Friday

Book review: The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden

Last year, I read Jonas Jonasson's debut novel, The One-Hundred-Year Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, and loved it. I adored the protagonist, the surreal events and the light-hearted tone. So when I saw a woman on the train reading Jonasson's second novel, The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden, I had to buy a copy straight away. 
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden Review
I was a little apprehensive since I was such a fan of the first novel, but I had nothing to worry about! I fell in love with Nombeko within the first 10 pages. A black South African toilet cleaner, she is born into a life of racism, but teaches herself to read and count. Her gifted mind and eagerness to learn allows her to move on and up in life, slowly but surely. In some ways, Nombeko is very unlucky, but she has such intelligence that she manages to turn all life's negatives around. As the decades pass, she finds herself in more and more surreal situations, with a whole host of unusual characters. 
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden Extract
It's difficult not to compare this novel to the previous. As with The Hundred-Year-Old Man, the strange events seem somehow plausible. I didn't question the logic of anything, even though they are totally illogical. I connected with most of the characters, although some were a little irritating to me (There were also some characters who were supposed to be annoying, but I had no problems finding the humour in them), and found myself really rooting for them.
Jonas Jonasson The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
Ultimately, it's a positive tale of what you can achieve when you set your mind to it, even if nobody else knows you exist. It was an uplifting and cheerful rollercoaster of a novel that I recommend to anyone looking for a summer read. 



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14 comments :

  1. Seems like a very interesting book, I will add it to my to-read list on Goodreads ;) Love the cover too!

    XO IMKE

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  2. I adored The Hundred Year Old Man... too so was a little apprehensive about giving this a go. Maybe I will now, if it's worth it! Thank you xx

    ellenunderwater.blogspot.co.uk

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  3. I'm so glad you enjoyed this book. I've been thinking about buying it but was worried it would be too similar to The Hundred Year Old Man... I have way too many books to read right now though so I'll probably read it in next year. xx

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    1. Nah, it's not too similar. I recommend it.

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  4. This sounds great - I bought it for my brother for his birthday so I'll make sure I pinch it from him when he's finished with it :)
    Megan x | MeganRoisinn

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  5. I loved the hundred year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared, so I need to read this!

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  6. your book reviews working really well for me to read more and more as i was not into habit of reading being a web developer from last 4 years. Thankx
    http://ladaadidahh.wordpress.com/

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    1. No problem! This comment made me really happy!

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  7. I'm so glad this was a positive review! I have had this book on my bookshelf waiting to be read for weeks and I just couldn't bring myself to read it in case it was disappointing!

    Jonas Jonassason is a genius! I should never have doubted it!

    B x

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