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I am glad I didn't read the description of this book, but read it because of trustworthy friends who loved it. Also, it looked a lot like A Man Called Ove, which is one of my favorite books ever.
But as it got started, and I couldn't really connect with the main character, Allan (why was he doing this, beyond a need for vodka?), I wasn't sure if I would like it. Then the flashbacks started, which made sense because the guy is 100 years old . . . but the flashbacks had a very Forrest Gump feel. I ...more
But as it got started, and I couldn't really connect with the main character, Allan (why was he doing this, beyond a need for vodka?), I wasn't sure if I would like it. Then the flashbacks started, which made sense because the guy is 100 years old . . . but the flashbacks had a very Forrest Gump feel. I ...more
This was a book that many readers sold to me as "delightful." But the body count and the empty moral compass of the main character left me cold. About half-way through it felt like a slog. Not for me--I guess I was hoping for more of a Major Pettigrew feel and this is definitely NOT that.
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I don't understand all the hype for this book. Yes, it's kind of like Forrest Gump on a road trip (which sounded promising) but it is really badly written and tediously tenuous the further you read through it. I finished it purely because i'm bloody-minded and was hoping that after 396 pages there would be some heart-warming, earth-shattering, mind-altering point to the whole shitcart. Not so. I've given it 3 stars because 2 and 1 stars are, for me, for truly awful books, and this did have some
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A fun caper through one centenarian's remarkable life.
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This was a quirky, fantastic story that's sort of a comedy of errors and reminded me a bit of a more colorful Forrest Gump and a touch of A Man Called Ove.
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An enjoyable journey with centenarian Allan Karlsson. The story cuts back and forth from the present to the past. In the present Allan runs away from the nursing home and enrages a criminal gang, while in the past he touches numerous history making people and events in his long life. (If you liked that aspect of Forest Gump, you will probably like this.)
“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”
what a hoot! Where he went and who he met. . . and that's just the back story. ...more
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”
what a hoot! Where he went and who he met. . . and that's just the back story. ...more
The book had its humorous moments, but was mostly over-the-top silly. And far too long. The 100-year-old man was not a likeable character and the book dragged in parts. Yet I finished it. I'm not sure why.
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Loved it. It was a little Forest Gumpy in its use of coincidence, but a fun read from start to finish.
Jan 31, 2019
Lorie
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2020
Sterling
marked it as to-read
Jul 18, 2023
Emily
marked it as to-read
Mar 29, 2024
Lindsey
added it
