Forget defying old age by wearing purple. The septuagenarian and her coterie at the heart of this humorous novel have far more extreme acts of rebellion in mind.
What are we talking about? The latest novel from Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, featuring some spirited seniors on a madcap quest for a better life.
Elevator pitch … Who knew that a bunch of disgruntled old aged pensioners — aided by their Zimmer frames — could be so devilishly nefarious.
The buzz … Readers around the world love the residents of the Diamond Retirement Home: Martha, The Genius, The Rake, Christina and Anna-Greta and their bumbling criminal capers.
The talent … Swedish author Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg has written 17 books in several genres, including popular science, cartoon, children’s and historical fiction. Her historical fiction novels from the Viking period are especially well known and enjoyed.
In a nutshell … Seventy-nine year old Martha Anderson and her friends are fed up with their moribund aged care home and decide to commit a serious crime because even prison would be better. Their hijinks include robbing a luxury hotel, stealing art from a major museum and fleeing from the mob men desperate to get their hands on the spoils.
It’s great that … the novel is so quirky and light-hearted and that the League of Pensioners has so much fun.
It’s a shame that … the humour is a bit clunky sometimes. Is it because the Swedish sense of humour doesn’t translate all that well into English?
You’ll like it if … You liked The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
The charts … A staggering 1.2 million copies were sold in Sweden and the English translation should sell well.
Why read it? … Zone out from serious pressures and literature; this one’s a bit of fluff and fun.
The details …
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