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.
