I really wanted this book to be good. And I am SO mad that it was terrible! This is exactly the topic that I want to read about--why do we have this pervasive envy of all things Scandinavian? Is it deserved? What are the Scandinavian countries really like, are they really paradise on earth? What aren't we seeing through our worship of them? This book looks like it will answer these questions, but it answers none.
It is a poorly written blog post of a book. Then I talked to his expert. He didn't cite any facts, just said some platitudes. Is this something meaningful?!? This is in the really bad category. View all 5 comments. It was entertaining, interesting and thought provoking.
Michael Booth is a Brit who has moved to Denmark, as his wife wanted to return to her home country. From this vantage point, Booth sets out to write a book about the people of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden, and to explore what makes their lives different, better, worse and odd, compared to each other and especially compared to the rest of the world. His starting point are statistics suggesting that the people of Denmark are happier than people anywhere else in the world.
He provides some historical context and anecdotes, recounts his own experiences and reports on interviews with experts and ordinary people. I became quite a bore at the dinner table at my house for a few weeks as I recounted some of these interesting tidbits of information.
He packages the whole thing with a lot of humour, some self-deprecation, many strong opinions, many impressionistic reactions and very little objectivity. The narrator of the audio has a great spirited British accent which brings a lot of life to the whole experience. He highlights the tension between the benefits of economic and social stability and the inevitable consequential sameness and conventionality.
He takes offence at the taxation rates, but recognizes that these are countries with extraordinary school systems and social safety nets. He dwells on the equality between the sexes and the smaller spread between rich and poor, but recognizes that these countries face real challenges when it comes to recent immigration movements.
Notably, he is fearless when it comes to making generalizations and pointing out some of the deficiencies or down sides to the countries and cultures he depicts. Which for a Canadian listener makes for an interesting experience because in many ways what Booth describes is not that different from our Canadian reality. So while his book was entertaining and interesting, it also provoked me to think of some of what I take for granted, to try to see it from an outside perspective.
Although, really, in the end, I still quite like where I live. View all 23 comments. Jun 02, Terje Enge rated it it was amazing.
I am a Scandinavian who was based in Norway for more than sixty years, this book shows that I'm not even close to perfect. But this book is: It is good written, it is funny and it even gave a Norwegian new insight!
It is both a critique and hymn to the supposedly the happiest, most trusting and successfull people on this planet. I always loved Denmark, I even planned to move to Copenhagen once upon a time. After having read this book I'm glad I didn't. I learned that the Norwegians are even more I am a Scandinavian who was based in Norway for more than sixty years, this book shows that I'm not even close to perfect. I learned that the Norwegians are even more Danish than the Danes. We have the Jantelov, the koselige, the folkelige and the same social cohesion, but mixed with the Swedes respect for ordning.
The chapters on Denmark are clearly the best, the author is a brit who lives in Denmark with wife and children. The chapters on Norway are not as good, but that may be because I already know the Norwegians pretty well.
If you plan to stay in Scandinavia this book is a must-read. It may tempt you to stay for a long time. If you are a Scandinavian you should read it too, but it may make you want to leave. I did … View 1 comment. Nov 05, Marianne rated it liked it. At some point in our lives we all learned a valuable lesson, even some Europeans don't know where our countries are situated. If you're from any of the Nordic countries, you'll most likely have been asked one or more of the following questions more than once: 1.
Isn't that the capital of Sweden? All Swedes are blond, so why is your hair brown? Oh, so you speak Dutch, right? Aren't you afraid of polar bears when you go outside? That's right, my fellow Nordics, and blissfully ignorant outsiders, people have no idea where we live - or than Scandinavia actually consists of 3 countries Norway, Sweden, Denmark while "Norden" the "North" includes Iceland and Finland.
Don't believe me? Well, take a look at these answers. People from an undisclosed country mwahaha were asked to place European countries on a map. Notice how many got at least a few countries right, but most failed to name any Nordic countries correctly. And why should they? We're a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things Oh well, c'est la vie. Especially if your main interest is Denmark. There's no denying this book covers Denmark better than the other countries combined.
The author, a Brit, has been living there for decades. It's anechdotal for the most part, interspersed with humorous observations that will make those who know us, nod their heads in agreement. The mentally unstable, xenophobic guy who blew up the government buildings and shot 65 innocent teenagers back in , just because he didn't like their political views. Yes, it made an impact, but I would like to think that it's not that one incident that defines us a people.
BTW: Did you get Norway right? Here's the cheat sheet: view spoiler [ Picture 6 from the top got all the Scandinavian countries righ! Yes, it IS expensive, you'll have to dig deep into your savings account.
Sorry to disappoint you, there are absolutely no polar bears walking around in the streets in Scaninavia. If the beautiful white bears are your "thing", you'll have to go to the tiny island of Svalbard, north of the Arctic circle to see them in their dwindling natural habitat. Or better yet, travel to Greenland. Also, please remember that the midnight sun is not a second sun only Scandinavians can see.
It's the same sun that shines down on you every day, except in the northern parts of Scandinavia, it doesn't set in the summer. Less sun, more Northern Lights, but only if you travel to the northern half of the Scandinavia peninsula - or to the mythical saga island a.
Iceland in the middle of the Atlantic. Bon voyage Or: happy reading! Oh, and one more thing, before you go: If you would like to know more about us Nordics, I can absolutely recommend Humon and her Scandinavia and the World comics. View all 24 comments. I am still laughing out loud here, having just finished this book. As a typical Finn, i enjoyed reading about how a foreigner sees my fellow countrymen, as well as having a good laugh about it, but this book was in fact much more. The book is hilarious, and drills into the national stereotypes, jokes about them and tries I am still laughing out loud here, having just finished this book.
The book is hilarious, and drills into the national stereotypes, jokes about them and tries to analyse the background of why the people and the countries are as they are Personally, i did miss more facts and history, but i do understand that this was not meant to be a historic account of Scandinavia, but rather a lighter more "anthropological" analysis maybe I recommend this as a light reading for anyone wanting to destress and to learn a bit about the Scandinavian society and the differing mentalities and cultures across the Nordics.
Mar 02, Andrew Davis rated it it was ok Shelves: travel. A set of observations on each of the Scandinavian countries, including Iceland by a journalist married to Danish woman. An interesting as a personal view or set of observations but without much background in history or sociology.
A bit pedestrian, especially that some of the views are strictly personal without too much support in facts or wider analysis. Apart from Malmo a A set of observations on each of the Scandinavian countries, including Iceland by a journalist married to Danish woman.
Apart from Malmo and Stockholm hardly anything more mentioned about the country. Too many generalities and too much from a point of view Thatcherite follower.
View 2 comments. Dec 25, Ken rated it really liked it Shelves: nonfiction , finished-in Only Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are technically "Scandinavian" and they're thick as thieves if you consider their history which none of us has, truth be told. Michael Booth goes with the winsome tone of a happy-go-lucky, sometimes wise-guy traveler. His topics are odd ones at times.
For instance, in Denmark there's a chapter called "Hot Tub Sandwiches," in Iceland, one called "Elves" yes, many there believe in them , in Norway we have "Bananas" the Swedes peel them, don't you know , in Finland he offers "Santa," and in the wrap-up, Sweden, you'll read "Somali Pizza. Booth himself is a Brit married to a Dane so Denmark, as lead-off batter, gets the most press pp. Booth knows the Danes best and they are considered the most fun of the lot, perhaps because of geography.
Oddly, the most "Viking-like" goes to those crazy Icelanders. Anyone want to buy a bank? The Norwegians have become inebriated by oil though I wonder how the depressed market's hitting them? Maybe it was the naked public saunas that did it. Or the macho men who made fun of Swedish males and how wimpy they are in their hairnets.
Speaking of, Kingpin Sweden comes off the worst here, like a totalitarian state, socialist-style. That said, it remains the best place to be a woman because it is feminism run amok. Did you know that if you hold a door for a lady in Sweden, you're likely to get an icy "how dare you" stare? And that it has the best damned parental leave laws in the world Daddies included?
Making babies? In Sweden, live as a yogurt culture! Dead as herring. At least in Sweden. Read a little, learn a little. A bit random, and it jumps around a lot, too, but certainly you come out of it deprived of all your stereotypes, and that's always a victory, no? View all 6 comments. Feb 16, Becky rated it it was amazing Shelves: in-my-house , scandi , politics-society , language. This is an absolutely engrossing look at the people and societies that make up the Nordic countries. I should probably come clean and admit that I have a deep fondness for this part of the world, a fondness that in the case of Finland probably extends into pure adulation.
The End of the Vikings: In the year AD, at the annual Althing national assembly in Iceland, a decision was made to make Christianity the official religion of the island. Ireland and the Viking World: Episode 3 is a whistle stop tour through the Viking World visiting places from Baghdad to Newfoundland explaining how the Vikings connected these far flung places to Ireland.
In this episode we also see the first Africans arrive in Ireland in the 9th c The Invasion was one of the most important and fascinating events in Irish history beginning Ireland's turbulent relationship with England. This episode sets the same in th Episode Northern Lights Collection Interview with Kerin: This week, take a tour of Scandinavia as you hear all about Kerin's inspiration for Northern Lights, a new collection of patterns inspired by the region and its cultures that are steeped in a rich history of knitting.
Featuring six stunning patterns, The global Vikings: Levi Roach describes how the Norse people travelled, raided and settled far beyond their Scandinavian homeland.
Terror gripped coastal communities as vast fleets appeared on the horizon unleashing brutal raids. This podcast looks at how the Gaelic fought back. Will also Vikings fou First he was a certified European sommelier Money talks: Italian banks are the new Brexit: Saddled with too many bad debts, Italy's banks have the potential to drag Europe into yet another crisis.
The country's prime minister, Matteo Renzi, may defy EU rules and bail them out. Also on the show: Stanley Pignal, our Mumbai-based corr Who were the Vikings? Josh and Chuck investigate what the Vikings were really like in this episode. The book deals with the question of why Western Europe became They discuss Lars von Trier as the world's representative of Danish cinema; Her quest to ease suffering has led Barbara to explore many different pathways and approache The Vikings Arrive: This shows looks at the arrival of one of the most fearsome and notorious warriors in Irish history — the Vikings.
These Scandinavians have been caricatured throughout the centuries as marauding maniacs a somewhat undeserved reputation. However in this The Dex! Podcast Dex on Dex on Dex! Podcast 65 min listen. Related Articles. Rate as 1 out of 5, I didn't like it at all.
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