The Geography of Bliss Audiobook By Eric Weiner cover art

The Geography of Bliss

One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Geography of Bliss

By: Eric Weiner
Narrated by: Eric Weiner
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Part travel memoir, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the listener across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but WHERE it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy?

In a unique mix of travel, psychology, science and humor, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

©2008 Eric Weiner (P)2008 Hachette Audio
Entertainment & Celebrities Personal Success Travel Writing & Commentary Celebrity Happiness Witty Funny Suspenseful
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"In the end, Weiner's travel tales - eating rotten shark meat in Iceland, smoking hashish in Rotterdam, trying to meditate at an Indian ashram - provide great happiness for his readers." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Geography of Bliss

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    506
  • 4 Stars
    352
  • 3 Stars
    156
  • 2 Stars
    45
  • 1 Stars
    23
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    429
  • 4 Stars
    195
  • 3 Stars
    75
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    16
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    371
  • 4 Stars
    233
  • 3 Stars
    92
  • 2 Stars
    26
  • 1 Stars
    14

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

as a fellow Grump I'm a fan of this book.

I've listened to this book multiple times and seem to get something new out of it each time. I really appreciate the author's performance of his own work. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful listen, but...

Minor frustration: chapters in audiobook don't match chapters being read
Otherwise, I loved listening to this snapshot of how many other cultures define and pursue happiness. Both gave insight to other countries views and my own countries influence on my happiness

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a fun listen

I loved this listen. I’m so glad the author narrates his own book bc he sounds just as I pictured he would in my mind. This is a delightful listen, while also being interesting and absolutely full of cultural insights.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

What a great read. The Geography of Bliss is a really fun book covering several exciting travel destinations. Eric is a great narrator and provides some interesting and often amusing insights to different cultures around the world. Lots of ideas for future travel plans!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent and Insightful

I can't imagine anything you could read that would shed more insight on what constitutes happiness or the search for it. Author Weiner has done his global homework here. From New Delhi to North Carolina, Weiner searches to find commonalities about what makes us happy. What he finds could possibly make us all, well, happier.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Happiness is socially constructed

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which was written in NPR Story Corp fashion. The audio narration by the author created the sense that I was in each of the countries he visited.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Coool

Neat little story with some interesting perspectives. Character accents are annoying, but fun overall overall.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

amusing geography

and amusing but insightful introduction to countries that I had little knowledge of. Weiner is able to grasp the significance in the insignificant aspects of life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Write Don't Read

The story would have held my interest more if the reader had been better. His voice was whiny and boring. Too many times I turned it off because I could not stand another moment of his voice. Tell Eric to stick to writing and let someone else do the reading!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nothing preachy in this book. Awesome!

The author isn't trying to convince you of anything. Just reporting the facts. Well done

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful