The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

I think I have to apologize to that french cop who wrote that awful, awful, AWFUL book about the fakir and the IKEA cabinet, because at the time I thought to myself "wow, he's trying to be Jonas Jonasson and failing spectacularly", but after reading that I take it back: he did indeed do a fine job of copying Jonasson, I just didn't know that was a bad thing.

Don't get me wrong: I love The 100-Year Old as much as the next person, and I had high hopes for this one, which is why I'm so shocked at how much I hated it. Had I not had so high expectations it's possible it had ended up with as much as three stars, but now ... no, it was awful, and reading it was a chore.

To be fair, only the first part deserves to be compared to that fakir book, show more because that part is just riddled with slurs. Yes, I get it, it's the evil characters that are using these slurs, but fuck, I get suspicious when white authors are comfortably using tons and tons of racist slurs just to give their "bad guys" an authentic voice. This book is meant to be about Nombeko, the title character, but instead we see most of the first part of the book from other characters POV, where they compete in being the most racist. Why? Why??? And why would you say it was fortune she was sexually assaulted so she could learn how to read? The. Fuck. I don't feel the narrative or any of the characters properly condemned these things, at which point you've got no excuse for it.

Nombeko could've been a great character, in any other book. Now she's just a copy of Allan Karlsson. Yeah, sure, he's an old white man and she's a young black woman, but apart from those differences ... exactly the same character. Both are surrounded by evil, powerful idiots and both are supersmart despite lack of education and change the course of history ... and more importantly - from what I remember of 100 Year-Old - their voices are identical. At one point Nombeko even gets excited about getting a beer despite having shown no fondness for alcohol at all during the rest of the book. Ooops?

Then again, there are only two possible voices for characters to have: evil and stupid, or solemn and good - that's it. Sometimes the stupid characters do something good, at which point they will slip into the "solemn" speech pattern for a line or two. These are easy to distinguish between: the smart and good characters you the formal you - "Ni", in Swedish" - while the idiots go for the informal - "Du". This became so fucking grating by the end of the book I almost threw it out the window (but it's a library book, I would never!). PEOPLE DON'T TALK LIKE THAT. Like, LITERALLY, "Du-reformen" was a process that took place in Sweden in the 60/70s (this book starts in the early 70s), that GOT RID OF THIS FORM OF SPEECH. You can read about it on Wikipedia, even. Despite this EVERY FUCKING CHARACTER use the formal you and refers to each other in third person while speaking, even the parts that took place in the 2000s. WHy do so much research on other parts of the story, and ignore this. WHY!?!?!??!?!

Lastly, while I'm not a fan of the King (I hate the monarchy, so the ending of the book didn't exactly make me like it more) or the former Prime Minister, but my gods, I feel for them having to be part of this book. It's not even cameos, because those can be fun, they have HUGE rolls, and it was just cringey reading the "witty banter" and all the sucking up to the King in the book. I almost couldn't keep reading.

I might recommend people to reread the first book rather than this one, but I'm not sure if that one will hold up for a reread ... I'm not going to try and find that out, because I don't want the memories of liking that ruined. show less

“There was something pleasant about books, about their very existence.”

Nombeko Mayeki was born in the slums of Soweto, South Africa during apartheid when Nelson Mandela is considered a terrorist and is incarcerated on Robyn Island. Nombeko is destined to a short, hard life but her luck changes when she is run over by a drunken white engineer. Alive, but blamed for the accident because she was stupid enough to be on the pavement at the time, she is sent to work for the car driver- the brandy-soaked head of a secretive nuclear project. Nombeko may be okay as a cleaner but she is amazing with languages and numbers unlike the engineer who makes a made a basic numerical mistake but unlike Nombeko fails to realise it. Along with three show more Chinese sisters, a pair of twins who are officially one person and an angry young woman, Nombeko finds herself on the run from one of the world's most ruthless secret service. As the book's title informs us, she ends up saving the life of the King of Sweden along with most of country.

This novel is a bizarre blend of humour and historical fiction with each twist in the tale more unlikely than the one before. The book covers an awful lot of history: from politics and racism in South Africa both during and post-Apartheid, the lineage of the Swedish monarchy, the rise of China as a global power, and the history of nuclear weapons. It also dabbles in art forgery along the way. The book savagely mocks the elites of society, organised religion and fanatics of all kinds.

“Pastors and lay missionaries streamed in to save the Basotho people from evil. They brought with them Bibles, automatic weapons and the occasional land mine."

The main character is likeable if a little frustrating to read about as it's hard to believe that someone so bright would be willing to wait so long to make her mark. The extended timescale also made it difficulty for me to form an emotional connection with any of the other characters. However, overall I enjoyed this novel though not quite as much as I did 'The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window & Disappeared' and whilst I didn't actually laugh out loud it did make me smile on numerous occasions meaning that I will certainly consider reading more of the author's works. show less

This book is ridiculous in the best possible way. Nombeko is such a sharp, memorable lead, and Jonas Jonasson keeps stacking one improbable situation on top of another until the whole thing turns into a political farce with real heart. The humor is dry, the plot is chaotic, and the cast is exactly the right kind of strange.
What made it work for me was that the book never loses its nerve. It knows it is telling an outrageous story, and it leans in fully. That confidence makes even the most absurd turns feel part of the fun. Beneath all the madness, there is also something genuinely charming about watching such an overlooked person outthink almost everyone around her.
Not every joke landed for me, and there were moments when the show more coincidences felt a little too convenient, but overall this was clever, lively, and very entertaining. A very funny, very odd ride 🙂 show less

Jonas Jonasson has a gift for political satire couched in extraordinary tales of endurance and intelligence. His characters are at once completely believable and extraordinary caricatures. You want to believe that people like this really do exist (and sometimes you shudder at the thought). The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden is a story of a girl who started at the bottom but struggled her way up through any means necessary. Hers is a story of patient determination to succeed and attain a happy, "normal" life. Much like the other book of his that I reviewed, this book is a rollicking (and at times quite raunchy) ride from beginning to end. For me, it was a solid 10/10. If you enjoy political satires with a bite then I think you'll show more enjoy this one. show less

Jonasson has done it again. The plot is at least as ridiculous as last time, the characters even better. How he can make the most peculiar twists and turns seem just what you would expect is beyond me. The only question I have now is,'When will his next book come out?'

Read in German. BTW The German kept to the original title. Much better than the English one.

Nombeko was not born into the likelihood of making anything of her life, her mother an addict, working emptying latrines in Soweto, illiterate and destitute. However Nombeko is possessed of a fierce intelligence and a thirst for learning. After being run over, imprisoned in servitude and escaping to Sweden with a nuclear bomb, Nombeko teams up with a group of disparate and crazy characters and goes through a series of odd adventures before finding peace and success.

This book does not really change the formula that brought Jonasson such huge success with his previous novel. he finds an engaging but flawed character and tells the story of world history through their comic adventures. The tales are really engaging, almost laugh out loud show more funny, and very creative. One has to suspend credulity and come down to the level of the writing to really enjoy this book but as a fast and extremely entertaining read it succeeds magnificently. show less

Completely bonkers. Like Loony Tunes for adults.

The first book by this author was probably the best book I read last year, so I had high hopes for this one. To be honest, I didn't think it would be anywhere near as good, but the synopsis sounded every bit as crazy as The Hundred Year Old Man, so I bought it without hesitation. And I wasn't disappointed. Yes it is completely far-fetched and surreal and I can see why people might be put off, but the story was so entertaining. I loved the characters and the situations they found themselves in, and how all the storylines knitted together. Brilliant!