In the Midwest Book Review, senior reviewer Diane Donovan describes Sweden as:
"... a moving, multifaceted story that cements its plot with strong characterization, astute cultural insights and social inspection, and a backdrop that will seem both familiar to any regular reader of Vietnam novels and alien to those anticipating the usual military encounters."
In his review for the Asian Review of Books, Bill Purves writes:
"... this is not a novel about Sweden, but a few hours with Sweden will be well spent. You’ll come away with an interesting picture of mid-century Japan and an appreciation of a little-known movement with a place in modern history."
On his blog, Throw Out Your Books, William Andrews (author of Dissenting Japan: A History of Japanese Radicalism and Counterculture from 1945 to Fukushima) writes:
"Across its 300-plus pages, the novel encompasses a wide range of characters and settings. Along the way we encounter activists, hippies, servicemen, girlfriends and culture clashes aplenty. It portrays a vibrant, exciting time at the end of the 1960s, packed with the passion of personal entanglements, street riots and ideologies."
And finally, writing for the The VVA Veteran's Books in Review II, Angus Paul says of Sweden:
"The narrative keeps moving, thanks to Turner’s efficient prose, as well as an attractive supporting cast. The Beat poet Gary Snyder shows up at a Buddhist temple. And JATEC operatives—the jazz enthusiast Masuda among them—show resourcefulness in guiding the deserters on their individual perilous journeys."
