It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people’s home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The Mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not… Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan’s earlier life in which – remarkably – he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. Already a huge bestseller across Europe, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a fun and feel-good book for all ages.
Review:
Each character has a backstory and each backstory is intertwined with the main story. The main character, Allan Karlsson's story is told in alternating segments of the current story and his backstory. I found the writing style helped make this meandering novel an entertaining read.
Because Karlsson's life is woven into political and world history, part of the plot featured famous world leaders and famous world events. Since I am only vaguely aware of such historical events, I found it difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction. I guess this allowed me to suspend my disbelief more than others might because to me, aside from the main character's participation, it could all have been true.
The plot and the characters were intriguing enough that I wanted to continue reading. I liked the writing style and the happy ending(s). I liked that there was a full-figured, red-haired woman nicknamed The Beauty...I love when a character resembles me.
Read on,
Paula
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