Author: Jonas Jonasson
Year Published: 2019
Genre: Adult fiction
Pages: 434
Rating: 4 out of 5
Location (my 2019 Google Reading map): Indonesia, North Korea, USA (DC), Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Germany, Congo, Kenya, and Tanzania
FTC Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for a fair review
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): It all begins with a hot air balloon trip and three bottles of champagne. Allan and Julius are ready for some spectacular views, but they’re not expecting to land in the sea and be rescued by a North Korean ship, and they could never have imagined that the captain of the ship would be harboring a suitcase full of contraband uranium, on a nuclear weapons mission for Kim Jong-un. Yikes!
Soon Allan and Julius are at the center of a complex diplomatic crisis involving world figures from the Swedish foreign minister to Angela Merkel and President Trump. Needless to say, things are about to get very, very complicated.
Review: What a quirky book, but it's fun. I love the idea of a 100-year-old man living in Bali, but looking for more out of life. And boy does he get it! This book manages to tie in current political and societal issues in a great story.
It's such a clever idea to have this really old guy who is still "with it" traveling around the world getting into zany situations. Given his past life experiences, he is open to adventure and can get himself into things most of us wouldn't. For example, dealing with North Korean nuclear weapon scientists. And look how many countries I get to count for my Literary Escapes challenge: 10!
And I enjoyed the references to Putin, Trump (and all his idiosyncrasies), and other current political leaders and events. I felt that I never really knew what was coming next. That's a fun aspect to this book and an unsettling aspect. It was all totally far-fetched and a bit much. But maybe that's the point.
Challenges for which this counts:
FTC Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for a fair review
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): It all begins with a hot air balloon trip and three bottles of champagne. Allan and Julius are ready for some spectacular views, but they’re not expecting to land in the sea and be rescued by a North Korean ship, and they could never have imagined that the captain of the ship would be harboring a suitcase full of contraband uranium, on a nuclear weapons mission for Kim Jong-un. Yikes!
Soon Allan and Julius are at the center of a complex diplomatic crisis involving world figures from the Swedish foreign minister to Angela Merkel and President Trump. Needless to say, things are about to get very, very complicated.
Another hilarious, witty, and entertaining novel from bestselling author Jonas Jonasson that will have readers howling out-loud at the escapades and misfortunes of its beloved hundred-year-old hero Allan Karlsson and his irresistible sidekick Julius.
It's such a clever idea to have this really old guy who is still "with it" traveling around the world getting into zany situations. Given his past life experiences, he is open to adventure and can get himself into things most of us wouldn't. For example, dealing with North Korean nuclear weapon scientists. And look how many countries I get to count for my Literary Escapes challenge: 10!
And I enjoyed the references to Putin, Trump (and all his idiosyncrasies), and other current political leaders and events. I felt that I never really knew what was coming next. That's a fun aspect to this book and an unsettling aspect. It was all totally far-fetched and a bit much. But maybe that's the point.
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