Denmark is officially the happiest nation on Earth. When Helen Russell is forced to move to rural Jutland, can she discover the secrets of their happiness? Or will the long, dark winters and pickled herring take their toll? Two years ago, Helen Russell was the archetypal Londoner. Burnt out from commuting, finances stretched to the limit and wondering how and when she and her husband would be able to start a family, she was suddenly thrown a curveball in the form of a one-way ticket to rural Jutland in Denmark, where her husband had been offered a job. Googling her potential new home, she 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 (though admittedly the latter would make anyone happy). So 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 in Denmark, 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, A Year of Living Danishly is a funny, poignant 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.
The Year of Living Danishly : Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country