Pisani is relentlessly curious and her ability to pitch up anywhere and grasp the essence of the place is truly impressive. [Indonesia Etc.] gives a vivid sense of what Indonesia feels, smells and tastes like. For anyone about to visit the country, her book is an essential companion
Misha Glenny
Guardian
Truly memorable... Pisani is a force of nature... vastly intelligent, doggedly curious, spectacularly multilingual... [This is] a treasure of a volume
Simon Winchester
Wall Street Journal
Pisani takes on many big themes [but] her erudition is never dull... Beautifully written and richly entertaining
Economist
A sharply written, politically infused travelogue. [Full of] comic mishaps, punchy insights and [a] journalist's eye for the telling detail
Ben Bland
Financial Times
Pisani writes well and has an outsider's eye for the extraordinary and the idiosyncratic... Sharp [and] enjoyable
Richard Cockett
Literary Review
A lively condensation of some of her encounters with a country that is as disparate in its politics as it is in its geography and people
New Statesman
Pisani's perceptiveness is as honed as her wit is wise
Tom Adair, ‘Travel book of the year’
Scotsman
An affectionate portrait of a diverse, dynamic and eccentric country
Tom Robbins
Financial Times
Lucidly analytical but affectionate... a colourful and entertaining travelogue
Maria Misra
Prospect
Read it, even if you don't think you're interested in Indonesia-it's inspiring on so many levels, from the boundless curiosity and warmth of the author to the country's spectacular miracle of geo-political confidence and experimentation
Emma Larkin, author
Everything is Broken
Pisani not only travels a dizzying amalgam of the 13,500 islands that comprise Indonesia, but she also follows their history from the seventh century forward with fluidity and ease. There are few other books - or authors - to attempt such a daunting task
Eliza Griswold, author
The Tenth Parallel
Intrepid and passionate, Elizabeth Pisani takes readers on board a hilarious series of jury-rigged forms of transportation, from bustling, insane Djakarta to the smallest and remotest islands and country villages of Indonesia. By the end, exhausted, dusty, thirsty, and laughing, we feel we know this idiosyncratic country in all its moving complexity. Profound, lasting, a masterpiece of its genre-and so much fun!
Amy Wilentz, author
The Rainy Season
A clear-eyed and smart look at a rising Asian giant that has defied all conventional wisdom
Vali Nasr, author
The Dispensable Nation
A brave, lively writer opens up a wondrous, changing nation
Kirkus
Great
Wanderlust
Pisani is an erudite and adventurous travelling companion. This is a humane, intelligent travelogue that makes an initially daunting subject come gloriously alive
Sunday Business Post
A fascinating travelogue.... Indonesia Etc. is surely the richest account of contemporary Indonesia yet to be published
IndonesiaExpat
An absorbing 13,000-mile ramble around this sprawling, little-known archipelago
Christopher Hirst
Independent
[Full of] clarity, wit and style
Duncan Graham
Jakarta Post
Pisani brings to life a beguiling picture of Indonesia... [with] exquisite imagery
Sydney Morning Herald
Pisani is a one-woman word torrent
Susan Mansfield
Scotsman
Accessible, entertaining [and] vividly described
Sophie Ibbotson
Geographical Magazine
A warm and punchy travelogue
Tom Chesshyre ‘Travel book of the year’
Times
A richly entertaining account
Books of the year
Economist