The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World | Eric Weiner

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World | Eric Weiner | Author's search for happy places finds surprises.

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The Geography of B...

	The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World Eric Weiner Twelve, 2008 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 79 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A fun ride

I enjoyed this book a lot. Weiner, like all good travel writers, has a great openness: he takes things as they come, is willing to immerse himself in an experience, and makes the effort to see the locals' point of view. While these qualities are valuable anywhere, I think they serve him best when he's visiting the "unhappier" countries -- for example, he's able to draw out his bitter landlady in Moldova and learns the history behind her attitude. In spite of his self-proclaimed status as a "grump," he's empathic and understanding, so I wasn't surprised when he concluded that relationships are the greatest contributor to happiness. The book is very funny, too (not a continual guffaw, but I found myself chuckling again and again), and I look forward to further acquaintance with the author.

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Author's search for happy places finds surprises.

Eric Weiner, after a decade of writing about ugly places, cheerless people, and dreadful events decided he wanted to find happiness in the world. He researched the meaning of happiness and the locations most recognized for blissful people and, after ranking them, set out to visit and write about them. The Geography of Bliss is an accounting of his findings after traveling to locations in ten countries where, according to researchers, happiness abounds.

But, according to Weiner, in this amusing and insightful book, life is never full of joy even in locales famous for happiness. His first stop was in the Netherlands to interview researchers at the World Database of Happiness in Rotterdam. He was given figures to rate locations on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the happiest). Meticulous scientific studies provided him with information about the sociology of happiness. He found that most people of the world consider themselves happy, but the ratings don't necessarily back them up.

The author outlines contradictions and misconceptions about happiness and rates different lifestyles, occupations, political leanings, economic structures, and even climatic conditions against one another. He finds anomalies; happy countries tend to have high suicide rates, people with children are no happier than child-less couples, wealthy people are only slightly happier than poor ones. Weiner is able to convey this fascinating background information in clear and intuitive writing.

Weiner then physically travels to the locations rated highest on the happiness meter where, along with his personal observations, he interviews residents and governmental figures and creates essays that are startling, amusing, and entertaining.

The author has an amazing ability to blend his thought processes with his actual findings, thus creating a more insightful and personal chronicle. That, combined with his ability to recreate the dialogue and depict the personal face of those he interviews, makes this a book to savor for those who appreciate good writing.

Schuyler T. Wallace

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Humorous musings

I enjoyed reading this - Weiner's humor is similar to Dave Barry and Bill Bryson. Although it is not particularly conclusive, it still provides some food for thought to those wondering if they are in the right place.

Entertaining read

I haven't finished reading this book yet, but so far it's been a very entertaining read, though no great insights into happiness. That's not to say there aren't insights, just nothing revelatory.

Blissfully grumpy

This is one of those books that I won't sit and read cover to cover. I prefer to pick it up and page through it randomly in starts and stops. I am always curious as to what makes people blissful and content. While hopping and skipping thorugh various countries, the author tries to figure out what make the inhabitants happy. I am recommending it to my book club as one of this year's monthly reading selections. Books are what make this curmudgeon blissful, and this book adds blissful variety to a bursting-at-the-seams home library.

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