Estimated Reading Time 2 Minutes
Publisher: Hachette Books; Original edition (September 11, 2012)
Paperback : 400 pages
ISBN: 978-1401324643
Thoughts: This was a fun book. I love the humor and quirkiness. It’s great to have a 100-year-old protagonist and the gang of characters are all charming. It’s sort of the opposite of a murder mystery novel because you’re hanging out with the suspects the whole time. I found the whole thing very diverting.
Favorite Quote: Allan woke up and wondered whether it wouldn’t soon be time to go to bed.
First sentence: You might think he could have made up his mind earlier, and been man enough to inform his surroundings of his decision.
Summary from Amazon.com:
A larger-than-life old man with a fondness for vodka goes on an unexpected adventure in this whimsical novel — perfect for fans of Forrest Gump and A Man Called Ove.
The international publishing sensation — more than six million copies sold worldwide!
A reluctant centenarian much like Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert) 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 health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant).
It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.
