3.5 rating

I adored the first book by Jonas Jonasson, the adventures of everyones favourite 100 year old really made my year and i had to read his other writings followings. I will be honest, out of all the writings, this was my least favourite. I don't know if it was the character's and not being able to bond with them, whether my reading tastes have changed or what, but this one wasn't a new favourite.

I was super excited to be accepted for the chance to review a digital copy of this book with Netgallery and was eager to dig in between my other reading commitments. However the reading style on this one was a little more difficult to find the flow with. His other writings follow a similar pattern. One, you have a group of mix match individual's that tend to join together for a common cause. This books cause is revenge against a despicable character that you learn you will hate. Secondly, there will be a series of downright crazy, unexpected situations that you just could not believe it would ever happen in real life. Then thirdly, and more importantly, you will follow each character through a funny, crazy story where the good guys always come out on top.

I enjoyed the story on this one, it certainly had its highlights and enjoyed seeing a medicine man from Africa discovering the strange world that is winter in Sweden. But I didn't love it as much as the previous books.

After reading and loving 'The One Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared', I was thrilled to get approved for Jonasson's latest offering.
All through the book, I had the overwhelming sense that he created a formula with that book and was hoping to replicate it with this one.
It took me a while to get into and get a feel for the characters, but I just didn't see it as wholly original and I had hopes that this author would be much more creative than he was with this book.
I would still look to read more by Jonasson as The One Hundred Year Old Man was wonderful.

Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd has all the elements you’d expect from a book by Jonas Jonasson. A story that crosses the globe, in this case Kenya and Sweden, an eclectic bunch of characters, crazy coincidences and plenty of humour.

This one didn’t sparkle quite as much as some of Jonasson’s previous offerings, the plot is a bit too elaborate and there weren’t as many laughs but it’s still a very good book.

The story follows Kevin and Jenny, bought together in unlikely circumstances, seeking revenge on the same person, Victor. They enlist the help of Hugo who has just set up a business specialising in helping people get revenge, I particularly enjoyed some of the subplots detailing just how Hugo helped people get revenge and would have appreciated more of this! Along the way, a Maasai medicine man, Ole, becomes involved along with the police of course! Much of this book is set in the art world with Irma Stern playing a large part, an element I really enjoyed and would have liked to see expanded on further.

Some of the characters stand out more than others, Ole and Hugo bought a lot of laughs in very different ways while Victor was a perfectly unlikeable villain.

The plot is ridiculous and you have to suspend disbelief with the number of coincidences there are but that’s all part of the fun!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

At best 2.5 stars in this pointless yarn that reads like an amateur improv skit. The crazy plot is let down by it's author who decides to just jump from one subplot to other without investing in characters.

Victor Alderheim is a ruthless man who marries for money, leaves his wife penniless after divorce and leaves his son to die in Kenyan forest. When the two of them decide to take thier revenge, they decide to do it with professsional help. Enter Hugo who runs Sweet Sweet Revenge - an enterprise trying to capitalise on the promising market of revenge.

Things take a turn after the planned revenge when they inadvertantly make their target a potential billionaire. With the Maasai witch doctor Ole joining the trio things go crazy.

The book ends in a hurry and kind of misses the plot altogether. Trying to retain the elements that made the earlier books work, this book makes a half hearted attempt at a story. Disappointed.

Note: I would like to than Netgalley and Harper collins for providing the ARC of the book for review.

I love Jonas Jonasson's books, and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared remains one of my all-time favourite books. When I heard we were getting a new Jonasson book, I was beyond excited and more than ready for another wild ride filled with his trademark witty humour, sharp social commentary and surreal situations. Unfortunately, Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd didn't quite deliver for me.

For starters, I had major issues with the pacing. The entire first half of the book moved way too slowly as we got a detailed backstory for every character. I would have appreciated this if it served to deliver fuller, more well-rounded characters (even if they were still Jonasson's usual eccentric brand), but sadly most of them remained quite flat throughout. Victor, the villain, his ex-wife Jenny and his son Kevin were prime examples of this: despite very detailed backstories, I still felt like there wasn't much to these characters. This was particularly disappointing in Victor's case, who had huge potential for further exploration and the sharp satire that Jonasson usually handles so well.

The book picked up considerably in the second half, and especially when Ole Mbatian, a Massai medicine man who has never left his small village whose chief still refuses to use electricity, travels to Stockholm to find his adopted son Kevin. Ole stole all the scenes he was in and his exchanges with the police inspector were hilarious - pretty much what I expected from the whole novel. I also enjoyed learning something about Irma Stern, an artist I knew nothing about but whose work I'll definitely be checking out more after reading this book.

Overall, this was an entertaining read despite its issues, and my disappointment in it might have stemmed more from my high expectations than anything else. A comedy of errors that missed the mark for me, but still good enough to pass a few hours.

Familiar quirky strands weave together in revenge comedy.

Oh Jonas, you really do know how to put together a madcap plot. It's like a 60s film with Benny Hill music, your books. Tangents, new characters, coincidental meetings, totally bonkers goings-on.... and that's just the synopses.

I've loved every one of the author's previous books, and one quick glance at this and I felt this was also destined to be read.

The plot itself is a little tricky to iron out, with several threads and eccentric characters. It really revolves around a rather twisted art dealer. Then there's his abandoned assumed-dead son. The young hoodwinked wife. A medicine man. A police officer days from retiring. A goat. And a man running a company selling revenge.

I won't go further into it, because just wondering how the above are going to intersect is half the fun. But the usual eccentricities, serendipitous happenings, crazy decisions and very Swedish settings knit together into a completely entertaining package.

You've got villains. You've got heroes. Fishes out of water. You've got a lot of very funny verbal humour, that translates beautifully to English. And the African scenes that contrast tribal life with more modern variations is brilliant: "the only woman on the village council had argued for washing machines, stoves and water closets. When she added the future potential of Netflix, she got all the men except the Chief on her side."

Loved this from start to finish. A rollercoaster ride of a plot, I do hope this also makes it to the screen like one of its predecessors. If you enjoy something quirky, light-hearted and off-the-wall, this is an excellent example of the author's work, and you won't regret giving it a go.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Victor Alderheim, a heartless art dealer, has a lot to answer for. First, abandoning his son, Kevin, to die in the middle of the Kenyan savanna, then tricking his young wife, Jenny, out of her inheritance and pretty much all of her current possessions. What Victor doesn’t expect is for Kevin and Jenny to meet, years later, and conveniently run into a man whose company specialises in revenge services. Victor had better watch his back.

I loved this book a lot. A LOT. It’s laugh-out-loud funny with fantastic characters and non-stop drama. Kevin and his adopted father, Ole Mbatian, were probably my favourite characters (although I also loved Hugo) and I thought the clash of Swedish and Maasai cultures was fantastic. It is essentially a comedy of errors; a totally mad romp in which anything that can go wrong, does. But despite being utterly bonkers, it somehow never goes too far or becomes too far-fetched. Every event is somehow plausible, which shows how good Jonasson’s story-telling is.

Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I won’t hesitate to pick up more of his books in the future. I’ve read other reviews that said this isn’t his best book by a long way, but I thought it was a real gem.

Bizarre. Absurd. Surreal. This story is so weird, it is wonderful. And sometimes awful. But most of the times hilariously funny.

I loved all the protagonists - may be not the Archevil, Victor Alderheim, even though even he was perfect in his role. I so wanted the good to take revenge, and in a way they do. This is probably the only bit I did not like in this book - the way Victor meets his fate. But there is some truth in it - there are some Archevils out there in real life too who will just not stop and you cannot really outsmart them.

Jonas Jonasson's style is remarkably close to Erich Kästner's - effective humour punches delivered through a very simple language. It is not a dreamy, beautiful prose, there are no metaphors. Still, reading this book felt like being in the room - it is so intense.

What do Ole Mbatian, a Masai medicine man, and Victor Alderheim (formerly Victor Svensson) have in common?

It turns out to be a ‘son’, Kevin. Victor, by now having become an art dealer, is accused of being Kevin’s father by a prostitute that he had frequent dealings with several years ago. She is dying of Aids and to keep the peace, Victor agrees to become his guardian until he comes of age. He sets him up in a modest apartment far from the centre of Stockholm and provides him with a meagre allowance but has little else to do with him. Victor marries Jenny Alderheim, the daughter of the previous owner of the gallery, and when Kevin reaches the age of 18 he decides that the time has come to get him away from Stockholm.

He invites him to accompany him on a ‘business’ trip to Africa and dumps him in a remote part of the Masai Mara at dead of night, delighted that he will never see him again. Kevin is eventually found by Ole who feels that God has sent him his longed-for son, having only produced 8 daughters by his 2 wives. Kevin proves to be a good hunter but gets cold feet when he learns that he is expected to undergo a rather unpleasant ritual in order to become a fully recognised Masai Warrior.

He flees the village and manages to make his way back to Stockholm. Still being in possession of the key to his old flat he is surprised to find Jenny in residence an quickly learns that she has been divorced and dumped there by Victor. The two of them decide to seek revenge and enlist the help of Hugo, proprietor of Sweet, Sweet Revenge Ltd. Mayhem ensues involving drugs, a goat, stolen paintings and more, not to mention the arrival of Ole.

Jonas Jonasson has once again created an amazing story - read and enjoy!

This was not my favourite read by Jonasson, it took a while to get going, too long, and by the time things started I had begun to lose interest. Then, I just did not connect with the plot. There is a lot going on, a lot more than usual and I found it difficult to keep track of who was who and the connections.
One of my favourite things about Jonasson's books is the humour they usually have, disappointingly I found this lacking from this read too.
Overall, sadly I just did not enjoy this.

I loved the 100 year old man as it was very crazy and so when I got this book from net-galley to read and review I was thrilled. This book is also full of many coincidences, things which seem so unlikely, they could actually be likely. It’s funny, but heart breaking at the same time. Life can be very strange and this book takes a little peep in to the very weird life of one very messed up family. Fascinating read.

Starting a business called Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd. which, offers to exact appropriate revenge on behalf of anyone who feels wronged - albeit for a hefty fee - is a pretty oddball basis for a book. But, of course, Jonasson gives us much more. He links a boy from Stockholm with a Masaai witch doctor, adds in the discovery of long lost artworks worth millions and gives us a thoroughly nasty man called Victor who thinks nothing of driving his son out into the middle of the savannah and leaving him there! Then, somehow, he succeeds in bringing all these elements together in this wonderfully eccentric and amusing book. Jonasson's imagination knows no bounds and this story is a joy to read. Just settle back ,open this book, and leave the world's troubles behind.

One hundred out of one hundred people have experienced the wrongdoings of others. Fifty out of those one hundred have the desire to inflict their vengeance back. Ten out of those fifty would possess the money to execute their desires. And then one out of those ten would have a sound plan on how to carry out their revenge. This, in turn, becomes the business model of Hugo Hamlin, who founded Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd., a company specializing in carrying out revenge acts within the boundaries of the law. Hugo managed to carry out his first few projects successfully after decades of working in the advertising industry and manipulating human’s desire to take revenge on others, but he was soon confronted by the young Kevin and Jenny who seek help to correct the wrongdoings of Victor Alderheim.

The settings of this book are rather exceptional, Stockholm — the capital of Sweden — and a village in Maasai Mara in the middle of savanna and the wilderness in Kenya. Both places are equally important during the course of this story, as we will be introduced to Ole Mbatian The Younger who took the role of a medicine man who stopped women from getting pregnant — in short a traditional doctor who specializes in contraception. Victor Alderheim, the main villain in this story, left the eighteen-year-old Kevin in the wilderness of Maasai Mara with the aim to get him left to pray by the carnivores there. But instead, Kevin was adopted by Ole Mbatian The Younger and taught to become a Maasai warrior who can swim in a river full of crocodiles and fight carnivores. The problem was, a Maasai warrior will need to be circumcised, and Kevin fought his way out to Sweden after stealing two paintings owned by his adoptive father.

The two paintings happened to be painted by Irma Stern, a South African artist who painted many faces of Africa until her death in 1966. It took a while for me to realize that Irma Stern was a real painter and not a work of fiction invented by the author. Kevin who has just arrived in Sweden discovered that there is a woman who inhabits his apartment. She is called Jenny, an ex-wife of Victor Alderheim who got stripped of her family real estate after an unfair divorce proceeding. It soon became apparent that they have a common enemy, and their encounter with the office of Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd. soon exacerbated their desires to seek revenge on Victor Alderheim.

But turns out that revenge is far from sweet.

There are many funny mixed with tragic elements in the story that will be ruined if spoiled here. For instance, there is a character of Inspector Carlander, a divorced police inspector who is only a few days before retirement when he had to handle the case of Victor Alderheim goat sex, which does not break the law actually. He is characterized as a person who is not bound to the social norm, who sometimes could put his thoughts bluntly. And there is also the Ole Mbatian The Younger who travelled to Sweden in search of his lost adoptive son Kevin. The innocence of Ole also fuels the humour in the story, as it stresses other characters whom he conversed with due to the fact that the modern Stockholm lays contrast with his Maasai Mara village.

This book is such a page-turner, that I found myself guessing the next plots when I was not reading it or while I was doing other tasks. In some ways, it might also be noted as a work that attempts to build more understanding between Swedish people and the refugees from Africa who seek asylum in Sweden. The complexities of cultural differences are described at best through the interactions between Ole Mbatian and local Swedish which resulted in him being arrested by the Stockholm authorities at times. But it also shows that Ole Mbatian and other characters in this story are humans. They are full of greeds, vengeance, innocence, and experienced heartbreak too.

A lovely joyful read of almost total idiocy. I loved it. The hundred year old man in another form. From The Maasai tribe to the Swedish people it has been well developed and flows so well. I thought the craziness of all the escapades unreal but so funny. I did not anticipate the final chapters nor the ending which added to the enjoyment even more.
A quirky story full of lots of silly escapades. Highly recommended for a romp and a good laugh at society.

Another light-hearted, mad ride of a book. Not to be taken too seriously but just enjoyed for what it is - a quirky, tongue-in-cheek romp that brings a smile to your face. Insane plotting, cartoon characters and a knowing grin lurking on the writer's lips. Maybe not quite of the same calibre as Hundred Year Old Man but it's a bit of fun and there's no harm in that in these dark times.

Others have outlined the plot, so I won't go into that except to reiterate that it's completely nuts.

My thanks to 4th Estate HarperVia for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd’ by Jonas Jonasson in exchange for an honest review. It was translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles.

In 2012 I read Jonas Jonasson’s ‘The Hundred Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared’ and found it a delight. So, it was a pleasure to read his latest novel as it is full of eccentric characters and quirky adventures.

Victor Alderheim is not a nice person to say the least. He abandoned his son, Kevin, to die in the middle of the Kenyan savanna. Why? Although Victor had reluctantly supported Kevin after being approached by his mother with whom he had a brief fling, he was concerned that once Kevin turned eighteen that he would start demanding money from him. Or worse, that the revelation of Kevin’s existence might interfere with Victor’s plans to marry Jenny, a young heiress whose father owns a prestigious art gallery. Victor is not only a racist and to up the ick factor he has had his eye on Jenny since she was a preteen.

However, Kevin is rescued and adopted by Ole Mbatian, a Maasai medicine man. Five years on and Kevin returns to Stockholm. His path crosses with Jenny’s. She has not only been tricked out of her inheritance but Victor then divorced her. Both of them share a desire to get even with Victor.

They then encounter Hugo Hamlin, who runs Sweet Sweet Revenge Ltd. So will Victor get his comeuppance and Kevin and Jenny the revenge they seek? How will a goat, a box of sex toys, and the South African Expressionist painter Irma Stern factor into it?

Jonas Jonasson excels at creating characters that are delightfully eccentric and it was great fun to follow them through a series of increasingly wacky incidents .

I loved this book. Yes, it was farcical in places but had tremendous heart. Being an art lover, I appreciated the theme of modern art and the art world that was woven throughout the story. Prior to reading this novel I had been unaware of the work of Irma Stern and am pleased to be able to learn more of her distinctive style.

Highly recommended.

On a side note the cover art for all of Jonas Jonasson’s novels are very appealing.

Victor Alderheim has a lot to answer for. Not only has he heartlessly tricked his young ex-wife, Jenny, out of her art gallery inheritance, but he has also abandoned his son, Kevin, to die in the middle of the Kenyan savanna. It doesn’t occur to Victor that Kevin might be rescued and adopted by a Maasai medicine man, or that he might be expected to undergo the rituals expected of all new Maasai warriors – which have him running back to Stockholm as fast as you can say circumcision without anaesthetic.

This book skillfully mixes the most absurd situations and the craziest characters into a book with a common thread. The writing style is unmistakable and mixes humour with philosophical approaches. There is absolutely no telling what step in the plot will come next.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I'm not sure how to summarise my responses to this novel beyond saying that it is totally bonkers but I really quite liked it. It is without doubt, farcical and made me think back to my long ago study of Accidental Death of an Anarchist. There is, as always with Jonasson, a sense of political awareness and social commentary , hence my leap to connect it with Dario Fo's drama.
It took a while to settle into the story, but once I had the characters sorted in my head, the plot picked up pace and carried me along. The characters are funny and quirky and I loved the contradiction of the Inspector's interest despite his indifference and I loved Ole's discovery of this strange new world- it was laugh out loud funny as long as you accept and embrace the craziness of it. I would have liked more depth to Jenny as a character but beyond that, I thought they were great.
Definitely worth a read for its humour and unique take on the World.

“Revenge as a concept. Revenge as a business idea.
Hugo was a wizard at packaging marmalade, crisps and lottery tickets better than they deserved. If you could pitch nonsense, you could probably do the same with revenge.”

The lives of two men – Ole Mbatian and Victor – living over ten thousand kilometers apart, one in a valley in Maasai Mara and the other in a suburb in Stockholm, get entwined in the strangest way possible. And this life changing connection comes about through the profit seeking pursuits of Hugo Hamlin who just happens to be in the business of extracting revenge on his clients’ behalf.

One the surface, you might think there isn’t any plot to this novel; just a whole lot of improbable events happening one after the other. However, it is with his persuasive storytelling that the author helps you connect the dots to see the big picture.

I love the whacky characters and the absurdity of the situations they find themselves in. It wouldn’t do to even try making sense of what is happening. Instead, one has to simply go with the flow in the belief that all of it, as ludicrous as it sounds, is happening with real people, in an extraordinarily imaginative world of fiction.

The author’s genius creativity in pulling this together shows in his use of satire and absolute deadpan humour which may not necessarily make you roll with laughter but is effectively entertaining.

I always expect something outrageous from Jonas Jonasson and once again he exceeds my expectations. Outrageously wild and phenomenally fabulous, this is as outlandish as it gets. Add this to your Best Anytime Reads!

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and 4th Estate Books.

I was very excited to hear that Jonas Jonasson had written a new book. I absolutely loved The 100 year old man book. I have read and liked all of his books, so far, and I really enjoyed reading this book. It's not quite as good as The 100 year old Man book, but it is still a great book.
As with the Author's other books, the scenarios are highly improbable, but so cleverly written with all of the connections and plot links. I find his books so entertaining, completely crazy and very quirky. This is why I love reading his books, they are so different, and unique.
This book, like the others has some very shocking themes, like racism, and Victor is a truly nefarious character., and you can't help but read on to find out if and how he will get his comeuppance.
There is also plenty humour and I love the theme of revenge. I think that a lot of people have probably thought that they would like to have their revenge on someone, but it rarely happens in reality.
The action mainly takes part in Sweden and Kenya. I loved the way that both countries were connected in the storyline. Ole Mbatian was by far the best character in the book.
I enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.