Cover Image: Sweet Sweet Revenge LTD

Sweet Sweet Revenge LTD

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Jonasson's work is usually hit or miss for me. This one might have been a miss but I will continue to read his other works because I find him to be a very entertaining writer.

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DNF @ 10%
I was skeptical about this book to begin with and I guess for good reason. It just didn't capture my attention, though I wanted to give it a shot. I don't have much to say, I feel like I've already forgotten what happened in it. The characters I was told would be quirky and unconventional just seemed like so many others. This gets a big blahhh from me.

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From the premise, to the characters, to the way it is written, everything about this book screams “I’m quirky!” (in the very best way).

If you loved Jonas’ previous book, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared as I did, chances are you will love this one too. That same biting wit is present in this story. Admittedly, it is not a sense of humour everyone will enjoy, but I loved it.

The first few chapters set up the characters’ history and landscapes, and it moves at such a fast pace that, truthfully, I had a hard time keeping up. It takes a bit to settle into the language and style of writing that has become Jonas’ signature. But hang in there; I promise it is worth it.

The characters are just fabulous. You will love to hate Victor. You will sympathize with sweet and naive Jenny, and Kevin Hugo, the CEO of Sweet, Sweet Revenge Ltd., has a wonderful story arc. But the standout for me was Ole Mbatian. He is a total delight. Medicine man and talented Maasai warrior, I couldn’t get enough of his shenanigans when he visited Stockholm for the first time. Transported from the only village in the Kenyan savanna without electricity, cell phones or even typewriters (there is a detailed explanation as to why this is) to modern Stockholm, he is curious and excited about everything he sees. He reminded me of a smarter, better version of Will Ferrell’s character in the movie Elf when he explores New York for the first time. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments.

I’m not usually a revenge plot kinda gal, but Victor is so truly awful that somehow I was totally okay with it in this book. You will find yourself cheering on Jenny, Kevin and Hugo in their journey for justice.

Overall, a highly satisfying and hilarious read.


Thanks, HarperCollins Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This book is ingeniously quirky and I LOVED it and laughed and found out about an amazing artist all in one. It takes place in Stockholm and Kenya. Victor, a despicable young man, lands a job in a prestigious art gallery, Alderheims. The widowed owner has a young daughter, Jenny, and Victor, taking the long view, plans to secure his future through her. Early on, we know that he despises the modern and expressionist art sold at Alderheims: his taste in art and politics is more akin to that of Adolph Hitler. Only representational art that does not include any non-Swedish people will do. Meanwhile and inexplicably, we meet several generations of medicine men in a very rural village on the Kenyan savannah. It is how Jonasson weaves these two cultures together through art, race, culture, good and evil that makes this a humorous romp and lets us meet a cast of wonderful characters.

Kevin, Victor's biological son with a prostitute who died of AIDS, has no idea that the guy who put him up in an apartment until he turned 18 is his father. Hugo, an ad man, leaves the business to start up what he thinks will be a great business model, a company that helps people get revenge on those who wronged them, often over petty things. Hugo's brother Malte is an ophthalmologist, which does become relevant. Jenny, of course, is the daughter of Alderheim, seen through Victor's eyes as drab and dispensable. Victor serially does both Jenny and Kevin wrong and-- unfortunately for him, this ends up mattering in a way he never imagines. Victor is prone to grandiosity as well as evil. And then there is a lovable, talented -- mostly unaware of the modern world due to the dictates of a backwards village chief -- current generation Kenyan medicine man. Ole Mbatian the Younger, who gets mixed into these relationships in a most curious way.

Thrown into the mix and central to the story are two paintings that originated in Kenya and that look suspiciously like the style of German artist Irma Stern. Partway through the book, though I never heard of her, I looked up Stern's name and found she was real and in fact traveled through Africa painting local people in a style that would be considered neo-expressionist. As a Jew and as a person who did not paint representational works, Stern was anathema in fact to Adolf Hitler and, in our story, to Victor. But her work is worth millions. Can these paintings be passed off as authentic? Who owns them? Who acquires them? What happens to them?

I highly recommend this book. The translation MUST be excellent because the writing is fluid, funny and I could not put this down. Enjoy! OH! And Google Irma Stern for her African paintings and her flower paintings. Amazing painter. Thanks to Jonason for the introduction to her as well!

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This recent invasion of Scandinavian authors introducing us to quirky characters like Ove and Britt-Marie and the 100 Year Old Man makes me so happy. I hope it continues to be a trend for a long time. This is another book that would make a successful, funny movie if handled correctly.

I would say you will find the first part of the book absolutely appalling. Victor is a terrible human, in every way. He's a schemer, an art hater, possibly a murderer, a thief, and just overall horrible. I'll let you discover the plot as you read, but the more you get to know Victor, the more you hope he comes to a terrible, painful, prolonged end. There are parts of this book that will make you laugh out loud and parts that will make you gasp with shock, You might even find yourself cheering once in awhile.

I loved this book. The only problem I had with it is that at one point it just felt a little too long. It dragged a bit, even felt a little too long. It is for that reason it loses a star. My true rating is 4.5 stars. That feeling didn't last because the chain of events toward the end were just so much fun.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are mine and given freely. I look forward to more books by this author.

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Jonasson writes delightful books, and this is no exception. The characters had me from the start, and the plot moved along in a satisfying way. A joy to read!

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For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Sweet Sweet Revenge, Ltd. By Jonas Jonasson (translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles) is a thought-provoking comedy from this Swedish author. Mr. Jonasson is a native Swede who worked as a journalist and owned his own media company.

Victor Alderheim is a heartless SOB, a bigot, a fascist, and Nazi sympathizer (if only it wouldn’t be frowned upon). He worked hard to marry Jenny, 18 years his junior, trick her out of her inheritance, and art gallery (even though he hates art), and dumped, Kevin, a son he had with a black prostitute, in Africa.

Instead of being eaten by a lion, however, Kevin had the nerve to survive, and even thrive as a Masai warrior. After several years Kevin made it back to Stockholm, where his and Jenny’s paths cross.

The young couple, without a krone to their name, stumbled into Sweet Sweet Revenge, Ltd. A new business started by Hugo. But Kevin’s foster father, a Masai medicine man comes to look for his son, with paintings worth millions… maybe.

I have always enjoyed books by Jonas Jonasson, so I was excited about reading this new work of his. Much like his other books, Sweet Sweet Revenge, Ltd is quirky but with a heart. A bunch of lovable, bumbling characters, with seemingly nothing in common, come together for a grand story.

I enjoyed reading about Ole Mbastian, a Masai Medicine Man, as a fish out of water in Stockholm. Seems like no one knew what to do with him, but he managed to get his way and endear himself both to the characters, as well as the reader.

Jonas Jonasson certainly seem to take pleasure in writing farces, comedy of errors that happen to somehow work out. Kevin and Jenny get their revenge on the cynical, opportunist Victor – who has no redeeming character at all. I enjoyed the fact that the young couple was assisted by the owner of Sweet Sweet Revenge, Ltd. A man who, like Victor, has little redeeming qualities except that his not a fascist.

I thought the contrast the author made between Sweden and Kenya was very interesting, especially from his perspective. Denmark is depicted as a cold and dark place, full of bureaucracy and bureaucrats who try to play within the system but break it often. A place where contracts rule, and dishonesty is both frowned upon, but rewarded as well. Kenya, on the other hand, is bright, and sunny. Bureaucrats get their jobs done, but if it’s within the rules it’s only by accident, and deals are made with one’s honor at stake.

I enjoyed this book, an easy read, funny, and in these trying times, a sort of escapism we all need. I also, out of curiosity, checked out if painter Irma Stern is real. She is, and her paintings are fantastic.

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I admit it took me a little time to get into this novel. I couldn’t quite connect with what was happening and only later (too late?) did I realize that Jonasson was setting up the plot by giving context and background to the characters. But then the story took off, and the ride was fun. Jonasson did a great job crafting the interface of two cultures. He causes the reader to reflect on how each society interprets the other. The humor is not side-splitting but definitely clever and well thought out. The story held my interest right to the end.

Speaking of the ending, I found it less than satisfying, asking myself, “That’s it?” But to be fair, I didn’t pick up the beginning, so maybe I didn’t pick up on the ending. Whatever, I enjoyed this book and will read others by Jonas Jonasson. I unreservedly recommend this light, kooky read. It made me smile.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Jonasson doesn't disappoint with this latest book. It has all diverse, eccentric characters we've come to expect. So many twists and turns right up to the very end - and a very satisfying end it is.

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After loving The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, I looked forward to Jonas Jonasson's Sweet Sweet Revenge LTD. Although a new story, it somehow seemed to similar--a group of quirky characters and a series of madcap adventures. I suspect that recent events have have played some role in not being able to enjoy such a story that I might have enjoyed more at another time.

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DNF @15%
NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.
This was one book I was truly looking forward to - I loved "The Hundred Year Old Man" and was hoping for more of that fun, crazy, quirky writing. This was not to be.
This is not a nice book. The main character is NOT A NICE PERSON. He is a A**HOLE of the biggest kind and the more he was present in the book, the more I wanted to throw my kindle out of the window. I absolutely could not deal with him at all. I wasn't crazy about the other characters as well, though you barely get to know them as the AHOLE MAIN CHARACTER takes up all the space. I could not even move forward to see how it all resolved, I just wanted it to be finished. It was unpleasant and disturbing and now makes me regret that I bought some of his other books. UGH.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I am a huge Jonasson fan. I’ve read and loved every one of his books. So for me, it is super exciting that he has a new book releasing, and I’m incredibly lucky to have received an advanced copy.

This book feels vastly different from his other books. It still has a unique level of quirky, and the road taken meanders a lot. But I skimmed a lot of the text in the first half of the book because it wasn’t engaging. However, when Jonasson finally tied the characters together, I truly got drawn into the story.

You don’t have to like Victor to like the book. He’s an awful person, and Jonasson wrote him well because he made you want to reach into the book and wring Victor’s neck. His awfulness is counterbalanced by Ole Mbastian, who is the star of this book. His naivete is as maddening as it is endearing, and it’s a perfect balance of the two.

But then we got towards the end of the book, and things took an even more bizarre turn, and sadly, for me, the book was finishing up. Had it been written differently, I would have happily read about our 4 main characters in another book. But alas, I think this is a goodbye to this cast of characters. So there were some ups and downs with this one, but overall, I enjoyed reading it. Thank you, HarperVia, for sending this along!

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I have wanted to read The 100 Year Old Man book for a while but haven't had time yet and now after reading, or I should probably say attempting to read this one I am not sure I still want to.
I had great expectations for this book. The description caught my attention straight off, but I have had the book now for several months and though I have tried and tried to really read it and pay attention I simply can not. The beginning is so slow and does not capture my interest at all. I find my attention quickly straying in the direction of the slightest of distractions. Maybe if the start of the book was more captivating, more engaging I would have made it through. As it is, even skimming through chapters I could not stay focused or slightly interested. I am sorry this one is not for me. I hope it does well for others and I may still attempt to read the 100 year old man after I am free of the bad taste left behind from this one..
Thank you to Harper Via and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

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Jonas Jonasson's done it again! A great book that brings all the characters & plot elements together in the end. My favorite kind of book. Humorous, intriguing, & just plain fun!

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I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book.

The author, Jonas Jonasson, has a great imagination and a wacky sense of humor. How anyone could put together a story about an over-ambitious art dealer, a bored, but successful, ad man who sets up a company based on getting revenge, a young man deserted to die in the wilds of Africa, a young girl who is used by the art dealer to steal her father’s business, a retiring policeman who just wants to leave it all behind, and an African medicine man who just wants to go to Sweden and track down his lost, adopted son is just amazing. Obviously, there is a series of events which are quite unbelievable, but this is one nicely written story.

I have enjoyed the humor in the story that the author provides, and I find the characters are well-developed. This was one epic adventure story.

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This is my 3rd Jonas Jonasson book and it does not disappoint. Sweet Sweet Revenge, Ltd. is filled with twists, turns, many (interrelated) characters and is so funny. The book revolves around an evil man who ruins two people's lives and their attempts to get revenge on him for his wrongs. Revenge is not that easy, and a lot of things transpire which take them back and forth from Sweden to Africa. It ends with a loving and successful found family. I highly recommend this book (and, frankly, his others.)

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First off thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.
I love Jonas Jonasson! And this is not let down. It’s packed with great history, international adventure, loveable characters and good comedy! It’s always such a pleasure to read this author! I will definitely be buying a physical copy for my personal bookshelf!

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I haven't read all that many books so far this year but Jonas Jonasson's book Sweet Sweet Revenge LTD. is by far the most funny and mysterious book I have read. It starts out in Africa, with the Maasai, and we learned the succession of the medicine man, into Ole Mbatian the Younger. Then we go to the Chief and his succession into Olemeeli the Well-Traveled. We then go to Sweden and a man that is confronted by a prostitute that has a small boy who says that he is the father, Victor who has no scruples, waits for many years to marry his bosses daughter, Jenny, and takes her name. In the mean time, he puts the boy up in an apartment and only sees him to feed him. Then he travels to Africa with the boy (I should say he's black) and drops him off to die. This is where the story takes off and goes on to Sweet Sweet Revenge. You meet all the other characters and see how they fit into the mix. Hugo, the owner of Sweet Sweet Revenge LTD., and his brother the Eye Doctor. Jenny who ends up divorced from Victor. They meet by chance and revenge is the answer. What happens next is what you should read because it is so full of humor that I can't describe it to any degree. This was a 5 out of 5 star book in my mind. Jonas need to write other books like this.

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