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    The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden: A Novel
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    The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden: A Novel
    Ebook459 pages7 hours

    The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden: A Novel

    By Jonas Jonasson and Rachel Willson-Broyles

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Jonas Jonasson's picaresque tale of how one person's actions can have far-reaching—even global—consequences, written with the same light-hearted satirical voice as his bestselling debut novel, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.

    On June 14th, 2007, the King and Prime Minister of Sweden went missing from a gala banquet at the Royal Castle. Later it was said that both had fallen ill: the truth is different. The real story starts much earlier, in 1961, with the birth of Nombeko Mayeki in a shack in Soweto. Nombeko was fated to grow up fast and die early in her poverty-stricken township. But Nombeko takes a different path. She finds work as a housecleaner and eventually makes her way up to the position of chief advisor, at the helm of one of the world's most secret projects.

    Here is where the story merges with, then diverges from reality. South Africa developed six nuclear missiles in the 1980s, then voluntarily dismantled them in 1994. This is a story about the seventh missile . . . the one that was never supposed to have existed. Nombeko Mayeki knows too much about it, and now she's on the run from both the South African justice and the most terrifying secret service in the world. She ends up in Sweden, which has transformed into a nuclear nation, and the fate of the world now lies in Nombeko's hands. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 29, 2014
    ISBN9780062329134
    Author

    Jonas Jonasson

    Jonas Jonasson was a journalist for the Expressen newspaper for many years. He became a media consultant and later on set up a company producing sports and events for Swedish television. He sold his company and moved abroad to work on his first novel. Jonasson now lives on the Swedish island Gotland in the Baltic Sea.

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    Reviews for The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

    4/5

    553 ratings40 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Fantastic story, brilliantly written.
    • 3/5
      I loved Jonasson's previous book the 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, so had high expectations for this one. I was a little disappointed. There were two separate stories going on and jumping around in time at the beginning so it was a little confusing. Once I got halfway through, I enjoyed the rest of the book. It was a little crazy, quirky and silly, but enjoyable. The main characters are not the most likable, but the situations they get themselves in save the story.
    • 4/5
      A humorous story well told. The author waves the story well and brings all the prices of the puzzle together well. Worth a read.
    • 4/5
      This was a patchy book, there were parts where it was very enjoyable and other parts where it dragged. Certainly the weakest of the three I have read by this author but overall not sorry I read it. It still had the quirkiness of the other two books, and like with the Hundred Year Old Man it portrayed world events well against the backdrop of the story. I will continue to read books by this author.
    • 2/5
      This was so much fun! For the first hundred pages, anyway: it was really compulsive. But by the end, it feels like a very overlong episode of Inspector Gadget: cardboard cutout characters in absurd situations acting in ridiculous ways. With a great deal of chopping, it could still be a great little novella, but most of its 400 pages would have to go.
    • 3/5
      Loved the beginning but then it was a bit much
    • 3/5
      Die hochbegabte Südafrikanerin Nombeko, die mit 14 Jahren die Chefin des Latrinenbüros in Soweto wird, per Zufall an ein Vermögen in Form von Rohdiamanten gerät, kurz darauf von einem Weißen überfahren und daraufhin zu mehreren Jahren Frondiensten in dessen Haushalt verurteilt wird und in dieser Zeit beachtlichen Anteil am Bau mehrerer Atombomben aufweisen kann, ist die Hauptfigur dieser Geschichte. Wie sie sich aus ihren immer neuen misslichen Situationen (in die sie völlig unverschuldet gerät), stets wieder befreien kann, ist schräg und noch schräger. Da wird eine Atombombe quer über die Kontinente verschickt, ein Zwillingspaar Holger und Holger getauft und zu republikanischen Extremisten erzogen, ein König und ein Ministerpräsident entführt und Nombeko ist allzeit mit dabei bzw. darin verwickelt. Der Absurditäten ist kein Ende ;-)
      Was im 'Hundertjährigen' noch einen Hauch von Realität hatte, ist in diesem Buch völlig auf die Spitze getrieben. Die Ereignisse überschlagen sich und eines ist unglaublicher als das andere. Mir ist das Alles ein bisschen zu viel des Guten, denn der Rahmen ist durchaus sehr realitätsnah. Die damaligen Geschehnisse nicht nur in Südafrika, nein, auch in USA, Europa usw. werden wahrheitsgetreu wiedergegeben, sodass sich Nombekos Geschichte dazu als besonders absurd darstellt. Etwas weniger wäre hier vielleicht mehr gewesen :-)
      Jonassons Sprache ist wie bei seinem ersten Buch gewohnt ironisch und indirekt, was die Absurditäten noch verstärkt. So traten bei mir ab ca. der Mitte des Buches gewisse 'Abnutzungserscheinungen' auf. Dennoch: Es ist eine amüsante, wirklich unglaubliche Geschichte, die sich lockerleicht an einem Wochenende weglesen lest.
    • 3/5
      Hat so seine längen, bleibt jedenfalls weit hinter dem 100-jährigen zurück
    • 4/5
      Jonas Jonasson has a gift for political satire couched in extraordinary tales of endurance and intelligence. His characters are at once completely believable and extraordinary caricatures. You want to believe that people like this really do exist (and sometimes you shudder at the thought). The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden is a story of a girl who started at the bottom but struggled her way up through any means necessary. Hers is a story of patient determination to succeed and attain a happy, "normal" life. Much like the other book of his that I reviewed, this book is a rollicking (and at times quite raunchy) ride from beginning to end. For me, it was a solid 10/10. If you enjoy political satires with a bite then I think you'll enjoy this one.
    • 5/5
      This book is very good and very entertaining. Jonasson has the knowledge of each countries and put his wild, crazy imagination in making up a story that you can actually picture it happen. Some people looks really thick in this book, but they do exist in the real world. Some part cynical, some part honest, I guarantee you will laugh all the way until you finish the book.
    • 4/5
      I read this book while on pain killers for foot surgery and a subsequent infection. It was just what I needed . No deep thinking, an absolutely ridiculous plot and goofy characters. It made for fun, no-thinking required reading while recovering from medical complications
    • 3/5
      Amusing story but very quirky. The characters were interesting and the plot was intriguing – a poor South African girl who’s a math genius escapes from enforced servitude to prevent the assassination of the King of Sweden. There was plenty of political and social commentary on the state of the world, details about the folly of politicians and bureaucrats, and information on South African policy and Swedish heads of state, too much in all. We also get a lot of background on major and minor characters, most of which is quite humorous. Unfortunately, some of them are just too stupid to be believable and turn into comic book characters performing in a slapstick comedy of errors. For example, one falls out of a plane, lands in a haystack, misses the pitchfork in the haystack, and survives to tell the tale. There are way too many of these improbable, tall tales that became silly, then boring, and finally repetitious. Even though Jonasson gives us a happy ending with all the loose strings tied up, even that was too far-fetched. And by the way, the title is a bit misleading because the heroine doesn’t actually save the king of Sweden; I’ll leave it at that so I don’t spoil the ending for you.
    • 4/5
      This is the second novel by Jonas Jonasson. I enjoyed this one more than his first.The novel opens on a young girl in South Africa, named Nombeko. Her life is full of challenges. She, however, is an optimist, and a survivor. The story follows her from South Africa to Sweden. Along the way she meets three Chinese girls who do not speak her language, the president of the People's Republic of China, twin brothers named Holger One and Holger Two, a potato farming countess, an angry young woman, the king of Sweden, and the prime minister of Sweden. The book is sort of a comedy of circumstances. "If you don't think you have enough problems, you should acquire a mammal in Sweden just hours before you're about to fly home to the other side of the world, and then insist that the animal must travel in your luggage."
    • 4/5
      I loved this book! It was crazy and clever and funny and I adored the characters, even the annoying ones. I have no idea how Jonasson dreamed up a plot like this, but he's a genius. I will seek out his other books. I can't imagine how there could be another book as purely entertaining as this one, but I'm hopeful!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this humourous and light-hearted approach to the, at times, ridiculousness of political power.
    • 4/5
      After enjoying his previous book "The Hundred Year Old Man Who Jumped Out Of The Window and Disappeared" I was keen to read this, his latest. I found it very similar in writing style, but maybe just a little more far-fetched and unbelievable. Yes fiction doesn't mean factual but this stretched my realm of probability just a tad too far. Having said that, I had a few chuckles over the antics and outcomes of the varied characters and enjoyed the tying up of loose strings which left each of these characters, well nearly all of them …with a happy ending.
    • 5/5
      Quirky ,off beat and fun. Follows strong minded Nombeko from life as a 5yr old latrine cleaner in Soweto through myriad improbable and hilarious escapades to Sweden where she teams up with non-existent twin Holger 2 in a desperate bid to rid herself and her adopted country of a non-existent but very real atomic bomb while rescuing the king from Holger 1, an incompetent but very determined revolutionary.
    • 4/5
      “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”Nombeko, born into Soweto’s slums, uses her prodigious mathematical ability to rise out of the latrine sanitation management position she has achieved by age 14, and has the misfortune to be run over by a very drunk nuclear engineer the minute she leaves Soweto. South Africa of the 1970s being what it is, she finds herself alternately helping the engineer with his calculations, and scrubbing his floor. Escape comes in the form of a ticket to Sweden…Much like The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window and Disappeared, the plot for this novel is more than slightly absurd. But that’s fine with me when it’s written as captivatingly as this. The various concepts of a person not existing, accidental creation of a 7th atomic bomb, Sweden’s deeply cautious politics – all feel like Jonassen is making little digs at the world, without taking himself too seriously. Full of incredible (seriously, unbelievable) coincidences and unfortunate events, it’s a captivating read.Nombeko is a wonderful character, somewhat everygirlish but with occasional violent tendencies which amused me. She has the same improbably frequent ideas for getting out of scrapes (but the book wouldn’t be any fun if she wasn’t in scrapes and then didn’t get out of them). Holger One and Two couldn’t be more different, and Celestine and her potato-farming countess grandmother are a fabulous double act.I would very definitely recommend this, particularly if you are stuck in Heathrow for four hours and then on a plane going to the wrong airport.
    • 4/5
      Quirky, funny, sharp but too long
    • 5/5

      Eine komplexe Geschichte in einer Einfachheit erzählt, die einfach überwältigt. Nach dem „100jährigen …“ schafft es Jonasson natürlich wieder nicht nur einen kurzen Abschnitt aus einem Lebensteil zu erzählen sondern er benötigt vielmehr wieder ein halbes Jahrhundert. Er schafft es, dieses komplett mit Leben zu füllen.

      Die absurden aber für gültige erklärten Realitäten, die in dem Buch vermittelt werden, sind wie Puzzleteile, die früher oder später und zumeist nur irgendwie passgenau ineinander greifen. Das Puzzle löst sich, als ob es das selbstverständlichste auf der Welt wäre, schlussendlich in absoluter Leichtigkeit immer von selbst.
      Mit einfachen Worten schafft es der Autor Ironie mit tieferem Sinn und dem folgenden Nachdenken zu erzeugen. Freunde des Humors von Mario Barth werden sich entsprechend mit diesem Buch sehr schwerer tun – und das ist gut so.

      Übrigens: Das unter selbem Titel erschienene Hörbuch wurde von der großartigen Katharina Thalbach phantastisch eingelesen und ist selbst nach dem „Selberlesen“ immer noch eine Empfehlung wert.

      "Vive la République!" ;)
    • 4/5
      Funny lighthearted farce

      This is the story of Nombeko, who stars life emptying latrines in the Johannesburg slums, and through luck, courage and intelligence ends up in a completely different place. Along the way we meet Swedish twins who share a identity if not a worldview , three Chinese sisters who are expert art forgers, a potato farming countess and her anarchist granddaughter, and of course the king of Sweden.
    • 4/5
      This is a fun and entertaining read. It's a lot like a Pink Panther movie - ridiculous, slapstick, and involving a lot of ludicrous coincidences. It's total fluff, but it's engaging and fun.
    • 5/5
      I adored this book. I adored the clever interwoven historical storylines. It's not quite as fantastic as the One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window, but its close. You cannot go wrong if you take this away for a holiday reading. The influence of fate, timing, karma, whatever you call it, cannot be ignored. And this book is full of it.
    • 4/5
      Same author as the 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared. A romp where you need to suspend reality a bit but fun.
    • 5/5
      Madcap romp of a sweet story that features a few wonderful characters and touches on much of modern South African and European history... Quite wonderful. By the author of The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window... etc. Both lovely books.
    • 4/5
      Wenn man den "Hundertjährigen" kennt, ist auch dieses Buch hier nicht überraschend: Eine junge Südafrikanerin kommt überraschend zu einer Atombombe und versucht zusammen mit ihrem Freund, dem inexistenten Holger, diese wieder los zu werden. Ich fand das Buch anfangs etwas fade, dann aber immer lustiger und interessanter. Kurzweilig!
    • 5/5
      My lord, I loved this book. It reminded me strongly of the writing style of Douglas Adams. Clever and humorous plot lines were woven through history in a manner that I found to be extraordinarily entertaining. I haven't had this much fun with a book in a long time.
    • 5/5
      Clever, fast paced, delightfully unpredictable and unbelieveable. Not an epic read like the Power of One, but quite fun.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable and fun!
      Sweden, what a weird country that must be to live in.
    • 5/5
      Brilliantly written. What am amazing adventure to read! I look eagerly forward to reading his other two novels.