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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
Honestly, I only picked this up to complete a task on the #readharder challenge, I never expected to enjoy it so much. Listening to it as an audiobook, the readers accent added so much to the story, in my opinion. So much fun and the League of Pensioners fought a fight worth having and bringing attention to all around the world. It's ridiculous the money spent on jails when education and the elderly see so little.
I was excited about the premise of the book: a group of seniors frustrated about their quality of care in their seniors' home, decide to commit crimes to finance a luxury life for the rest of their years.
And that's it. For me, this is the book that would never end. The things we do for bookclub....sadly this was my recommendation and I should have checked goodread reviews first.
And that's it. For me, this is the book that would never end. The things we do for bookclub....sadly this was my recommendation and I should have checked goodread reviews first.
Overall a fun, light read. At times the pace was slow, but looking forward to reading the next book of the series.
I’ve been reading some serious books so decided I needed something more light-hearted. I picked up this title which I've been seeing everywhere. It is the first of a series; I think there are four so far.
Martha Anderson, 79, lives in Diamond House, a retirement home in Stockholm. She and four friends are unhappy with the living conditions. The manager, Nurse Barbara, because she is in love with the owner, enforces his cost-saving measures which include medication to suppress clients’ appetites and make them lethargic. The five decide that they’d be better off in jail where they believe they will receive better food, more outdoor exercise, and more leisure activities. They escape the home and register at the luxurious Grand Hotel where they devise a plot to kidnap two masterpieces from the Swedish National Museum and demand ransom, money which they will hide to improve their lifestyles after they’ve served their prison sentences.
The book is advertised as a comic caper, but it is not especially funny. There is some humourous dialogue but it doesn’t really have any laugh-out-loud episodes. As the novel progresses, more and more silliness occurs which just becomes irritating after a while.
The plot relies on coincidence too much. For instance, the League of Pensioners is able to escape because Nurse Barbara is absent. Then they encounter her on a cruise ship. The plot also depends on the incompetence of the police. Again and again, the seniors are able to get away with things because the police are so inept. The heists are rather simplistic so it is unbelievable that the quintet is able to succeed.
“Old people can do things too” (165) is the theme of the novel. There is a condemnation of ageism and society’s treatment of the elderly. Seniors are placed in underfunded retirement facilities where they are treated as if they are totally incapable of doing things and making decisions. In society, there are almost invisible and so not taken seriously; therefore, the five senior criminals are able to escape detection.
As I was reading the book, I kept thinking that it would perhaps make a better movie. The book is too long; it has too much repetition and is slow-paced. By removing extraneous information and focusing on action, a film version might be more enjoyable. I won’t be reading the other books in the series because I fear they would be much the same and any charm has already worn off.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Martha Anderson, 79, lives in Diamond House, a retirement home in Stockholm. She and four friends are unhappy with the living conditions. The manager, Nurse Barbara, because she is in love with the owner, enforces his cost-saving measures which include medication to suppress clients’ appetites and make them lethargic. The five decide that they’d be better off in jail where they believe they will receive better food, more outdoor exercise, and more leisure activities. They escape the home and register at the luxurious Grand Hotel where they devise a plot to kidnap two masterpieces from the Swedish National Museum and demand ransom, money which they will hide to improve their lifestyles after they’ve served their prison sentences.
The book is advertised as a comic caper, but it is not especially funny. There is some humourous dialogue but it doesn’t really have any laugh-out-loud episodes. As the novel progresses, more and more silliness occurs which just becomes irritating after a while.
The plot relies on coincidence too much. For instance, the League of Pensioners is able to escape because Nurse Barbara is absent. Then they encounter her on a cruise ship. The plot also depends on the incompetence of the police. Again and again, the seniors are able to get away with things because the police are so inept. The heists are rather simplistic so it is unbelievable that the quintet is able to succeed.
“Old people can do things too” (165) is the theme of the novel. There is a condemnation of ageism and society’s treatment of the elderly. Seniors are placed in underfunded retirement facilities where they are treated as if they are totally incapable of doing things and making decisions. In society, there are almost invisible and so not taken seriously; therefore, the five senior criminals are able to escape detection.
As I was reading the book, I kept thinking that it would perhaps make a better movie. The book is too long; it has too much repetition and is slow-paced. By removing extraneous information and focusing on action, a film version might be more enjoyable. I won’t be reading the other books in the series because I fear they would be much the same and any charm has already worn off.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
The adventure the old guys step into made me quite curious to follow the story. However it didn't fulfill my expectations. Although seeing how easily the police officers are misguided by not believing in the simple possibility of the impossible brings a smile to my face.
The premise of the story is funny and cute but the writing quality is quite poor. I'm not entirely sure if it was due to being translated from Swedish to English, as there may be things that don't translate easily but I found the writing to be too juvenile and obvious. Sadly not my cup of tea!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Tale as old as time. And by “tale” I mean retired folks. The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a light heart story of a gang of pensioners who decide that going to jail is better than being discarded by society. So that’s exactly what they do! Committing crimes to rob from the rich and give to the old. Fun and funny read that is sure to entertain.
Too poorly written and the character's names were just dumb. Kind of all over the place, and I was only 29 pages in. No way I could stick with it for another almost 400