Customer Reviews

Norway - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Norway - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!) by Linda March provides a series of useful hints for those willing to get into the Norwegian culture. I have been dealing with Norwegian people for more than eight years and been to Norway twice so I can support many of the articles in the book. I don't remember finding any misconception at all, what is pretty rare when it comes to this kind of books. The only drawback are the pictures and illustrations, hence the 4-stars. Although it is not meant to be a photo album, maybe if the images were not monochrome, it would become more appealing to the reader. Minor flaw, though. All in all, I recommend it.

My wife and I took a trip to Norway over the summer and we found the Norwegian people to be very intriguing. We noticed that the Norwegians often behaved in ways that were very different from the other Europeans we had encountered on our travels. An Oslo bookstore had a copy of Culture Smart Norway for sale and we bought a copy.

Culture Smart Norway is a decent introduction to the country. Author Linda March helps those who know little about Norway to improve their basic knowledge. Those seeking in-depth information, however, will want to look elsewhere.

The book has several strong sections. I particularly like the chapters on values and attitudes, social life, home life, and business etiquette. March also provides information on Norway's history that helps explain why Norwegian culture evolved into its present state.

Through Culture Smart, I learned several interesting things, including the following:
a) Norwegians enjoy telling jokes about their Swedish neighbors. (March provides some samples: "A Swede called the airline and asked how long it would take for a plane to get from Stockholm to Paris. 'Just a minute,' replied the clerk. 'Thank you' replied the Swede, then hung up").
b) Foreign nationals often find that it is very different to make friends with Norwegians, owing to the fact that Norwegians are reserved and very wary of strangers.
c) Norway has twice turned down membership in the European Union. March attributes Norwegians' reluctance to join the EU to the fact that Norway has been an independent country since only 1905. She says that Norwegians are reluctant to give up their sovereignty after such a short period of time.

Much of the material is mediocre, however. March wastes time on material that goes somewhat far afield of culture; too much of the book focuses on basic information that one might find in any travel guide. Some of the sections, moreover, are simply not interesting. March includes long, boring sections on Norway's holidays, transportation systems, and its oil industry. The book is also a bit short at just over 160 pages.

Culture Smart Norway is not a bad book. But after I finished I felt as though it could have been much better.

As someone who had already been to Norway, this book explained a lot about the Norwegians I incountered. Very helpful for someone who may move to Norway.

This is a short little book that gives a concise overview of Norwegian history, culture, food, etiquette, etc. for those who are planning on interactions with Norwegians in Norway. I think it is primarily of value for the business traveler who is going to Norway for meetings, it covers such things as business culture and meeting etiquette, Norwegian interaction styles, etc. It would also be useful for those who are going there to perhaps meet relatives, or attend school.

I read the whole book cover to cover in an afternoon. It would be a good book to read while on the flight to Norway. I am planning a vacation to Norway and I have highlighted a lot of info that I plan to refer to when I am briefing the other members of my travel party.

My mom and I travelled all through Norway last summer and this guidebook was with us every step of the way. Definitely recommend!

I love this book. It's written like someone talking to you. It's a great concept and I'm thinking of purchasing books from other countries.