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

By: Jonas Jonasson

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

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.

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 tomorrow is his hundredth birthday. 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.

Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared has charmed millions of people around the world.

©2009 Jonas Jonasson (P)2012 AudioGO

Silly and Light

This book is lighthearted, absurd and silly in the best way. The narrator's cadence and portrayal of the characters was excellent and the listen was overall enjoyable.

Charming and entertaining

An enjoyable story that is well told and filled with interesting characters and folksy humor.

GREAT STORY!!!

This is a Perfect summer read, Funny and very amusing. Light hearted entertainment. Overall Awesome.

Outstanding book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it, and have. I plan to read it again.

Hilarious!

After listening to series of well written but emotionally draining books, I was looking for something light. This book was free and the title got my attention. I don’t think I have laughed out loud so many times with any other book. A fun, Forest Gumpesc, roller coaster ride, intertwined with major political figures and events of the past 100 years. I would love to find another similarly entertaining book.

A Familiar Story Line? Yes.

Here’s the story. Allan Karlsson is in an elderly care home in Sweden and they are about to celebrate his 100th birthday. The problem is, Allan doesn’t feel like celebrating. He didn’t want to be placed in this “home” in the first place and sees no reason to celebrate some date on a calendar that to him means nothing and certainly not with a bunch of old people and institutional overlords. So, he grabs a bottle of vodka that he had sneaked into his room esrlier, climbs out his window, and sets off. From there begins a comical story of farce beyond reason. Once outside, he notices that he is wearing his indoor slippers and doesn’t have a very warm coat (remember I said, it’s in Sweden). He walks to a bus/train station, steals a suitcase which he later finds contains, not warmer clothes, but a fortune (which we later learn was a payment from a Russian crime syndicate to a local gang for a drug deal). You can then imagine the manhunt that follows–involving the police for the 100-year-old man who has disappeared, the local gang for their missing suitcase and missing “courier,” the Russian mafia for the local gang who had reneged on a deal, and the thief who had intercepted the payment, and, as the story goes on, an increasing circle of searchers searching for something all unknowingly centered around one person.
Oh, but there is more. You see, Allan has already had an, let’s say, interesting life. He has traveled the world and been involved in many world events as a key background player who ended up changing history, though more as a bumbling idiot. Friends? How about Franco, Truman, Oppenheimer, Stalin, Mao, and Kim Il Sung for starters? Does this kind of plot sound familiar, as maybe a story of a boy from Alabama who was played by Tom Hanks in a movie? Whose mother is reported to have said that life is like a box of chocolates because you never know what you’re going to get? Yeah, it’s a lot like that.
If you read the book with low expectations and just want something light and funny that doesn’t have to make sense and doesn’t have to be believable, you probably will enjoy this. On the other hand, even if that is true, you might find it getting a bit too unbelievable and start becoming distracted by all the things that don’t make sense, that you are sure couldn’t possibly have happened that way. For me, yes, it was fun. It was funny. But, not funny enough to make me forget about Forrest Gump and wonder how the author could have so blatantly ripped off that plot line or to make me forget that, even as a farcical comedy, it was just a bit too far. And that’s the best I can say. And yet, it was funny...

Amusing satire that loses its edge after a while.

This is an amusing story, but satire is difficult medium to sustain for the length of a novel. The protagonist, Allan Karlsson, is a lot like Forrest Gump, with similar attributes other than being mentally retarded, bumbling into situations in which he is regarded as brilliant. The style is also similar inasmuch as it is episodic. The author alternates between the present time (2005) and earlier periods of Allan's life, and it works for a while but also gets a bit stale. One difference from Gump is Allan's capacity to drink unlimited quantities of vodka and other forms of alcohol, but that is in character with his being Swedish, I suppose. In order to appreciate this book, you need to approach it like a cartoon or comic book, totally unrealistic machinations and unbelievable coincidences. I enjoyed many of the characters but after a while, I was ready for the book to end, and it took longer to get there than I expected.

A Deadpan Romp Through History

Loved this book, start to finish. The narrator was ideal, and the whole book was both charming and thought-provoking at once. It's hard to describe, but it kept me entertained for a week and half of commuting. A wry, understated pleasure!

Water for Elephants meets Forrest Gump

What may be intended as wry-old-humor and absurdity, just became somewhat tiresome after a while. I lost interest in the story and the characters about halfway through. Although lighthearted, it seemed unfunny to me, and just became long-winded in its delivery.

Enjoyable!

Would you listen to The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared again? Why?

I would listen again as the story made me laugh and was very entertaining. It is a "feel good" book and there was no angst or sadness to be found. It was just a solid book that made me happy and it made me think (in a good way!)

What other book might you compare The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared to and why?

The story reminds me of "Forrest Gump" with all the world travels and the interesting and notable people that he meets. Then a little of the "Pink Panther" with the situations that develop and how the story eventually winds down and ends so that all is well and the good guys go on their merry way.

What about Steven Crossley’s performance did you like?

Mr. Crossley did an excellent job with the voices and with the accents and with pronouncing everyone's name the same way each time. His comedic timing was perfect and he made the book very enjoyable.

If you could take any character from The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Well, of course it would be the 100-year-old-man! I cannot begin to imagine the tales he would have to tell and all in such an innocent and "it's not a big deal" manner. It would be a great dinner with good food and lots of vodka!

Any additional comments?

This is just an entertaining and fun book. I would recommend this one to anyone who is in the mood for a good book that tells an excellent story.