The Geography of Bliss

While never asking me to reflect on my own happiness, Wiener caused me to do so. And that simple act made me happier. With much humor and sincere curiosity he explored an elusive topic and what he discovered rang very true for me.

Our book club reviewed this book and we were uniformly positive about it, despite several of us feeling at the beginning that we would not care for it. The light touch belies the thoughtful observations and comments. I cannot wait to share certain chapters with folks who have or will soon travel to one or more of the countries the coverage of which constitute chapters.
I did wonder how many of the author's views and perspectives on happiness and bliss were already well formed and if the chapters then were a way of contextually making those points. Maybe not. Fun, interesting and provocative anyway.

WOW - what a thrill to explore other cultures, other places & realize that there are other ways of thinking and being than our own emic view! He's not THAT much a grump - certainly a thoughttful human being for even taking on the premise...We can continue to learn from one another & grow, and yes - be happy - whatever that means to you!

Sharp. Witty. Provactive. Weiner travels the globe, ostensibly to discover the "happiest" country in the world. But like the Pied Piper he mesmerizes us with his lyrical insight, until the question in our hearts becomes at last, not what makes the REST of the world happy, but what in fact makes US happy. (Here's a clue fellow Americans: It's not more money!) I was happy reading this book. I'll be equally happy, I'm sure, reading it again.

While well written, it is certainly not a statistical analysis of happiness but rather the author's opinion gained through the interviewing of a few people in each country. Such an ephemeral topic and most subjective. However, with that said, a very talented writer with a sense of humor. While making wry comments about various countries, the author is not mean spirited in his humor.

An entertaining book ostensibly about how place impacts happiness. Weiner's approach is far from comprehensive. He draws conclusions on whether certain places are happy based on very brief interactions with two or three people per country; had he selected different interviewees, his judgments may have been completely different. Plus, Weiner visits far too few and quite random locations. So, though it is flawed as serious research, the book is a lot of fun (and serious research doesn't seem to be the point anyway).

I found the premises of Weiner's book very intriguing - travel the world to find out why certain countries are happier than others. Wiener's end result though, is disappointing and strangely depressing.

Much of the book is simply a string of anecdotes about Weiner's travels, and the people he meets along the way. Instead of digging deep into the history of the different cultures and the socioeconomic and political factors at play, Wiener spends most his book just relaying conversations he has had with a few random citizens of each country. Weiner's approach is interesting at first but then grows tiresome as he predictably travels from county to country. He sketches out some broad stereotypes - the Swiss are serious the, Moldavians are depressed, the Thais are laid back ect. - he then finds some citizens that fit his stereotype, and asks them, "are you happy?". By the third chapter this feels like a high school journalism class assignment gone bad. His "stock question" interviewing style grows old, and it never seems to be presented in context of what it means to be happy.

You'll learn less about the countries he travels to, than you might have expected from this book. Most of what you do learn is anecdotal in nature. I didn't expect this to be serious scholarship, but I didn't really take anything from this book that I didn't already know.

Hysterical look at how various cultures in the world view happiness. Part science, part personal interpretation, this book is informational and entertaining. I ended up buying many copies and giving them as gifts.

Eric Weiner travels widely and visits many places in search of the elusive "Happiness". His quest results in some soul-searching as well as moments of insight, all with good humor. I read it chapter by chapter, one at a time, for I needed time to assimilate the thoughts of each country before moving on. This is a book for reflective reading with a bit of tongue in cheek humor thrown in.

This author writes so well! This book is a pleasure to read! He mixes interesting places with theories on happiness. The writing makes the pages fly by, and you feel like you've absorbed some of the energy of each place.

I enjoyed reading this and was fascinated by the insights into what influenced the worldviews of various cultures, as well as of those individuals who held a different worldview from that of the majority in their culture.

This book was an awesome read as it provided insight into a lot of burning questions, I myself, and I imagine others, have. No, spoiler alert, the main question, and the burning questions, are not all answered; at least not neatly or at first glance. This book is funny, well written and just plain fun to read.

The "world tour" was instructive in drawing out key elements/origins of happiness. I like the mix of scientific research - told in a relaxed way - combined with a good travel story. His personal reflections on his own life and life view was well done. Good sense of humor.

The "world tour" was instructive in drawing out key elements/origins of happiness. I like the mix of scientific research - told in a relaxed way - combined with a good travel story. His personal reflections on his own life and life view was well done. Good sense of humor.

Enjoyable read for someone who isn't looking to think too deeply about culture, racism, stereotypes, etc., just assume each caricature is of a tactic the author tried rather than a representation of any people. Some in my book club were really angered.

A lovely light read, travel writing about the various places deemed happiest in the world, plus one very unhappy place. It was interesting to read different perspectives of happiness, and confirmed my desire to go to Iceland!