The international publishing sensation–over six million copies sold worldwide!
A reluctant centenarian much like Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert with a fondness for vodka) decides it’s not too late to start over . . .
After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health, … in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant).
It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.
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This book is like Forest Gump, the main character is involved with all the major happenings in the world in the last century…tnt discovery, Lenin, Mao, etc. And he has many humorous adventures.
Recommend to anyone looking for an entertaining read.
Hilarious and clever but also totally ridiculous!
The story starts when 100-year-old Allen climbs out of the window to escape his birthday party. He ends up involved in a couple of murders and on the run with a suitcase of money, an elephant, an over-educated hot dog seller, his girlfriend and a couple of criminals. The police and media are hot on his tail trying to piece together the bizarre clues left behind as the strange group make their way across Sweden.
Alongside the escape from the old people’s home, we learn of Allen’s past which is every bit as ludicrous. Allen has been involved in most of the major world events and on drinking terms with presidents and dictators alike since 1929 when he blew up his home.
Great fun. Quite a long book but great fun and not too taxing.
It was brilliant. A friend had given it to me to read and I let it sit for a while simply because the cover did not strike my attention. Well, you know the old saying “Never judge a…” Funny, historical, and should go down as a classic. Forest Gump doesn’t even come close. Ralph Griffith, author
From the very beginning, the tale surprised me at every turn. Comic, warm, and knowing, it speaks of a life well lived–or not.
Someone suggested that my new novel, The Silver Sting was in the same vein as this book, so I read it. The similarity begins and ends with the fact that the characters in both are highly entertaining. I enjoyed The 100 Year Old Man… but struggled with the length of it.
As dead bodies turn up—from time to time—in his wake, Allan Emmanuel Karlsson lives his life in a “que sera sera, what will be, will be” manner. For a man who doesn’t like to push himself forward, he sometimes knowingly (other times not so much), influences world developments. An explosives expert (think atom bomb), he’s on a first-name basis with multiple political leaders across the globe—most of whom are interested in his skill-set. His only other skill is making vodka from goat’s milk, which helps to promote the feeling that everything will work out just fine…
What a wonderful book! You’ll fall in love with the life story of Allan Karlsson. For a man with no interest in politics, he meets nearly every world leader of his lifetime and effects them all. This charming, well-written, humorous tale follows Allan’s life from the day he turns 100. Such adventures await him in his future and rest behind in his past.
You’ll laugh your way through this book.
This is laugh out loud funny.
The 100 year old man who climbed out the window by Jonas Jonasson
Strange but very entertaining!
One-hundred-year-old Allan Karlsson is Sweden’s answer to Forrest Gump–and then some! This wryly screwball comic and satirical novel not only elaborates on his crazy adventures in 2005, beginning on the day of his 100th birthday, but also takes the reader back over the course of his life’s history. That history involves his unintended encounters with major international events and figures, among whom (in no particular order via this review) are Francisco Franco, Marshal Beria, Harry S. Truman, Joseph Stalin, Chiang-Kai-shek, Mao-Tse-tung, and Kim Jong Il.
My sole caveats for at least some potential readers are the following. First, although this is a comic novel, I smiled more than grinned or chuckled aloud as I made my way through it, so I’d be surprised if other readers experienced belly laughs. Second, the author favors–at least in the English translation–narrative over dialogue. This is not to suggest that dialogue is absent, but that with the exceptions of a few chapters, it delineates characters less than in many others when narrative explains their thoughts and actions.
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Clever, humorously written, and lighthearted to read. BUT……
Allan Karlsson is a Swedish centenarian who, like Forrest Gump, seems to always be in the right place at the right time when it comes to important historical events.
The book tells two stories about him. One is the adventure he has when he skips out of the nursing home celebration of his 100th birthday. That one involves a stolen suitcase, gangsters, mistaken identities, and a bumbled police pursuit. The second story is the story of Karlsson’s life which includes some time institutionalized, a stint at Los Alamos when the first atomic bomb was being build, and periodic meet-ups with a host of important global figures from the 20th century. I won’t list them so I don’t spoil any surprises but he turns out to be a key historical figure himself.
As for my reaction to the book– I completely enjoyed the first third, maybe even half. But after a while I felt like I was in the middle of someone telling a joke that goes on for too long. To put it another way, I think this book is about 100 pages too long to support both its humor and premise. Let me know if you feel differently.
The 100-Year-Old Man… is a fun, Swedish version of a geriatric Forrest Gump. If you are looking for a break from the serious, and can indulge in some wild imagination, this book may be for you. Besides entertainment, the lasting message is not to take yourself, or life too seriously. And yes, if I live to be 100 years old, I also want to run away from the senior home, go on an adventure, meet new friends, and say “Wasn’t life grand?”
An amusing tale with quirky characters. Not for the frivolous reader, but one who enjoys simmering subtlety.
I just loved this book. One might wonder just how much mischief can a 100 year old man get into. Read this book to find out.
Hilarious to the core…
Best read of this year for me. There is no way you can predict the events in this book. The characters are wonderful…even the elephant. The story develops with layers and the pace picks up without losing needed details. This is a witty book written brilliantly!
I laughed and laughed! The old man, the money, the mob, and so many unlikely characters coming together was a work of art. Great read!
I laughed out loud while reading this book. Very unusual and entertaining.