Den hundredårige der kravlede ud ad vinduet og forsvandt

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Den hundredårige der kravlede ud ad vinduet og forsvandt

by Jonas Jonasson, Anders Johansen (Translator)

3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 · rating details · 16,432 ratings · 3,258 reviews

Efter et langt og begivenhedsrigt liv havner Allan Karlsson på det plejehjem, han tror skal blive hans sidste opholdssted på denne jord. Problemet er bare, at helbredet nægter at svigte, og en dag går det hverken værre eller bedre, end at han fylder trecifret. Pomp og pragt venter med borgmester, lokalavis og hele personalet, men Allan vil ikke være med. Han kravler ud ad...more

Hardcover, 371 pages

Published 2010 by Modtryk (first published 2009)

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May 06, 2013 Richard rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pearl Ruled (p100)--coincidentally, the end of chapter 8!
***see update below***
Rating: 1.5* of five

The Book Description: The international publishing sensation--over two million copies sold 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 healt...more

91 likes · like · see review

Oct 15, 2012 Robin Webster rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the title so sums up what the book is all about. The story is set in Sweden and is about the life and adventures of our hero Allan Karlsson who on his hundredth birthday climbed out the window of his old people’s home and disappeared. He then sets out on a journey where he steals a suitcase which turns out to contain a fortune that was paid over to a group of bikers by a Russian organized crime syndicate as payment for a drug deal. There then follows an...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My first thought upon finishing this book (and the thought will sound negative but it's really not) is that it was much longer than I thought it would be. And I say that, not negatively, because truly, how much can you expect from an 100-year-old man who climbs out of a window?

Well, Allan Karlsson is not your typical 100-year-old man, and this book will prove it to you. I read some of the reviews before I started it, and many people compared the book to the movie Forrest Gump. After finishing th...more My first thought upon finishing this book (and the thought will sound negative but it's really not) is that it was much longer than I thought it would be. And I say that, not negatively, because truly, how much can you expect from an 100-year-old man who climbs out of a window?

Well, Allan Karlsson is not your typical 100-year-old man, and this book will prove it to you. I read some of the reviews before I started it, and many people compared the book to the movie Forrest Gump. After finishing the book, I realize I hadn't once thought of Forrest Gump, nor made any comparisons. (Maybe I haven't seen Forrest Gump enough times).

I enjoyed reading this book because it's very cleverly funny, and with so many historical figures thrown in you'll lose track of how Allan came into contact with them. From President Truman/Johnson/Nixon, Mao Tse-Tung, Kim Il-sung AND Kim Jong-il, Stalin, and Brezhnev, Allan's story is unbelievable and over-the-top. But the fact remains that, sometimes, life can be so unbelievable, it has to be true.

The narrative goes between Allan's history and what happens to him after he climbs out of the window of the elderly folks home on his 100th birthday. The fact that Allan is in an old folks home would lead you to believe he's a doddering old man who has been deteriorating there for some time, but in fact he'd only been in the home for a few months, and only then because he'd blown his own house to the sky.

Sound interesting?

The book follows Allan through his past and present adventures and makes the reader feel kind of bad that they haven't had a coffee with at least ONE former communist leader (what kind of life have I been leading, anyway??) unlike Allan, who has sung, danced, drank, ate, AND had coffee - with a lot of them. I enjoyed Allan as a character who is extremely mild-mannered, with absolutely no interest in politics or religion, and thus ends up working and travelling to any number of political and religious places. The storyline and characters blend and flow very well, and while this wasn't a book I couldn't put down because I HAD to know what was going to happen, it did keep my interest and I enjoyed it.

Plus...wouldn't you hope that - if you had the misfortune to make it to the age of 100 - you would be brave enough to climb out of a window and start over again?

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Oct 02, 2012 Libbeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humour, 2012

If I could have read this book at school instead of dull text books 'O'level history would have been brought to life. I enjoyed the way historical figures and events were tied in with Allan's remarkable life story, I enjoyed the characters, the daftness of it all and of course what's not to love about an elephant.

32 likes · like · see review

Apr 08, 2012 Simonne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Totally bizar book :) A Forust gump kind of feeling. I've never read any kind of book like this one.
The author made me wonder many times what to expect next and often I had a smile on my face.

A bizar great fun kind of book.

25 likes · like · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spring-2013, sweden, tbr-busting-2013, published-2009, those-autumn-years, adventure, amusing, debut, historical-fiction, e-book, translation

Nutty NUUT read

Bokia Kungälv scan

This read like a cross between Zelig and Forest Gump, with added elephant. And they all lived happily ever after.

Pockets of self-conscious writing made for some cringe-worthy moments.

#69 TBR Busting 2013

20 likes · like · see review

Feb 29, 2012 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One hour before the celebrations for his 100th birthday are to start Allan Karlsson decides that he has had enough of life in the retirement home where he lives, especially of the bossy nurse named Alice, climbs out of his window and walks of.
Allan doesn’t have a clear plan as to where he wants to go, he just wants to get away. On his slippers he slowly makes his way to the bus station. While he’s waiting for the first bus that can take him further away a young man asks him to mind a big suitcas...more One hour before the celebrations for his 100th birthday are to start Allan Karlsson decides that he has had enough of life in the retirement home where he lives, especially of the bossy nurse named Alice, climbs out of his window and walks of.
Allan doesn’t have a clear plan as to where he wants to go, he just wants to get away. On his slippers he slowly makes his way to the bus station. While he’s waiting for the first bus that can take him further away a young man asks him to mind a big suitcase while he uses the toilet, which Allan, always happy to help others, does. But, when the bus arrives before the young man has returned, Allan takes the suitcase with him.
Allan only travels as far as a 50 Swedish Krona note will allow. When he gets of the bus with his suitcase he finds himself near a no longer operational railway station where he meets Julius Jonsson with whom he has dinner and quite a few drinks.
Meanwhile, the young man is very upset that his suitcase has gone and is determined to find the old man and get his suitcase back before his boss finds out what has happened.
Allan and Julius soon discover that the suitcase is filled with millions worth of Krona and realise that who ever the case belongs to will want it back.
And so a madcap road trip starts with Allan and Julius trying to stay ahead of both the police, who are looking for the missing old-age pensioner, and the gang wanting their money back. And while they’re travelling the two man acquire companions where-ever they go.
At the same time the story of Allan Karlsson’s very long and very remarkable life is told. A life during which he was part of major historical events. A life so filled with adventure that it is a miracle that he managed to reach the ripe old age of 100th.

This is a fantastical book and not a story to be taken seriously. It is also a very funny story that had me laughing out loud on several occasions. Both the main characters life and his escape from the home are highly improbable and or the more fun for it.
Allan has a very simplistic outlook on life. What will happen will happen and there’s no point getting upset or worried about it, and that is the attitude that carries him through adventure after adventure.
I don’t think there is a single character in this book who isn’t either stupid, innocent or corrupt (and often a combination of the three) and that goes for both the fictional and the historically real characters.
I saw this book described as a Swedish Forrest Gump and I think that is a very accurate picture. Allan does meet all sorts of important people and is involved in, if not responsible for, all sorts of world changing events during his adventures.
Not a book to read if you want your literature to be serious or true to life. If however you are looking for a good natured fun read, this is a book you should look forward to and read as soon as it becomes available. It is no accident this book sold over 750.000 copies in Sweden, where it also won the Swedish Booksellers Award and has been in the Dutch bestseller’s list for nearly a year.
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May 27, 2012 Catriona rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A charming, sweet and often hilarious black comedy.
Enter the world of Allan Karlsson - the 100 year old explosives expert who, during his rather extraordinary century, has met some of the most influential of world leaders, stolen from a ferocious gang member whilst he was in the toilet, developed an affinity with Sonja (who doesn't often take to people - she's quite a discerning elephant) and is a very loyal and protective cat owner.
Not one for sitting quietly when it's time to do something, Al...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, fiction, humour, read-in-2012

Let’s be honest, it’s a ridiculous title. I like ridiculous titles though, they breed curiosity at the very least (even if they do get shortened in discussion for ease and amusement – my favourite shortened title thus far is “Heartbreaking sh*tty sh*itness” – 5 points to the person who works out the full title first). So when Betty picked this for book club this month, I was at least drawn in by the title (and of course by the author’s fantastic name). And the ridiculousness of the title most d...more
Let’s be honest, it’s a ridiculous title. I like ridiculous titles though, they breed curiosity at the very least (even if they do get shortened in discussion for ease and amusement – my favourite shortened title thus far is “Heartbreaking sh*tty sh*itness” – 5 points to the person who works out the full title first). So when Betty picked this for book club this month, I was at least drawn in by the title (and of course by the author’s fantastic name). And the ridiculousness of the title most definitely suits the equally ridiculous story.

It does pretty much what it says on the tin (er…cover) – a centenarian climbs out of the window of his old-people’s home and vanishes. Except he doesn’t vanish, because we follow his adventure, as well as learning about all the fantastic escapades he had through his life. Fantastic they most definitely are, spanning almost the entire twentieth century and including lunch with pretty much every world leader going. The story itself gets quite absurd and I know that grates on some people – in fact, I’m surprised it didn’t grate on me (when I read the blurb, I was certainly expecting it to) but in fact, the more ridiculous the story gets, and the more that the reader is asked to suspend belief, the more wonderful the novel becomes.

Its comedy starts out light but gradually becomes laugh-out-loud hilarity and my husband-to-be shot more than one glance at me for my random chuckles as he attempted to watch TV. In fact, when I related some of the tales and misadventures to him, they became even funnier and at one point, we were both creased over with happy tears in our eyes and I couldn’t get to the end of my sentence (he hadn’t read it of course, but laughter is contagious and some of the events are down-right riotous).

Allan (the centenarian) is a magnificent character with a wonderful attitude to life, and I wonder whether a carefree and positive view on life is the way to get to that grand old age. That or the substantial amounts of vodka the characters here seem to drink. He wasn’t the only endearing character either – I loved them all, even down to the cartoon depictions of Stalin and Truman. Herbert Einstein is seat-wettingly funny, Benny is fantastically clever and the Never Again crew should win awards for cheesiest criminal gang in existence.

This is a feel-good novel down to the ground. It’s a pleasantly light and humorous farce, interspersed with a brief history of communism and the atomic bomb. It’s the first book in a long while that has given me a good deal of a trance like ‘book hangover’ and has made me want to delve into the hitherto unknown (to me) world of Swedish literature. I just hope they don’t all spend so long naming the cars that their protagonists use!
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Oct 08, 2011 Elsje rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

Ben benieuwd of de Boeddha-beelden nog langskomen op z'n oude dag...Als je op zoek bent naar een leuk boek voor tussendoor, raad ik je van harte Jonas Jonassons 100 jarige man aan. Ik kreeg het voor m'n verjaardag van mijn IRL-leesgroep: dank, meiden!

Het verhaal
Allan Karlsson wordt in mei 2005 100 jaar. Een kwartier voordat hij opgehaald zal worden door de leiding van het bejaardenhuis waar hij woont, besluit hij niet mee te doen aan de feestelijkheden: hij stapt uit het raam en loopt (schuifelt...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Hal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 12-reads

This novel is absolutely insane! It destroys any image you may have of the stoic, humorless Swede. You may want to avoid reading this book in public. Your guffaws, snickers and smiles are apt to draw weird looks from folks around you.

"The 100-Year-Old Man..." was a hit when first published in Swedish and continued as a comedic smash when translated into English.

It is certainly a rewriting of history. You meet a Franco, a Truman, a Mao, a Nixon and others along the way who are nothing like the hi...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Noeleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading Jonas Jonasson’s The Hundred-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. I did know that I was in the mood for a right aul giggle and this little gem of a story most certainly didn't disappoint.

Taking us on a journey through the main historical events of the 20th century, Allan Karlsson has certainly lived an eventful, out of the ordinary, crazy life, meeting the top players in the political arena as he does so. Not only that,...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Jennie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: popular-fiction

And the title was so promising...

Dumb. Oh so dumb. The humor, if it could be called that, is roughly on par with children's knock knock jokes. And this feeble comedy is hammered on with an incredible relentlessness over 400 pages.

Ha ha...people drink vodka! Ha ha! A man who doesn't like politics meets every important political leader over 5 decades...ha ha! Religion and politics are dumb. Guffaw guffaw.

I actively groaned more times than be counted. I suppose this title will be the darling of b...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Lance Greenfield Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As you would expect, there would have been plenty of events and adventures in the life of any centenarian. But Allan Karlsson is exceptional by any standards. You would not believe what he has been trough in his one hundred years on the planet. He has come close to meeting an early, and violent, end on many occasions, and this continues during his latest adventure which commences on his one-hundredth birthday when he climbs out of his bedroom window at the old folks' home to escape from his unwa...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Angela Oliver rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, would-not-re-read

First it was funny, then it was tedious, then it was just annoying. The name dropping, the fact that one person could have such an influence on world politics. Very farcical. I think what bugged me the most was when they convinced the police officer to join them. Everything was just too smooth, too convenient. I struggled to finish it and I cannot understand what all the hype is about. The writing style seemed off to - aside from the lack of speech marks, there was a lot of repetition and unnece...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Alcornell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

laugh out loud-funny, and deeply sad and human in places; great relief from the Svensk-noir trend currently on the best seller lists. and if aging has you down this is a real tonic. Everyone has hit on the Forest Gump reference, but Gump meets who? the narrator in Water For Elephants and all the townspeople in Waking Ned Devine and Ballykissangel? Karlsson is an intrepid voyager thru life, with a gift for not reflecting too much. Add to that his love for vodka, his gift of gab, and know-how with...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Peter rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-dutch, fiction

Dit is een belachelijk verhaal. Nu is dat niet per definitie slecht, want Forrest Gump is ook niet bepaald een waarheidsgetrouwe weergave van de wereldgeschiedenis. De honderdjarige... speelt flink leentjebuur bij dat boek / die film, maar dan met een vrijwel karakterloze hoofdpersoon (Allan Karlsson is net als de schrijfstijl van Jonasson droogkomisch, en hij is apolitiek en emotieloos, maar daar is het wel mee gezegd). Veel stukken modderen maar wat aan terwijl de schrijver zich lijkt uit te l...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Louise Robinson-Lay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. It reminded me of Forrest Gump, the obvious comparison, but with more attitude. Alan Karlsson, our hero, was certainly an interesting companion, he was an explosives expert who had met Stalin, Churchill, Truman, Mao's wife and just wanted to live an easy life. He sailed through the events of the 20th century as an impassive observer but through his observations the reader sees the history of the tumultuous century.
Alan's 100th birthday arrives and he decides to depart. His jou...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: light-funny, courtesy-of-publisher, read-in-2012

The Hundred Year Old Man is a quirky, funny and unusual novel which not only provided some light entertainment, but also brought back memories of history lessons at school all those years ago – maybe I should have paid more attention then! Had our teacher presented the dry facts of major political events in the same fashion Jonas Jonasson manages to do by re-writing the history books with the help of his very unusual hero Allan, we would certainly have shown more interest.

There were many moment...more The Hundred Year Old Man is a quirky, funny and unusual novel which not only provided some light entertainment, but also brought back memories of history lessons at school all those years ago – maybe I should have paid more attention then! Had our teacher presented the dry facts of major political events in the same fashion Jonas Jonasson manages to do by re-writing the history books with the help of his very unusual hero Allan, we would certainly have shown more interest.

There were many moments when I laughed out loud during reading this novel. I could vividly picture Allan climbing out of his window on the morning of his 100th birthday and escaping the nursing home – I bet that many hundred year olds biding their time in such a facility have entertained thoughts of doing the same! But Allan is no ordinary hundred year old (if such a thing exists – all the hundred year olds I have met have been extra-ordinary and amazing people). He is also blessed with a mischievous spirit, a wicked sense of humour, an addiction to vodka and 9 lives. Blissfully ignorant as far as politics are concerned, he is blessed with wonderful common sense and the ability to take each person at face value, which lands him in the most bizarre situations with the most unusual characters. Jonasson’s imagination has no limits where his protagonist is concerned – as the novel progresses and Allan’s past is revealed, he makes an appearance and plays a leading role in some of the most fundamental political events in last century’s history. With his colourful (and explosive) background it is no wonder that the hundred-year-old Allan manages to get into trouble as soon as he has left the nursing home behind.

I have read several reviews which compared this novel to Forrest Gump. Indeed, Allan’s involvement in certain key historical events brings back memories of the movie, but that is where the similarity ended for me. There is nothing sentimental or deep in this quirky tale of adventure and mischief, except that perhaps we should take a closer look at our senior citizens instead of labelling them as simply “old”. Allan may be advanced in years, but he could give most of us a run for our money, and his rich personal background makes most other lives pale in comparison. I loved Allan’s outlook in life – whatever is meant to happen will happen. Even in the face of his own death (several times) he is not worried or stressed.

Jonasson’s novel made a delightful change from the seriousness of life – this tale is light-hearted and fun, finds the bright side of most situations and doesn’t take itself too seriously. By defying the boundaries of truth as we know it, Jonasson has created a light, enjoyable and funny story which can be enjoyed by all ages and both genders alike. My husband is currently reading it, and I’m sure he will get as many chuckles out of it as I did – if maybe at different things. I loved Jonasson’s writing style – with his black sense of humour, no-nonsense language and keen observations, his statements hit exactly the right spot. Make sure to have a glass of icy cold vodka ready when you read this book – to toast the hero of the story, who would surely appreciate the sentiment.

PS: Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
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Oct 02, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-are, provided-by-publisher

This quirky, funny and clever novel follows the present and past adventures of the endearing Swedish centenarian, Allan Karlsson. Less than an hour before his 100th birthday celebration, Allan climbs out of the ground floor window of his nursing home with no real plan other than to avoid all the fuss. Contemplating his next move at the local bus station, he is asked to mind a young man's suitcase and hoping it's contents may be useful, absconds with it on the next bus out of town. What follows i...more
This quirky, funny and clever novel follows the present and past adventures of the endearing Swedish centenarian, Allan Karlsson. Less than an hour before his 100th birthday celebration, Allan climbs out of the ground floor window of his nursing home with no real plan other than to avoid all the fuss. Contemplating his next move at the local bus station, he is asked to mind a young man's suitcase and hoping it's contents may be useful, absconds with it on the next bus out of town. What follows is an absurd adventure as Allen is hunted by the criminal gang who wants the $50million crowns in the grey suitcase back and the police concerned for his well being, all the while collecting unusual allies in his wake.

Allan's life, we learn, is characterised by an extraordinary mix of luck and hubris. Endlessly optimistic and resourceful, as Allan travels across Sweden with the grey suitcase variously accompanied by a master thief, a hot dog seller, a red headed woman who spews profanity and an elephant named Sonya, we learn of his astounding personal history. Once an orphaned explosives expert, Allan's skill and his willingness to go wherever life takes him leads him around the globe at the behest of presidents, prime ministers and world leaders. Primarily motivated by good food and vodka, the apolitical, atheist Allen unwittingly plays a integral part in key moments of history from the creation of the Atom Bomb to preventing the assassination of Winston Churchill and giving Richard Nixon the idea that lead to the Watergate Scandal. The intertwining past and present narratives work wonderfully to create a picture of Allan's incredible life and somehow, despite the preposterous connections and unlikely predicaments, it is a journey that seems perfectly plausible.

Translated from the author's native Swedish, the writer's voice has a unique tone that works beautifully with the black humor and wry observation in this novel. The pace is excellent as Jonasson skillfully blends historical fact with fanciful fiction, eccentric comedy with social commentary.

It's fitting that I read The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared sipping on a Vodka 'Cruiser', I only wish I could have shared it with Allan. Charming, sharp and inventive, this novel has earned a place on my favourites list and comes with my sincere recommendation.(less)

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Oct 23, 2011 Lukas van Delft rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Forrest Gump -achtig verhaal, maar dan zonder het boeiende karakter wat Forrest is. De hoofdrolspeler hier krijgt ook nauwelijks smoel. Ongeacht wat er gebeurd blijft de hoofdrolspeler altijd beleefd, netjes, pseudo welbespraakt. Dat psuedo welbespraakte doet me ook denken aan 'Kafka op het strand' van Murakami, same same. Wel vermoed ik dat beide vertalers van genoemde boeken daar ook een hand in hebben (teveel bemoeien met de tekst, maar ja dat kan ik natuurlijk niet onderbouwen). Hierdoor lij...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Allan Karlsson has just turned 100 years old when he decides to walk out of the window of his nursing home and proceed to the nearest train station, buying a ticket to as far as his money will take him. But an impulsive decision to take a young man’s suitcase complicates matters for Allan, and soon he finds his path crossed with dangerous gangsters. Along the way, Allan joins forces with a petty thief, a man who is nearly a professional in many fields and a woman who owns an elephant. Together t...more

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Sep 16, 2012 CuteBadger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

100-year-old Allen Karlsson decides he doesn't want to stay in the care home where he lives in Sweden, so on his birthday he climbs out of the window and disappears. Almost straight away he is accidentally caught up in a crime which means that the police are after him for two reasons. While he tries to evade arrest we learn about his long and colourful life.

I'd seen a lot of positive reviews of this book before I read it and I think that these perhaps took the edge off it for me as I liked it, j...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very cute book. I loved the absurd humor and the cast of characters, many of whom you'll recognize from history 101; Churchill, various prime ministers, Stalin, Einsteins retarded brother Herbert, Truman, etc. the North Korean leader guy, Kim something. I'm horrible with history as you can tell.
So we have this book written by this Swedish Journalist and it's wonderful. It's a riveting tale about a guy named Allen who is 100 years old on the day when he decides to slip out the windo...more

This was a very cute book. I loved the absurd humor and the cast of characters, many of whom you'll recognize from history 101; Churchill, various prime ministers, Stalin, Einsteins retarded brother Herbert, Truman, etc. the North Korean leader guy, Kim something. I'm horrible with history as you can tell.
So we have this book written by this Swedish Journalist and it's wonderful. It's a riveting tale about a guy named Allen who is 100 years old on the day when he decides to slip out the window of the nursing home. He does not want to celebrate his life. He in fact feels it is his time to leave the world. So in this mind state he goes to the train station with nothing but the clothes on his back and slippers. It didn't seem important at the time to have shoes.
Also unimportant is the fact that he decides to take a suitcase belonging to another man whom we learn is a thug and this thug asks him to keep an eye it while he goes to take a dump.
Allen takes it for fun and the adventure begins.
What is inside the suitcase is a case load of some obscene number of crowns and the reader gets treated to the people Allen meets on the way to wherever it is that Allen is heading. He doesn't really know but that's not important either.
What is important is Allen's life story that we get to know as it is alternated between the present time; he's on the run from the police with a local thief, a hotdog stand operator who also have like 50 unfinished degrees, a woman with an elephant and the head of a gang- and Allens past. How he was involved with explosives as a kid. How he blew up his house (twice) how he came upon learning how to build a nuclear bomb, how he worked for Stalin. How he had dinner with president Truman and a whole host of slightly altered historical facts that put our protagonist at front and center.
Really the book is silly. It reminded me of the lovechild of : Monty Python, Mr. Bean, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and John Irving.
I have to say the ending was slightly off but not so much that it made it bad or anything. I really liked it. (less)

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Sep 11, 2012 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

The Hundred-Year-Old Who Climbed Out Through the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson is a fictional book which follows the adventures and mis-adventures of its protagonist. So far this book has been translated to 29 languages and has been a best seller in many countries.

Allan Karlsson’s health is good, so good that to his dismay he is facing the horrors of putting up appearances for this 100th birthday. Leaving the mayor, the press, his friends and the bane of his existence – the nurse – be...more The Hundred-Year-Old Who Climbed Out Through the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson is a fictional book which follows the adventures and mis-adventures of its protagonist. So far this book has been translated to 29 languages and has been a best seller in many countries.

Allan Karlsson’s health is good, so good that to his dismay he is facing the horrors of putting up appearances for this 100th birthday. Leaving the mayor, the press, his friends and the bane of his existence – the nurse – behind, he escapes moments before the big celebration. When a young man asks Allan to keep an eye on his suitcase at the train station, the centenarian steals it and sets the ball rolling on a month long chase involving the police, the underworld and a handful of accomplices.

Parallel to the escape, Allan’s long life is revealed to the reader. As it turned out, Allan is not just an old man with a suitcase, but one of the most influential persons to ever walk the face of the earth in the 20th Century. Alas, through the comedy of life, Allan is only remembered for his age.

The Hundred-Year-Old Who Climbed Out Through the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson is a hilarious romp through the 20th Century. The book is very enjoyable and doesn’t take itself seriously.

The book’s characters focus on lampooning the espionage genre and parody the mystery/chase genres as well. The important people Allan Karlsson, the protagonist, has met and influenced (Truman, Churchill, Mao, Lenin and more) shines a light on their dark side rather than the pillars of world affairs we have built them to be. Allan’s contribution to the Manhattan Project doesn’t get bypassed either.

While I did get the feeling that the book was very much influenced from Forrest Gump and/or Woody Allen’s Zelig. Allen Karlsson is the eternal optimist, half way through the book it is clear that nothing will happen to him, but it is how he gets out of trouble and his unbelievable luck and improbable coincidences which makes the book so entertaining and endearing.
The characters are not as well defined as they could be, but I still enjoyed this book very much, especially since it doesn’t take itself seriously.

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3 likes · like · see review

Jan 04, 2013 Kats rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, 2012, book-club-reads, 2013

Had I never heard of this book and come across it by accident, I might have experienced it the way other readers seem to have; as a quirky adventure tale full of dark humour and entertaining historical anecdotes. Sadly, a hyped up "number 1 international bestseller" reference awakes the critical, sceptical if not cynical reader in me. It took me quite a long time to get into this book (granted, there was too much going on in the run-up to Xmas anyway), and then stick with it, and had one of my b...more

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Allan Karlsson is about to turn one-hundred. His birthday party at the old folks home is all planned out for him, and the mayor and the press will be there. But he has had enough, and instead escapes through his window. This begins a crazy, Forrest Gump-esque adventure filled with both lighthearted and dark humor. The story switches between the present day and Allan's past, which is equally as unbelievable.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up at a local bookstore. It seemed fun, an...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 07, 2012 Maria M. Elmvang rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, 5-stars, fiction, owned

Allan Karlsson disappears from his room at a retirement room one hour before his 100th birthday celebration. The book jumps back and forth in time and is partly the story of Allan's month-long trip through Sweden where he does his best to remain uncaptured by both the police and the gang whose suitcase he accidentally stole; and partly the story of Allan Karlsson's travel through life. It soon becomes apparent that Allan hasn't just been part of, but actually directly caused many of the signific...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Skip rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, foreign-authors, humor

Like the title says, Allan Karlsson climbs out the window of his nursing home room and heads off on an adventure, starting with stealing a large suitcase of money from a criminal who needs to use the bathroom at the bus station. This humorous story flips back and forth between Karlsson's adventure with a series of new "friends" as criminals try to kill him to recover the loot and his zany life adventures, where he meets the leaders of the 20th century from General Franco, President Truman, Mao T...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 26, 2012 Linda Bond rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fictional-history, just-for-fun

Don’t tell my husband, but I’m in love with Allan Karlsson. It happened quite innocently, really. I started reading the first chapter of The 100-Year-Old Man and stepped off the literary curb into the oncoming train of his story. Wow! Moving through the memory of his life was like taking an excursion through history. Not only was he there when they built the bomb – he helped. I soon decided I would follow him anywhere. And I did. Strolling through wars, drinking with Truman, trying not to upset...more

3 likes · like · see review

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Fiction Fanatics: May 2013 - The Hundred Year Old Man	6	22	May 17, 2013 08:51am
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About Jonas Jonasson

After a long career as a journalist, media consultant and television producer, Jonas Jonasson decided to start a new life. He wrote a manuscript, he sold all his possessions in Sweden and moved to a small town by Lake Lugano in Switzerland, only a few meters from the Italian border.

The manuscript became a novel. The novel became a phenomenon in Sweden, and now it is about to reach the rest of the...more

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“Things are what they are, and whatever will be, will be.” — 30 people liked it

“I shall destroy capitalism! Do you hear! I shall destroy every single capitalist! And I shall start with you, you dog, if you don't help us with the bomb!'
Allan noted that the had managed to be both a rat and a dog in the course of a minute or so. And that Stalin was being rather inconsistent, because now he wanted to use Allan's services after all.
But Allan wasn't going to sit there and listen to this abuse any longer. He had come to Moscow to help them out, not to be shouted at. Stalin would have to manage on his own.
'I've been thinking,' said Allan.
'What,' said Stalin angrily.
'Why don't you shave off that moustache?'
With that the dinner was over, because the interpreter fainted.” — 10 people liked it

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