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Why the Dutch are Different: A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands
The first book to offer an in depth look at hidden Holland and the fascinating people that live there, Why the Dutch are Different is an entertaining book about a country unlike any other. The Netherlands are a tiny nation that punch above their weight on the world stage, where prostitutes are entitled to sick pay and prisons are closing due to lack of demand. After a chance encounter, Ben Coates left behind life in London to move to the Netherlands, where he learned the language, worked for Dutch company and married a Dutch wife. He takes readers into the heart of his adopted country, going beyond the usual tourist attractions and cliches to explore what it is that makes the Dutch the Dutch, Holland not the Netherlands and the colour orange so important. A travelogue, a history and a personal account of a changing country - Ben Coates tells the tale of an Englishman who went Dutch and liked it.
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2015
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November 18, 2017
The Dutch are different.
One Christmas my mother gave my Dutch grandfather a gift pack of expensive soap. He opened his lovingly wrapped present, looked up at my mother and asked, in all sincerity - 'Do you think I smell?'.
This incident (brought up many times over the years since) didn't translate well into polite British-New Zealand culture, but if my mother had read Ben Coates' fascinating book Why the Dutch are Different she would have understood that Grandad was just being direct, open and blunt, common Dutch characteristics which I find rather endearing.
Coates' book is an engaging, page-turning trip through both the physical country that is the Netherlands and the psychological landscape of the Dutch mind, going far beyond the weed, cheese n' prostitution stereotypes commonly held overseas. Coates knows the Dutch well, and brings an outsider's perspective to their interesting and in many ways astonishingly successful society.
Coates tells a story of a nation that has developed a stable, orderly and appealing non-partisan democracy, where individual freedoms are cherished at the same time as obligations to fellow citizens and the state are respected.
This is a society with many interesting contradictions and quirks. The Dutch are rich, yet work fewer hours than almost anyone. They are liberal, but strictly enforce laws that can seem petty to outsiders. They are commercially successful, but have a generous welfare state. They are orderly, but go crazy (and sometimes get violent) when their favorite football team is playing. They are internationalists, but also fiercely love their country.
Coates also delves into Dutch history, linking many events and trends in the past to Dutch culture today. The Dutch have spent centuries pushing back the ocean and holding life threatening floods at bay with their dikes, and in the twentieth century had to rebuild after years of brutal Nazi rule. Coates argues that this has formed their national character. The Netherlands is a communal country where working together, including all voices in the national conversation and the pursuit of common goals are valued, something that is perhaps natural when heroic mass efforts are what has kept the sea from swamping their entire nation.
However, it's not all cheese and applecake, and Dutch society does have quirks that are uncomfortable for some outsiders.
The ongoing Dutch love of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete)is one of these oddities. In the Dutch tradition of Christmas, Zwarte Piet is the local equivalent of elves in other nations- Santa's helpers. However, in The Netherlands Zwarte Piet is black (soot black) and is played by white Netherlanders who paint their faces, redden their lips, wear afros and put oversized gold earrings on. For those of us in post-blackface nations this tradition is well, a bit dodgy.
However, Coates notes that if you want to have a friendly conversation with a Dutch person Do Not bring up Zwarte Piet. Netherlanders mostly see it as a harmless tradition that children enjoy and they struggle to see it as racist. Disagreeing with this sentiment will likely see you labelled as a foreigner who 'just doesn't get it'.
Overall however, Coates shows us a society that is generally very just, charmingly welcoming and amazingly happy. He writes well, and reflectively, openly pondering how moving to the Netherlands has changed him, and contrasting his old home (The U.K) with his new.
If you love a Dutch person, have ever wanted to visit The Netherlands, or have wondered how a tiny country crammed with seventeen million people has played such a large role on the world stage then I can't recommend this book enough. It's a fun, engaging window into a unique culture and both the highs and lows of being a newcomer in a foreign land.
Postscript:
As a person of Dutch descent this book helped me understand many of the strange habits of my father, uncles and grandparents. After reading this book and recently visiting the Netherlands I feel a far greater connection to my Dutch roots.
However, Coates' book was at times a sad read for me. My grandparents migrated from the Netherlands in the 1950s, and lived under Nazi rule during the war. I knew that times were tough (My uncle, born during the war years, suffered malnutrition as a child and has always been of small stature) but I had no idea how much they suffered. The 'Hunger Winter' of 1944-5 saw thousands die from starvation, with bodies lying in the streets and people destroying public parks in their desperation for firewood.
Imagining my kindly grandparents in this scenario is genuinely painful, and I wish I had learned more about my heritage earlier, and that I had been able to sit with them while they were still alive and empathize with all that they had been through.
For this and other reasons mine has been a bittersweet cultural re-connection, but I guess journeys of self-discovery rarely sail only in safe seas.
One Christmas my mother gave my Dutch grandfather a gift pack of expensive soap. He opened his lovingly wrapped present, looked up at my mother and asked, in all sincerity - 'Do you think I smell?'.
This incident (brought up many times over the years since) didn't translate well into polite British-New Zealand culture, but if my mother had read Ben Coates' fascinating book Why the Dutch are Different she would have understood that Grandad was just being direct, open and blunt, common Dutch characteristics which I find rather endearing.
Coates' book is an engaging, page-turning trip through both the physical country that is the Netherlands and the psychological landscape of the Dutch mind, going far beyond the weed, cheese n' prostitution stereotypes commonly held overseas. Coates knows the Dutch well, and brings an outsider's perspective to their interesting and in many ways astonishingly successful society.
Coates tells a story of a nation that has developed a stable, orderly and appealing non-partisan democracy, where individual freedoms are cherished at the same time as obligations to fellow citizens and the state are respected.
This is a society with many interesting contradictions and quirks. The Dutch are rich, yet work fewer hours than almost anyone. They are liberal, but strictly enforce laws that can seem petty to outsiders. They are commercially successful, but have a generous welfare state. They are orderly, but go crazy (and sometimes get violent) when their favorite football team is playing. They are internationalists, but also fiercely love their country.
Coates also delves into Dutch history, linking many events and trends in the past to Dutch culture today. The Dutch have spent centuries pushing back the ocean and holding life threatening floods at bay with their dikes, and in the twentieth century had to rebuild after years of brutal Nazi rule. Coates argues that this has formed their national character. The Netherlands is a communal country where working together, including all voices in the national conversation and the pursuit of common goals are valued, something that is perhaps natural when heroic mass efforts are what has kept the sea from swamping their entire nation.
However, it's not all cheese and applecake, and Dutch society does have quirks that are uncomfortable for some outsiders.
The ongoing Dutch love of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete)is one of these oddities. In the Dutch tradition of Christmas, Zwarte Piet is the local equivalent of elves in other nations- Santa's helpers. However, in The Netherlands Zwarte Piet is black (soot black) and is played by white Netherlanders who paint their faces, redden their lips, wear afros and put oversized gold earrings on. For those of us in post-blackface nations this tradition is well, a bit dodgy.
However, Coates notes that if you want to have a friendly conversation with a Dutch person Do Not bring up Zwarte Piet. Netherlanders mostly see it as a harmless tradition that children enjoy and they struggle to see it as racist. Disagreeing with this sentiment will likely see you labelled as a foreigner who 'just doesn't get it'.
Overall however, Coates shows us a society that is generally very just, charmingly welcoming and amazingly happy. He writes well, and reflectively, openly pondering how moving to the Netherlands has changed him, and contrasting his old home (The U.K) with his new.
If you love a Dutch person, have ever wanted to visit The Netherlands, or have wondered how a tiny country crammed with seventeen million people has played such a large role on the world stage then I can't recommend this book enough. It's a fun, engaging window into a unique culture and both the highs and lows of being a newcomer in a foreign land.
Postscript:
As a person of Dutch descent this book helped me understand many of the strange habits of my father, uncles and grandparents. After reading this book and recently visiting the Netherlands I feel a far greater connection to my Dutch roots.
However, Coates' book was at times a sad read for me. My grandparents migrated from the Netherlands in the 1950s, and lived under Nazi rule during the war. I knew that times were tough (My uncle, born during the war years, suffered malnutrition as a child and has always been of small stature) but I had no idea how much they suffered. The 'Hunger Winter' of 1944-5 saw thousands die from starvation, with bodies lying in the streets and people destroying public parks in their desperation for firewood.
Imagining my kindly grandparents in this scenario is genuinely painful, and I wish I had learned more about my heritage earlier, and that I had been able to sit with them while they were still alive and empathize with all that they had been through.
For this and other reasons mine has been a bittersweet cultural re-connection, but I guess journeys of self-discovery rarely sail only in safe seas.
Read
April 9, 2018Disappointingly crappy, to be distinguished from amusingly crappy and actually crappy.
I do not entirely curse the river of time since I read a good chunk of the book in a modified flamingo pose - standing on one leg, leaning forward (diet of shrimp optional) and since the book was not in fact squeezed out of an animal's rear end, I didn't need to wash my hands, well just a bit.
The book has a nice cover though (in my opinion), full marks for that, annoyingly there is an interesting story inside the author centred on the kindness of women and fittingly as I'm reading The Odyssey again which stresses hospitality as the duty which distinguishes higher beasts from lower ones - how he badgered a Dutch woman on holiday into giving him her email, contacted her once he had been chucked out of Schiphol airport, was taken in, learnt Dutch, got a job but is currently still keeping a UK passport (presumably in case she changes her mind - although this is also a pre-Brexit book which might have made a difference) - perhaps he thought that story was too soppy, or perhaps that it's subtext of stalking works was too controversial.
But that story of the culture clash of a young Conservative learning to live and love in a different culture is ignored in favour of what at times felt like an awkward regurgitation of a guide book. The structure was moderately interesting. Each chapter was based on something he did like attending a football match, but with paragraphs alternating between his experience and the wider scene eg football in the Netherlands. By moderately interesting I mean the concept felt not stale but the delivery was surprisingly tedious, which is why I guess I hadn't come across somebody trying to do that before. Although it probably didn't help that the author didn't like football.
In the afterword he describes the book as a love letter, and while I'm not a flood prone land mass bordering the North sea, I suspect that if I were (and capable of cognition I would be a little hurt to receive a love letter in which the author makes clear that he doesn't like my drink culture, my cuisine, my landscape, my architecture, my religious traditions, my political culture (too quiet, not enough invective), and shows no interest in my literature etc and so on. Reading this in tandem with Charlotte Higgins' Under Another Sky showed that of the two, one would prefer to receive a love letter from Higgins, also that it is possible to combine travel and the exploration of a culture in an enriching and thoughtful way.
Admittedly I am irritable and judgemental but when a book has a question in the title I do have this weird and inexplicable desire for the author to attempt to answer it. We are told: the Dutch are different because they are patriotic like the USAers, so the Dutch are different because they are like the Americans. Then that the Dutch are different because like the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese they have an Imperial history and a semi-digested heritage of slavery, so the Dutch are different because they are like a bunch of other European countries? And the Dutch are different because they were occupied in WWII and then implemented a Welfare state (although it turns out that much of it didn't come about until the 60s which I think a bit late by European standards), ah Mr Coates I believe we have a problem with your concept here. But no there's more the Dutch are different because after the war it turned out everybody had been in the resistance - so like in France? Oh the Dutch are different because they have populist anti-immigrant politicians like in France, Britain, Italy and Hungary and so on.
I have two approaches to writing goodreads reviews, one is to wait until I finish and then type with the risk that I'll have forgotten something that seemed important at the time, the other is to start as I read and add bits as I go along the weakness of that approach which I attempted with this book is when there is a distinct change at the end of the book as there was here. The last two chapters I felt were more extreme. Finally the author gave a geographic answer to the question of why the Dutch are different and this time really different not different because they are like some other people. No finally he ventures to be so bold as to hazard to suggest that as the saying goes God made the world but the Dutch made the Netherlands and the distinctive nature of that collective endeavour in raising polders and draining marshland made the Dutch different, the people made the landscape and the landscape shaped the people. It's not an original idea, but that's ok, at the same time however his young Conservatism came out far more strongly, the aura of Colonel Blimp was such that I could virtually smell the pipe smoke , dash it all, he said between puffs, that prostitution business was fine when it was just sturdy Dutch girls servicing a stag do or two, helping things go with a bang, but now its all gone a bit too far, same with all that multiculturalism what ho, Judaism's ok so long as they don't flaunt it in my face but Islam's just political correctness gone mad. Well I misrepresent slightly but not that much, there's a distinct satisfaction as he reports that Liberalism in his opinion has just gone too far and Conservatism is in the ascendency, he'd be happier if the Dutch government copied Britain's financial policies and was more properly austere but it's a start. On the other hand he is honest about preferring the lower prices in the Netherlands and finds himself more laid back and relaxed, but really the missing part of the title is why the Dutch are different from Ben Coates, and the more closely you are aligned to Ben Coates the more you'll like this book. However Ben Coates I suspect, was as a teenager already like Anthony Eden.
It strikes me now that this is a curiously lonely book as though the author was trying to keep at arm's length away from his experience and his relationships - the woman who becomes his wife gets less space than her flat which is used purely to illustrate the sludge that Rotterdam is built upon, when he goes on all of his trips he is alone even though in the case of the football match on of his outlaws is also a fan of the team playing, moments in which we feel the author's response or that trigger some understanding of his host culture are rare, his observations are those of a tourist rather than of someone trying to understand . Politically there is some interest because the author approves of the social outcomes achieved while not liking the policies that gave rise to them, it's a bit like reading some of the chatter around The Spirit Level back when that was published. Well such is my opinion, in the mean time the book is an international best seller and it is light easy reading - light enough indeed to read while standing on one leg as I can testify.
Amusingly for a book that has some relation to a man's orientation in a new country, it is a bit lost. One sentence summary - Young Conservative meets Liberal society and is pleasantly surprised that it does not resemble life in a Mad Max film .
I do not entirely curse the river of time since I read a good chunk of the book in a modified flamingo pose - standing on one leg, leaning forward (diet of shrimp optional) and since the book was not in fact squeezed out of an animal's rear end, I didn't need to wash my hands, well just a bit.
The book has a nice cover though (in my opinion), full marks for that, annoyingly there is an interesting story inside the author centred on the kindness of women and fittingly as I'm reading The Odyssey again which stresses hospitality as the duty which distinguishes higher beasts from lower ones - how he badgered a Dutch woman on holiday into giving him her email, contacted her once he had been chucked out of Schiphol airport, was taken in, learnt Dutch, got a job but is currently still keeping a UK passport (presumably in case she changes her mind - although this is also a pre-Brexit book which might have made a difference) - perhaps he thought that story was too soppy, or perhaps that it's subtext of stalking works was too controversial.
But that story of the culture clash of a young Conservative learning to live and love in a different culture is ignored in favour of what at times felt like an awkward regurgitation of a guide book. The structure was moderately interesting. Each chapter was based on something he did like attending a football match, but with paragraphs alternating between his experience and the wider scene eg football in the Netherlands. By moderately interesting I mean the concept felt not stale but the delivery was surprisingly tedious, which is why I guess I hadn't come across somebody trying to do that before. Although it probably didn't help that the author didn't like football.
In the afterword he describes the book as a love letter, and while I'm not a flood prone land mass bordering the North sea, I suspect that if I were (and capable of cognition I would be a little hurt to receive a love letter in which the author makes clear that he doesn't like my drink culture, my cuisine, my landscape, my architecture, my religious traditions, my political culture (too quiet, not enough invective), and shows no interest in my literature etc and so on. Reading this in tandem with Charlotte Higgins' Under Another Sky showed that of the two, one would prefer to receive a love letter from Higgins, also that it is possible to combine travel and the exploration of a culture in an enriching and thoughtful way.
Admittedly I am irritable and judgemental but when a book has a question in the title I do have this weird and inexplicable desire for the author to attempt to answer it. We are told: the Dutch are different because they are patriotic like the USAers, so the Dutch are different because they are like the Americans. Then that the Dutch are different because like the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese they have an Imperial history and a semi-digested heritage of slavery, so the Dutch are different because they are like a bunch of other European countries? And the Dutch are different because they were occupied in WWII and then implemented a Welfare state (although it turns out that much of it didn't come about until the 60s which I think a bit late by European standards), ah Mr Coates I believe we have a problem with your concept here. But no there's more the Dutch are different because after the war it turned out everybody had been in the resistance - so like in France? Oh the Dutch are different because they have populist anti-immigrant politicians like in France, Britain, Italy and Hungary and so on.
I have two approaches to writing goodreads reviews, one is to wait until I finish and then type with the risk that I'll have forgotten something that seemed important at the time, the other is to start as I read and add bits as I go along the weakness of that approach which I attempted with this book is when there is a distinct change at the end of the book as there was here. The last two chapters I felt were more extreme. Finally the author gave a geographic answer to the question of why the Dutch are different and this time really different not different because they are like some other people. No finally he ventures to be so bold as to hazard to suggest that as the saying goes God made the world but the Dutch made the Netherlands and the distinctive nature of that collective endeavour in raising polders and draining marshland made the Dutch different, the people made the landscape and the landscape shaped the people. It's not an original idea, but that's ok, at the same time however his young Conservatism came out far more strongly, the aura of Colonel Blimp was such that I could virtually smell the pipe smoke , dash it all, he said between puffs, that prostitution business was fine when it was just sturdy Dutch girls servicing a stag do or two, helping things go with a bang, but now its all gone a bit too far, same with all that multiculturalism what ho, Judaism's ok so long as they don't flaunt it in my face but Islam's just political correctness gone mad. Well I misrepresent slightly but not that much, there's a distinct satisfaction as he reports that Liberalism in his opinion has just gone too far and Conservatism is in the ascendency, he'd be happier if the Dutch government copied Britain's financial policies and was more properly austere but it's a start. On the other hand he is honest about preferring the lower prices in the Netherlands and finds himself more laid back and relaxed, but really the missing part of the title is why the Dutch are different from Ben Coates, and the more closely you are aligned to Ben Coates the more you'll like this book. However Ben Coates I suspect, was as a teenager already like Anthony Eden.
It strikes me now that this is a curiously lonely book as though the author was trying to keep at arm's length away from his experience and his relationships - the woman who becomes his wife gets less space than her flat which is used purely to illustrate the sludge that Rotterdam is built upon, when he goes on all of his trips he is alone even though in the case of the football match on of his outlaws is also a fan of the team playing, moments in which we feel the author's response or that trigger some understanding of his host culture are rare, his observations are those of a tourist rather than of someone trying to understand . Politically there is some interest because the author approves of the social outcomes achieved while not liking the policies that gave rise to them, it's a bit like reading some of the chatter around The Spirit Level back when that was published. Well such is my opinion, in the mean time the book is an international best seller and it is light easy reading - light enough indeed to read while standing on one leg as I can testify.
Amusingly for a book that has some relation to a man's orientation in a new country, it is a bit lost. One sentence summary - Young Conservative meets Liberal society and is pleasantly surprised that it does not resemble life in a Mad Max film .
March 21, 2019
An excellent, informative, enjoyable, entertaining, witty, positive read. After visiting The Netherlands in 2017, this was a choice read. The book is not really a travelogue, more of a informative publication about one person's experience of the Dutch culture and history, from ancient times until now.
One thing about the country that baffled me was that people's rights and choices were quite meticulously considered, from a depressed person's right to be euthanized, to prostitutes being recognized as tax paying 'officials' in the service industry. Yet, bicycles, of which there are more than human beings in this country, have the right of way on sidewalks! Pedestrians have the right to die in a bicycle accident - honest to God :-))
And then there's the anomaly of coffee shops and cafes. Smoking is allowed inside the one, where weed is sold, and in the other one cigarette smokers have to endure the elements outside for their happy puffs. In fact, cigarette smokers are persona non grata in a country catering for everything else under the umbrella of personal choice and freedom.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this amazing country. This book just completed my admiration for the Hollanders with their golden hearts and open minds. Well written. An excellent choice.
RECOMMENDED
One thing about the country that baffled me was that people's rights and choices were quite meticulously considered, from a depressed person's right to be euthanized, to prostitutes being recognized as tax paying 'officials' in the service industry. Yet, bicycles, of which there are more than human beings in this country, have the right of way on sidewalks! Pedestrians have the right to die in a bicycle accident - honest to God :-))
And then there's the anomaly of coffee shops and cafes. Smoking is allowed inside the one, where weed is sold, and in the other one cigarette smokers have to endure the elements outside for their happy puffs. In fact, cigarette smokers are persona non grata in a country catering for everything else under the umbrella of personal choice and freedom.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this amazing country. This book just completed my admiration for the Hollanders with their golden hearts and open minds. Well written. An excellent choice.
RECOMMENDED
October 7, 2016
Some interesting bits and some witty observations but can't help feeling there is an underlying tone of condescension and some rather sexist remarks about women.
December 20, 2015
While the historical parts were interesting the book would be better if the author had experienced more parts of the country. The book is not so much about the Netherlands' culture and society as it is about Rotterdam.
January 8, 2018
I chose to read Ben Coates' Why the Dutch are Different: A Journey Into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands as part of my Around the World in 80 Books challenge. I found out quite recently that I have Dutch ancestry, and was quite excited to read about the Netherlands. What I found was a book quite unlike what I was expecting, which offers quite a strange blend of travelogue and history. I found that the two do not really blend together very well in Coates' execution of them, and there is quite a disjointed feeling to the whole in consequence.
There is a lot of information pertaining to Dutch history and culture here, which I found very interesting. The downside for me was that I did not at all like Coates as an author; I found his tone both judgemental and patronising, and there are a few times when his comments come across as decidedly misogynistic; he seems to think every woman he sees is 'sexy', for instance, and goes no deeper. Coates appears rather self-important, and is quite opinionated about many things within Dutch culture.
Whilst there has clearly been a lot of research undertaken, the book in itself was not engaging. Had it been purely about Dutch history, with none of the annoying and unnecessary asides from the author, I would have undoubtedly enjoyed it far more. Why the Dutch are Different is not a particularly long work, but when I was reading, it felt as though I was wading through, and that the book would never end. I also do not feel as though Coates satisfactorily tackled why he believes the Dutch are 'different', or, indeed, what they appear 'different' from.
There is a lot of information pertaining to Dutch history and culture here, which I found very interesting. The downside for me was that I did not at all like Coates as an author; I found his tone both judgemental and patronising, and there are a few times when his comments come across as decidedly misogynistic; he seems to think every woman he sees is 'sexy', for instance, and goes no deeper. Coates appears rather self-important, and is quite opinionated about many things within Dutch culture.
Whilst there has clearly been a lot of research undertaken, the book in itself was not engaging. Had it been purely about Dutch history, with none of the annoying and unnecessary asides from the author, I would have undoubtedly enjoyed it far more. Why the Dutch are Different is not a particularly long work, but when I was reading, it felt as though I was wading through, and that the book would never end. I also do not feel as though Coates satisfactorily tackled why he believes the Dutch are 'different', or, indeed, what they appear 'different' from.
February 18, 2021
This book nearly killed my love of reading and hung about my neck like the Ancient Mariner's albatross, taunting me with its sheer dullness for several weeks. I've worked in companies with a strong Dutch flavour for 25 years so I'm very familiar with Dutchness and the nation's idiosyncrasies. I was expecting something at least mildly amusing but I didn't get it. Instead, this is a long drag of a book that painfully tells of the Dutch wars with Spain - who knew, who cared, and would a book about why the Spanish are different devote SO much time to that conflict? - and spends way longer than necessary on the Dutch approach to football (made all the worse by the author himself openly admitting to no great love of the beautiful game).
As others have noted, there are some pretty unsavoury comments about immigration - especially about Moroccan immigrants and some rather 1970s attitudes to women that sit uncomfortably together.
What was I hoping for? To know why the Dutch eat bread and cheese with a knife and fork, why they put mayo on their chips, why their backpedal bikes are such a nightmare to ride, why you'll never get rich selling curtains in the Netherlands, and why nobody outside the country can get their heads around hagelslag (chocolate vermicelli served on bread), gezellig (the Dutch sense of cosiness), kissing three times when everybody else goes for one or two, or why they have the highest rate in Europe of home births.
There are so many fascinating things about the Dutch. Their conflict with the Spanish, their currently terrible football performance, and the rise of the weirdest type of right-wing racism (the one that argues we should hate Islam because we love LGBT equality - go figure) are not the ones I wanted to read about.
If you know nothing about the Dutch, it probably doesn't matter that the book is terrible. If you know lots, then you'll quite possibly find this book as awful as I did. As a Brit who loves the Dutch, spent two years of her childhood there and considers it the country she could most likely survive in if she had to leave the UK, I'm really disappointed that this rubbish was written by another Brit.
As others have noted, there are some pretty unsavoury comments about immigration - especially about Moroccan immigrants and some rather 1970s attitudes to women that sit uncomfortably together.
What was I hoping for? To know why the Dutch eat bread and cheese with a knife and fork, why they put mayo on their chips, why their backpedal bikes are such a nightmare to ride, why you'll never get rich selling curtains in the Netherlands, and why nobody outside the country can get their heads around hagelslag (chocolate vermicelli served on bread), gezellig (the Dutch sense of cosiness), kissing three times when everybody else goes for one or two, or why they have the highest rate in Europe of home births.
There are so many fascinating things about the Dutch. Their conflict with the Spanish, their currently terrible football performance, and the rise of the weirdest type of right-wing racism (the one that argues we should hate Islam because we love LGBT equality - go figure) are not the ones I wanted to read about.
If you know nothing about the Dutch, it probably doesn't matter that the book is terrible. If you know lots, then you'll quite possibly find this book as awful as I did. As a Brit who loves the Dutch, spent two years of her childhood there and considers it the country she could most likely survive in if she had to leave the UK, I'm really disappointed that this rubbish was written by another Brit.
November 27, 2019
http://www.writingis.fun/5-%d0%bf%d1%...
Здравейте, книголюбители!
Днес ще ви говоря за една красива, богата на култура и обичаи страна – Нидерландия – и книгата на Бен Коутс „Това е Нидерландия, или защо лалетата са различни“ (изд. Ера).
Каква е първата ви асоциация като чуете Нидерландия? Моята е лалета, вятърни мелници и град разположен над водата. Обожавам архитектурата и всичките шарени сгради в тази прекрасна страна. И ако се чудите, защо казвам Нидерландия вместо Холандия – е защото макар скоро да се наложи името Холандия като официалното по-популярното име на страната, все още не е стъпило в сила. Тя също е и единственета в света с две столици – Хага и Амстердам.
А сега, кой е Бен Коутс? Той е англичанин, който в следствие на обстоятелствата се озовава в Ротердам…и никога не го напуска. Той живее със семейството си в къща в провинцията и с радост се нарича нидерландец. Книгата му „Това е Нидерландия, или защо лалетата са различни“ е пътепис с неговите преживявания, започвайки да обикаля градчетата в страната. Той проследява богатата история, засяга политиката й и от първа ръка разбира колко благ и сплотен народ са нидерландците.
Книгата му трябва да бъде изпитана лично, затова няма да ви я разказвам по моя си начин. И затова – така вдъхновена от Бен Коутс – исках да ви дам 5 причини да посетите Нидерландия:
1) Амстердам
Столицата на Холандия не е като другите градове в Европа. Тя е едно от онези места, които трябва да изпитате, докато сте млади, това е град, който никога не спи и винаги има какво да правите и да видите. От къщата на Ане Франк и търговската зона на деветте улици до Rijksmuseum и каналния пояс, има по нещо за всеки вкус. Като се разходите с лодка по каналите на Амстердам, ще се почувствате като във Венеция. Освен това този град е гореща точка за всички любители на културата, благодарение на музеите и галериите, които не можете да преброите, както и на фестивали като Dekmantal и C.R.A.F.T. . Ако имате късмет да присъствате на Деня на краля на 27 април, ще видите града в пълния си блясък с цветни улични партита и пазари.
2) Карането на колело
Холандия е колоездачна нация. Плоският пейзаж на страната, мекият климат, отличните пътища и късите разстояния са това, което го правят такъв. Освен че е полезно за вашето здраве, Холандия е в топ страните в света по безопасност на движението по пътищата, а също така ви дава възможност да видите най-красивите места в страната, които иначе са скрити, тъй като велосипедните пътеки ви водят към пътища недостъпни за автомобили. Не пропускайте шанса си да получите това невероятно изживяване.
3) Прекарвайте часове под „strandpaviljoen“
Освен красиви пейзажи и очарователни вятърни мелници, Холандия е дом и на много спиращи дъха плажове, които привличат хиляди туристи всяка година. Можете ли да си представите ден, по-добре прекаран, отколкото на плажа под „strandpaviljoen“, както холандците наричат плажните павилиони.
4) Чувствайте се модерни в Ротердам
Въпреки че все още е в сянката на близкия Амстердам, пристанищният град Ротердам също има какво да предложи на своите посетители. Основните забележителности на града са разположени в района около пристанището, като великолепният Euromast осигурява спираща дъха панорамна гледка към града и морето. Не можете да пропуснете обиколката на пристанището в Спидо и корабостроителницата Де Делфт или известния мост Еразъм, дълъг 800 м, който се превърна в градската икона, особено през нощта. Ротердам е културна столица с много музеи и невероятна архитектура, от стари техники до съвременна работа.
5) Насладете се на времето на Sinterklaas
Знаем го като Дядо Коледа, но холандците го наричат Sinterklaas и той представя подарък на децата през ноември, когато страната е затрупана с тържества и украшения. Магазините са пълни със сезонни закуски и напитки. Всички градове имат паради с деца, облечени като Sinterklaas и неговите елфи помощници. Като че ли това не беше достатъчно, холандският Sinterklaas е специален и от друго нещо: той не минава през комин, той пристига с лодка и в града се провеждат много партита и събития, за да го посрещнат и да отпразнуват грандиозната нощ по правилния начин.
Оценявам читателското си преживяване като 4/5 звезди.
Благодаря на издателството за копието за прочит, което ми предоставиха!
Здравейте, книголюбители!
Днес ще ви говоря за една красива, богата на култура и обичаи страна – Нидерландия – и книгата на Бен Коутс „Това е Нидерландия, или защо лалетата са различни“ (изд. Ера).
Каква е първата ви асоциация като чуете Нидерландия? Моята е лалета, вятърни мелници и град разположен над водата. Обожавам архитектурата и всичките шарени сгради в тази прекрасна страна. И ако се чудите, защо казвам Нидерландия вместо Холандия – е защото макар скоро да се наложи името Холандия като официалното по-популярното име на страната, все още не е стъпило в сила. Тя също е и единственета в света с две столици – Хага и Амстердам.
А сега, кой е Бен Коутс? Той е англичанин, който в следствие на обстоятелствата се озовава в Ротердам…и никога не го напуска. Той живее със семейството си в къща в провинцията и с радост се нарича нидерландец. Книгата му „Това е Нидерландия, или защо лалетата са различни“ е пътепис с неговите преживявания, започвайки да обикаля градчетата в страната. Той проследява богатата история, засяга политиката й и от първа ръка разбира колко благ и сплотен народ са нидерландците.
Книгата му трябва да бъде изпитана лично, затова няма да ви я разказвам по моя си начин. И затова – така вдъхновена от Бен Коутс – исках да ви дам 5 причини да посетите Нидерландия:
1) Амстердам
Столицата на Холандия не е като другите градове в Европа. Тя е едно от онези места, които трябва да изпитате, докато сте млади, това е град, който никога не спи и винаги има какво да правите и да видите. От къщата на Ане Франк и търговската зона на деветте улици до Rijksmuseum и каналния пояс, има по нещо за всеки вкус. Като се разходите с лодка по каналите на Амстердам, ще се почувствате като във Венеция. Освен това този град е гореща точка за всички любители на културата, благодарение на музеите и галериите, които не можете да преброите, както и на фестивали като Dekmantal и C.R.A.F.T. . Ако имате късмет да присъствате на Деня на краля на 27 април, ще видите града в пълния си блясък с цветни улични партита и пазари.
2) Карането на колело
Холандия е колоездачна нация. Плоският пейзаж на страната, мекият климат, отличните пътища и късите разстояния са това, което го правят такъв. Освен че е полезно за вашето здраве, Холандия е в топ страните в света по безопасност на движението по пътищата, а също така ви дава възможност да видите най-красивите места в страната, които иначе са скрити, тъй като велосипедните пътеки ви водят към пътища недостъпни за автомобили. Не пропускайте шанса си да получите това невероятно изживяване.
3) Прекарвайте часове под „strandpaviljoen“
Освен красиви пейзажи и очарователни вятърни мелници, Холандия е дом и на много спиращи дъха плажове, които привличат хиляди туристи всяка година. Можете ли да си представите ден, по-добре прекаран, отколкото на плажа под „strandpaviljoen“, както холандците наричат плажните павилиони.
4) Чувствайте се модерни в Ротердам
Въпреки че все още е в сянката на близкия Амстердам, пристанищният град Ротердам също има какво да предложи на своите посетители. Основните забележителности на града са разположени в района около пристанището, като великолепният Euromast осигурява спираща дъха панорамна гледка към града и морето. Не можете да пропуснете обиколката на пристанището в Спидо и корабостроителницата Де Делфт или известния мост Еразъм, дълъг 800 м, който се превърна в градската икона, особено през нощта. Ротердам е културна столица с много музеи и невероятна архитектура, от стари техники до съвременна работа.
5) Насладете се на времето на Sinterklaas
Знаем го като Дядо Коледа, но холандците го наричат Sinterklaas и той представя подарък на децата през ноември, когато страната е затрупана с тържества и украшения. Магазините са пълни със сезонни закуски и напитки. Всички градове имат паради с деца, облечени като Sinterklaas и неговите елфи помощници. Като че ли това не беше достатъчно, холандският Sinterklaas е специален и от друго нещо: той не минава през комин, той пристига с лодка и в града се провеждат много партита и събития, за да го посрещнат и да отпразнуват грандиозната нощ по правилния начин.
Оценявам читателското си преживяване като 4/5 звезди.
Благодаря на издателството за копието за прочит, което ми предоставиха!
July 12, 2017
Ben Coates hadn’t meant to go to the Netherlands, a flight was diverted and he ended up in Schiphol Airport with no hope of a flight out for a few days. Somewhere at the back of his mind he recalled having a contact in the country, so he gave her a ring to see if she could put him up for a couple of nights.
He’s never left.
When people think of the Netherlands, several national stereotypes would spring to mind; windmills, bicycles, tulips and Edam and that it was called Holland. These quintessential Dutch icons are all still there, but Holland is a district of the Netherlands. This small country is only twice the area of Wales (the default geographical unit of country size), but in all manner of ways its influence and success has always had a larger global presence than belies its size. One of the lowest nations on the planet has somehow managed to produce the tallest people, they are liberally minded and gregarious, up for parties and having a lot of fun whilst on the flip side taking a stern view on minor transgressions such as putting your bin out on the wrong day.
In this fascinating book about a fellow European country, Coates sets aside his English reserve and takes us beyond the classic tourist routes to see the other side to his adopted country. He is prepared to celebrate and share with us, the reader, what makes this a great country to live in, whilst also not being afraid to examine the darker sides of the Dutch history. We learn about the way that the Jewish population suffered greatly during the Second World War, with vast numbers of them sent to the camps in central Europe, why they seem to have a desire to eradicate the natural world, how they became so good at land reclamation, why they are so passionate about their football team and why they are so obsessed with the colour orange. Just how much Coates has gone native is evident when he returns to the UK to collect a new passport where he considers the common ground and the stark differences between the two countries. I have been to the Netherlands twice once to Delft and a second time to Amstelveen way back in the 1980’s, and I remember it being a special country, reading this book though makes me want to re-visit it again.
He’s never left.
When people think of the Netherlands, several national stereotypes would spring to mind; windmills, bicycles, tulips and Edam and that it was called Holland. These quintessential Dutch icons are all still there, but Holland is a district of the Netherlands. This small country is only twice the area of Wales (the default geographical unit of country size), but in all manner of ways its influence and success has always had a larger global presence than belies its size. One of the lowest nations on the planet has somehow managed to produce the tallest people, they are liberally minded and gregarious, up for parties and having a lot of fun whilst on the flip side taking a stern view on minor transgressions such as putting your bin out on the wrong day.
In this fascinating book about a fellow European country, Coates sets aside his English reserve and takes us beyond the classic tourist routes to see the other side to his adopted country. He is prepared to celebrate and share with us, the reader, what makes this a great country to live in, whilst also not being afraid to examine the darker sides of the Dutch history. We learn about the way that the Jewish population suffered greatly during the Second World War, with vast numbers of them sent to the camps in central Europe, why they seem to have a desire to eradicate the natural world, how they became so good at land reclamation, why they are so passionate about their football team and why they are so obsessed with the colour orange. Just how much Coates has gone native is evident when he returns to the UK to collect a new passport where he considers the common ground and the stark differences between the two countries. I have been to the Netherlands twice once to Delft and a second time to Amstelveen way back in the 1980’s, and I remember it being a special country, reading this book though makes me want to re-visit it again.
May 16, 2020
Disappointing book written by an over-privileged young Tory who admits to helping get David Cameron elected and then leaving the country.
It consists of a series of brief contextual chapters about history, the Golden Age, football, drugs, politics etc. - all stuff that could easily be lifted from Wikipedia. This is interspersed with about a week of research - going on a boat/train journey, going to a football match etc. where the author reveals his own lack of knowledge about Europe and people while making lazy assumptions about everything else (I didn't realise that a range of people go to see football matches, it's not all hooligans - life is so.... complex - duh?). I didn't feel like it was a journey into the hidden heart of the Netherlands, more of a journey into the vacant heart of a British hack writer abroad.
The style of writing is odd - much of it written strangely in the past tense.
It probably appeal to Daily Mail readers - I wanted to find it interesting but it was just deeply patronising and annoying (like all Tories).
It consists of a series of brief contextual chapters about history, the Golden Age, football, drugs, politics etc. - all stuff that could easily be lifted from Wikipedia. This is interspersed with about a week of research - going on a boat/train journey, going to a football match etc. where the author reveals his own lack of knowledge about Europe and people while making lazy assumptions about everything else (I didn't realise that a range of people go to see football matches, it's not all hooligans - life is so.... complex - duh?). I didn't feel like it was a journey into the hidden heart of the Netherlands, more of a journey into the vacant heart of a British hack writer abroad.
The style of writing is odd - much of it written strangely in the past tense.
It probably appeal to Daily Mail readers - I wanted to find it interesting but it was just deeply patronising and annoying (like all Tories).
December 29, 2015
Humorous and informative account of the Dutch and the Netherlands (Rotterdam in particular) and its history, geography and politics with some personal anecdotes thrown in. Some really interesting facts and details that went beyond the standard red light district and coffee shop chat; the chapters on politics and immigration were particularly insightful and even the sport chapter kept me entertained! Enjoyable, relaxing read.
July 15, 2016
Ok, neither good nor bad, although I am a little bit disappointed.
January 13, 2023
Really good, could also be a travel log. Lots of info regarding the Dutch and Dutch life. The only part I did not really read was the part on football.
August 8, 2020
I am not quite finished but I am done. The Netherlands is not what I thought. I saw the bikes and made assumptions.
I’ll just dump a few highlights now:
“Dutch people’s tendency to view the environment not as something to protect, but as something to be protected from, was reflected in the countries environmental record. The Netherlands’ enormous ports, acres of gas and chemical plants and seemingly endless sprawl of greenhouses meant that, per capita, its carbon emissions were almost double those of France.”
“The Netherlands was one of the world’s leading slave-trading nations.”
“The Holocaust... had one of its epicenters in the Netherlands, with Dutch Jews less likely to survive the war than those in almost any other country.”
“Princess Juliana married German Prince Bernard in 1937, overlooking the fact that he had served in the SS... Princess (Queen) Beatrix married German Klaus van Amsberg in 1965... a member of the Hitler Youth.”
“I found it easy to believe Hirsi Ali when she said that if a white Dutchman hit his wife he would be denounced by his neighbors, but if a Muslim did the same he would be treated with sensitivity, for fear of offending his culture.”
“The Netherlands was revealed to be a major source for jihadist recruiters, with an estimated 200 Dutch Muslims traveling to the Middle East to fight... A propaganda video released on YouTube showed young jihadists boasting of their exploits in fluent Dutch.”
“Swastikas were displayed at a march in The Hague, and fliers for Pro-ISIS marchers were pasted over Anne Frank’s face on advertisements...”
Other than a dragging section on soccer the author did a good job of blending his own experiences with facts and history.
I’ll just dump a few highlights now:
“Dutch people’s tendency to view the environment not as something to protect, but as something to be protected from, was reflected in the countries environmental record. The Netherlands’ enormous ports, acres of gas and chemical plants and seemingly endless sprawl of greenhouses meant that, per capita, its carbon emissions were almost double those of France.”
“The Netherlands was one of the world’s leading slave-trading nations.”
“The Holocaust... had one of its epicenters in the Netherlands, with Dutch Jews less likely to survive the war than those in almost any other country.”
“Princess Juliana married German Prince Bernard in 1937, overlooking the fact that he had served in the SS... Princess (Queen) Beatrix married German Klaus van Amsberg in 1965... a member of the Hitler Youth.”
“I found it easy to believe Hirsi Ali when she said that if a white Dutchman hit his wife he would be denounced by his neighbors, but if a Muslim did the same he would be treated with sensitivity, for fear of offending his culture.”
“The Netherlands was revealed to be a major source for jihadist recruiters, with an estimated 200 Dutch Muslims traveling to the Middle East to fight... A propaganda video released on YouTube showed young jihadists boasting of their exploits in fluent Dutch.”
“Swastikas were displayed at a march in The Hague, and fliers for Pro-ISIS marchers were pasted over Anne Frank’s face on advertisements...”
Other than a dragging section on soccer the author did a good job of blending his own experiences with facts and history.
May 15, 2021
A refreshing insight into the way of life in the Netherlands shared by a Brit, Ben Coates.
The chapters in his book range from history to contemporary lifestyle in the Netherlands, including views on religion, politics, liberty on sex & drugs.
Not short of an edgy sense of humour, Ben Coates draws some cultural comparisons between the British and Dutch by tangible examples such as people riding in a public transportation: I could very well picture the extreme politeness of Brits towards strangers versus the relentless nosiness of Dutch towards strangers. Hah! Been there, seen it, felt it :))
Great to see people like Ben Coates deliberately treading through a new life in a new country, whilst being aware as well as appreciative of cultural differences 👏.
-1 ⭐️ for I missed the engaging writing style; at times it felt like reading through listings on Wikipedia.
The chapters in his book range from history to contemporary lifestyle in the Netherlands, including views on religion, politics, liberty on sex & drugs.
Not short of an edgy sense of humour, Ben Coates draws some cultural comparisons between the British and Dutch by tangible examples such as people riding in a public transportation: I could very well picture the extreme politeness of Brits towards strangers versus the relentless nosiness of Dutch towards strangers. Hah! Been there, seen it, felt it :))
Great to see people like Ben Coates deliberately treading through a new life in a new country, whilst being aware as well as appreciative of cultural differences 👏.
-1 ⭐️ for I missed the engaging writing style; at times it felt like reading through listings on Wikipedia.
June 18, 2023
Although I did learn a lot especially about the history of the Netherlands, to me this came across as a cis-straight dude writing for cis-straight dudes giving opinions about things he shouldn't be giving opinions on. He writes about dutch imperialism in a glorifying way and about immigration in a super islamophobic way and as it is usual, lacking the actual post-colonial connection and responsibility (which is not surprising considering how he wrote about colonialism). I liked being able to understand and relate to the parts about dutch culture and cities, and as I said, to learn more about its history, but the negative aspects made it for me a miss.
May 30, 2024
Bought this audiobook impulsively on the train back from Amsterdam. His chapter on immigration was by far the most interesting. The rest was solidly mildly interesting. The chapter on football was unbearable.
February 5, 2017
Our next exchange student is coming from the Netherlands. This book gave us a lot of insights into the Dutch perspective and their history. Well written, easy to follow and understand.
June 23, 2022
Like the author I also married a dutch person and thus entered into a massive family and their proud dutch heritage - so I always love to read books like this!!! when I read the reviews I was a little hesitant since they are a bit lower than I like.
The first 2 hours of my listen I really enjoyed the format and the facts. This was a great wealth of history and facts about the settling dutchman and having been to the country a few times I was again immersed!!! But, after those first few hours I also thought - what is the story here??? is there one? or is this just a bunch of facts and folly? so it did get tiresome after while and I couldn't imagine another 8 hours of it. So while the rest of the book could have been worth it and most likely kind of enjoyable??? - I just didn't have the patience as it got slower and more bogged down, DNF but wish I could have hung with it I probably would have learned some more stuff!!!!
The first 2 hours of my listen I really enjoyed the format and the facts. This was a great wealth of history and facts about the settling dutchman and having been to the country a few times I was again immersed!!! But, after those first few hours I also thought - what is the story here??? is there one? or is this just a bunch of facts and folly? so it did get tiresome after while and I couldn't imagine another 8 hours of it. So while the rest of the book could have been worth it and most likely kind of enjoyable??? - I just didn't have the patience as it got slower and more bogged down, DNF but wish I could have hung with it I probably would have learned some more stuff!!!!
October 24, 2025
Fascinating book about Dutch history. I was especially interested in the sections discussing the reasons for their openness and cooperation and acceptance, and they were riveting. As well as the move away from radical acceptance and the reasons for that. I’m not typically a nonfiction reader but this style was delightful and filled with wit and humor.
September 10, 2025
Strange mismatch between the breezy (and occasionally pervy) tone of this and the seriousness of much of its subject matter, which includes imperialism, war and the Holocaust, as well as quite a lot towards the end about immigration, the ascendant right and the unravelling of the liberal consensus - all of it basically well-intentioned but quite annoyingly glib. Two stars might be a bit harsh - the historical sections are informative and solidly written - but too much of the book is just Coates carrying on like a randy Bill Bryson, chucking out gratuitous items of personal biography, waggish retellings of fairly mundane encounters and tendentious speculations on the origin of various Dutch mores. Picked this book in part because it was the only one in the 'Netherlands' bit of the travel section that claimed to cover the whole country, not just Amsterdam, but aside from an opening chapter about carnival in the south, a lot of it focuses on the capital and Rotterdam; the only time he ventures east is for a visit to Camp Westerbork. Hasn't anyone told him that nothing tops Groningen? Grom.
December 30, 2021
I enjoyed this read. Part informal history book, part travelogue, Ben Coates touches on a handful of topics and issues intrinsic to understanding the Dutch - water, religion, football and outward-seeming tolerance to name a few.
The first half of the book was particularly successful I felt. The way Coates weaves history and his own personal experiences of the Netherlands gave me quite a full introductory glance at Dutch history and customs. However, in the final chapter - about sex work, drugs and the appearance of tolerance - there were moments where I feared he strayed into insensitivity and showed a lack of nuance with regards to certain social issues. His brief discussions of sex work and the pros and cons seen by Dutch politicians and officials in its legalisation, whilst not necessarily problematic could have easily become tainted by his lack of personal experience and thorough research. The writing about the tradition of "festive blackface" presented in this final chapter too seemed to have suffered from a lack of nuance - this was, I believe, caused by the ambition of including such a wide lost of highly complicated and extremely politically charged issues in such a short chapter.
I would also be wrong to ignore the underlying sexism in a lot of Coates' remarks. On multiple occasions he describes "observing" women and doesn't shy away from sharing his thoughts - ultimately not outrageous remarks, these additions were not at all necessary. He also closes the book by announcing his return home to the Netherlands 'where my new wife, the skinny girl, was waiting' - take that as you will.
Overall the book introduced me to a history I had otherwise only brushed by. I'd recommend this to anyone interested, but perhaps take the more personal and opinion-based elements with a pinch of salt and look to more specific research for greater nuance. Coated reminds us multiple times of his somewhat conservative political views and, although he doesn't appear hostile to marginalised groups, the insensitivity and oft questionable joviality when freely discussing social and political issues with an apparent lack of research was at times apparent. Despite my criticisms I did find the book funny at times, and it has introduced me to the complexity of Dutch social, political and geographical history.
The first half of the book was particularly successful I felt. The way Coates weaves history and his own personal experiences of the Netherlands gave me quite a full introductory glance at Dutch history and customs. However, in the final chapter - about sex work, drugs and the appearance of tolerance - there were moments where I feared he strayed into insensitivity and showed a lack of nuance with regards to certain social issues. His brief discussions of sex work and the pros and cons seen by Dutch politicians and officials in its legalisation, whilst not necessarily problematic could have easily become tainted by his lack of personal experience and thorough research. The writing about the tradition of "festive blackface" presented in this final chapter too seemed to have suffered from a lack of nuance - this was, I believe, caused by the ambition of including such a wide lost of highly complicated and extremely politically charged issues in such a short chapter.
I would also be wrong to ignore the underlying sexism in a lot of Coates' remarks. On multiple occasions he describes "observing" women and doesn't shy away from sharing his thoughts - ultimately not outrageous remarks, these additions were not at all necessary. He also closes the book by announcing his return home to the Netherlands 'where my new wife, the skinny girl, was waiting' - take that as you will.
Overall the book introduced me to a history I had otherwise only brushed by. I'd recommend this to anyone interested, but perhaps take the more personal and opinion-based elements with a pinch of salt and look to more specific research for greater nuance. Coated reminds us multiple times of his somewhat conservative political views and, although he doesn't appear hostile to marginalised groups, the insensitivity and oft questionable joviality when freely discussing social and political issues with an apparent lack of research was at times apparent. Despite my criticisms I did find the book funny at times, and it has introduced me to the complexity of Dutch social, political and geographical history.
February 17, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Coates weaves his own experience as a British expat in the Netherlands with the country's history and culture, explaining how the Dutch are different from other Europeans and how they got that way.
Although the metaphors and similes are at times labored and jarring, the writing overall is excellent. I liked the way the book was structured. In each chapter the author addresses a specific aspect of Dutch history and culture - their battle to tame the sea, the German occupation during WW2, etc. - and examines it both through the lens of his own personal experience and through the wider lens of Dutch history. For example, in his chapter entitled "Sex Drugs and the Limits of Tolerance," he discusses the famous Dutch liberality, while describing his experience of a traditional Dutch Sinterklaas event, complete with a very racist traditional character called Zwarte Piet (Black Pete).
Coates' personal experience and the larger view of Dutch history and culture are interwoven seamlessly, making the book both entertaining and educational. My husband and I traveled in the Netherlands ourselves a couple of years ago, and Coates' observations confirmed many of our own, but I also learned some things in this book that I hadn't known or observed. I would definitely read Coates' other book The Rhine: Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps.
Like my reviews? Check out my blog at http://www.kathrynbashaar.com/blog/
Author of The Saint's Mistress: https://www.bing.com/search?q=amazon....
This book was en
Although the metaphors and similes are at times labored and jarring, the writing overall is excellent. I liked the way the book was structured. In each chapter the author addresses a specific aspect of Dutch history and culture - their battle to tame the sea, the German occupation during WW2, etc. - and examines it both through the lens of his own personal experience and through the wider lens of Dutch history. For example, in his chapter entitled "Sex Drugs and the Limits of Tolerance," he discusses the famous Dutch liberality, while describing his experience of a traditional Dutch Sinterklaas event, complete with a very racist traditional character called Zwarte Piet (Black Pete).
Coates' personal experience and the larger view of Dutch history and culture are interwoven seamlessly, making the book both entertaining and educational. My husband and I traveled in the Netherlands ourselves a couple of years ago, and Coates' observations confirmed many of our own, but I also learned some things in this book that I hadn't known or observed. I would definitely read Coates' other book The Rhine: Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps.
Like my reviews? Check out my blog at http://www.kathrynbashaar.com/blog/
Author of The Saint's Mistress: https://www.bing.com/search?q=amazon....
This book was en
March 13, 2023
This was the first book I checked out with my new Amsterdam library card. It is a nice overview of many major pillars of Dutch history and culture, but the reading experience is a mixed bag.
Coates does a really nice job explaining the history of the Netherlands; the chapter on the Nazi occupation was particularly interesting to me. I even liked the long chapter on the history of Dutch football, which I never imagined could hold my attention.
But every chapter begins and ends with Coates’ personal experiences, which often felt shoehorned into the chapter in order to provide a simplistic narrative device to frame a larger topic. For example, the chapter on the history of Muslim immigration and integration into Dutch society is bookended by the author’s experience at a dull, sparsely attended political rally. Did we really need to know about this boring march in the rain that the author himself didn’t even seem to find particularly engaging? Just skip it and tell us the interesting stuff.
I wanted more history and culture from this book and less of Coates’ own personal stories and opinions. He is a pretty good writer when he gets out of his own way and shares the foibles of the Netherlands. But his personal anecdotes fell flat.
Finally, it’s a small thing, but Coates seems almost completely unable to write about women without describing their bodies and how hot (or not) they are. There are a bunch of cringe little descriptions of women in this book. Where a man’s appearance is either barely described or not mentioned at all, Coates will devote 1-2 sentences to tell us about a woman’s long blonde hair or cute smile or “ample breasts” or whatever. It’s not enough to ruin the book, but it was an annoying literary paper cut for me. Yuck.
Coates does a really nice job explaining the history of the Netherlands; the chapter on the Nazi occupation was particularly interesting to me. I even liked the long chapter on the history of Dutch football, which I never imagined could hold my attention.
But every chapter begins and ends with Coates’ personal experiences, which often felt shoehorned into the chapter in order to provide a simplistic narrative device to frame a larger topic. For example, the chapter on the history of Muslim immigration and integration into Dutch society is bookended by the author’s experience at a dull, sparsely attended political rally. Did we really need to know about this boring march in the rain that the author himself didn’t even seem to find particularly engaging? Just skip it and tell us the interesting stuff.
I wanted more history and culture from this book and less of Coates’ own personal stories and opinions. He is a pretty good writer when he gets out of his own way and shares the foibles of the Netherlands. But his personal anecdotes fell flat.
Finally, it’s a small thing, but Coates seems almost completely unable to write about women without describing their bodies and how hot (or not) they are. There are a bunch of cringe little descriptions of women in this book. Where a man’s appearance is either barely described or not mentioned at all, Coates will devote 1-2 sentences to tell us about a woman’s long blonde hair or cute smile or “ample breasts” or whatever. It’s not enough to ruin the book, but it was an annoying literary paper cut for me. Yuck.
August 5, 2018
As an occasional tourist of the Netherlands, with Dutch heritage and a fondness for the country, I was drawn to this book in the underground AKO bookstore in Amsterdam Centraal Station this summer.
I was pleasantly surprised by this little book. The author, a British expat, ends up marrying his Dutch girlfriend, and takes the reader on little side trips and experiences through his adopted country, interweaving interesting commentary on Dutch history and culture into his travelogue. His prose flows easily, and he gets his main points across without going into too much detail, keeping things light, sometimes humorous, and fairly informative. I don't think the author is 100% accurate on all his opinions, and some nuances and details of history are obviously left out for brevity, but for readers wanting a fun, engaging read while learning some basics about this tiny nation that had a huge effect on the world, I heartily recommend it.
I was pleasantly surprised by this little book. The author, a British expat, ends up marrying his Dutch girlfriend, and takes the reader on little side trips and experiences through his adopted country, interweaving interesting commentary on Dutch history and culture into his travelogue. His prose flows easily, and he gets his main points across without going into too much detail, keeping things light, sometimes humorous, and fairly informative. I don't think the author is 100% accurate on all his opinions, and some nuances and details of history are obviously left out for brevity, but for readers wanting a fun, engaging read while learning some basics about this tiny nation that had a huge effect on the world, I heartily recommend it.
April 28, 2019
About as fair and balanced as one could get. Coates integrates historical background, travel narrative, and current socio-political climate well. Disclaimer that I skipped the chapter on football (Am: soccer) as it may as well have been written in Dutch as far as I'm concerned, zero knowledge or interest.
My library doesn't have The Rhine: Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps, but this one held my interest quite well, so would consider purchasing that book.
My library doesn't have The Rhine: Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps, but this one held my interest quite well, so would consider purchasing that book.
May 22, 2022
Честно казано може би имах други очаквания относно книгата. Имах чувството , че чета информационна брошура или някакъв учебник . Много от нещата ми се сториха твърде детайлни и информацията беше като статистическа извадка. Лично аз не усетих атмосферата и духа на Нидерландия или просто очакванията ми бяха трърде завишени .
November 5, 2016
As a Dutchman who has lived away from Holland for most of my life, this book explains a lot and has given me a much better insight into my genetic and cultural make up...
February 13, 2018
An interesting book, I grabbed it on my way back from Amsterdam at Schiphol airport, and it’s an interesting take on all that is Dutch, especially one staring with a strange lens from Arabia.
May 20, 2020
https://bloodyrosered.wordpress.com/2...
Открих Нидерландия миналата година. Никога не ми бе представлявала интерес, докато една от най-близките ми приятелки не я избра за свой дом. И понеже има приятели, за които си струва дори да хванеш самолета, се случи така, че да открия Нидерландия и се влюбих. Хареса ми всичко, което видях и усетих (и не, дори не съм опитвала тревата и браунитата им).
При мен Нидерландия беше любов от пръв поглед. Дори в залят от туристи град като Амстердам усещах спокойствие, всичко беше красиво, зелено, а хората бяха усмихнати и никъде не видях един осъдителен поглед. За това, като видях книгата сгушена в книжарницата, я взех без дори да се замисля. За мен тя е като малък пътеводител през някои от най-големите градове в Нидерландия и някои ключови моменти в историята ѝ.
Беше ми интересно чисто исторически да прочета за техния Златен век, изследователските пътешествия и търговията, за Втората Световна война, както и за всички войни, през които страната е минала.
Книгата е събрала в себе си от всичко по малко. Има време за култура, за история, за футбол, разказва за нравите и порядките, за емигрантите, за всичко. Това, което я направи и доста интересна за мен, бе фактът, че е написана през очите на англичанин, емигрирал в Нидерландия. Определено вече знам разликата между това да обикаляш местата от туристическите журнали и това, което хора, живеещи в Нидерландия биха избрали да ти покажат. Бен Коутс прави приятно балансиран микс и от двете. Попадайки случайно там, той не гледа на нея напълно като холандец, но не гледа на нея и като турист.
Избира приятно разнообразие от комерсиални дестинации и такива, които не биха изкочили във всеки пътеводител. Засяга политически теми, както и футболни теми. Така де, за къде без прословутата футболна революция на лалетата.
Виждайки Нидерландия през очите на един от най-скъпите си хора, а после и през погледа на съвършено непознат, ме накара да я заобичам още повече. Страниците на книгата ме размечтаха и ме накара да искам веднага да си купя билет за натам.
Книгата е за хора, които искат да научат повече за Нидерландия, но не им се четат сухи атласи и туристически журнали. Написана е на разговорен език, давайки идеи за дестинации, а също и предлагайки и по-широк културен поглед на една нация. Препоръчвам я с две ръце, без значение дали планувате пътуване до там или не, но съм сигурна, че прочетете ли я ще искате да я видите през вашия собствен поглед.
Открих Нидерландия миналата година. Никога не ми бе представлявала интерес, докато една от най-близките ми приятелки не я избра за свой дом. И понеже има приятели, за които си струва дори да хванеш самолета, се случи така, че да открия Нидерландия и се влюбих. Хареса ми всичко, което видях и усетих (и не, дори не съм опитвала тревата и браунитата им).
При мен Нидерландия беше любов от пръв поглед. Дори в залят от туристи град като Амстердам усещах спокойствие, всичко беше красиво, зелено, а хората бяха усмихнати и никъде не видях един осъдителен поглед. За това, като видях книгата сгушена в книжарницата, я взех без дори да се замисля. За мен тя е като малък пътеводител през някои от най-големите градове в Нидерландия и някои ключови моменти в историята ѝ.
Беше ми интересно чисто исторически да прочета за техния Златен век, изследователските пътешествия и търговията, за Втората Световна война, както и за всички войни, през които страната е минала.
Книгата е събрала в себе си от всичко по малко. Има време за култура, за история, за футбол, разказва за нравите и порядките, за емигрантите, за всичко. Това, което я направи и доста интересна за мен, бе фактът, че е написана през очите на англичанин, емигрирал в Нидерландия. Определено вече знам разликата между това да обикаляш местата от туристическите журнали и това, което хора, живеещи в Нидерландия биха избрали да ти покажат. Бен Коутс прави приятно балансиран микс и от двете. Попадайки случайно там, той не гледа на нея напълно като холандец, но не гледа на нея и като турист.
Избира приятно разнообразие от комерсиални дестинации и такива, които не биха изкочили във всеки пътеводител. Засяга политически теми, както и футболни теми. Така де, за къде без прословутата футболна революция на лалетата.
Виждайки Нидерландия през очите на един от най-скъпите си хора, а после и през погледа на съвършено непознат, ме накара да я заобичам още повече. Страниците на книгата ме размечтаха и ме накара да искам веднага да си купя билет за натам.
Книгата е за хора, които искат да научат повече за Нидерландия, но не им се четат сухи атласи и туристически журнали. Написана е на разговорен език, давайки идеи за дестинации, а също и предлагайки и по-широк културен поглед на една нация. Препоръчвам я с две ръце, без значение дали планувате пътуване до там или не, но съм сигурна, че прочетете ли я ще искате да я видите през вашия собствен поглед.
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