A beautifully written, richly entertaining account…there are very few good books in English to help the general reader to understand (Indonesia). Ms Pisani’s is probably the best.
I found myself nearly trembling with excitement…I was finally holding in my hands that elusive Indonesia book: a rollicking good adventure that knits together a complex of stories and insights.
A formidably insightful and engaging book on Indonesia for a general readership… the book also provides a model for “portrait of the nation” travelogues fit for the 21st-century .
It is her impish humour that is infused throughout that will draw readers in… Pisani has produced a book on Indonesia that is as fresh for the novice as for those who have a lifetime of experience in the country.
Desy Nurhayati writes about Elizabeth’s appearance at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in the Jakarta Post.
Because of Pisani’s willingness to immerse herself in a local habitat, we’re treated to a full portrait of Indonesian culture, politics, language and commerce. One could ask for no better guide to this sprawling country…
…show(s) how much is left to be done to create a fully realised and sustainable political system and culture in such a diverse and complex country. And why we need to pay a lot more attention to what is happening there.
For many, Indonesia is mysterious place of shadow puppets and spice islands, though perhaps for viewers of the recent film The Art of Killing the brutal anti-communist pogroms of the 1960s might also loom large. A more coherent picture emerges, however, from Elizabeth Pisani’s lucidly analytical but affectionate new book.
“Their Island Story” (PDF) – “Indonesia Etc.” reviewed by Richard Cockett in Literary Review (UK). For more details about “Britain’s best-loved literary magazine”, please visit www.literaryreview.co.uk
…sharp, enjoyable and well-organised book.She writes well and has an outsider’s eye for the extraordinary and the idiosyncratic.
A brave, lively writer opens up a wondrous, changing nation.
Melanie Whitmarsh, Elizabeth’s sometime traveling companion in Indonesia, shares stories of her travels and some nice pictures too. Venture Travel Magazine