Scan barcode
pluviophilebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Be it tirritating, jiggery-poking, or even figurating, spending time with Karlson is always fun. This is, and has always been, my favourite Karlson book, and for good reason; I mean, it's got Karlson being hilariously literal-minded about television, it's got suspenseful (but not really) bun-swiping and rescue missions, it's got Hilda's Spicy Special (rich in salt, pepper and chili powder, may or may not contain rat poison, fire and brimstone), and, perhaps most of all, it's got one-liners which have informed my own speech patterns, general worldview, and sense of humour to an extent which I perhaps hadn't fully realised until this reread.
Here's a small sample of the quotes I'm referring to:
Karlson, about his (alleged) granny: 'Did you think she'd be running around all night without a roof over her head?'... I mean, when it comes to any of Karlson's relatives, I'd be less surprised if they lived with a roof under their heads, but if you say so...
'Paper bag... is that what it says in the fairytale, eh? Does it say the hunter slit open the wolf's belly and emptied Red Riding Hood into a paper bag, eh?' Can't argue with such firm commitment to authenticity.
'It's a mere trifle. If all you've got to worry about in your life is a couple of nutshells down your shirt, you should be happy.' -- words to live by, each and every one. Even if I don't particularly appreciate using a gutter as a rubbish chute. It really is a mere trifle.
The entire scene where Smidge first meets Miss 'Creepy' Crawley speaks for itself. 'If they're well trained', 'And my shoes squeak, too', etc. etc. And don't even get me started on all the stuff which goes on after that.
'But when I'm as big as you, I'm going to go on a slimming diet, that's for sure.' Now, I don't appreciate the casual fatphobia which I now realise is sort of going on here, but, I mean, when such a clever little remark is coming from Smidge (even before he's been locked in his room, mind you), I don't think it's too out of place. It's sort of him channelling his inner Karlson, which we love to see.
'Beware! Your boundlessly short days should be spent with more gravity!', and, of course, the corresponding 'Beware! Your shamelessly expensive buns should be filled with more cinnamon!' I must say, I quote the latter on a much more near-daily basis than one would think I'd have an occasion to. But a quote like that doesn't really require a special occasion.
'And an earthquake, too, don't forget that! Poor people up in Norrland, what terrible weather they're going to have! But they ought to be glad they're getting any weather at all. What if they found themselves left without any?' There are no words strong enough to describe how this thought cracked me up as a child, and how it still leaves me in stitches nowadays. It's something else for sure.
'Just think how annoyed that bloke will be that he didn't get to tell us what he for his part is of the opinion!' Now this one... this one makes me laugh until it hurts, to this very day, and beyond, no doubt.
'But it says "Portrait of my Rabbits"... so where are the rabbits? -- 'They're in the fox.' Well, that makes complete and perfect sense.
Smidge's letter to his mum also speaks for itself, poor spelling and all. 'Rest in peace', indeed.
Upon the revelation that the Neighbourhood Ghost is just plain Karlson: 'Accidents happen to the best of us, as we've just seen' -- this is another one I quote on a near-daily basis. At least it's more pertinent to everyday situations so I don't sound like a walking non-sequitur when I do.
'You can count me out, if this is how it's going to be! Think you can throw me out of the back door like that, then count me out, that's all! [...] The back door, ugh! I want to be thrown out of the front door like posh people' -- this and 'Does she boss you about like that all the time, poor boy? [...] I'm glad she bosses me about too, because it has to be fair, or you can count me out!', these really speak to my somewhat unusual sense of justice, and by any means, 'you can count me out' has proven a rather useful phrase in my everyday life as well.
'Because I've got to get my hair done and have a bath and a facial and a manicure, and then try out some new arch supports.', and then the entire bit about how while arch supports might not show up on TV, the confidence they give one does show. It's not all about how you look, it's also about how you feel, and that's a message I hadn't quite expected from a book like this or a character like Miss Crawley, and yet here we are.
That being said, I can't quite tell why Miss Crawley was so keen on one-upping her sister Frida at being the mad ghost-sighting lady on the telly, of all things, but one must admire her dedication to it until the very end, despite discovering she's, in fact, more scared of ghosts than she might have admitted at first. Determination and persistence are nice traits to have, especially if what you're aiming for is worth achieving. They really don't write them like this anymore, do they? Well, then it's a good job we've still got this one. 10/5* for this core memory of a book.
Here's a small sample of the quotes I'm referring to:
Karlson, about his (alleged) granny: 'Did you think she'd be running around all night without a roof over her head?'... I mean, when it comes to any of Karlson's relatives, I'd be less surprised if they lived with a roof under their heads, but if you say so...
'Paper bag... is that what it says in the fairytale, eh? Does it say the hunter slit open the wolf's belly and emptied Red Riding Hood into a paper bag, eh?' Can't argue with such firm commitment to authenticity.
'It's a mere trifle. If all you've got to worry about in your life is a couple of nutshells down your shirt, you should be happy.' -- words to live by, each and every one. Even if I don't particularly appreciate using a gutter as a rubbish chute. It really is a mere trifle.
The entire scene where Smidge first meets Miss 'Creepy' Crawley speaks for itself. 'If they're well trained', 'And my shoes squeak, too', etc. etc. And don't even get me started on all the stuff which goes on after that.
'But when I'm as big as you, I'm going to go on a slimming diet, that's for sure.' Now, I don't appreciate the casual fatphobia which I now realise is sort of going on here, but, I mean, when such a clever little remark is coming from Smidge (even before he's been locked in his room, mind you), I don't think it's too out of place. It's sort of him channelling his inner Karlson, which we love to see.
'Beware! Your boundlessly short days should be spent with more gravity!', and, of course, the corresponding 'Beware! Your shamelessly expensive buns should be filled with more cinnamon!' I must say, I quote the latter on a much more near-daily basis than one would think I'd have an occasion to. But a quote like that doesn't really require a special occasion.
'And an earthquake, too, don't forget that! Poor people up in Norrland, what terrible weather they're going to have! But they ought to be glad they're getting any weather at all. What if they found themselves left without any?' There are no words strong enough to describe how this thought cracked me up as a child, and how it still leaves me in stitches nowadays. It's something else for sure.
'Just think how annoyed that bloke will be that he didn't get to tell us what he for his part is of the opinion!' Now this one... this one makes me laugh until it hurts, to this very day, and beyond, no doubt.
'But it says "Portrait of my Rabbits"... so where are the rabbits? -- 'They're in the fox.' Well, that makes complete and perfect sense.
Smidge's letter to his mum also speaks for itself, poor spelling and all. 'Rest in peace', indeed.
Upon the revelation that the Neighbourhood Ghost is just plain Karlson: 'Accidents happen to the best of us, as we've just seen' -- this is another one I quote on a near-daily basis. At least it's more pertinent to everyday situations so I don't sound like a walking non-sequitur when I do.
'You can count me out, if this is how it's going to be! Think you can throw me out of the back door like that, then count me out, that's all! [...] The back door, ugh! I want to be thrown out of the front door like posh people' -- this and 'Does she boss you about like that all the time, poor boy? [...] I'm glad she bosses me about too, because it has to be fair, or you can count me out!', these really speak to my somewhat unusual sense of justice, and by any means, 'you can count me out' has proven a rather useful phrase in my everyday life as well.
'Because I've got to get my hair done and have a bath and a facial and a manicure, and then try out some new arch supports.', and then the entire bit about how while arch supports might not show up on TV, the confidence they give one does show. It's not all about how you look, it's also about how you feel, and that's a message I hadn't quite expected from a book like this or a character like Miss Crawley, and yet here we are.
That being said, I can't quite tell why Miss Crawley was so keen on one-upping her sister Frida at being the mad ghost-sighting lady on the telly, of all things, but one must admire her dedication to it until the very end, despite discovering she's, in fact, more scared of ghosts than she might have admitted at first. Determination and persistence are nice traits to have, especially if what you're aiming for is worth achieving. They really don't write them like this anymore, do they? Well, then it's a good job we've still got this one. 10/5* for this core memory of a book.
thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
katriinajansone's review against another edition
Šī grāmata manī izraisa agras bērnības sajūtas. Karlsons ir ļoti interesants, dažbrīd kaitinošs, bet jautrs un smieklīgs. Un protams grāmata dabū papildus punktus par mana uzvārda lietošanu!
suchasuckerforbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
dostojevskijs's review against another edition
2.0
"Papperspåse... står det så i sagan, va?" sa Karlsson. "Står det att jägaren sprättade upp vargens mage och tömde ut Rödluvan i en papperspåse, står det det?"
Jag känner igen mig så otroligt i Lillebror, och återigen är det en bok med många äventyr och fniss. Men vem fan är Karlsson? Varför är Lillebrors föräldrar okej med denna lekkamrat? Okej om han vore en flygande pojke i sjuårsåldern men han är uppenbart en vuxen man, en farbror. Det är svårt att släppa, speciellt när jag läser den som vuxen.
Jag känner igen mig så otroligt i Lillebror, och återigen är det en bok med många äventyr och fniss. Men vem fan är Karlsson? Varför är Lillebrors föräldrar okej med denna lekkamrat? Okej om han vore en flygande pojke i sjuårsåldern men han är uppenbart en vuxen man, en farbror. Det är svårt att släppa, speciellt när jag läser den som vuxen.
More...