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richaudayana's review against another edition
4.0
I read this over several months and this might have impacted how I felt about it after it got over. Russel writes well, mixing her 'journalistic' bits with anecdotes. The book reads well, it is breezy. But? I'd probably not read it again.
lavenderhaze_24's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
klparmley's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun look at how things are done differently in a land of the midnight sun.
I would not mind living there. But, i think I am too old to be wanted. There aren't enough working years left in me to contribute much in the way of taxes. Also, my lack of a second language would be embarrassing.
I would not mind living there. But, i think I am too old to be wanted. There aren't enough working years left in me to contribute much in the way of taxes. Also, my lack of a second language would be embarrassing.
cbirchy's review against another edition
3.0
A fun, interesting picture of a particular kind of expat life in Denmark.
janinevduijn's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
4.0
Re-read 2024, still very enjoyable. Funny and insightful at the same time, but it's aged a little bit of course and I noticed this time around it's quite heavily focused on childcare and the author's pregnancy.
dharma130's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! The narration was great, and it was funny and very interesting. Now I want to go to Denmark.
lootcard's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
3.0
English family moves to Denmark and discuss and troubleshoot how the Danes maintain such high happiness levels. Interesting but I didn’t warm to the characters or rate the humour particularly.
popgoesthereader's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
The Year of Living Danishly is a fun exploration of a culture that intrigues so many. Helen Russell does a wonderful job of blending humour and charm with hard research to attempt to answer a simple question, why are Danes seemingly happier than the rest of us? What really shines through in this one besides Russell's charming writing style is the fact that while this book could easily be a propaganda piece or a fetishization of Danish culture, the author does make pains to examine critically her view of both the good and bad of Danish society. If you are looking for an academic examination of the Danish happiness phenomenon, you might look elsewhere as this book is more a surface level analysis filled with personal anecdotes and stories rather than a truly deep dive from a sociological lens, there are no deep conclusions reached here. However if you are curious about Danish culture and are looking for a light read about travel and cultural differences, this is a good one.