Novels set in Geneva/Switzerland
 

I would like to buy a leaving gift for a friend who is shortly to move to Geneva, and I have been thinking along the lines of a novel set in the area. Can anyone make any suggestions? The only one I can remember at the moment is "Heidi".

Ann,
This is what I found with google:

A number of novels feature Geneva. One of the most famous is of course Frankenstein, written in and around Lake Geneva and the mountainous surrounds. This was around the time Mary Shelley was a neighbour of Lord Byron, who wrote the poem The Prisoner of Chillon, a true account of Bonivard who spent four years chained in the dank dungeon below water level in the Chateau de Chillon in Montreaux. Of course Sherlock Holmes also met his doom in Switzerland, which is recounted by Sexton Blake in the short story The Adventure of the Final Problem. Dr Fischer of Geneva or The Bomb Party by Graham Greene is short and entertaining. Anita Brookner won the Booker Prize in 1984 for Hotel du Lac, set around Lake Geneva.

I moved to Switzerland about a year ago. If you friend doesn?t already have them, some good books about living in Switzerland are:

Living and Working in Switzerland, 2e David Hampshire , Survival Books (2002 ) ISBN: 1901130177. Filled with practical information about living in Switzerland.

Ticking Along with the Swiss Dianne Dicks 1998 ISBN: 3952000248. It is a selection of essays written by people who have spent long periods of time in Switzerland. It is also very helpful in understanding some of the subtleties of Swiss behaviour and thought process.

Lonely Planet Walking in Switzerland 2nd Ed Clem Lindenmayer
(2001) ISBN: 0864427379 Gives detailed description of walks, rates them according to difficulty and length, and includes info on how to get to various walks by public transport.

The Fodor's guidebook to Switzerland is also very good. I use it all the time for trips for the day or longer.

Hi AnnM,

What a thoughtful gift.

As Ursula says, Frankenstein is a great thrill for anyone who has seen those soul-stirring views of alps and lake. I also like the short story, "Daisy Miller" by Henry James, which opens in Vevey.

If I think of more, I'll let you know.

s

I recommend Brookner's Hotel du Lac, mentioned above.

Thank you for all your suggestions. I particularly like the sound of Ticking along with the Swiss, even though it is not waht I had in mind originally. So, many thanks