Switzerland Books

I agree that 'Heidi's Children' was very sweet. I did not read 'Heidi Grows Up' neither did I read 'Heidi's Children' as an adult, but I did read it as an 11 year old child and I loved it.

"Heidi's Children" is much worse than "Heidi Grows Up" both of which are lacking the heart and soul of the original. "Heidi" had "meat" where-as these seem to "dumbed down" as a quick read for younger children.

What I disliked most about this book was bratty Marta. Not only was she an annoying character but most of the book seemed focused around her, not Heidi, nor her children. Peter is barely mentioned.

Read if you must, then shelve it and forget that you ever did.

It is true, Charles Tritten is not as talented as Joanna Spyri, but the Heidi sequels are still good! In this book, Heidi is expecting a child, but when Jamie, a childhood freind, asks if her little sister Marta could possibly stay with Heidi and Peter, as she is very unhappy at home, Heidi's motherly instincts take over, and in spite of the protests of Peter and Bridget, who think that Heidi should be resting, Marta comes.
Surprising family secrets are revealed, including the identity of Heidi's mystery Grandmother, whom nobody knows other than Heidi's Grandfather...
Compulsive reading, unmissable!!!

Tritten was Johanna Spyri's translator, a fact that he makes much of in his introduction to his sequels to her great novel Heidi. This was the second sequel that he published (the first being _Heidi Grows Up_).

In _Heidi's Children_ Heidi is pregnant with her first child and at the same time agrees to take on the problem sister of a good friend. Heidi teaches this child an important lesson about life and at the same time unravels a complex family secret.

Spyri's works were simple and strong, and their goodness and sweetness shone through the pages. Tritten is not nearly as talented as a writer, and his sequels are a sad distortion of the characters. He cakes on religion and sentimentality and uses that as plot. He makes the characters into pious charactatures of their original incarnations.

Skip these, unless you're a Spyri scholar.

I loved the premise of this book: food and "ambiance" from the countries and locations along the Rhine, a river that stretches through several countries. But it doesn't deliver.

The recipes are simple... a little *too* simple. When I was in the mood to make, say, a German saurbraten, I compared Nelson's recipe to several others. Her recipe wasn't bad, but it was wholly unremarkable. Every time I started to cook from this book, I ended up choosing a recipe from another cookbook.

Nor does the "travel" information provide any insights. It's as if she scribbled a few notes from a guidebook, rather than give the reader a view into another place, another life.

On the other hand, this book is suitable for people who are curious about European cooking but somewhat intimidated by "authentic" recipes. I ended up giving away the book to friends who are interested in German cooking, but not very adventurous.

I loved the premise of this book: food and "ambiance" from the countries and locations along the Rhine, a river that stretches through several countries. But it doesn't deliver.

The recipes are simple... a little *too* simple. When I was in the mood to make, say, a German saurbraten, I compared Nelson's recipe to several others. Her recipe wasn't bad, but it was wholly unremarkable. Every time I started to cook from this book, I ended up choosing a recipe from another cookbook.

Nor does the "travel" information provide any insights. It's as if she scribbled a few notes from a guidebook, rather than give the reader a view into another place, another life.

On the other hand, this book is suitable for people who are curious about European cooking but somewhat intimidated by "authentic" recipes. I ended up giving away the book to friends who are interested in German cooking, but not very adventurous.

All Along the Rhine presents recipes, wines and lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Holland, blending authentic Rhine recipes with cultural and political history and insights. No color photos, but the easy dishes don't need them and All Along the Rhine is as strong in its cultural information as in its culinary history of the entire region.

I love these Atlas books. They are usually easy to navigate and links to the map continuations are numbered on the edges of each page.

However, I would like to have seen a few of the major cities better detailed. And also, the road numbers were not always clear and weren't repeated often enough along the roads on the map. More than once I asked myself, "Is that a mileage, or is that the road number?" More often than not, it was the mileage.

Oh well, it got the job done and I only got turned around in some of the major cities. That's probably more the fault of the lack of street signs in German cities.

I'd be interested to know if there are any other good atlases for touring this region, but despite it's deficiencies, I was happy to have this in the car with me.

Every major city is on the spiral, which makes it difficult to read the highway names around the city. Also, the detailed views of the major cities didn't show enough of the surrounding area. Many city maps had only 2-3 highways shown, with no other details.

Excellent map book. This is NOT a guide, it is a spiral book with detailed maps of these countries. The scale is:
1:300,000 (1 cm=3km) for Germany and 1:400,000 for the others
At the back there is an index of cities and also half page maps for the most important cities.
The maps are very detailed and one should not get lost with them. They are ideal for driving, but also an excellent resource for studying Germany. I use them for my WWII research, but will surely take the book to my next trip to Germany. For US$ 15, it is a great bargain.

Although there are interesting facts about life in the Sixteenth Century, they are few and far between in this book. Probably a good doctorial thesis, this is a tedious, at times redundant, read

Readers should understand that this is not a historical novel, but a detailed narrative about Europe during a period of great religious, political, social and cultural upheaval. Tracing the lives of the Platter men, Thomas and his two sons, Felix and Thomas, Jr., the author reveals a society often overlooked by modern readers. While most historians deal with the political side only, LaDurie focuses on the religious turbulence that ultimately resulted in a new Europe. The fact that Thomas Platter, Sr., an illiterate peasant, was able to rise to a position of respected teacher and publisher, one who was a contemporary of Calvin, and published his Institutes, tells us much about the opportunities for social advancement during the period. Felix's experiences in southern France and his relationships with Spanish Jews sheds a great deal of light on another portion of "hidden history." The influence of the "New World" is also beginning to be felt across! the continent at this time. For any student of social geography or religious history, this book is an absolute treasure chest.

This is the fourth of Swiss writer Glauser's five "Sergeant Studer" novels to appear in English (following Thumbprint, Fever, and In Matto's Realm and preceding The Spoke), some seventy or so years after their initial publication. I haven't read the others, but this one struck me as a little old-fashioned, somewhat confusing, and a bit too deliberate. Set in the countryside outside Bern, the story is set in motion when Studer stops in a country inn to fill up his motorcycle. Formerly a detective in the Geneva police, he was apparently drummed out due to his inability to turn a blind eye, and is now a lowly Sergeant in the canton police.

At the inn he meets the "Chinaman," who informs Studer that he expects to be killed in the next few months, and makes Studer promise to track down his killer. Moreover, he insists on introducing Studer to a group of men, one of whom he is certain will be the killer. Four months later, the man's body turns up in a nearby graveyard and Studer is called in to investigate. The story then concentrates in three places: the inn, a nearby poorhouse, and a nearby horticultural college. It also takes place across the victim's very complicated family tree. Readers are strongly advised to map out these relationships as they are introduced, as they become crucial to the solution.

Despite the introduction of a rather limp locked-room second murder, and a bunch of arsenic, the story never picks up any momentum. Too much of it is markedly old-fashioned (or "classic" if you prefer): the motive is inheritance, the investigation slow (and somewhat strange to modern sensibilities), and the denouement involves gathering everyone into a drawing room for the detective to explain everything. Finally, Studer's speculative and entirely unprovable solution is supported by the sudden revelation of a letter which spells everything out. There are also small things that don't work so well: for example, much is made of the use of formal vs. informal German vs. dialect in various encounters, but these shifts have to be directly explained in the text, which is pretty clunky.

There are some bright spots, such as Studer himself, who is grumpily entertaining, and the social commentary concerning the poorhouse (basically a work camp for the indigent) is interesting. However, on the whole, the story isn't particularly engaging, and is of limited appeal. Those who've read the other Studer novels, or have some particular interest in Swiss crime novels, or in older crime novels in general may find it engaging, but others probably not. It should also be noted that, throughout the book, references are made to previous cases Studer has solved -- without having read them I can't say, but they might well be spoilers for the three earlier books.

In Bern, Switzerland James Farny's corpse is found lying on top of the recently buried wife of the poorhouse warden; the doctor pronounces it is suicide due to a self inflicted shot into the heart. The Bern police brass is content with supporting the "official" ruling.

However, Bern Police Sergeant Jakob Studer notices some odd anomalies starting with no bullet hole torn through the victim's clothing though he is fully clad and yet shot in the heart. Studer also recognizes Farny as a person he remembers seeing several months ago in the tiny village of Pfrundisberg because the man predicted his demise to his associates. As Studer investigates while his superior fumes but knows better than to interfere with his best and most frustrating cop, clues lead Studer to realize the prime suspects in what he believes is murder reside at the poorhouse, a horticultural college, and the Sun Inn where he first "met" Farny.

The latest translation of a Studer police procedural (see IN MATTO'S REALM, FEVER and THUMBPRINT) is a fabulous tale in which the intelligent dedicated cop works out the homicide by analyzing the interrelationships motives between the victim and those at the three locales and their potential motives for committing a murder. Although Studer's technique has been used quite often since THE CHINAMAN was first released in the late 1930s, the vivid look into Swiss society with Hitler beginning to spread his Third Reich vision across the continent makes the tale feel like a fresh historical whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

I have used Karen Brown's books many times and they have always helped me. She has excellent suggestions. You can't go wrong with this book.

I must say that I was very disappointed with this book - I was prepared to receive a book full of photos and some different itineraries than what is already out there.

What you get is a book with poorly drawn black and white images and very average travel and itineraries in Switzerland. What would you bother to try to publish b/w drawn images when almost all locations in Switzerland have fantasic photo ops ?

Stick with what already has an established reputation for great reviews - Rick Steve's. If you want color images - I'd go with Eyewitness Travel Guide - Switzerland.

I now own and have read six books on Paul Klee, and this is my favorite so far. The text clearly explains the artist's life and works. The reproductions are beautiful and include many of Klee's most important pieces. And the price is great even for a short art book, since it does such a wonderful job in its limited space. I have already purchased several more of the Taschen basic art series on the strength of this one, and plan to purchase more.

I have 8 of the books in this series and this is by far the worst; the others are good or very good. The writing and organization is very poor. The first time I tried to read it, I found myself reading the first several pages a few times to make some sense of it. The rest of the book is no better.

I found Self-Portrait With Woman to be very confusing and very choppy. I read the first hundred pages or so and decided to stop reading because I had no idea what was going on. Kamil, the main character and story teller, is relating his life story to a woman in Switzerland so that she can get a better idea of how life was in Eastern Europe during the communist era. All of his stories are told through his experiences with women he has been involved with. I found this to be confusing becuase it was difficult to tell when these things were occuring in his life and what the women had to do with the story. Overall, I thought this book was choppy and it lacked a point.

An excellent novel that explores one man's soul against the dark backdrop of Poland's history. Though a deep portrait of one person, Szczypiorski is universal, and has universal implications. Above all, Kamil vaules his loves, and uses them as reference points in the depths of his soul, and in the darkness of his history. I recommend this novel! It's enjoyable and important. And I did not find it at all choppy. It's lyrical and beautifully written, the author paints a picture of one man, in all his humanity.

This series is written by Ed Koch. The main character is Ed Koch as Mayor of New York. He solves many mysteries. I enjoy this series as I don't end up figuring out things and wishing the character would too. He's usually ahead of me. A real fast read.

Ed Koch casts himself as a cross between mayor and Batman in this campy mystery. Quote Ed - "I've been blessed with unusually sharp powers of deduction, and when the city of New York - or any New Yorker - is in jeopardy, I feel compelled to use those skills..." Ho ho ho. This story is written as though a high schooler were Koch's co-author. There is little mystery, and Koch is constantly beating the reader over the head with the facts over and over.

A highly informative book on how the Swiss have set up their banking system from its inception to today.A must for the investor looking for alternatives to protecting assets.

This book was more an advertisement by the author for the Swiss advising company he works for than a comprehensive book on the subject. It is also out-of-date. It had some useful points but you would want to read it alongside other books on the subject for broader perspective.