The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Paperback – September 11, 2012

A really enjoyable read - feels a little like Forrest Gump, but with understated humor and you make an emotional connection with the characters

A friend introduced me to this book and so far I love it

But Grandpa...Is that really true?"Those who only says what is the truth, they're not worth listening to," Grandpa replied.Allen Karlsson had lived a long active life. In his younger days, he had been energetic and a sought after bomb expert. Now, he's in a nursing home about to be honored by some distinguished heads of state and a number of nurses and doctors with a Centenarian Birthday party. The idea of such a party disturbed him.God had always blessed him with good health despite his love for vodka.Allen decided to escape this punch and cookies party, get him some much needed vodka, and disappear. He climbed out the window with little effort, but walking to the bus station was a bit painful, half way there he realized he still had on his bedroom shoes. Allen informed the bus attendant he wanted to buy a ticket as far as his money would take him; which he learned was not very far.While he was waiting for his bus, a very unpleasant man asked if he would watch his suit case while he used the bathroom. As you can guess, Allen's bus came before the man got out of the bathroom. So Allen just got on the bus with the suit case and figured the unpleasant man could look him up if he wanted his suit case back. The unpleasant man wanted his suitcase back. Allen along with a new found friend soon learned the suitcase was full of money. This brought out the owner, the police, the underworld and many bad guys.Parallel to this adventure, the author reveals to the reader the life of the centenarian. This becomes a thrilling account of 20th Century history. How accurate this history was depicted, I am not sure. During his life, Allen Karlsson became friends with every head of state in the entire world. How he got out of all the scrapes he got into makes for hilarious reading.Not many authors can write clever stories with subtle humor. That's my opinion. There are many books with wise cracks, silly jokes but not many that can make you smile and laugh on every page. This is an incredibly funny book..

I did not engage with this book. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is because it is stereotypical--curmudgeonly old man; can't stand retirement home. Is looked for, but is getting into deeper and deeper trouble. I did not finish, but was intrigued by title.

I found this novel one day while I was browsing at the bookstore. I like to look around the store, see what books look interesting and then download them to my Kindle. The Kindle has me so hooked that I rarely purchase a real book anymore. I've got enough reading material to keep me busy for a very long time all carefully stored on a device I can easily carry in one hand.The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is an absolute hoot! I'm gong to call it a cross between Forrest Gump and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's set in Sweden after all. Allan is the 100 year old man who would rather have a drink of vodka than attend his birthday party at the Old Folk's Home. So he climbs out the window and walks to the bus station.The bus station is where his adventure begins. Or at least this part of his adventure. The story is a wonderful blend of the past and the present. What we come to know is that this 100 year old man has had a life well lived. He has only attended three years of schooling, yet he has become a highly sought after explosives expert. Throughout his life he has hob nobbed with world leaders and traveled the world. Life in the Old Folk's Home paled in comparison even at 100 years of age.I stopped counting how many times I laughed out loud while reading this book. It's funny and charming with a historical twist. Murder and intrigue are combined with outright silliness and the author told the story with a unique yet dry sense of humor. I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what happened next. There was an unexpected surprise around every corner.I can only hope I live as long and have as many interesting stories to tell. The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared will lighten up any day and bring a smile to your face. Life is worth living no matter what it hands you. The 100 year old man can vouch for that.