| Title | : | Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1443446769 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781443446761 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 312 |
| Publication | : | First published September 23, 2015 |
Hitman Anders, recently out of prison, is doing small jobs for the big gangsters. Then his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a female Protestant vicar (who also happens to be an atheist), and a homeless receptionist at a former brothel which is now a one-star hotel. The three join forces and concoct an unusual business plan based on Hitman Anders’ skills and his fearsome reputation. The vicar and receptionist will organize jobs for a group of gangsters, and will attract customers using the tabloids’ love of lurid headlines.
The perfect plan—if it weren’t for Hitman Anders’ curiosity about the meaning of it all. In conversations with the vicar, he turns to Jesus and, against all odds, Jesus answers him! The vicar can’t believe what’s happening. When Hitman Anders turns to religion, the lucrative business is in danger, and the vicar and the receptionist have to find a new plan, quick.
Fast-paced and sparky, the novel follows these bizarre but loveable characters on their quest to create a New Church, with all of Sweden’s gangsters hunting them. Along the way, it explores the consequences of fanaticism, the sensationalist press, the entrepreneurial spirit and straightforward human stupidity—and underlying all of it, the tenuous hope that it’s never too late to start again.
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All Reviews
-
Some people would hate this novel. I loved it and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.
I honestly haven’t laughed as much at this kind of religious irreverence since I read God Knows, by Joseph Heller (who also wrote Catch 22). So the writer of this book, Jonas Jonasson, is in good company indeed.
I knew from the start I was going to like this book.
It takes black comedy to new heights. It’s farce. It’s madcap. It takes the funny bone and gives it a damn good thrashing.
I suspect the author delivers some underlying messages about the meaning of it all. But don’t ask me what they are. I’m just not that deep.
I know this though: the book should come with a warning about drinking any kind of beverage, especially Moldovan red wine, when reading Hitman Anders, lest liquid come out of your nose, when you snort at the one of the many funny, clever sentences. This reminds me of Joseph Heller too.
I loved most of the characters. They are caricatures for sure, but I could picture most of them.
The book moves along at a fair pace and there are twists and turns.
So why would anyone hate the book? I suspect the violence might offend some. I’d argue it’s cartoon violence though.
The Bible certainly comes in for ridicule.
You’d have to hope God has a sense of humour. -
I suppose “minor spoilers ahead” but do yourself a favour and avoid this crummy novel altogether.
A dim-witted thug called Hitman Anders is taken advantage of by a receptionist and a priest as they advertise his criminal services in the papers and pocket a managerial fee. He’s sort of a PG-Hitman in that he breaks arms and legs but doesn’t kill anyone (though he has done in the past). Then one day he discovers Jesus and gives up his wicked ways. Whatever will the receptionist and the priest do for cash now? … zzz…
Incorrectly billed as a comedy by a desperate PR department, Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All is a dreary crime caper that thinks it’s clever by making the highly original observations that, 1) Christianity is a bit of a silly religion and 2) tabloid newspapers are trash. Who. Knew.
The novel is so very poorly plotted. Hitman Anders becomes a celebrity for breaking people’s arms and legs – really, why would the public venerate an ordinary gangster? And why aren’t the police arresting him? He’s literally advertising that he will hospitalise people for money and admitting to assault in the national papers – isn’t that evidence enough for the police to at least have a chat with him? But no, apparently the Swedish police are useless, or else grievous bodily harm isn’t a crime in Sweden. Maybe that’s the satirical element – is Jonas Jonasson saying that Swedish gangsters get away with blatant crimes? Who knows. But towards the end of the novel, Anders finally gets put away when he assaults a guy from the government – I guess that’s the line in the sand? Yeah, that’s not at all contrived. One minute it’s fine for Anders to go around breaking people’s arms and legs then suddenly, when the story needs that to change, it’s not.
Later on, Hitman Anders, the receptionist and the priest are on the run from a group of mobsters they’ve swindled out of millions of kroner. So instead of fleeing the country and hiding, they decide to set up a church and begin advertising it with Hitman Anders’ well-known name – why?? That’s the opposite of what they should’ve done! Now the gangsters can easily find them and guess what? They do! This is such a stupid story!!
In addition to these baffling decisions, our characters don’t seem to have any actual obstacles – things tend to work out really well for them whatever they do which doesn’t make for a very exciting read. Speaking of the characters, none are especially well-written, interesting, or remotely convincing. They’re poorly created cartoons, especially Hitman Anders, and impossible to take seriously let alone care about.
When Anders gets Christianity, he says “Hosanna” a lot without knowing what it means – that’s the “comedy” by the way. If you laughed then, you’ll love this book because it’s full of, ahem, “jokes”, like that. Maybe when Anders becomes pastor of his church Jonasson is saying organized religion is run by crooks? Never heard a sentiment like that uttered before… Criticising Christianity is so passé these days – aren’t we over this yet? I’m not religious at all and firmly believe religion does more harm than good but I’m extremely bored with people pointing and laughing at Christianity. It’s easy and it’s been done people, move on or else have something original to say about it, which Jonasson doesn’t.
This unfunny supposed satire cum crime novel has nothing clever to say about any of its chosen subjects and, far from being entertaining or amusing, is deeply irritating and boring. I’d heard good things about this author’s previous books but I was very disappointed with his latest, pitiful effort – I won’t be looking for more novels from the hacky Jonas Jonasson and his dull writing. -
Από το συγγραφέα του "100χρονου που πήδηξε από το παράθυρο και εξαφανίστηκε" (το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα) και της "αναλφάβητης που ήξερε να μετράει" (δεν το έχω διαβάσει, αλλά καλό θα είναι, το προτείνω κι αυτό, αν δεν σας αρέσει σιγά μη με βρείτε να μου ζητήσετε τα ρέστα), έρχεται το καινούριο έπος, "ο Άντερς ο φονιάς και οι φίλοι του". Α.k.a. φίλοι του μια παστόρισσα που δεν πιστεύει στο Θεό αλλά έγινε κληρικός γιατί την πίεζε ο πατέρας της να τιμήσει την οικογενειακή παράδοση και ένας ρεσεψιονίστας που για όλα κατηγορούσε τον παππού του που από εκατομμυριούχος πτώχευσε, αφήνοντας την οικογένειά του (δηλαδή τον πατέρα του, πολλά χρόνια προτού γεννηθεί αυτός) στην τύχη τους. Και ο Άντερς, μη φανταστείτε ότι είναι κακός άνθρωπος, απλά κάποια στιγμή παραφέρθηκε, συνδύασε αλκοόλ με χάπια, ξέρετε τώρα, ατυχήματα συμβαίνουν - και όταν αυτά καταλήγουν με ακέφαλους ή τρύπιους από σφαίρες ανθρώπους, σου βγαίνει το ρημάδι το όνομα χωρίς να φταις....
Αυτοί οι άνθρωποι, λοιπόν, που εκτός των άλλων μισούν το άπαν σύμπαν και ενίοτε ο ένας τον άλλο, αποφασίζουν να κάνουν επιχείρηση, ώστε να πάρουν πίσω αυτά που το Σύμπαν τους στέρησε... τρεις επιχειρήσεις κάνουν στη διάρκεια του βιβλίου (ναι, οι δυο πάνε ελαφρώς στραβά για εντελώς διαφορετικούς λόγους η καθεμία), διότι δεν υπάρχει καλύτερο συναίσθημα του να προσφέρεις, από το να παίρνεις.. Το λέει και η Βίβλος... καλά, μπορεί και όχι έτσι ακριβώς.
Σημαντική η συνεισφορά της Θείας Κοινωνίας - βασικά μόνο του ενός συστατικού της, του Αίματος του Χριστού, γιατί το Σώμα δεν κάνει κεφάλι και δεν φέρνει χρήματα - και σε φιλική συμμετοχή ο Ιησούς.
Κάποιες σελίδες του βιβλίου ίσως προκαλέσουν εκνευρισμό σε θρήσκους αναγνώστες... -
DNF at 65% I really enjoyed Jonasson's other books, but the narrative style and plot structure felt tired in this iteration. Like paper that has been recycled too many times it has lost its integrity.
None of the characters were in any way relate-able, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it just meant that the poorly structured plot stood out, rather than hiding behind quirky but amusing personalities.
This book was a disappointment, but it doesn't tarnish my enjoyment of his other work. -
the orginal title of the book is Hitman Anders and His Friends, but I must say i like the translation title better, and i like the translation as much as i like Johansson's way of narrating everything, it is so objectively subjective, so pleasantly familiar ans surprising, so overwhelmingly simple, and so elaborately complicated.
-
Since I read
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared I have been a fan of Jonas Jonasson. He is in my view is one of the best humor writers in Scandinavia at the moment.
This book has a very similar humor as was in The Hundred Year Old Man, but somehow the scale of it is much smaller. It's not a globe-trotting affair, but sticks to Sweden completely. Even so it works on the same principle, a certain kind of "unusual" heroes, and a wildly improbable plot. All of which made me laugh out loud quite often, which must be a good thing for a humor book to do.
It doesn't top The One Hundred Year Old Man. In fact there was a little longer between laughs in this one, but I still enjoyed it very much. But it is good enough for me to wait for the next book impatiently. I suspect I will read everything that comes from this author in the near future. I just like him that much. -
The opening chapters are promising, as translator Rachel Willson-Broyles tries to channel Douglas Adams’ dry humour. And the paragraphs introducing hapless naif Per Persson are are as typically, amusingly Jonasson as anything in the author's hit debut The Hundred Year Old Man, creating absurd levity from a crummy situation: his destructive family, and his job manning reception at a run-down former brothel, now a budget hotel popular with ex-cons and other shady sorts - and the character's everyman name works even better in English.
I thought I was really going to like Hitman Anders despite the unpromising 3.11 Goodreads average rating mostly from Swedish readers. I’d been apprehensive about Jonasson’s previous book, The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, with its heroine from Soweto, and a title in several European languages that translated as “The Illiterate Who Saved the King of Sweden”. (She’s actually a near-genius intellect, it’s just that at the start of the book she hadn’t been to school). I was braced for crass, unintentional racism, but it was more or less fine, and also a lot of fun. (For certain values of fine that I was likely to notice, not having a detailed knowledge of the place behind the news: black South African readers may disagree.) Contemporary light reading is so often based in one of a handful of genres, and Nombeko’s zany, farcical adventures were an enjoyable exception just as Allan Karlsson’s had been in The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. So after one pleasant surprise followed low expectations, I anticipated that I’d like book number three just as much. Sweden’s most popular comic novelist takes on the Scandianvian speciality of crime fiction? Sounds great. What’s more, thug-as-born-again-Christian sounds like a premise with plenty of comic potential, at least on this side of the Atlantic.
Like the author’s previous outings, Hitman Anders was a low-effort read that rattled along at a fair pace. And once again there is that curiously flippant way of describing dark and painful events, no matter who they affect, which makes classic British understatement look like Italian melodrama. Having noticed similar in other Swedish authors’ light fiction,
A Man Called Ove and, more so in
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, I’m getting the impression that it may be a national thing, not just a Jonas Jonasson thing: Scandinavian stoicism. I like it, and it makes me feel a little more stoic whilst reading, even whilst I imagine it may offend or bewilder some other readers.
The book has some significant flaws, however. After the main characters had been introduced, it was a lot less funny, albeit not without the odd laugh. Maybe every thirty to fifty pages.
One of those main characters never quite came together: agnostic, money-grubbing priest Johanna Kjellerman, somewhat sympathetic thanks to her tyrannical minister father who resembled a sketch from a Bergman or Dreyer film. I couldn’t imagine what she would say or think about anything that wasn’t in the book.
The acknowledgements mention editor Anna ... for her fantastic single-handed rescue work at the last minute.. I was surprised to see it set out so boldly at the end, but this always felt like a novel which had had problems and editorial salvage attempts. Among the early signs was Per describing Johanna as the strangest woman he’d ever met: a way of saying to the reader, “No, it’s not just you”. I don’t think I couldn't make sense of her just because she’s so far from the modern CofE type, like the lead character in Rev (who’s also similar to a couple of friends of friends who had thought of becoming clergy, though they also had a quietly donnish side). Jonasson’s worlds may not contain elves, but they are still fantastical and require some suspension of disbelief; Johanna required too much and was more plot device than person. Perhaps she, sometimes reminiscent of pre-Counter-Reformation indulgence-sellers, or fraudulent televangelists, is meant to symbolise negative aspects of the church in a country where people still pay taxes to it, and where freedom of religion was made legal much later than in Britain. But, whilst Johanna and Per both crave material wealth as a substitute for emotionally nurturing parents, I’m damned if I can see what any character other than Johanna is meant to symbolise individually - and besides, that sounds a bit high-concept for a Jonasson novel.
There’s a switch-around for Part Two, in which Hitman Anders becomes more sympathetic, and Per less so. I don’t have a problem with this: anyone who took Per Persson’s genetic heritage into account could find, if not an excuse, at least an explanation. He had inherited his moral compass from his father, the drunkard (who had abandoned his son for a bottle of cognac when the boy was two years old), and from his grandfather, the horse dealer, a man who had dosed his foals with precise amounts of arsenic from birth onwards so that they would grow used to the poison and be in tip-top shape not only on the day of sale but, in slowly declining degrees, on the days, weeks and months after that. But can see fewer Anglo-American than Swedish readers taking to it. The authorial voice mysteriously backing Per and Johanna, regardless of their actions, kept me on side to an extent, but this sort of beach read novel needs a touch more outright likeability; the second, more nefarious scheme is short on that: . This episode is at least mitigated by some entertaining supporting characters who are themselves no saints. Hitman Anders isn’t reflective literary fiction, or a textbook on psychology and social problems: it's a silly comic novel with [anti-]heroes readers need more reasons to root for. Allan Karlsson’s unworldliness meant he could get away with sometimes doing the wrong thing and still be likeable. As a reader open to the explanation of their backgrounds, and wanting to laugh at the book I still kept wishing they would stop, even if I didn’t want them to get shot or arrested or any of the other things one sees pissed off Goodreads reviewers say about characters who annoyed them.
Ultimately, the characters’ journey seemed very Scandinavian, connected to the central Swedish value of lagom (enough; moderation as an approach to all aspects of life). It turned out to be a story with a moral, not just a caper.
Hitman Anders may not have lived up to the author’s previous books (and it was strange to preview it in March when Jonasson was otherwise a summer read for me... these sentence structures belong in sunshine) – still I’m glad I read it. It may not win the author many new fans, but has enough of the formula to satisfy those who really liked both his earlier novels. It’s left me (and I daresay publishers) wondering whether Jonasson is ever going to produce another The Hundred-Year Old Man ever again, or change direction, or if this is pretty much it - but the narrative still kept me interested in what would happen to the characters, and aside from a few moments of cringing, it was relaxing and escapist, which is, after all, the purpose of books like this one.
This was a free advance copy received in exchange for an honest review, via Netgalley and the publisher, Fourth Estate (HarperCollins UK). -
Убиеца Андерш и неговите приятели ще ви набият, утешат и вдъхновят:
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/u...
Юнас Юнасон се завръща – и е тройно по-хаплив. След изключително забавните “Стогодишният старец, който скочи през прозореца и изчезна” и “Неграмотното момиче, което можеше да смята” очаквах следващата му книга с огромно нетърпение, защото със сигурност е от най-непредвидимите автори. Ако при Фредрик Бакман вече знаем, че неминуемо ще ни отведе сред сърцеразтапяща история, то при Юнасон очакването е за нещо чалнато – и това безотказно се осъщестява. “Убиеца Андерш и неговите приятели (и някой и друг неприятел)” си е откачена отвсякъде – защото включва един сериен убиец, двойка оправни несретници, които го манипулират, и три гениални плана за правене на много пари. Плановете по реда на развитието си включват насилие, религия и… щедрост. И покрай провалите си активират цяла мафиотска общност. Ясно ли е? Не, разбира се. И не бива, защото точно вплитането на плановете един в друг, провалите, увисването над пропастта, спасението и заплитането на нова интрига носят забавлението в книгата. Но ”Убиеца Андерш и неговите приятели” е и саркастичен роман за пробойните в едно наглед пределно уредено общество като шведското. И в което могат да се случат и най-смешните, и най-трагичните събития.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/u... -
I'm torn between a 2.5 or a halfhearted 3 stars. This was easy to read, it even had moments where I chuckled a little, but it was a slightly below average experience for me. I didn't feel particularly connected to anything that was happening. Nothing outright irritated me, nor did it feel like I was reading a bad book, but it wasn't really the book for me.
I found myself more interested in the occasional glimpses it gave of Swedish life than the hi-jinks of our criminal trio. In writing this review, I don't really have any thoughts to share on the characters or the plot -- they were just kind of there, and I read about what they did, and then the book was done.
Having enjoyed another book the same author much more, I will be open to reading at least one more of his books to see if I might enjoy it more than this one. -
I’d not previously read any of Jonasson’s books, but as this was on offer on Kindle I thought I’d dive in.
With Hitman Anders fresh out of prison and wishing to start a new life that is until he meets a female vicar and a receptionist at a 1-star hotel, between them they decided to cook up a very unusual business plan.
That is until Anders finds Jesus . . .
Quirky and fun, it’s very much about the characters and how they react to each other rather than the plot that lagged at times.
Amusing and ironic it was still an enjoyable read, I felt that this is probably one of Jonasson’s weaker novels.
I’d need to try another by him -
Είχα μεγαλύτερες προσδοκίες διαβάζοντας τη περίληψη του εξωφύλλου και αν και είχε κάποιες καλές στιγμές δεν μπορώ να πω πως μου άρεσε πολύ σαν σύνολο! Πιστεύω πως είχε δυνατότητες αλλά ο συγγραφέας δεν τις εκμεταλλεύτηκε όσο έπρεπε! Ειδικά το τελευταίο μέρος μου φάνηκε αρκετά άνευρο χωρίς κάποια δόση χιούμορ!
I had bigger expectations reading the summary in the back cover and even though it had its good moments in the whole I didn't find it satisfactory! I believe it had potential but the author didn't manage to take full advantage! Especially the last part felt forced and humourless! -
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All is the third novel by Swedish author, Jonas Jonasson. It is translated from Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles. Hitman Anders (Johan Andersson) fell into his profession by accident rather than by design. And after spending most of his adult life in jail for it, he emerged at the age of fifty-six vowing to stop killing, drinking alcohol and taking pills. He would still maim, though, for a price: a man has to live, after all.
He takes a room at the Sea Point Hotel where the receptionist, Per Persson avoids contact with the world, which has not treated him too well so far. On his lunch break one day, he encounters a grubby, but very hungry priest who, despite her utter disgust with God and religion, tries to sell him a prayer. Back at the hotel, he’s about to give this priest, Johanna Kjellander, the room next to the hitman, when a gangster-type drops in half the agreed fee for a job half done by the hitman. And before they know it, they are managing agents for the hitman.
The cover describes the three as “likeable characters pushed into absurd situations”, but in fact only the rather unintelligent hitman fits this description. Both the priest and the receptionist start off OK: robbing gangsters and giving money to charity has a Robin Hood element about it (although the giving is instigated by the hitman, who has found Jesus). But when their money-making scheme targets well-meaning churchgoers, they become much less appealing.
When they frame their companion and send him to jail, they are even less so. When they go to live cheaply on an island in Gotland and wreak environmental havoc in the process, they lose all remaining appeal. By the time they finally decide to be less selfish, their good intentions will have been lost to many readers. While it starts well, and Jonasson’s third novel is perhaps a slight improvement on the second, the formula of zany characters in absurd situations has worn rather thin. Ho hum. -
I was really looking forward to this book since I absolutely loved The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, but this one was just meh. This time a recently freed hitman who refuses to kill any more teams up with a homeless receptionist and an athiest priest to make their fortune only maiming people.
The difference in this book is that the characters are just not likable. The 100-year-old man and company may have all been reprobates of one type or another, but they were endearing and funny. The three main characters in this novel are not endearing and only mildly funny. It just felt like the author was trying too hard. -
Σε κάποια σημεία γέλασα αλλά σε κάποια βαρέθηκα επίσης. Γενικά μου άφησε θετική εντύπωση και θα το πρότεινα σε όσους απολαμβάνουν το χιούμορ του κ. Γιούνασ��ν
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Είχε κάποιες πολύ εμπνευσμένες σκηνές προς το τέλος, αλλά κατά τα άλλα μέτριο....
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Whimsical. What would you expect after "the 100 year old man ....".
A hitman finds God, and his calling as a preacher man. With the help of a disillusioned priest he sets up a new church, one that quickly become lucrative. But he has made dangerous enemies in the criminal underworld ....... and they would quite like to send him to heaven or hell
This is very much in the vein of the other Jonasson books that I have read (100 year old man, girl who saved the king of Sweden) and was a bit samey. There were a few good gags and the occasional barb aimed at capitalist society, but the author has been here before. -
This was a really fun, funny, fast read -- even though it was nearly 400 pages, and whenever I tried to describe what I was reading, it came out sounding super dark and not funny at all.
Anyway it's the story of a hitman (duh), a quick-witted lapsed lady priest, and a misanthropist male receptionist. Through a convoluted series of happenings, the priest & the receptionist become the hitman's business managers, coordinating the logistics of his hits as well as a PR campaign to get him more of the same. Then the hitman accidentally finds god and wants to stop breaking arms and faces, so the priest & receptionist facilitate a big scam on all the underworld baddies who keep trying to hire the hitman, then the three of them steal a camper van and go on the run.
There's lots of hijinks, twists, turns, and fun snappy dialogue. It's not a heavyweight book by any means, but it was a nice way to while away a few cold evenings here in this goddamn THIRD pandemic winter. -
A few smiles but not enough laughs. 3/5 stars.
This review was originally posted on
my book blog.
I read The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared a few years ago - in Spanish I might add. It was one of my book club choices back in Spain and I enjoyed it more than everyone else who just thought it was odd. I, on the other hand, liked how it played with twentieth century history, and the present-day section contained some decent laughs. So I was looking forward to reading Hitman Anders.
This book is written in the detached ironic tone which will be familiar to readers of The 100-Yr-Old Man. However, sadly Hitman Anders it not as amusing as Jonasson's international best-seller.
It starts off well. I liked the set-up and the unusual combination of quirky characters. Events were rolling along nicely until about half way through when the plot began to run in circles. In an ironic aside in Chapter 57, the narrator acknowledges this lack of plot progression when he comments, "In some sense, one could say that they [the two main characters] were back in the vicinity of Chapter 16 of this story," but making a joke about this absence of forward progression doesn't make it ok. This dearth of story development, coupled with characters who - while initially pleasingly odd - aren't particularly loveable or even interesting, meant the story failed to grip me.
I was expecting a farce and so didn't have any issues with the ludicrousness of events, but I can imagine some readers may find the continued and escalating daftness annoying. One final warning should go to Christians who get upset by anyone poking gentle fun at their religion: steer well clear of this and The 100-Yr-Old-Man.
Overall: diverting enough if you want a well-written farce to dip in and out of and don't mind the lack of a strong linear plot. -
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by
Jonas Jonasson is a hilarious well written book about three extremely different characters coming together in an extraordinary scheme.
This story plot literally can be described as "A GANGSTER, A VICAR AND A RECEPTIONIST WALK INTO A BAR" and you get a funny read about an atheist female Protestant vicar, a hitman who has be released from prison and plans to keep "clean" and receptionist at a 1-star hotel (who happens to be currently homeless). However, the three come together with a hilarious business which could make them all very wealthy. It would have worked out very well and was until Hitman Anders finds Jesus in his life.
I found myself laughing out loud and really enjoy this story. I really do enjoy this author's work and in particular really liked
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.
I am giving this book 4 stars because I really needed a hilarious read to save me from a potential reading slump! -
Another comedy from Jonas Jonasson, that to me feels like it is trying too hard to be funny. Maybe it is lost in translation. 5 out of 12.
-
Also posted on
Eva Lucias blog (detailed review)
Jonas Jonasson has a special place in my heart.
I read his two first novels and was expecting a lot of this one - of course, I wasn't disappointed!
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Devo dire che sono rimasta molto delusa da questo terzo romanzo di Jonas Jonasson, anche perché ho amato tantissimo i primi due.
Qui mi è mancata la verve, forse anche per i personaggi anonimi... Non so, il Centenario e i personaggi dell'Analfabeta erano molto forti e carismatici, qui il gruppetto di punta non solo non convince nel suo tentativo di riscatto, ma porta avanti tanti di quei progetti abietti che non viene proprio da fare il tifo per loro. Né l'assassino, né il portiere né il prete riescono a portarti dalla loro parte, almeno non ci sono riusciti con me, e la storia si trascina. L'idea finale che giustifica la copertina col Babbo Natale l'ho trovata carina, ma dopo quattrocento fastidiose pagine non mi ha dato comunque soddisfazione. -
Citanje ove knjige ni mesec dana nakon Devojke koja je spasila kralja Svedske je otprilike bilo kao maraton gledanja Mocnih rendzera. Potpuno ista reciklirana formula u svim epizodama.
Lucidni akteri ( dosta karakternih paralela sa likovima iz knjige prethodnice, apsurdisticki zaplet, road trip.
Citljiva knjiga ali nista vise od toga. -
Reading Jonas Jonasson is always such a joy!!
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Với cuốn the 100-year-old man, ổng giễu nhại chính trị, cuốn này thì ổng chơi đùa với tôn giáo. Mà cuốn nào cũng vừa hay ho, thú vị, lại điên rồ cùng cực, từ kết cấu truyện tới ngôn từ.
Hôm vào hiệu sách có liếc tựa Việt của cuốn này, và không thích chút nào việc dịch tựa đề là: Hitman Anders và đồng bọn (hay lũ đồng bọn nhỉ? Không nhớ rõ nữa, xin lỗi) vì "meaning of it all" rất liên quan tới phần cuối câu chuyện và thông điệp của cả cuốn sách!
Đọc Jonas Jonasson làm mình nhớ tới giọng văn Hồ Anh Thái, cũng kiểu châm biếm vui đùa nhưng sâu xa và đầy ẩn ý.
Có lẽ đây là cuốn kết thúc 2019 rồi, 3 ngày tới không muốn mau mải đọc cuốn nào cả, thêm cuốn này là vừa đủ hoàn thành challenge năm nay - cuốn sách số 50 - kết thúc một năm kha khá niềm vui y như cuốn này!! -
Finished reading: June 25th 2016
"If only children could be free of all that crap previous generations had gathered up for them, he said, perhaps it would bring some clarity to their lives."
P.S. Find more of my reviews
here. -
Having loved Jonas Jonasson's previous tomes "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared" and "The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden" I was super excited to get my hands on his latest effort "Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All". Sadly, it was a bit of a disappointment.
While no author should just keep doing the same thing over and over again, to me this tale felt too far removed from Jonasson's previous style to have me falling in love with the characters. Whilst a lot of the things that I loved in Jonasson's other novels were present - quirky personalities, happy coincidences and a lot of heart - the moral compass of this tale was way off.
Focusing more on hotel receptionist Per Persson and shamed priest Johanna Kjellerman than the titular Hitman, Jonasson chronicles their first encounter when the priest tries to rip off Persson, and it all goes downhill from there. The characters are all so morally corrupt, that no matter how much good they try to do, it always left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Their constant scamming and Robin Hood-esque redistributions of wealth, may appear at first glance admirable, but their singular motivation always seems to be their own financial gain, leaving the reader pretty much disliking everyone in the whole book.
This book could have been so much better without their horrible selfishness. As it was, I just felt more and more frustrated as I read on. I just hope Jonasson redeems himself with his next novel - if not, he's lost me as a fan. -
DNF on page 1. Pretty much after the first sentence. Which is a new record. (I also skimmed the rest of chapter 1 and decided it's just not worth my time). In my defense, I got this for Christmas from my aunt who regularly gets me bestsellers thinking she can't go wrong there. I wasn't going to read it for that title alone (Not even my 90-years-old grandpa says "nebst". Just saying... I know, it's supposed to make it sound oh so clever and all, but it just annoys me to no end because it sounds pretentious to me. I'm weird that way.), but I thought oh, what the heck. Didn't pay for this. Might as well give it a try...
I knew this wasn't going to work for me. I tried other books by this author and never made it past the first chapters. I don't know if it's the translation (which to me always sounds a bit condescending, like someone tried to make this Literature? Seriously, take this first sentence: "Er, dessen Leben schon bald voll sein sollte von Tod und Gewalttaten, von Dieben und Gangstern, stand an der Rezeption eines der traurigsten Hotels von ganz Schweden und träumte vor sich hin.") or just the writing itself. It just doesn't work for me. -
Nu e nimic surprinzător in faptul ca deja sunt la a treia carte scrisă de Jonasson si nu m-am săturat, dar poate fi surprinzător faptul că nu ma pot decide care dintre ele imi place mai mult. ;)) sunt indragostita de stilul lui.
Si aceasta, la fel ca si celalalte, este scrisa intr-un mod absolut delicios, tratând niste subiecte "fierbinti" ale societății de astăzi, printr-un sarcasm fin, ce frizează realitatea.
Totul in cărțile lui Jonasson este diferit. De la numele personajelor, alese in asa fel incat sa aduca zâmbetul pe buze, până la acțiunile lor ieșite din comun la fel de amuzante si absurde.
In povestea asta, personajele principale sunt un recepționer al unui hotel, o fostă preoteasa si un asasin ce il descoperă pe Dumnezeu. Întâmplările prin care trec sunt pe cat de amuzante pe atât de ireale.
Nu stiu ce sa spun mai mult despre aceasta carte... e clar ca fiind pe placul meu, am numai cuvinte de laudă la adresa ei, asa ca nu voi mai zice nimic si voi lasa pe fiecare sa descopere "lumea pe înțelesul tuturor". 5 stele ♡♡♡ -
Betyg: 3 av 5.
För fem år sedan så läste jag ”Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann” och den fick en fyra i betyg från mig.
För två år sedan så läste jag ”Analfabeten som kunde räkna” och den fick en femma i betyg från mig.
Nu har jag läst ”Mördar-Anders och hans vänner (samt en och annan ovän)” och den får en trea i betyg från mig.
Helt okej bok, bra skriven, dråplig och underhållande. Men tyvärr så fångade den inte mig på samma sätt som Jonas Jonassons två tidigare böcker har gjort.
Rekommenderar ändå boken till er som har tyckt om författarens tidigare böcker. -
Купих книгата с ясното съзнание, че ми се чете нещо лековато, което ще забравя на мига.
От тази гледна точка е ОК, иначе ми допадна по-малко от Стогодишния старец и Неграмотното момиче.
Очевидно обаче подобни книги (както и Уве и останалите на. Бакман) прекрасно се справят с разказването на захаросано-сълзливи истории, които докарват 90% от хората до екстаз.
Което е страхотно, стига всичките истории да не бяха като извадени от калъп.
