- Sweden Chapter 5 - Russia Chapter 6 - School Chapter 7 - Wives Sweden Chapter 1 - Crayfish Chapter 2 - Donald Duck Chapter 3 - Stockholm syndrome Chapter 4 - Integration Chapter 5 - Catalonians Chapter 6 - Somali pizza Chapter 7 - The party Chapter 8 - Guilt Chapter 9 - Hairnets Chapter 10 - Class Chapter 11 - Ball bearings Mistakes The chapter "Dirndls" states that musician Alexander Rybak is of Russian origin, but Rybak is actually from Belarus. Reception The Almost Nearly Perfect People received mixed reviews from critics: Mariella Frostrup described the book for The Guardian as a "comprehensive and occasionally downright hilarious explanation of the Nordic miracle" and praised its "companionable, lightly mocking tone". Alwyn Turner gave the book 4 (out of 5) stars in a review for The Daily Telegraph, writing that "if [Booth's] tone is sometimes a little too jokey, his enthusiasm is contagious" and that "the real joy of the book" lay in the collection of interesting trivia. The Literary Review Bernard Porter found the book to be "a thoroughly entertaining read, written brilliantly", but criticised its largely impressionistic nature and the lack of sources and references. Ian Thomson of The Guardian described the book as "informative, if strenuously humorous", but felt that Booth's "schoolboy humour" was at times "pretty embarrassing". Anna Vesterinen, writing for the Rationalist Association, felt that Booth relied too much on quoted studies and surveys and ought to have included more interviews with "ordinary locals". The Financial Times Richard Milne wrote that, despite Booth's tendency to reinforce some stereotypes, "Behind the jokey tone is a lot of good material", and described the book as "a welcome rejoinder to those who cling to the idea of the Nordic region as a promised land". Sara Steensig opined in the GBTimes that the book's section on Iceland was somewhat superficial and that Booth's analysis of Sweden was too critical, but nevertheless, "while he does make a lot of fun of the Nordic countries, I think you can feel his affection for the inhabitants too." See also Utopia for Realists Utopian architecture References 2014 non-fiction books British travel books Jonathan Cape books Nordic countries English non-fiction books