the year of living danishly

Uncovering the secrets of the world’s happiest country  

about the book - THE year of living danishly

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.

PD Smith, Guardian

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

The Independent.

'Russell is possessed of a razor-sharp wit and a winning self-deprecation' 

Sandi Toksvig.

A lovely mix of English sensibility and Danish pragmatism. Helen seems to have understood more about the Danish character than I have!' 

The Mail on Sunday

'In best-selling travel book The Year Of Living Danishly, Londoner Helen Russell reveals what happened when she swapped the capital for a new life in rural Jutland. It's A Year in Provence for the modern age'