Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden  By  cover art

The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

By: Jonas Jonasson, Rachel Willson-Broyles - translator
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.19

Buy for $25.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A wildly picaresque new novel from Jonas Jonasson, the author of the internationally best-selling The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.

In a tiny shack in the largest township in South Africa, Nombeko Mayeki is born. Put to work at five years old and orphaned at 10, she quickly learns that the world expects nothing more from her than to die young, be it from drugs, alcohol, or just plain despair. But Nombeko has grander plans. She learns to read and write, and at just 15, using her cunning and fearlessness, she makes it out of Soweto with millions of smuggled diamonds in her possession. Then things take a turn for the worse....

Nombeko ends up the prisoner of an incompetent engineer in a research facility working on South Africa's secret nuclear arsenal. Yet the unstoppable Nombeko pulls off a daring escape to Sweden, where she meets twins named Holger One and Holger Two, who are carrying out a mission to bring down the Swedish monarchy...by any means necessary.

Nombeko's life ends up hopelessly intertwined with the lives of the twins, and when the twins arrange to kidnap the Swedish king and prime minister, it is up to our unlikely heroine to save the day - and possibly the world. In this wild romp, Jonasson tackles issues ranging from the pervasiveness of racism to the dangers of absolute power, while telling a charming and hilarious story along the way. In the satirical voice that has earned him legions of fans the world over, Jonasson gives us another rollicking tale of how even the smallest of decisions can have sweeping - even global - consequences.

©2014 Jonas Jonasson (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    705
  • 4 Stars
    312
  • 3 Stars
    131
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    18
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    811
  • 4 Stars
    197
  • 3 Stars
    47
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    10
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    616
  • 4 Stars
    293
  • 3 Stars
    117
  • 2 Stars
    36
  • 1 Stars
    15

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

overall a disapointment

First, let's correct an omission - the book is narrated by Peter Kenny. He narrated a lot of books available on Audible, and his experience shows. The reading is fluent and nuanced. It is also totally inadequate for this book. Jonas Jonasson has a dry humor that is betrayed by the engrossing reading, which makes it sound like a sitcom. A pathetic misunderstanding and a huge letdown from the narration of the author's other book by Steven Crossley.
That being said, the book itself is not as good as The 100 Years Old Man...The story has some good parts, particularly the ones in Soweto, but otherwise it a lot duller and repetitive, even self-plagiarizing.
So, this audiobook is OK, but I came with high expectations after listening to the author's first book. Hopefully he will come back to his senses for the next book and the original narrator returns. I hear they made movies of both books, so I am up to see them (one available on Amazon Video already), just to see what they manage to do with some good literary material in that approach.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Cheeky, Clever and Current story + great narrator

By the same author of 'The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared' this story follows a similar format of a tangle of lives through years and countries and political and social events, unlikely chaos is tied together in imaginative scenarios through historic and current events recognizable by anyone who has watched the news in the past decades.

This book had less laugh-out-loud moments than 'The 100-Year-Old-Man . . . ' book I listened to previously. But the previous book was so wonderful that I looked forward to the release of this one. In a "damned-if-you-do" and "damned-if-you-don't" dilemma an author may face, I noted and thought about the author's using a similarity in plot structure and interactions in this book (road trip across countries and time, kitchen table conversation scenarios, hiding a big thing in the barn . . .) but reckoned that maybe it was a good thing for an author to serve the readers a variation on what they already like.

The witty and sarcastic view of society, certain types of people, and twisted take on historical events were clever. The cheeky conversations were delightful.

The narrator is fantastic and fun.

The story moves fast, has multiple characters that weave in and out and you have to pay attention as a lot happens at once. It's an imaginative book, fun to listen to, and a pleasant diversion from real life. As previous comments stated in reviews on 'The 100-Year-Old Man . . . " book stated, it's somewhat 'Forrest Gump'-like.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Beware of stereotypes

I didn't like this one as much as The Hundred Year Old Man for several reasons;

1. As a native speaker of Afrikaans -- we don't sound like that.
2. The book tends to set up the idea that all white South Africans, especially all Afrikaans South Africans are bigoted idiots. Whilst the topic of Appartheid can keep one busy for eternity and a day, there is no denying that it was a terrible system. Probably the only thing that elevates it slightly above Hitler's Nazis would be the absence of gas chambers and a world war -- though one could enter several arguments about Wouter Basson's work and the Angolan war at this point.
3. I enjoy his style if writing. The text is steeped in irony and sarcasm and that is refreshing, but when he attacks your culture and your people the fun dries up quite quickly. I was eight years old when Appartheid ended. I don't have much memory of the injustices and politics and luckily escaped most of the indoctrination, but I know this: Afrikaners have more to offer than the distasteful memory of Appartheid. We as a people are no more guilty of the actions of our leaders than the average German citizen is of the Holocaust. I would like to know how other people feel when their culture is attacked like this. When they are made out to be villains over a system they had no control over. In my whole life I never witnessed my parents being cruel or unjust to the black people in our lives. If we were all like Piet du Toit, I would have moved to Orania and shut myself off from the rest of the country. I love this country. And I love its people and it is only with the determined effort of the average citizen that we'll be able to fix the mess both poles of our society have managed to make until now. Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Ons vir jou Suid-Afrika.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A quirky, sweet, super fun novel

I listened to Jonasson's other book "The 100 year old..." and really enjoyed it so jumped on this one when it was released. I was not disappointed--this book was even better.

The themes of this story are:
1. do not underestimate people and
2. still waters run deep.

This book is filled with characters I loved because of their depth and because of how they surprise the reader (listener) and how they continually surprise the "bad" guys in the story.

Jonasson's style is outlandish, with action and scenarios that make you shake your head and chuckle. The suspension of disbelief is easy though because the characters are so lovable that I end up cheering for them no matter how nutty the situations and solutions are. His novels are just fun.

The narrator was great. He wrestled with a lot of accents and handled them very well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

At least it had a happy ending

It had so many good reviews I kept listening thinking it had to get better. Then I had invested so much time I felt I had to listen to the end. Everyone gets their happily ever after except me. Tedious listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Leaves your head spinning

Quirky, wise, fast-moving, and utterly engaging! The story moves at a pace that makes your head spin, but was so much fun that I had to keep listening. And the narrator is a master!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

When it was good . . .

. . . it was very, very good. But sometimes it wasn't.
In the same style of "The 100 Year-Old Man" Jonasson has created a quirky absurdist piece of satire. The center of the story is Nombeko, the girl of the title, and as long as she is on stage there are sharp observations and laughs. Sparkling with wit and inate intelligence, she is the star of the production and provides the bulk of the enjoyment. ("Let me get my scissors") Unfortunately when the focus shifts to other story threads, the sparkle fades, matching the dullness of the the brother who is The Idiot and his Angry Young Woman girlfriend. I suspect that one needs a stronger insight into European politics in general and Swedish politics specifically if some of the inside jokes are to be fully appreciated. More than once too often everything that can go wrong does, thereby preventing Nombeko and her young man from saving the King and living happily ever after. While amusing for a while, these mishaps stopped being quite so funny, actually stalling the story progression instead of adding substance to the plot. Perhaps because I had already read "The 100 Year-Old Man", I was prepared for the wrap-up connecting all the dots. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read, narrated well, especially Nombeko's voice. Recommended for those who enjoyed the humor and absurdity of "The 100-Year-Old Man".

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Narration is so terrible that I cannot listen.

Would you try another book from Jonas Jonasson and Rachel Willson-Broyles (translator) and/or uncredited?

I have purchased the book and read it and love it. Nothing wrong with the writing. But the narration was so bad I thought that I had a bad download, until I checked on multiple devices. HORRENDOUS. Not listenable. It sound like I had downloaded a corrupt file.

What didn’t you like about uncredited’s performance?

It sounds as though I convinced my GPS to read book an entire to me against his will. What's the hurry, old chap?

Any additional comments?

Great book, horrible narration. I think it is actually a computer narration. I am still not sure what happened here. A waste of a credit. Spend your money on a digital or print version instead, you won't regret it. The writing is SUPERB... the audio is truly awful. TRULY. It sounds kind of like when you accidentally hit the "2x speed" button on your iPhone. It's that fast and uneven and choppy. YUCK.

Book is 5 star, narration is -10 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Is it the story or the narrator that dooms this book?

Just having completed “The hundred year ...” which I loved, I began listening to the beginning of this novel. I immediately felt distracted by the narrator’s clipped and monotone reading. Having read the novel, I knew that “The girl who ....” was a great story, but I no longer wanted to hear the audio version.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cheeky, incisive, compelling

Having read Jonasson's book, "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared", I immediately wanted to read this book and I wasn't disappointed. If anything, "The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden" is even better.
The delightful book, abounding with dry humour, quirky characters and amazing coincidences, is savagely satirical and presents a view of politics which forces the listener to see the absurdity of it all. At the same time, it's a rollicking story which compels you from one situation to another. In the print version, it would be a "page turner".
The narration, however, transports it to another level. Sadly the narrator is uncredited but his command of the accents required by the various characters and his dry delivery of the humour really enhance the story. I heartily recommend this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful