When I started The Red Address Book, I could not figure out how this old woman could have any interesting stories to record. But as I got to know Doris and her friends, I was totally mesmerized. Doris lived through some horrible times and somehow managed to find great people to help her through everything. Occasionally she was taken advantage of by evil people but she stayed strong. While Doris was not a perfect person, she seemed to live with passion and a well meaning heart. After being abandoned as a young child she could have easily become a skeptical, negative person but she chose to live and love. Her love story with Allan was absolutely beautiful. I can only hope that if I get to be 96, I will be able to say I loved enough.

I started this book 3 times and didn't get very far each time. It just didn't keep my interest. I couldn't connect with the main character.

This is a heart-warming story of an old woman who reminisces on her life and all of those closest to her. Their names are in an address book and she crosses out each name and writes DEAD next to the names of those who passed on before her. She also writes her memoir for her grand niece Jenny to whom she will leave it all when she goes. Very much worth the read.

Reading this book was both painful and joyful for me, though I suspect many people will feel it is overly sentimental and dismiss it. The premise is simple. Doris, a 96 year old woman, widowed and living on her own, has a red address book in which she has recorded names and addresses of all those she has known through her life. For those who have passed on, Doris has crossed through the name and written “DEAD” next to it. She browses the book and tells her story through those characters, so we get to understand her youth. In between those stories is the story of her current life with its loneliness, frailties and decline. Through it all, Doris keeps her essential spirit and doesn’t descend into self-pity or anger and keeps her sense of joy at those things she still is blessed with.

This book moved me in many ways, not least because my own mother (who will be 90 soon) has her own red address book (it really IS red) and she does what Doris did – for those who have died, she scratches through the names, and writes the date of death next to the entry. I could imagine my mother sitting at her table writing her Christmas cards with that book in front of her while I was reading Doris’ story. I now wonder what stories my mother could tell if prompted by the book. I will ask and hope to hear many of them before I lose her.

This really isn’t a book for everyone, but it is easy to see why it is so widely popular. The themes of aging, being on one’s own and remembering our past are universal. This could have taken place almost anywhere. And many of us will recognize ourselves or our loved ones here.

Thanks to NetGallery, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the author, Sofia Lundberg, for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Doris is a 96-year-old woman living alone in Sweden; her only family is a niece, Jenny, in San Francisco. Approaching the end of her life, she flips back through the red address book that was a gift from her father when she was a little girls. Its pages are filled with the names of people she met over the years, many of them who have since passed away, and evokes the memories of her lifetime. Doris begins to write down her memories to share them with and save them for Jenny.

Alternating between past and present, this book takes the reader through the events of Doris' life in Europe and America - her first and true loves; reunions with friends and family; her jobs as a housekeeper and a live mannequin in Paris for designers like Chanel; and the hard times during the war. I was immediately taken by Doris and her sassiness and spunk and drawn in to the stories about each person in her life who made it in to the red address book. And, oh, that second to last chapter - I had to hold back the tears! Such a wonderful read - 5 stars for sure!

When I was a child, I remember driving past the local cemetery with my grandmother and she’d often make a comment along the lines of, “I have so many friends in there.” At the time, it struck me as a terribly morbid thing to say, but now that I’m older and have lost some people who meant a great deal to me, I understand. My grandmother joined her friends a few years ago, so I can never tell her that I now know how she felt.

Doris, the protagonist of Sofia Lundberg’s The Red Address Book, is 96 years old, and was inspired by a real person: Lundberg’s great-aunt Doris, whose address book she discovered after her aunt had passed away. “She had crossed most of her friends’ names out and had written the word ‘dead’ next to them,” recalled Lundberg in an interview published on her book’s Amazon page. “It broke my heart to realize how lonely she must have felt. Her death was very painful for me, as we were so close. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

The fictional Doris is paging through the address book she received as a tenth-birthday gift. The crossed-out names inspire her to write down her recollections for her great-niece Jenny, who lives in California with her husband and three children, half a world away from Doris’ Stockholm apartment. Doris’ father died when she was a young girl, and at the age of 13, her mother sent her off to work as a servant in the home of a wealthy woman. After a year, her employer, Dominique, moves to Paris, bringing Doris along with her. But that is only the beginning of Doris’ adventures, which will eventually lead her back to Stockholm.

There was a lot in this book that hit me pretty hard—I am sure that The Red Address Book may strike many readers as too sentimental by half, but as for me, I was reading it in the waiting area of a Toyota dealership as my car was being worked on, and at one point I had to get up and go outside because I felt self-conscious about the tears in my eyes. It’s an international sensation, published in over 30 countries so far, and I can see why, as it deals with universal topics like life, love and loneliness. Doris’ life story kept me captivated from start to finish, and I suspect many American readers will embrace this book once it is published here next month.

This is a beautiful book about love, family, and time. It starts slowly but builds to a fantastic ending that will leave the strongest wiping away a tear or two. It is well written and well plotted. Fans of time-shifting and WWII will find this a gem.

Sofia Lundberg brings us an excellent historical novel with a quirky layout - 96 year old Swedish resident Doris shares her life stories with her only living relative, an American grandniece Jenny. As she leafs through her old address book and sees all of the entries marked through, with DEAD written beside them, Doris begins writing the memories she has of each address book entry, so that her memories, her influencers, don't die along with her. Some of these tales can be shared as they Skype on a regular basis, Jenny in her life in San Francisco, and Doris in Stockholm. But with the exception of Jenny and her family, all of the people that Doris knew and loved over the years are gone. And she knows that to know her story, you have to understand her 'family', and her life choices.

Until her recent hospitalization following a fall Doris has been able to live on her own with only day help, which has freed her up to organize photos and type out her stories and print them out, to send to Jenny in San Francisco. Now, with the setback of the broken hip and looming heart problems, Doris may not be allowed to return to her home. And as she continues to have a weekly skype with Jenny, her failing health is obvious. Jenny must find a way to go to Stockholm and be with Doris. Her husband and boys are old enough to manage on their own, but her baby Tyra must accompany her to be with Doris as they say goodbye.

As she reads Doris' memories between hospital visits, Jenny begins to appreciate the rich tapestry that was her great-aunt's life and times. Doris had an exceptional modeling career in Paris before World War II, a love to last the ages that was, again, disrupted by the war, and the unwavering love and support of other artists throughout Europe, through the years. And there is one thing that, with the help of her husband back in the USA, Jenny can do to help Doris die happy....

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, Sofia Lundberg, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Doris is dying. She does not want her memories to die with her, so she is writing them all out for her only living relative, her precious grandniece, Jenny. She goes through the red address book, the one her father gave her when she was just a girl. She has cherished the little book all her life, writing down those whom she has loved during her lifetime. She noticed all the names that she has crossed out through the years, the names of those she has lost to death. There are too many as she comes the end of her exceptionally long life! Half of this book is Doris’s account to Jenny. The other half takes place in the present, as Doris’s health declines.

This is a wonderful, tender, emotional book. In it, our author stresses the importance of family and friends. She reminds us that our experiences, good and bad, are what our life is all about. The author also conveys the idea that life often does not turn out as we plan.

This book is beautifully and poignantly written.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

When I first saw this book and read about it I couldn’t wait to get it. Then I was approved from NetGalley to read it, I was that much more excited. It was a slow start for me and I even thought this book wasn’t for me at first. But then I looked at the many many 4-5 star reviews at NetGalley and thought I gotta keep going, I can’t be the only one who didn’t enjoy it. Boy oh boy am I glad I kept going!! This book is highly entertaining and what a life 96 year old Doris lived. All stories told through a red address book!!! I found I could not put it down. Very well written and a charming story it was! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this book prior to publication. All opinions are strictly my own.

Excellent storytelling of the long life of Doris. Records historical events as well as the people from her red address book that impacted her life. Sofia Lundberg has written a heartfelt book.

The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg is a captivating story. Doris tell us of her life through the people listed in her address book. I felt the story is well written and interesting and I really like it. Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for this honest review.

I loved this book. The format was different from any other book I have read. It was interesting to see the people that Doris (age 96) met during her lifetime, how they influenced her life and how many of them had passed. I think it must be lonely to live that long.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

What an interesting premise -- looking back over your life and sharing your story by going through the names in your address book! Doris was a wonderful, full character. It was enjoyable to see her at different stages of her life, going through a variety of phases and challenges. Her choices seemed true to life. This book really makes me think of those in my life who are older and what stories they keep in their hearts, and those home bound folks in my neighborhood who are so lonely. I think I will remember this one for a long time. Recommended read.

Doris is 96, lives alone in Stockholm, and only has a niece in the United States that she Skypes with.

Doris has caregivers stopping by during the day and is essentially alone except for her memories and the red address book her father gave to her when she was thirteen. The red address book has kept track of every person she has met over her life time.

At thirteen after her father died, Doris was forced into becoming a servant in a wealthy household since her mother couldn't afford to feed her. While in the wealthy household, a model agency saw Doris and Doris became a living mannequin in Paris.

THE RED ADDRESS BOOK takes us back and forth in Doris' life as she reminisces about her past and all the people that have been in and have touched her life.

This book was a beautiful, beautiful read that I didn't want to end.

It was heartwarming as well as heartbreaking.

For a debut novel, the author did a marvelous job with the dual time line and with keeping my interest.

I truly enjoyed Doris' interesting life story. It made me want to document anything in my life that might be important for my family to know.

If you are in need of a book that will have you remembering and loving the characters and the story line long after you close the last page, THE RED ADDRESS BOOK will be a welcome read.

I absolutely LOVED this book that was filled with love and a book everyone needs to read. 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Doris is 96 years old, living on her home with caregivers coming in and out helping to take care of her. She is lonely and it seems the caregivers who are hired to take care of her move through their job without really seeing or spending time with Doris.

Doris has kept stories of her life in an old red address book her father gave her when she was a child before he died. The book moves between Doris's past and the people who impacted her life as well as the present. I have volunteered at senior centers and always enjoyed listening to many of their stories of their life. I found this book to be like peaking into the life of one of these seniors and hearing about the path their life took them down. This is a great story and the character Doris will warm your heart.

There are often difficulties with books translated from another language to English, and I suspect that this may be one of them. There is a disjointed format and some repetition that is distracting. Sofia Lundberg writes the story of a woman, Doris, 96 years old and living alone in Sweden whose only relative is a grand-niece living in San Francisco with whom she Skypes regularly.

Doris reviews the names that appear in a red address book that her mother had given her when she was a very young child. For each name, she tells the story of her relationship with that person. Many of them have been crossed out with the comment, "Dead" next to the name. Doris is at then end of her life and through each name you learn her story. What stretches credibility is that Doris went from being a servant, a scullery maid living with a wealthy alcoholic woman, to a fashion model (called Mannequin) in Paris. OK, so Doris is gorgeous, but really? Then there are the strangers who turn out to be miraculously and unbelievably helpful to her.

Other unlikely episodes include her trip to New York, her reconnection and disconnection to her great one great love, and how she became a friend of and heir to a great 20th century artist.


There are some moving parts to her story, especially when her niece, Jenny, comes to see her in the hospital as she is dying. But, unfortunately, that also includes too much boring information about how hard it is to amuse and feed a toddler on a difficult journey. (You hear more about that damned stroller than you need to.)

Lundberg has some talent. Perhaps with a different translator she could compete with Frederic Backman in subsequent novels.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

Doris a 96 ans. Elle vit seule à Stockholm et ne reçoit que la visite de l'auxiliaire de vie qui lui apporte ses repas, lui fait sa toilette et un peu de ménage. Comme elle est toujours pressée, elle ne fait que le strict minimum. Doris n'a pour famille que Jenny, une petite-nièce qui vit à San Francisco avec son mari et ses trois enfants. Elles discutent chaque semaine par Skype. Doris feuillette son répertoire rouge (cadeau de son père) et décide de raconter sa vie par écrit à Jenny pour qu'il reste une trace de son histoire. À l'aide du carnet d'adresses où presque tous les noms sont rayés avec la mention DÖD (décédé en suédois), elle se remémore les personnes qu'elle a connues et explique ce qu'elles ont représenté pour elle. Son récit nous fait voyager entre la Suède et la France (Doris devient mannequin à Paris) dans les années 30, les États-Unis et l'Angleterre dans les années 40.
Dans l'ensemble, j'ai trouvé l'histoire plutôt agréable et intéressante, même si elle n'est pas franchement exceptionnelle. J'ai trouvé le procédé du carnet d'adresses artificiel et ses limites étaient franchement évidentes quand apparaît un personnage très important dans l'histoire mais qui n'aurait jamais figuré dans le répertoire de Doris. Si on ajoute à cela, certains comportements incompréhensibles de Doris, il y a quelques parties qui n'ont pas lieu d'être. Le livre offre tout de même une réflexion sur la vieillesse et la solitude plutôt émouvante.
Lecture assez attachante mais pas transcendante.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to see what happened next, readers be warned, this is a sad book. I loved Doris, and I identified with her because of the unique set of challenges that we face as we get older. She led a very colorful life and I was glad that she passed those wonderful stories down to Jenny. In doing so, she also helps Jenny come to grips with her difficult childhood. This is a good book to sit by the fire and read with a good cup of coffee or tea. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.