Douce, douce vengeance

by Jonas Jonasson

" Vous souhaitez venger un affront sans vous salir les mains ? Nous avons la solution ! Des milliers de clients satisfaits dans le monde entier. "

Tout le monde a ses petites rancunes, rien de plus humain. Mais pour passer à l'acte sans prendre de risques inconsidérés, mieux vaut faire appel à un professionnel expérimenté et discret.
Hugo Hamelin a une idée visionnaire : créer une société de vengeance à la carte, un service sur mesure destiné à laver affronts, camouflets, coups bas et autres vexations. Rien ne prédestinait pourtant Hugo à croiser la route d'un marchand d'art cynique et sans scrupule, d'une jeune ingénue moins oie blanche qu'il n'y paraît, d'un orphelin jeté en pâture aux lions, ou d'un homme-médecine kenyan qui se double d'un guerrier massaï. Sans compter la peintre expressionniste Irma Stern !
Si le business s'annonce lucratif, il risque aussi d'être plus délicat que prévu...

Entre appât du gain, choc des cultures, amour de l'art et haine de son prochain, une comédie facétieuse et déjantée, comme le truculent Jonas Jonasson en a le secret !

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Contemporary, Audiobook, Comedy, Crime, Sweden

456 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

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 world.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can read the blurb above or anywhere online, so on this occasion I will go straight to my thoughts, because the time taken to write/read about this book would leave you none the wiser as like his previous books, the core concepts and base characters of this read are quite original and pretty funny, but that's its peak. Once you've read one Jonasson it feels like you've read them all, a cast of quirky unconventional characters, at least one pretty unpleasant antagonist and a cascade of what feel no less than forcibly constructed comedic occurrences and situations. Still worth a read, and I liked it, just nothing new to shout about, plus the 'very poor (economically) African characters' comedy is starting to wear pretty thin, for me. 5 out of 12 Two Star read. The most annoying thing is that I bought this brand new, full price to make up what was left on a National Book Token I used.

2022 read

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was uproariously funny and enjoyed its laugh-out-loud moments. However, it was longer than it needed to be. An added bonus was learning about some leading artists that were unknown to me. The comedy connects some diverse characters in a surprising way. The story is set mainly in Sweden.

The despicable, vile Victor owns an art gallery that should have belonged to his mild, younger wife, Jenny. He ignored her except when tricking her out of her inheritance and then promptly divorced her. Like Hitler, Victor abhorred modern art from the time of the Impressionists and only concentrated on realistic paintings in his gallery. His ultra-conservative right-wing views on art, race, politics, etc., align with those of Hitler. He left his only son, Kevin, in the wilds of Africa to be eaten by lions.

Later, Jenny and Kevin meet by chance in Stockholm. Their mutual hatred of Victor leads to a romance and a goal of revenge. There is Hugo, who had a successful career in advertising. He left this position to establish a less competent Revenge business. Joining them is a Maasai medicine man who comes to Sweden knowing nothing about the outside world or of modern conveniences banned in his settlement. He arrives in Stockholm in the winter clad in his traditional garb and carrying tribal weapons. Misunderstandings led him into all sorts of trouble and amusing situations.

Paintings by the deceased artist, Irma Stern, play a significant role in this revenge plot. I did not expect that I would not only be entertained but that this book would inform me. I had not known that Irma Stern was an actual painter of now valuable works of art. Thanks to Google, I was able to view her paintings on the internet. I was also introduced to artists whose work was destroyed mainly by Hitler's contempt towards Impressionism but was able to view a few paintings that remained.

Getting even with Victor includes a goat, bags of flour, and sex toys left in his home, plus the appearance that he is forging Stern's paintings. This revenge ruins Victor's reputation, but he can live with that humiliation as he has a scheme to add to his fortune through more trickery.

A hilarious, overly long, madcap comedy with unlikely connections and subplots. Thanks to the internet, I could view and learn about some works of art previously unknown to me.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.

Ole Mbatian a Maasai medicine man and his chief, Victor an odious so far right politically he should have been named Adolf, his ex-wife Jenny, his son Kevin and artist Irma Stern. How on earth do this disparate bunch connect??? This could only be created in the fertile mind of Jonas Jonasson! Who is out for sweet sweet revenge and why??!!

This is like the Swedish equivalent of a French farce. It’s a comedy of errors from start to finish. It’s utterly mad, bonkers and as such you just have to go with the flow as it’s not meant to be in touch with any reality on this earth. The characters are good and well depicted. Victor is totally vile having no redeeming features whatsoever and his views, it goes without saying and beyond awful. Ole Mbatian is the best character in the book, I absolutely love him! His journey from Kenya to Sweden and his arrival there are the best parts of the book in my opinion. He livens up every page he is on. The Irma Stern and art elements are really good and as we progress though the novel I really like the twists and turns in that part of the storyline. The writing is definitely clever, I don’t find much to laugh at but it does raise a smile or two! Pulling off a plot line like this one takes some sort a genius, albeit a mad one 😂!

However, I just can’t get past how horrible Victor is. He’s a nasty piece of work, his views are shocking, he’s a cynical, opportunistic, conniving excuse of a human being. There’s no joy when he appears on the page and hence my 3.5 rating.

Overall, this is very different, it’s creative, crazy but worth reading for the escapism. It’s also worth checking out Irma Stern’s paintings which are fantastic.

With thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate, William Collins for the arc in return for an honest review.

[MTK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το τελευταίο βιβλίο του Γιούνασον με είχε απογοητεύσει, αλλά εδώ επιστρέφει στον καλό εαυτό του.

[Nadine Schrott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kennt ihr auch diese Bücher, bei denen ihr es bereut, sie nicht spätestens nach der Hälfte abgebrochen zu haben....genauso empfinde ich bei diesem für mich schlecht gemachten MassaiKunstRoadMovieAngeblichUnterhaltsamQuatsch....

Ich habe die vorangegangenen Romane von Jonas Jonasson durchaus genossen....besonders die Absurdität und die Schrägheit der Hauptfiguren hat mir damals gefallen....

Absolut nichts davon findet sich in diesem Buch...okay...absurd ist er schon, dieser konstruierte Plot:
fieser schwedischer Kunsthändler, naive Jungehefrau, schwarzafrikanischer uneheliche Sohn, der vom Vater in der afrikanischen Savanne zum Sterben ausgesetzt wird, um dort postwendend von einem abgedrehten, hinterwäldlerischen Massai aufgelesen und adoptiert zu werden....
ExJungEhefrau und zurückgekehrter Sohn starten daraufhin einen abstrusen Rachefeldzug ....

Gespickt wird das Machwerk von historisch korrekt wirkenden Anekdoten und handlungsrelevanten Gemälden der deutsch/afrikanischen Malerin Irma Stern....

Dafür vergebe ich übrigens die zwei Sterne...

Ich bereue es wirklich, dieses konfuse, holprige, ethisch und moralisch durchaus kontrovers zu sehende Machwerk wirklich bis zum Schluss gelesen zu haben....

In meinen Augen absolut nicht zu empfehlen ...
Sorry🙈

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading and loving 'The One Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared', I was thrilled to get approved for Jonasson's latest offering.
All through the book, I had the overwhelming sense that he created a formula with that book and was hoping to replicate it with this one.
It took me a while to get into and get a feel for the characters, but I just didn't see it as wholly original and I had hopes that this author would be much more creative than he was with this book.
I would still look to read more by Jonasson as The One Hundred Year Old Man was wonderful.

[Aleksandra Fatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovo je peta knjiga koju čitam od Junasona i iako je njegov način pisanja toliko prepoznatljiv i upečatljiv, iako ponekad zamoran od toliko neočekivanih preokreta i dalje me toliko razgali, iznenadi i nasmije, (posebno u trenu kad vrlo malo knjiga to može) da bi sve ispod 5⭐️ bilo malo!

[Beatrice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5/5

I love Jonas Jonasson's books, and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared remains one of my all-time favourite books. When I heard we were getting a new Jonasson book, I was beyond excited and more than ready for another wild ride filled with his trademark witty humour, sharp social commentary and surreal situations. Unfortunately, Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd didn't quite deliver for me.

For starters, I had major issues with the pacing. The entire first half of the book moved way too slowly as we got a detailed backstory for every character. I would have appreciated this if it served to deliver fuller, more well-rounded characters (even if they were still Jonasson's usual eccentric brand), but sadly most of them remained quite flat throughout. Victor, the villain, his ex-wife Jenny and his son Kevin were prime examples of this: despite very detailed backstories, I still felt like there wasn't much to these characters. This was particularly disappointing in Victor's case, who had huge potential for further exploration and the sharp satire that Jonasson usually handles so well.

The book picked up considerably in the second half, and especially when Ole Mbatian, a Massai medicine man who has never left his small village whose chief still refuses to use electricity, travels to Stockholm to find his adopted son Kevin. Ole stole all the scenes he was in and his exchanges with the police inspector were hilarious - pretty much what I expected from the whole novel. I also enjoyed learning something about Irma Stern, an artist I knew nothing about but whose work I'll definitely be checking out more after reading this book.

Overall, this was an entertaining read despite its issues, and my disappointment in it might have stemmed more from my high expectations than anything else. A comedy of errors that missed the mark for me, but still good enough to pass a few hours.

For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

[Dylan Kakoulli · Rating 2 out of 5]

*INCOMING*

Brace yourselves kiddo’s, savage review alert!!

This is quite possibly the most long winded, convoluted, mumbo jumbo I’ve read this year so far! And that’s coming from me, the ever rambling female Adam Buxton -she wishes.

It is certainly a comedy (loosely speaking) of errors from start to finish. Featuring the most (literally as there is FAR too many of them) eccentric and outrageous cast of characters -who I’m sorry, some opinions were utterly abhorrent, making it extremely hard to invest in them (Tw/ mild racism and homophobia) which even if this was their ‘personality’ or the writers intention, was nevertheless extremely uncomfortable to read.

Then we have the most bonkers plot (if you can call it that) and one I won’t even attempt to explain. Certainly it was fun here and there, but otherwise it’s ‘quirkiness’ very soon rubbed off and what was left was a silly, sluggish mess.

One positive, and much appreciated addition to an otherwise absurd story, was the inclusion of art and the discussions surrounding the rise of modern art in particular. I especially enjoyed the mentions of female artist Irma Stern. Who is not nearly recognised enough (outside of South Africa at least) for her contributions to the art world!

To summarise, this book is farcical in EVERY sense of the word. And unless you know and have read Jónasson’s work before, perhaps give it a miss.

2.5 stars

Editing Ellie here- I always shock myself reading back my own reviews and seeing just how ruthless I can be!

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I persisted past the first 50pages when I didn't know where this story was going.
Once the author has introduced the main players in this book and their backstory, the pace picks up and it all comes together. What an eclectic bunch of people Johansson puts in this story.
I laughed out loud for much of this book. The escapades of Maasai medicine man Ole were hysterical. You just had to dislike Victor, what a despicable person. Every character in the story had a place and a purpose to the plot.
Highly recommend as a way to escape the world of COVID we are living in.

[Chitra Ahanthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd. by Jonas Jonasson and translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson Broyles is nothing like the author's earlier mad all over the place narrative that crosses the absurd and yet, it is just as entertaining, just as engaging. Alternating between Stockholm and the Savanah in Kenya, this crazy caper stitches up a heady cocktail that looks at cultural wariness, the presence of the far right over the years that starts from individuals who refuse to be open, the world of art (painting) and how revenge though considered sweet, can go off the rails and some, certainly with hilariously crazy outcomes.

Jonasson's writing is irreverent everytime: to him, there is nothing sacrosanct. So the plot line is a mad caper that leaves you laughing but realizing just what is being flagged around the madness. The character sketches, including the most minor ones in the plot and how they relate to one another bring out in the best possible way how cultures clash but can also connect people. Amidst the hilarious tone from the scenes that unravel you will end up thinking about what is it that drives people to make judgements about others different from you.

This is also a homage to the art world and to the genius of Irma Sterne whose paintings are full of life with a story that stays alive and in full glory. Jonasson touches upon the capitalist intent of the art world and the people who run art galleries but there is also a humane look at how artists create and then make a legacy that remains long after they have gone. This one is for the laughs and the thoughts that you will settle down with.

[Skip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jonasson's first book, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, was hilarious, but the others seem to fall flat for me, including the sequel. A sort of "been there, already laughed at that." This one involves a lazy sycophant who finagles his way to inherit an art gallery, including marrying the owner's daughter, invests in bad art, and dumps her as soon as possible. Meanwhile, he fathers a son with a prostitute who asks him to take care of the boy before she dies. Again, he abandons the boy in a Kenyan veldt. After some craziness, including the looming threat of circumcision, the son flees Africa for Sweden, where he meets the ex-wife now living in the apartment he occupied. Together with the proprietor, they plot revenge which backfires a few times. I did not like the characters very much, except for the boy's adoptive Kenyan father. The best part of this book was the translator's afterword.

[Felix Nermark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book annoyed me.

I try to combine a heavier read with something lighter and a such this one does the trick, it's definitely light. But hardly more than that. While Jonasson's previous books are quirky, fun and awe-inspiring this one is repetitive, its characters are unlikeable and the premise is too unlikely and too stupid to be relatable. Most of the time I found myself feeling negatively flabbergasted by the characters' choices, which mainly served to reinforce poor caricatures rather than progress the story.

All in all the book can be summarised as a set of incoherent acts designed to place the book's slapstick personas in supposedly "fun" situations for cheap laughs. And it fails, over and over again.

(For context I, to a varying but positive degree, enjoyed Jonasson's previous books "The 100 year old...", "The Girl Who Saved..." and "Hitman Anders...")

[Dan Fitzmaurice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely hilarious

[sfogliarsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo libro narra una storia molto carina, divertente, simpatica e intelligente (oserei dire); alla base di tutto infatti troviamo una ricca dose di ironia, tipica dell’autore che con il suo stile tanto scorrevole, fa restare il lettore incollato alle pagine, infatti nonostante la mole, il libro si legge velocemente.
L’unica pecca che ho trovato all’interno del romanzo, è la presenza di troppi personaggi, e proprio per questo più volte, durante la lettura, mi sono sentita spaesata: Jenny, la povera moglie del protagonista; Kevin il figlio sbucato dal nulla improvvisamente; il padre Masai adottivo, e infine Hugo, il capo della società "Dolce è la vendetta SpA". Con questi protagonisti e tanto altro, ne vedremo delle belle, resta a voi scoprire cosa succederà. Quale vendetta avrà la meglio?

[Evelyn Evertsen-Romp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik heb verschrikkelijk hard gelachen om de taalkundige vondsten van Jonasson, het is zo Finkers achtig, hier moet je gewoon van houden. Ook al wordt het steeds meer een trucje, ik zal toch iedere keer weer de boeken van deze hilarische schrijver willen lezen.

[Cami L. González · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tenía muchas ganas de leer al autor, sobre todo por "El viejo que saltó por la ventana y se largó", pero por distintos motivos siempre lo posponía. Así que cuando vi este nuevo libro lo tomé como mi oportunidad.

Una dulce venganza es una comedia de enredos, coincidencias y situaciones absurdas. Nos narran historias de varios personajes hasta el punto en que se van entremezclando. Todo parte con Victor, un racista, xenófobo y homófobo y todo lo que se les pueda ocurrir que estafa a dos personas y el cómo estas se unen para conseguir una venganza.

"¿Quién tenía derecho a juzgar su yo más profundo y considerarlo de mal gusto?"

Lo que más destaco es la pluma del autor, me gustaba mucho su forma de narrar pues la mayor gracia de la historia estaba ahí. Junto a su humor negro, el sarcasmo o las pequeñas críticas a la sociedad que iba intercalando en la narración. Además, era su forma de escribir lo que volvía el absurdo de las situaciones en algo coherente dentro de su propia historia. No tengo problema con las situaciones ridículas o casi imposibles mientras estas tengan sentido dentro de la misma lógica del libro y aquí desde el principio se da a entender que son posibles.

Los personajes son tan caricaturizados como la prosa del autor, ninguno se acerca ni un poco a la realidad, pero el mismo libro y tono de este lo justifica. Como dije antes, no tengo problema con esto, salvo por el detalle de que tampoco me importaron mucho. Es el tipo de historia en la que esperaría encontrar al menos un personaje entrañable o que me hiciera reír, pero no. Quizá el que más se acercaba era Hugo por ser casi un mercenario, pero bastante dulce en el fondo. Nuestros protagonistas principales, Jenny y Kevin, la verdad es que me fueron bastante indiferentes y ni siquiera Ole con su curiosa personalidad logró importarme mucho.

Me gustó la forma en que estaba estructurada la historia, el como partía contando la vida de distintas personas hasta el punto actual, luego pasaba a otra y a otra, una vez que tenía a los personajes los iba conectando poco a poco. Fue interesante y también una manera dinámica de no volver la historia lenta o tediosa.

"La historia nos ha enseñado que el arte moderno se parece al ave fénix: siempre renace de sus cenizas, aunque, a diferencia de ésta, se transforma en algo distinto cada vez"

Otro punto interesante es el relacionado al arte. Al final, era el eje central de la historia y todos los personajes terminaron relacionados en mayor o menor medida al arte, en especial a la obra de Irma Stern. Me gustó el contraste entre lo que Victor consideraba arte y lo que después Jenny y los demás van mostrando, y el cómo la historia personal de la misma Irma se mezcló con la de los protagonistaa volviéndola casi un personaje más.

Una dulce venganza es una comedia divertida, llena de enredos, coincidencias, situaciones y personajes absurdos que funciona bastante bien gracias a la prosa del autor. Aun así no hay nada especialmente destacable en la obra o que resulte entrañable.

[Willemijn jufwillemijnopallstars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een typisch Jonasson. Afrika en Zweden komen samen, Masai in Stockholm. Leuker dan Het Geniale Bommenmeisje, maar niks kan tippen aan de 100-jarige man

[Stefanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lachen über unzivilisierte Schwarze und ihre erste Begegnung mit Rolltreppen und moderner Medizin im Jahr 2020? Ernsthaft?
Wie beim Hundertjährigen lebt auch dieser Titel von einer Aneinanderreihung von Absurditäten:
Ein schwedischer Nazi heiratet aus Berechnung die junge Tochter eines reichen Kunsthändlers. Als er das Geschäft erbt, verstößt er sie. Seinen unehelichen schwarzen Sohn setzt er in der kenianischen Steppe aus, auf dass er von den Löwen gefressen werde. Wird er nicht, sondern fällt einem Massai-Medizinmann vor die Füße, der ihn fortan als Sohn annimmt. Der Sohn flieht vor der rituellen Beschneidung zurück nach Schweden und nimmt als Zahlungsmittel zwei Kunstwerke des Medizinmannes mit. Er und die verstoßene Ex-Frau verlieben sich und tun sich mit einem ehemaligen Marketingprofi zusammen, der gerade eine Rache-Agentur ins Leben gerufen hat. Der Racheplan sieht vor, den Nazi-Kunsthändler mittels gefälschter Kunstwerke, einer Ziege und Mehl dilettantisch zu diskreditieren.
Was einerseits gelingt, da dessen Ruf leidet. Aber andererseits schiefgeht, da sich herausstellt, dass die Bilder echte unbekannte Werke Irma Sterns sind, einer südafrikanischen Expressionistin mit deutsch-jüdischem Hintergrund. Der Massai-Medizinmann trifft in Stockholm ein, um seinen Sohn zu finden. Es kommt zu diversen Culture-Clash-Szenen. Zugleich versucht man, dem garstigen Nazi die millionenschweren Werke wieder abzujagen. Und ein unmotivierter Polizei-Inspektor soll in den wenigen Tagen bis zu seiner Pensionierung das Wirrwarr auflösen, das in einem Totschlag durch Preiselbeerglas gipfelt.
Ich suchte zwar gerade die Leichtigkeit der Geschichte und den grotesken Humor, der sich auf jeder Seite offenbart. Zugleich vermisste ich auf jeder Seite den Tiefgang. Da hilft es auch nicht, dass Alibi-Bildungskapitelchen über Kunst im Nationalsozialismus oder den Expressionismus der Irma Stern eingefügt werden. Und was einerseits Jonassons Stärke ist, nämlich sich hemmungslos jeder Groteske zu bedienen, die sich bietet, wird andererseits bald inflationär: Wenn alles denkbar ist, überrascht nichts mehr so richtig.
Hinzu kommt bei der Lektüre ein zunehmender Widerwille gegen die Schablonenhaftigkeit der Figuren und die klischeehaftige Darstellung der Massai. Das vermeintlich einfallsreiche Feuerwerk wird allmählich flach.

[Chrissie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many readers, I loved The Hundred Year Old Man. Unfortunately, I do not feel the same about this one. I laughed a couple of times.

[Wulf Krueger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ich fühle mich angewidert und beschmutzt von diesem Buch. Der Autor, der offenbar das letzte Quäntchen Geld aus seinem Namen machen möchte, ist sich für kein rassistisches Klischee zu schade.

Gleich zu Beginn lesen wir über Hitler, den der Autor verharmlosend-kumpelhaft als “Adolf” tituliert:

»Was zum bis dato größten Krieg der Menschheitsgeschichte führte. Adolf verlor ihn und starb.«

Eine der kenianischen Figuren (eigentlich sogar alle) wird als dummer, tölpelhafter, ungebildeter Wilder dargestellt:

»Schlimm genug war es, dass einen der Strom beißen konnte, bloß weil man einen Nagel in ein Loch in der Wand steckte. Aber die Maschine zum Schreiben war ja regelrecht lebensgefährlich!«

Noch ein Beispiel für den geradezu beiläufigen Rassismus in diesem Machwerk:

»Denn über den typischen Kuh- oder Ziegenhirten der Savanne gab es prinzipiell viel Gutes zu sagen, aber wer tiefschürfende Einsichten in den Sinn des Lebens erwartete, suchte sich besser andere Gesprächspartner.«

Auch Frauen sind offenbar für den Autor allenfalls dann etwas “wert”, wenn sie den Anstand haben, für uns Männer attraktiv zu erscheinen:

»Jenny wuchs heran, ohne auch nur das kleinste bisschen attraktiv zu werden. Sie hielt sich im Hintergrund. Besaß null Ausstrahlung. Kleidete sich unvorteilhaft.«

Diesen Satz legt der Autor übrigens seinem Erzähler in den Mund, nicht seiner neo-nazistischen Figur…

Nein, danke, ich habe dieses wirklich unerträgliche Buch nach 13% abgebrochen, nachdem meine Frau, die sich die volle Länge dieses Schunds angetan hat, mir sagte, es würde eher noch schlimmer und nicht besser.

Wer mehr über das Buch erfahren möchte, ohne sich dessen Ekelhaftigkeit selbst auszusetzen, dem sei ein exzellenter Beitrag des Deutschlandfunks empfohlen.

(Und wer diese Rezension bei Amazon liest, der google “massai dlf”.)

0 von 5 Sternen und “Hausverbot” für alle weiteren Bücher dieses Autors.


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[Els - cygny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cattle (cows and goats), clubs (the fighting kind) and jam. Three items which often appear in this book :-P

It took a bit to get into the book, in that of nearly all the characters who appear, there is a lot of history explaining how they came to the current events in the book. When you compare it to the first book of the author, it wasn't nearly as funny at first either. It didn't have that LOL quality either throughout the book.

However, the writing was pleasant and all the history of the characters, explained their current behaviour very well. All the main characters were real humans, not just heroes in a book. Once all the characters were gathered, it also picked up the pace. I think I read the second half in under a day, because I wanted to know how it would all end.

To me, the best parts were by far the dialogues. My favourite ones between Ole and Hugo. Those were the bits where I laughed the most. And the scene between Victor and the American whose name I already forgot. And the fact that there are different parts in the Bible which can be interpreted and used as it fits the situation. Hah!

All in all, despite the whole concept about revenge, despite a character who was really an ass and eventual casualties, this was the perfect feel-good book for me. It left me with a huge smile on my face.

[Frazer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite possibly the worst book I have ever read.

Farce and ridiculousness is all well and good when there is wit and a kind of cleverness to the chaos, but this book lacked either of these.

The humour reminded me of the stories I used to write as a 9 year old - farcical but completely out of control. I counted three instances in the whole 400 pages that I even considered smiling at.

The characters are worse than mere types - they're completely unmemorable types.

Normally comedies have at least a coherent structure around which the madness can orientate itself, but its plot felt completely ad hoc and cobbled together.

Africa is nothing more than a complete backwater whose inhabitants barter with chickens, practice nonsensical customs and are duped by traditional medicine men.

I struggle to find any redeeming features.

I'm prepared to believe that Jonasson's 'magnum opus' is not as utterly terrible as this, but I'm not prepared to waste another 6 hours of my life to find out.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zitat S. 392
"Er meldete sich in einem Studienkreis in 'Aktueller internationaler Politik und Entwicklung' an...
...Juanita erklärte bereits in der ersten Minute der ersten Kursstunde, dass alles den Bach runterginge. Ihre Argumentation ginge von diesem Adolf aus; sie meinte, was damals in Deutschland geschehen sei, habe nichts mit Deutschen zu tun, sondern würde wieder passieren, dann aber woanders seine Anfang nehmen...
"Wieder?", sagte Calander...
"Ja, wieder!", sagt Juanita...
"...Alles wiederholt sich ständig. Die Leute erinnern sich nicht weiter als bis vor die eigene Nase.
Danach folgt ein kleiner satirischer Abriss der 2020 regierenden Despoten.
Aesoph hatte damals das, was er zu sagen hatte, in Fabeln verpackt. Jonas Jonasson benutzt die Satire und überzogene Charaktere. Doch beide haben auf jeden Fall was zu sagen.

[Toast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another quircky, comic view on life from the pen of JJ which I enjoyed. I have to admit that the way Ole Mbatian, the Maasai Medicine Man dealt with bureacacy was an inspiration. Oh for a throwing club of my own. It made me giggle, made me smile, made me read bits aloud - in this time of confusion and doubt is no mean feat so JJ has done something right. If you don't believe me, try it and see.
Toast

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/נקמה...

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this off the Hot Picks rack at the library on a whim because I needed something to read. I started reading it a few days before I went into labour and felt determined to finish it. It got a bit overdue at the library but I finally finished it about 2.5 weeks after giving birth.

Overall it was decently entertaining but probably 100 pages longer than it needed to be and I felt like the ending was a bit of a cop out. Reading some other reviews it sounds like this author may be a one hit wonder and can only write a specific formula which wears thin after reading his most popular book, which I haven't read and probably won't.

I wouldn't *not* recommend this book necessarily, but it sounds like The 100 Year Old Man is the one to read of Jonasson's books.

[Viktoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also, an keinem Punkt in der Geschichte hätte ich vorhersagen können was als nächstes geschehen wird 😂 fand es sehr interessant, das fast jedes Kapitel aus einem anderen POV erzählt wurde, dadurch hat die Handlung vielschichtiger gewirkt imo. Persönlich hatte ich das Gefühl der Humor ging bisschen an mir vorrüber, aber unterhaltsam war es alle mal. Karma is a Wurfkeule, I guess 😂

[Sarah Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I have ready by this author so cannot compare to other reads and their similarities and differences.
I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, I found the characters likeable other than the obvious one.
Yes it was a bit unbelievable at times but who always wants a read that is true to life.
Having a book with a story that’s a bit unrealistic isn’t a bad thing in my opinion, it just made it a more enjoyable read with little bits of humour.
A good little read.

[Hannah Svare · Rating 3 out of 5]

En mysig läsning, men den blev tyvärr långrandig under andra halvan vilket drog ner betyget.