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

Cheerful, inane--in Forrest Gump sort of way!

Really enjoyed it and wondered what would would come next. Good ending for we oldsters!

Sometimes Amusing

What made the experience of listening to The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared the most enjoyable?

This book could be reviewed in two parts - "now and before." What made this only a "3" and not a 5 is that it was a little too wordy. However, this old man had quite a life and continued on after he happened on an adventure at the age of 100. The humor kept me reading. Our book club selection this month, it was enjoyed by all. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of the wild predicaments. An example was when the detective tried to stop the bus with his car and the bus wouldn't stop... (I'm not going to add a spoiler here as to why).

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

None that I can think of offhand.

Have you listened to any of Steven Crossley’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. He does a nice job with the dramatization, but it is difficult to separate his performance from the written words that sometimes dragged on. He did the best with what he had to work with.

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?

I would probably take out the old man. His adventures and "accidental" circumstances that grew into successes that even he didn't realize had happened would be worth the price of a meal any day.

Any additional comments?

If some of the dialog was reduced this would probably be a 4 star story. Fun. And the weaving in and out of the past and present of the old man's life experiences was well managed if a bit too wordy.

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN........

I typically complete any book I start but I gave up on this one. I really tried to keep listening but by the middle of chapter 13, I just couldn't continue. I found it totally boring and difficult to keep my focus on what was being read. The narrator was not the problem — he is actually pretty good. The story, however, is not. It's Iike a bad version of a cross between Forrest Gump and A Man Called Ove — two stories that I loved. I realize this audiobook has received many good reviews so I guess it just isn't my cup of tea. I still attempted to give it a decent rating.

Excellent listen

Entertaining, quirky and enjoyed by the whole family. Highly recommended. Some of the humour was darkly wicked.

Splendid, entertaining!

I enjoyed this narrated version by Steven Crossley very much. His work matched all characters wonderfully.

The story is funny, quick and light hearted and still very adventurous!

Great read.

Wow! what a yarn...

Any additional comments?

This story is so unbelievable that it's adorable. Yanno, like the truth is stranger than fiction? But this is fiction, so the truth would be truly bizarre... I enjoyed it immensely, had no trouble keeping track of the story line or numerous characters.

The Most Interesting Man in the World

The most interesting man in the world doesn't drink beer, he prefers vodka. From the moment we meet the title character, this story progresses at a steady and hilarious pace. It is two complementary stories in one. First in present day we follow a band of characters as they stay one step ahead of the law, then we flash back to witness the life and times of our title character. The pace is good, the writing captivating and the production enhances to story itself. Definitely worth your time.

A bizarre and fun romp through history

This held my interest through a long boring car ride. The performance was good and the story was great fun.

Romp through history

It was a story about a man and his ability to find friends. The coolest part is although he was ok with blowing things up he had strong morals and values. Enjoyed the book..

Reminds me of Forrest Gump

If you could sum up The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared in three words, what would they be?

Refreshing, funny, engaging!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Beauty. She is such a typical redhead-brash, tells it like it is, and doesn't play games.

What about Steven Crossley’s performance did you like?

Some people just have an innate ability to draw you into a story. Steven Crossley is one of those people. His expressive voice gave the story even more depth, and he was a pleasure to listen to. I'll be looking for more books with this narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was extremely funny, but the humor was subtle and, for the most part, very believable. A few times I did laugh out loud, and other times I just shook my head with a smile.

Any additional comments?

This book was thoroughly entertaining, and worth every penny and every minute spent listening. It never dragged, even through the political dialogue. It reminded me of the way Forrest Gump was innocently in situations with famous people and a president. The main character never set out to make himself important, he was just in situations that allowed him to meet important people. He is humble, unassuming, thoroughly lovable, and very human. I've already recommended it to three friends, and will continue to recommend this book.