The Year of Living Danishly Uncovering the Secrets of the World Happiest Country (Audible Audio Edition) Helen Russell Lucy PriceLewis Audible Studios Books
Download As PDF : The Year of Living Danishly Uncovering the Secrets of the World Happiest Country (Audible Audio Edition) Helen Russell Lucy PriceLewis Audible Studios Books
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 child care, 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.
Helen Russell is a journalist and former editor of MarieClaire.co.uk. She now lives in rural Jutland and works as a Scandinavia correspondent for the Guardian as well as writing a column on Denmark for the Telegraph.
The Year of Living Danishly Uncovering the Secrets of the World Happiest Country (Audible Audio Edition) Helen Russell Lucy PriceLewis Audible Studios Books
Plot TeaserLondon-based journalist Helen Russell was living a career-focused life in the UK, trapped by long working hours and overwhelmed by the many demands of her high-paced life. When her husband was offered the chance to move to Denmark and work for Lego, Russell went from initially skeptical to seriously intrigued once she learned that Denmark has routinely been named as the happiest country in the world. Why were people in Denmark so happy, Russell wondered? In this memoir, Russell captures the adventure of moving to a new country and setting up a new life, while providing lots of interesting insight into what might make Denmark such an ideal place to live in.
What I Liked
The humor. There are not many books that can make me physically laugh-out-loud while reading silently alone in my room. This memoir was one of them. The awkward moments Russell finds herself in while adapting to her new life in Denmark are abundant and hilarious. Like her experience during her first Danish language class, when Russell tries to tell her professor that she enjoys watching Danish Drama The Killing only to realize that pronounced and spelled in slightly different ways, killing in Danish means alternately kitten, chicken and bitch. Russell has a sharp, self-deprecating wit and often pokes fun at her own inability to assimilate comfortably into Danish social norms, while also wryly commenting on her husband’s reactions to the various new and puzzling aspects of Danish society to which they are introduced. The cast of characters that make up Russell and her husband’s social life in Denmark – like the neighbors Mr. Beard 1 and Mr. Beard 2 and her friend American Mom – provide funny anecdotes as well.
All the interesting facts I learned about Denmark. Russell divides the book into 12 chapters (one per month for her first 12 months in Denmark), with each chapter having a loose focus on one of the aspects of society/culture/economics that may contribute to the country’s status as happiest on Earth. I found the chapters on work/life balance (Chapter 2) and child-rearing (Chapter 8) particularly interesting, though also enjoyed reading about the various other topics that Russell investigates including hobbies, pets, vacationing, food, healthcare, education and more. One of the most surprising facts I learned about Denmark is that education is completely free, and that in fact students are paid to attend college in a varying amount that depends on their choice of field and their family’s income. I’m so much more informed about Danish and also by extension Scandinavian culture, and I have to say I’m very very intrigued. Maybe my new 10 year plan should be to turn my blog into a full-time job and then move to Denmark to blog from there. (Sounds like perfect reading weather and a girl can dream).
The memoir aspect. Russell could have written this book as a straight up guide to what life is like in Denmark, but I think her personal story and perspective really contributed to the narrative. I’ve moved around the world a lot myself throughout my life, and I know firsthand that adjusting to a new country really teaches you so much about yourself. It’s the perfect catalyst to some major life changes. Russell was struggling to feel truly happy while living in London. Once in Denmark, some of the depressing personal difficulties she was facing eased and lifted. She goes through a significant life change (no spoilers) while in this new country and sher and her husband end up deciding to stay in Denmark longer than the initially planned one-year. I came to genuinely like Russell and ended up rooting for her to be able to find true happiness in her new home.
What I Didn’t Like
The iffy research studies cited. I work in research, so I’m naturally more tuned in to potentially spurious studies, as well as conclusions that may show correlation but are presented as causation. Some of the studies cited by Russell about different aspects of life in Denmark sounded more rigorous or believable than others, and I wished I had the time to investigate them further – which was impossible because to her credit Russell mentions many different studies throughout the book. Ultimately, the questionable nature of some of the studies cited by Russell did not ruin my enjoyment of the book. Most of Russell’s conclusions about Denmark and the happiness of its people were pretty common sense anyways, and believable in their own right.
Final Verdict
A funny, informative memoir that will teach you so much about Denmark while inspiring you to reconsider aspects of your life that may not be contributing to your happiness.
Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country (Audible Audio Edition): Helen Russell, Lucy Price-Lewis, Audible Studios: Books, ,Helen Russell, Lucy Price-Lewis, Audible Studios,The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country,Audible Studios,B00Y33K7YY
People also read other books :
- His Private Mistress Harlequin comics eBook Chantelle Shaw Karan Dan
- Recon Marines eBook PK Hawkins
- The Arbiter Project eBook Marek Storm
- European History IntroBooks 9781542739924 Books
- El Combate Espiritual Spanish Edition Lorenzo Scupoli 9781519048011 Books
The Year of Living Danishly Uncovering the Secrets of the World Happiest Country (Audible Audio Edition) Helen Russell Lucy PriceLewis Audible Studios Books Reviews
I went to Copenhagen this fall and really enjoyed it. So when I saw this I got as a gift for my traveling companion. Just thought I’d glance through it before wrapping. Lost the rest of the evening and some of this afternoon.
1. Helen (short first name) captured the expat experience very well. I’ve been there and to think of her so isolated is overwhelming.
2. The writing is very good. Some repetition by October-November was getting tedious. Better editing would have helped.
3. The outsiders perspective of local customs can be so tricky. The locals don’t understand what you don’t understand or find humorous or puzzling. You can only discuss with someone who has not gotten onboard, it appeared LEGO Man was well acculturated. I’d say he could have more sympathetic to the situation.
NOTE I started in the middle and wondered if he were Danish going home. When I began at the beginning after finishing it last night more things became clear.
4. Helen has a wicked sense of humor and a lovely turn of phrase. I had been commenting recently that I don’t feel I laugh as often as I used to. My husband came out to the living room to see if I was ok. My laughter and gasping for breath pierced the length of our American-size, carpeted Home and his earbuds. No small feat.
5. I enjoyed the format of the book and the theme of trust and happiness. I just read in the news about the Danish woman arrested years ago for endangering her baby. I’ve seen it done in the early 1980s in the north end of Boston too.
If you’ve lived abroad, read it.
If you’re contemplating living abroad, read it.
If you are interested in Scandinavia, Denmark in particular, read it.
If you are in need of several good belly laughs, read it.
I recommend this book. Will there be Year 2 coming?
“I am not important. If I take a break, no one dies. And this is A Good Thing.”
I wanted a light and fun, but deeply interesting read to bring on a summer trip, and this book turned out to be the perfect choice. It offered a pretty entertaining look at Danish culture and society, all through the lens of why they continually rank among the highest countries in terms of happiness.
I’m not too hard to please with a good book that takes on the premise of “I’ll try this out for a year and then write about it,” and this book fits that description to a tee. The writing is light and engaging enough to make it easy to fly right through its pages, yet contains enough statistics and odd facts to keep you intrigued. Did you know that Danish women can get an ovulation discount for booking their travel around a ripe time for them to procreate? I do now.
After a while you get the formula of each chapter an anecdote, a few statistics, an interview with a randomly found “expert,” and the constant questioning of various Danes about how happy they are on a scale of 1 to 10. That said, the book manages to be pretty interesting in spite of its persistence upon this formula, so I suppose that’s a big win.
As far as Denmark goes? I could probably do without the tax rate (although, that comes with some major benefits), cultural homogeny, and the never-ending darkness come November, but there’s a lot about the Danish Way that I do appreciate. The lack of self-importance reflected in that earlier quote… I think that’s refreshing. And I love the way they’re able to enjoy their work. Not to mention the practice of hygge and getting all cozy as a sport.
Plot Teaser
London-based journalist Helen Russell was living a career-focused life in the UK, trapped by long working hours and overwhelmed by the many demands of her high-paced life. When her husband was offered the chance to move to Denmark and work for Lego, Russell went from initially skeptical to seriously intrigued once she learned that Denmark has routinely been named as the happiest country in the world. Why were people in Denmark so happy, Russell wondered? In this memoir, Russell captures the adventure of moving to a new country and setting up a new life, while providing lots of interesting insight into what might make Denmark such an ideal place to live in.
What I Liked
The humor. There are not many books that can make me physically laugh-out-loud while reading silently alone in my room. This memoir was one of them. The awkward moments Russell finds herself in while adapting to her new life in Denmark are abundant and hilarious. Like her experience during her first Danish language class, when Russell tries to tell her professor that she enjoys watching Danish Drama The Killing only to realize that pronounced and spelled in slightly different ways, killing in Danish means alternately kitten, chicken and bitch. Russell has a sharp, self-deprecating wit and often pokes fun at her own inability to assimilate comfortably into Danish social norms, while also wryly commenting on her husband’s reactions to the various new and puzzling aspects of Danish society to which they are introduced. The cast of characters that make up Russell and her husband’s social life in Denmark – like the neighbors Mr. Beard 1 and Mr. Beard 2 and her friend American Mom – provide funny anecdotes as well.
All the interesting facts I learned about Denmark. Russell divides the book into 12 chapters (one per month for her first 12 months in Denmark), with each chapter having a loose focus on one of the aspects of society/culture/economics that may contribute to the country’s status as happiest on Earth. I found the chapters on work/life balance (Chapter 2) and child-rearing (Chapter 8) particularly interesting, though also enjoyed reading about the various other topics that Russell investigates including hobbies, pets, vacationing, food, healthcare, education and more. One of the most surprising facts I learned about Denmark is that education is completely free, and that in fact students are paid to attend college in a varying amount that depends on their choice of field and their family’s income. I’m so much more informed about Danish and also by extension Scandinavian culture, and I have to say I’m very very intrigued. Maybe my new 10 year plan should be to turn my blog into a full-time job and then move to Denmark to blog from there. (Sounds like perfect reading weather and a girl can dream).
The memoir aspect. Russell could have written this book as a straight up guide to what life is like in Denmark, but I think her personal story and perspective really contributed to the narrative. I’ve moved around the world a lot myself throughout my life, and I know firsthand that adjusting to a new country really teaches you so much about yourself. It’s the perfect catalyst to some major life changes. Russell was struggling to feel truly happy while living in London. Once in Denmark, some of the depressing personal difficulties she was facing eased and lifted. She goes through a significant life change (no spoilers) while in this new country and sher and her husband end up deciding to stay in Denmark longer than the initially planned one-year. I came to genuinely like Russell and ended up rooting for her to be able to find true happiness in her new home.
What I Didn’t Like
The iffy research studies cited. I work in research, so I’m naturally more tuned in to potentially spurious studies, as well as conclusions that may show correlation but are presented as causation. Some of the studies cited by Russell about different aspects of life in Denmark sounded more rigorous or believable than others, and I wished I had the time to investigate them further – which was impossible because to her credit Russell mentions many different studies throughout the book. Ultimately, the questionable nature of some of the studies cited by Russell did not ruin my enjoyment of the book. Most of Russell’s conclusions about Denmark and the happiness of its people were pretty common sense anyways, and believable in their own right.
Final Verdict
A funny, informative memoir that will teach you so much about Denmark while inspiring you to reconsider aspects of your life that may not be contributing to your happiness.
0 Response to "[S51]⇒ Libro Free The Year of Living Danishly Uncovering the Secrets of the World Happiest Country (Audible Audio Edition) Helen Russell Lucy PriceLewis Audible Studios Books"
Post a Comment