The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell {Goodreads}
Published by Icon Books in 2016
Paperback edition; 354 pages {BookDepository}
Helen Russell lives in London with her husband but when he's offered a job in Lego, their lives change. They move to Jutland, Denmark for a whole year and this book is the outcome. Russell explores the reasons behind Danes being the happiest people in the world and also documents her experiences: what she finds fascinating, confusing and weird about living danishly.
So, the book is divided into 13 chapters. Each of them corresponds with a month and the 13th chapter is about Christmas. I really enjoyed this book; it is very educational and entertaining but also quite funny. There were some things I already knew (who doesn't know that Danish pastries are the best thing in the world?) but most of the facts and curiosities she discusses were new to me. And in this sense I can't really tell if all the info is completely accurate or if what she perceives about how people in Jutland lives is the same as other parts of Denmark.
One of the reasons why I enjoyed this book so much is because I read it while I was visiting Copenhagen with my sister and I think, for me, it brought the book to life. I did a couple of tours to explore the city and a lot of the things Russell mentions in the book were discussed by the tour guy. It was really nice to get to the hotel room and read a few chapters after a long walk through the streets of the city. And although I know this is a book review I might just share some of the pictures I took while there. All in all, if you're interested in Denmark and its customs and way of living, give this book a go. It is a fun read.
