The Year of Living Danishly - by Helen Russell (Paperback)

About the Book

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.

Book Synopsis

* NOW WITH A NEW CHAPTER *

'A hugely enjoyable romp through the pleasures and pitfalls of setting up home in a foreign land.'- Guardian

Given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: Denmark, land of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries, was the happiest place on earth.

Keen to know their secrets, Helen gave herself a year to uncover the formula for Danish happiness.

From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD and taxes, The Year of Living Danishly records a funny, poignant journey, showing us what the Danes get right, what they get wrong, and how we might all live a little more Danishly ourselves.

In this new edition, six years on Helen reveals how her life and family have changed, and explores how Denmark, too - or. her understanding of it - has shifted. It's a messy and flawed place, she concludes - but can still be a model for a better way of living.

Review Quotes

"The Year of Living Danishly takes a. . . 'day in the life' approach to hygge."

"The Year of Living Danishlyby Helen Russell is an entertaining look at living in Denmark. . .written with humour, insight, and an engaging style..."

"A hugely enjoyable autobiographical account of upping sticks... to the sticks."

"A hugely enjoyable romp through the pleasures and pitfalls of setting up home in a foreign land."

"Giving up isn't always a bad thing; being a dropout can even change your life for the better. Helen Russell was a high-flying glossy magazine editor before moving to rural Jutland in Denmark which, despite its long dark winters, is also statistically the happiest nation on earth. While there, Helen soon discovered there's more to Danish life than cured herring and Nordic knits, as she described in her book, The Year of Living Danishly."

"Helen Russell writes of her first year living in Denmark. She wrestles with the change of relocation -- just as, in small ways, we wrestle with seasonal change -- and gives us well-researched food-for-thought."

"Russell is possessed of a razor-sharp wit and a winning self-deprecation - two of the things that make this book such a delight."

About the Author

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.