Reviews

The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well by Louisa Thomsen Brits

jadecrichfield's review against another edition

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4.0

Repetitive but helpful to understand hygge.

emmacharlene's review

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3.0

I think I expected something different from this audiobook, but I can't explain what, exactly. I feel like once I understood the basics of what 'hygge' meant/encompassed, the rest of the book felt a little bit boring and repetitive. Since I listened to the audiobook, I also missed out on any nice pictures that other reviews mention. By the time I finished it, I just didn't feel like this really needed to be a book, since it didn't actually contain a whole lot of unique information, but it wasn't a bad book.

ladywaterbear's review against another edition

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3.0

A list that thinks it’s a book. That being said, it was my own little hygge to listen to the audiobook and listening to a list of cozy things can’t be bad.

erinnbatykefer's review against another edition

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3.0

This little book was frustrating. I understand that Brits was approaching the subject of hygge from a cultural perspective, attempting to distill tightly woven threads of tradition, landscape, aesthetics, self-care, language, etc, but her articulation of subtleties felt more like repetition. It's obvious that she has a deep understanding of the concept, and since she great up between a Danish family and an English one, she might be the perfect person to expiate one people's customs in the language of the other. But ultimately, I felt like she was consistently grasping at the space between what she said and the concept.

The experience of reading was repetitious at best. I think perhaps a more effective approach would be to share practical examples and then do some poetic work to explain the resulting feeling-- for people and groups-- from the "space" created by various hyggelig objects and environments. This book seems to prove that the only truly effective way to articulate something ineffable is to share the experience.

otterskate's review against another edition

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3.0

I feel like Hygge in Denmark is either exaggerated or their unions and safety net and 33 hour work week and general cultural homogeneity is what makes this possible. This book is full of lush descriptions of how the Danes decompress and go about a seemingly relaxed way of life as if looking relaxed and being relaxed at all times is life itself. There are many minimalist pictures of hipster things appearing in a middle of nowhere that I'm not sure Denmark actually has.

I do hygge on a regular basis with blankets and candles and tea with shared food and experiences when I can but it's limited in comparison to the way this book makes hygge seem. This book makes it seem like Danes in a constant state of hygge at all times. So, perhaps Denmark is actually liberal hipster utopia I've been looking for. I'm not sure that the stress of 2020 fits in.

dragonrider29's review against another edition

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4.0

A beautifully produced lovely little book which in itself is a little bit of Hygge. With a focus on finding the special in the everyday rituals of life, and on the importance of pausing and making the time to appreciate what we have this is a book which makes you realise that Hygge is more than a Scandinavian way of living but is something that we should all welcome into our lives. Peppered throughout with beautiful photography and thoughtful quotes this is a joy to read and a book that I will return to when I need to be reminded that happiness and contentment is often found in the ordinary and not the extraordinary. Recommended to read whilst covered in a cosy blanket, drinking the hot beverage of your choice from a favourite mug!

rohini017's review against another edition

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3.0

I just loved this concept of Hygge, and the book is so well illustrated. Pick it up and thumb through it. Maybe the secret of hygge will stick to you!

amyslibrarian's review against another edition

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3.0

A nice reminder to enjoy life's everyday ordinariness, and to find the beauty in simplicity. It doesn't claim to be anything more than this; and neither should we.

kutingtin's review against another edition

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4.0

loove this book to pieces

tyunglebower's review against another edition

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3.0

It was a bit more of an exploratory essay, less of a practical guide than I was expecting, but nonetheless enjoyable. Made me want to not only take time to relax, but to visit Denmark.