he mentions! If you're not going there, you'll soon want to once you've read it!! Swisswatching is informative, interesting, honest and funny. Diccon Bewes has researched it well and added in his excellent observations from living as an expat in Switzerland. If you like Bill Bryson you'll love this! I couldn't put it down and can't wait for his next book! The great thing is that you can also make comments and ask him questions via his blog ([...]) and he actually answers!! Plus each new blog entry adds more funny observations about the country that aren't in his book. What more could you want?

Diccon Bewes' penetrating insights into the Swiss psyche makes Swiss Watching a book about Switzerland like no other.

I'm married to a Swiss and have visited Switzerland -from Australia- more than twenty times.

In my quest to acquaint myself better with this fascinating country I've read many books and guides, including a couple of very good ones.

But here we have something very, very special.

Swiss Watching is utterly absorbing and brilliantly written.
In his unique and engaging style Diccon Bewes zeroes in on the Switzerland we don't really know, the one that's hidden behind all those majestic peaks, quaint chalets, well-fed cows and the chocolate, cheese and precision watches.

The book is a comprehensive and very fair account of all things Swiss -especially the people- and the author's sharp and perceptive observations cut through to the very core of the national mentality.

Want a book about Switzerland full of gushy prose extolling the country's numerous virtues?...dozens of such books exist, have been around for a hundred years and may be found in the travel section of bookshops the world over.
Prefer a no-holds-barred, balanced treatise that will accurately reveal the Swiss to you in a way you never thought possible?...this is THE book.

For author Diccon Bewes, researching and then writing Swiss Watching has clearly been a labour of love; he is to be heartily congratulated for producing such an outstanding and seminal work in which he truly has nailed the Swiss like no-one has before.

As it's right up there with the most enjoyable and informative books I've ever read I simply can't recommend this wonderful book highly enough.

Being Swiss myself, I am always curious about how my country is perceived by non-Swiss. Diccon Bewes' book covers a lot of ground, and does so effortlessly. You'll learn a lot. It's as simple as that. And you'll laugh a lot. More than once it reminded me of Bill Bryson's "Notes from a small island". There are many things in "Swiss Watching" where I stopped reading and said "I didn't know that" or "wow, I never even thought about that". Its mandatory reading if you want to understand how the Swiss think. Or if you simply want to find out why there are so many red shoes in Switzerland, or that Switzerland is the country which gave us much more than just the Red Cross. Havnig said that, Diccon Bewes does not shy away from also covering the darker sides of this country.

My mother was Swiss-German and I lived and worked in Zurich for 2 years, and go back frequently to visit friends and relatives. I thought I knew everything about Switzerland but this amusing and fact-filled book has explained so much to me about Swiss character and why we do the things we do! I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Switzerland and Swiss culture.

The author is English but now lives and works in Bern. He brings a unique perspective to Swiss ways. His observations are highly accurate.

This is a must read for anyone planning to visit or live in Switzerland anytime soon. I lived here for one year already but had not learned as much as I did from this pleasant reading. Written in a funny and heartfelt manner this book gives wise insights of every aspect of this country. From politics to table manners, one will find all the ingredients it takes to become comfortable acquainted to the Swissness.

I've lived in Switzerland off and on for the last ten years and I find this book to be thoughtful and delightfully accurate. I enjoyed every chapter for it's richness in historical detail and also for the humorous but always respectful anecdotes.

I picked up a copy of this book in the Zurich Airport at the end of a 6-day stay in Switzerland. I was feeling full of curiosity about a place that I'd never before considered visiting, and had quite unexpectedly found compelling. I'm sure that there are guidebooks and scholarly works galore on Switzerland, but if you're looking for a book that combines substance with readability, this is a great choice.

Swiss Watching: Inside Europe's Landlocked Island

This book was chosen by a group of employees for our annual bookclub selection. Our parent company is located in Switzerland so we wanted to learn more about the culture. We are still reading, but so far the book has provided insights to the history of the country, the evolution of its political structure and some very practical "what to do when OR what NOT to do when" information. Our group is comprised of Americans, and the book is written by an Englishman wo you get an added perspective when the author relates things Swiss to thngs not Swiss. The book itself is a compilation of history, current events, geography, travel guide and culture. The reference section could keep you in reading material for the rest of the year! We are enjoying it in our bookclub.

I lived in Switzerland during the 1980s, so it was good to read this book and catch up with what has been going on since that time, ie the 35km hiking trail that has been built for the 700th anniversary. The book reads like a TV documentary that you might see on the BBC.

The reason I gave this book 4 stars is because the author presents as deriding and scoffing at anything even remotely "right wing". He also mixes up "religion" with "race", with the superficial suggestion that anti-minaret sentiment is to do with 'zenophobia', rather explore the idea that it might be more to do with a rejection of a certain ideology, as well as changing the archetypal Swiss scenery that so many people love.