“Written with love, told with joy. Very easy to enjoy.”–Fredrik Backman, author of A Man Called Ove For fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared comes a heartwarming debut about 96-year-old Doris, who writes down the memories of her eventful life as she pages through her decades-old address book. But the most profound moment of her … address book. But the most profound moment of her life is still to come . . .
Meet Doris, a 96-year-old woman living alone in her Stockholm apartment. She has few visitors, but her weekly Skype calls with Jenny–her American grandniece, and her only relative–give her great joy and remind her of her own youth.
When Doris was a girl, she was given an address book by her father, and ever since she has carefully documented everyone she met and loved throughout the years. Looking through the little book now, Doris sees the many crossed-out names of people long gone and is struck by the urge to put pen to paper. In writing down the stories of her colorful past–working as a maid in Sweden, modelling in Paris during the 30s, fleeing to Manhattan at the dawn of the Second World War–can she help Jenny, haunted by a difficult childhood, unlock the secrets of their family and finally look to the future? And whatever became of Allan, the love of Doris’s life?
A charming novel that prompts reflection on the stories we all should carry to the next generation, and the surprises in life that can await even the oldest among us, The Red Address Book introduces Sofia Lundberg as a wise–and irresistible–storyteller.
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Written with love, told with joy. Very easy to enjoy.
In a reader’s lifetime, there are a few books that will be companions forever. For me, The Red Address Book is one of them. It will comfort you, and remind you of all the moments when you grabbed life with both hands. It is also an homage to the wisdom of women who have lived longer than most of us. One is never too old to learn that love is the only meaning of life — let’s listen to these women.
A MUST READ!!
Doris is 96, lives alone in Stockholm, and only has a niece in the United States that she Skypes with.
Doris has caregivers stopping by during the day and is essentially alone except for her memories and the red address book her father gave to her when she was thirteen. The red address book has kept track of every person she has met over her life time.
At thirteen after her father died, Doris was forced into becoming a servant in a wealthy household since her mother couldn’t afford to feed her. While in the wealthy household, a model agency saw Doris and Doris became a living mannequin in Paris.
THE RED ADDRESS BOOK takes us back and forth in Doris’ life as she reminisces about her past and all the people that have been in and have touched her life.
This book was a beautiful, beautiful read that I didn’t want to end.
It was heartwarming as well as heartbreaking.
For a debut novel, the author did a marvelous job with the dual time line and with keeping my interest.
I truly enjoyed Doris’ interesting life story. It made me want to document anything in my life that might be important for my family to know.
If you are in need of a book that will have you remembering and loving the characters and the story line long after you close the last page, THE RED ADDRESS BOOK will be a welcome read.
I absolutely LOVED this book that was filled with love and a book everyone needs to read. 5/5
This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley and BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.
When my mom was downsizing to go into a nursing home, she asked all of us what we wanted. One of my main requests was her address book. She not only had address of friends and family but birthdates and dates for marriages and years that their children were born – a small history of her friends and family. Her connection with address book is what first made me want to read The Red Address Book and I was thrilled when I won a copy from Bookish Firsts. I definitely enjoyed the novel. Yes, it was sad throughout but I also found it full of love and the acceptance that a well lived life that was coming to an end.
Doris is 96 years old and has a red address book that her father gave to her as a child. She crosses out each entry when the person dies and at her age there are more people crossed out than not. She uses the address book to remind herself of her earlier life and adventures and is then writing those down for her niece Jenny. Jenny lives in San Francisco and Doris in Stockholm so Doris doesn’t know if they’ll see each other again and she wants Jenny to know about her life. I thought that the story of Doris’s life was lovely and full of fantastic memories. She traveled from Sweden to Paris to American and then back to Sweden and her life was full of adventures. I find her life quite exciting.
Overall, this is a wonderful but sad book about the memories of an elderly woman as her days on earth are coming to an end. I highly recommend it.
This was a somewhat sad but very interesting book which is the reviewing of an old address book by a lonely, elderly woman. Doris, the narrator, is 96 years old and not in the best of health. She lives alone, in Stockholm, and has only the company of her daily caregivers, who swoop in and out of her apartment after attending to their duties, such as feeding, bathing and light housekeeping. She also Skypes with Jenny, her American grand-niece, who dearly loves her aunt. One day Doris suffers a fall and is hospitalized in very serious condition. Jenny and her youngest daughter fly from San Francisco to Stockholm to be with Doris. The story of Doris’ life is spelled out beautifully in chapters titled with the names of all the individuals in Doris’ red address book. The stories are all written by Doris, in her lonely moments, in an attempt to make certain Jenny knows as much as possible about her family history and Doris’ life in particular. A fascinating read. Strongly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.
This is one of those books that give you a feel good feeling after reading it, but also make you think a bit.
We meet Doris, who is 96 years old and very lonely except the Skype calls with her (grandniece) , throughout the book we learn long with Jenny Doris’s past and what all she life has dealt her.
All the people she met in her life and what and how big of an impact on her life that had.
The book heartwarming, but very emotional all over. Happy and sad, the good, the bad and even the ugly side of her life is laid out, all with the ups and downs.
I loved the writing, it just kept you glued and engaged to the story until the very last pages.
I really enjoyed how it all came together in the end.
Overall I really enjoyed this quick but fun and heartwarming book.
I rate it 4
The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg is a charmer of a novel that will capture the hearts of readers.
At 96, Doris is frail and bears the marks of her age, the wrinkles and the thinning pure white hair. But Doris knows she still has something to offer–her story–and with the aid of the red address book her father gave her as a child, Doris writers her recollections on her laptop, a gift of love to her grandniece Jenny.
Hearing that Doris is hospitalized, Jenny leaves behind her husband and two children to manage on their own in America, taking their baby with her to Sweden. Jenny won’t let the woman who saved her die alone.
Doris writes about the early death of her beloved father, her time in service, her life as a mannequin in 1920s Paris. She tells about her loves and losses, the devastation of WWII, her struggles to survive in America and eventual return to Sweden. Her story is rife with losses and hardships that show #metoo is born out of a timeless and universal concern.
The secondary plot line of Jenny’s life, born to an addict mother and her struggle with feelings of being unloved, brings to the novel another relatable layer for contemporary readers.
The Red Address Book has been an international best-seller and I expect it will meet with huge success among American readers. I would recommend it to book clubs as an easy to read book with likable characters, interesting historical settings, an engaging plot line, and as a heartbreaking romance story.
I received an ARC through BookishFirst in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Sofia Lundberg’s The Red Address Book is a charming little story of a ninety-six-year-old woman, Doris, who has written down all of her memories of people she has known in her life. Doris did not have an easy life. She received a little red address book from her father at Christmas when she was a young girl. She uses the names in the address book to reveal the memories of her life to tell her life story for her great-niece Jenny.
Doris suffers so many painful hardships throughout her life. The reader often wonders how she is able to keep going. She does. Jenny travels to be with Doris at the end. As Jenny reads through the memories Doris has written, Jenny learns about herself too. And the ending is so sweet. I found myself weeping happy, sad tears.
Thank you to Bookish First and Thorndike for an ARC of this book.
Doris is dying. She does not want her memories to die with her, so she is writing them all out for her only living relative, her precious grandniece, Jenny. She goes through the red address book, the one her father gave her when she was just a girl. She has cherished the little book all her life, writing down those whom she has loved during her lifetime. She noticed all the names that she has crossed out through the years, the names of those she has lost to death. There are too many as she comes the end of her exceptionally long life! Half of this book is Doris’s account to Jenny. The other half takes place in the present, as Doris’s health declines.
This is a wonderful, tender, emotional book. In it, our author stresses the importance of family and friends. She reminds us that our experiences, good and bad, are what our life is all about. The author also conveys the idea that life often does not turn out as we plan.
This book is beautifully and poignantly written.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I was given this memoir to read for a true and honest review from Bookish First. Thank you for offering this read. I just finished it and there are happy tears in my eyes. This is one of those books that you do not want to end. I did not expect to enjoy reading this book so much. It is a well told story of love, with entries made in an address book. It is Doris’ life story as she is telling It to her great niece Jenny. The book goes back and forth from the present to the past. The characters are real and believable. This is one of those books that you do not want to end. All in all it was a very enjoyable read. I certainly will read others by this author and truly recommend this book.
At just 10 years old, Doris received the most precious gift ever, a lovely red leather address book from her father. Now 96 years old, Doris has used it to keep track of the most important people in her life. At present, she is using it to jog her memory as she recounts her life in a journal she plans to give to her closest living relative, grand-niece Jenny.
Doris still lives at home and has caretakers who check on her daily. It’s easy for them to see her as she is now (weak and frail) and to forget about all she must have experienced during her long life. Even Jenny is unaware of her great aunt’s triumphs and defeats so her journal will serve as a long-lasting legacy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful and moving story and didn’t want it to end. The ending was equal parts devastating and heartwarming, and the overall message of this story was one I won’t soon forget.
Location: Sweden (Stockholm), France (Paris) and NYC
This was a beautiful story and I would highly recommend it.
The loved the story line. I wasn’t sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. It was written in good taste.
A life well lived, takes place in Sweden, France and the United States.
Wonderful characters, short chapters.
Sad but really interesting about Paris & the 1930’s!
This book follows the life of an elderly woman as she looks back at her life events using the address book her dad gave her as a child. She thinks of who she has had to cross out of in her book and the reader is given a peek at how these people shaped her life. Story is both sad and bittersweet. Underscores importance of the people in our lives.
Very enjoyable
This was an okay book. I really wanted to enjoy it and hoped to connect with the characters. But it just didn’t happen for me. I liked the premise of the story and the fact that it developed from the author’s aunt Doris’s address book. I did like the story about the life Doris lived, the friends she made along the way, falling in love, connections, and the tory her address book tells. This is a sentimental touching read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
This book is beautifully written. I was drawn in by Doris and her address book from the beginning. It was interesting to read about her life at different time periods and how she wanted to write everything down for Jenny so that her memories would live on even when she wasn’t. She had many heartaches in her 96 years and also some exciting times. Her time in Paris as a living mannequin, which I had never heard of, the wonderful parties that she and Eleonora attended. Falling in love with Allen and then the heartbreak when he left Paris. And all of the time in between and afterwards. I loved how Jenny went to be with her despite the reasons that she shouldn’t. This book will stay with me for a long time.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Life and death and all that happens in between. I loved this book and I loved the characters. Life does not always happen the way we want it to. A beautiful love story.