Reviews with content warning for Racism - The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

10 reviews

jacobjonk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Fantastic! Such a whimsical and funny story with a great set up and I love how it progresses. Not only can you not ever predict where the story is going next I never felt the need to and just let the story take me on a ride. There were a handful of lines that made me a bit uncomfortable specifically in regards to race and how it was talked about, after reflection on the book I don't think anything was actually racist but some things felt wrong to me. One of the best things I've read this year for sure though highly recommend!

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moonlightreads007's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This one was a really fun read! I love how the main character decides to just climb out of the window and disappear into a new life he chooses for himself. It was a very action-packed, adventurous type of book. I really liked how the author tied historical events into the book and added their own personal twist to them by involving the characters in the development of world history. The characters do many ethically questionable things at times, but they're so likeable that you can't help but to cheer for them.

The part where they lie about the chronological order of events and about what actually happened was especially entertaining. I love how they all get mostly happy endings; it goes to show that people can create new lives and realities for themselves at any age, and that it's never too late to have fun adventures and to do all the things you want to do.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes themes of adventure, historical fiction, situational irony and friendships in books.

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lackyducks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

A thoroughly enjoyable and highly unpredictable book.

The book tells the story of Allan, going between the present from his one hundredth birthday, to the past. It follows him through the years, where he's inserted into a variety of fraught political situations with an entirely unbothered attitude. Meanwhile, in the present day, the reader follows him through another adventure filled with twists and turns of it's own. You reach a point where you say 'sure, this might as well happen' in the best way.

I found the cast of characters thoroughly enjoyable and each had distinct personalities. I enjoyed the way they intertwined and interacted with the absurdity of the story. Despite several atrocities, you still find yourself rooting for them, with the occasional aside to discover the backstory of another person that doesn't feel out if place.

The book takes a little while to find its stride, but once the main plot hook comes in it was an instant sell for me. I truly didn't know what to expect next and it was always exciting to find out. There are difficult topics dealt with throughout the story, but they're all handled with Allan's sense of bemused attachment. Although the story is light-hearted, be prepared for those darker topics to come up.

I think the enjoyment of the book also greatly depends on what's expected from it. I loved the absurdity and silliness the book provided, and didn't care about it's disregard for realism. However I can understand this might be a sticking point for others. Similarly, although I'm not particularly well-versed on politics or history, I didn't have trouble following the narrative, though I'm sure I must've missed the occasional joke.

Overall, this book is just an incredibly fun time. Coming to the end where the two narratives join back up in time and seeing it all come together felt like a fitting ending.

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zefancifulreader's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This book always calls to my dark sense of humour, it’s absurdity is so fun to experience.
This book is basically 100+ years of social drinking with vodka. Skål!!

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nikexistiertnik's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

my relationship with this book is kinda complicated.
i DID have a lot of fun with it and i definitel enjoyed the writing style and the premise, but i also really needed my month-long break from it, because it was a LOT, especially with all the deaths and the excessive mention of alcohol.

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