The Year of Living Danishly
My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country
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When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn't Disneyland, but Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries. What is the secret to their success? Are happy Danes born, or made? Helen decides there is only one way to find out: she will give herself a year, trying to uncover the formula for Danish happiness. From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD, taxes, sexism and an unfortunate predilection for burning witches, The Year of Living Danishly is a funny, poignant record of a journey that shows us where the Danes get it right, where they get it wrong, and how we might just benefit from living a little more Danishly ourselves.
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This book was a little boring. The problem is that it's a mixture of non-fiction (facts about Denmark) and a novel (the story of a journalist moving to Denmark for a year), but none of the two is good enough. Facts and statistics are outdated (despite the “recent studies show” lines without any date indication) and the novel itself doesn't have any conflict or interesting plot, you can't emotionally connect with the main character (and her husband - whose name remains unknown: she calls him “Lego Man” and that in itself was, well... cringy.
I found this story fascinating at times I was dazzled with the idea of living in Denmark and other times I had second thoughts. It was interesting to learn about this culture and style of thinking. I love the idea of having trust and and finding joy. I like the idea of equality and available resources. I love the passion for the nation and the care of the environment. But this book did show some of the dark sides too gender equality isn't as great and we first thought also high divorce rates and drinking rates are questionable. Overall I think I'd like to live a year Danishly.
The Year of Living Danishly is a memoir of Helen Russell's move to Denmark for a year. Russell used the year to take a close look at why Danish people report themselves to be the happiest people in the world. I am happy to have learned more about happiness from this book.
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