Details Epithetical Books The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
Title | : | The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World |
Author | : | Eric Weiner |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 335 pages |
Published | : | January 28th 2008 by Twelve (first published 2008) |
Categories | : | Nonfiction. Travel. Autobiography. Memoir. Psychology. Humor. Philosophy. Audiobook |
Eric Weiner
Paperback | Pages: 335 pages Rating: 3.83 | 30384 Users | 3519 Reviews
Rendition As Books The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
Weiner spent a decade as a foreign correspondent reporting from such discontented locales as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Indonesia. Unhappy people living in profoundly unstable states, he notes, inspire pathos and make for good copy, but not for good karma. So Weiner, admitted grump and self-help book aficionado, undertook a year's research to travel the globe, looking for the "unheralded happy places." The result is this book, equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and philosophical, a journey into both the definition of and the destination for true contentment.Apparently, the happiest places on earth include, somewhat unexpectedly, Iceland, Bhutan, and India. Weiner also visits the country deemed most malcontent, Moldova, and finds real merit in the claim.
But the question remains: What makes people happy? Is it the freedom of the West or the myriad restrictions of Singapore? The simple ashrams of India or the glittering shopping malls of Qatar?
From the youthful drunkenness of Iceland to the despond of Slough, a sad but resilient town in Heathrow's flight path, Weiner offers wry yet profound observations about the way people relate to circumstance and fate.
Both revealing and inspirational, perhaps the best thing about this hilarious trip across four continents is that for the reader, the "geography of bliss" is wherever they happen to find themselves while reading it.
Define Books To The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
Original Title: | The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World |
ISBN: | 0446580260 (ISBN13: 9780446580267) |
Edition Language: | English |
Literary Awards: | Borders Original Voices Award for Nonfiction (2008) |
Rating Epithetical Books The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
Ratings: 3.83 From 30384 Users | 3519 ReviewsColumn Epithetical Books The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
I could not finish this book. Weiner takes a tone that grated on my nerves. Yes, the topic of happiness is fairly high stakes, and instead of treating it with gentleness and respect, he takes a flippant tone. He seems less interested in educating us about the various cultures he studies and more interested in showing off how witty, well traveled, sarcastic and self-deprecating he can be. After reading the intro chapter and the chapter on the Swiss, I felt as though I was stuck at a dinner partyWhat's the chances of this - three raspberries in a row!How can the only stop in Holland be Rotterdam to give an anaylsis that the Netherlands is not where you would find bliss!Meh.
Eric Weiner used to work as a conflict zone reporter which meant he was usually sent to less fortunate places. Moreover, he wasn't a happy person himself, more on the opposite side. One day he decides to visit the happiest countries in the world in order to find the sources of bliss, write a book about it and maybe find the key to his own elation. The country he visited in his journey were The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Thailand, Great Britain, India. He also visited the
I laughed my way--out loud--through most of this book. It was clever, very funny, and totally enjoyable. It's written by an NPR correspondent who travels the globe searching for the place, or source, of happiness. What makes us happy, and what doesn't make us happy? It was insightful and hilarious, peppered with quotes from philosophers (from Russell to Nietzsche), scholars, and spiritual leaders. ************Just read it again for book club and enjoyed it the second time, though I was much more
There are a lot of good things about this non-fiction book. The reader travels through many different countries and experiences many different cultures. The people that Eric Weiner talks to are interesting, with complex pasts. But there are many, many negatives. It's hard to like Eric Weiner (pronounced Whiner), who also travels to these countries with you. The way he talks about women... his wife probably read the book a blushed in multiple parts. He describes, very detailed, the breasts of a
I wanted to throw this book in a lake (unfortunately, it's a library book). At times it was funny, sure, and it was kind of interesting. But I couldn't get over its shortcomings and so I didn't finish it (maybe you think that makes me unqualified to form an opinion of it, but I don't). First off, a real gripe I have with this these pop science (I use science loosely here, because I couldn't think of another way to describe the genre) books is that they never seem to have a bibliography, or
I want to be Eric Weiner and travel the world and talk to people and learn about happiness and learn about culture (and lack there of) and learn about ... everything. I don't want this book to end, I love it so much. And that's saying something, considering it's nonfiction.-----------------------------------------------------I am contemplating buying 10 or so copies of this book, wrapping them with a ribbon, and passing them out to people I encounter as an altruistic Christmas present. I think
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