Piccoli limoni gialli

by Kajsa Ingemarsson, Alessandro Bassini (Translator)

Nel giro di poche ore Agnes vede il suo mondo andare in pezzi: il suo capo tenta goffamente di molestarla e, vistosi respinto, la licenzia. Rientrando a casa frustrata e amareggiata viene accolta, anziché dall'abbraccio consolatorio del fidanzato, dalla notizia che lui ha deciso di lasciarla. E un'altra brutta sorpresa è in arrivo dai genitori... Ce n'è di che chiudersi in casa a compiangersi. E invece Agnes non vuole darsi per vinta e, superato l'iniziale sconforto, cerca di riprendere in mano la propria vita accettando la proposta di un amico: aprire insieme un piccolo ristorante che profonda nell'inverno svedese profumi e sapori del Mediterraneo e di quei piccoli limoni gialli che diventeranno la loro insegna. I due investono tutte le loro energie e i risparmi nella nuova avventura... Ma sarà la scelta giusta? Riuscirà Agnes a riscattarsi e magari a ritrovare l'amore?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Swedish Literature, Contemporary, Sweden, Scandinavian Literature

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Kajsa Ingemarsson is one of Sweden’s bestselling novelists, already beloved throughout Europe. Her novels are warm and compassionate, where the reader finds people, settings, and events that are current, compelling, and relatable. Her writing style is entertaining and stylish, put forth in a conversational tone that is, at same time, smart and expertly developed to lead the reader through the personal development that is the foundation of her stories.

In the same tradition as Nora Roberts, Mitch Albom and Julie Powell, Kajsa Ingemarsson represents a new generation of contemporary fiction. With almost a million readers in Sweden alone, she is one of Sweden’s greatest bestsellers of all times.

On a deeper level, Ingemarsson relates with finesse and humor the little things that make everyday people heroic in their own lives. Individual happiness can look very different from one person to another, as is revealed in each of her stories.

Having worked with counterespionage, diplomacy and translations, then as an international model and, currently, a regular guest on radio and TV, Ingemarsson often shows her humorous side. In person or from her pen, Ingemarsson is a complex person who brings style and clever wit to all her endeavors.

Reviews

[I'd So Rather Be Reading {Nat} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Stieg Larsson's The Millenium trilogy, I was intrigued by an email asking for a review of Swenden's #1 non-crime writer, Kajsa Ingemarsson. Yesterday's News sounded like the antithesis of Stieg Larsson's work (I believe it is classified as contemporary women's fiction) and, intrigued by the summary, I happily accepted the book for review.

I really enjoyed Yesterday's News! One of my complaints about The Millenium trilogy was the fact that it was set in Sweden, thus making the reference points hard to follow. I had a hard time following the geographical location of the towns in Larsson's books, and such mundane things as subway stops and street names became confusing. He constantly referenced events in Sweden's past which I had no knowledge of, and in fact, I had to constantly flip back and forth from reading the book to the appendix to better understand what was going on.

Happily for me, none of that was a concern with Yesterday's News. I was able to completely understand everything that was going on. Ingemarsson's writing style flowed and was easy to follow, and most importantly, fun to read. I just love it when I look forward between reading stints to when I can pick a book back up!

I really liked Agnes. She was something of a mystery to me: I could never predict her actions or decisions. I like that in a character. I think unpredictability keeps things interesting. Agnes was one of those characters that I could really relate to. She constantly sees the good in people, and that leaves her open to heartache. She is surprised at people when they don't treat her the way she would treat them, and, consequently, is hurt by some of the people in her life. Agnes doesn't let those circumstances define her, though. She is always able to pick herself up and start afresh, whether in her career or her love life.

One of my favorite things about Yesterday's News was the fact that much of the book centers around the start-up of a restaurant. I love food, love eating, and therefore, love reading about restaurants. Agnes is a head waitress and after losing her job at a prominent high-end restaurant, she works with an old colleague who is starting up his own restaurant. Agnes is involved in many of the decisions, including the name and decor of the new restaurant, and I loved watching the dream of the new restaurant come to pass.

I loved the ending of Yesterday's News. It was a great ending, without being too sappy, and left some things open to the reader's imagination. I like that in a book!

I would say that Kajsa Ingemarsson's writing style reminds me a lot of one of my favorite author's writing: Heather Wardell (an American women's fiction author). That fact only served to increase my enjoyment of Yesterday's News.

I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary fiction, and fans of women's fiction. I would definitely read Kajsa Ingemarsson again!

[Alla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good holiday book for me that I read by the hotel pool. It told a realistic story, about Agnes a young waitress in Sweeden, her life and sorrows. I found the story very interesting and I think I have never been able to sit for such a long time in the sun, by the pool. Very enjoyable book.

[Deutschlehrerin Camilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Piacevole ma poco originale. Inspiegabile la naturalezza con cui la gente beve in continuazione e i dissing musicali

[Evelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underhållande och lättläst roman som gjorde mig väldigt hungrig! Läs hela recensionen här: https://ewelinasbokblogg.blogspot.se/...

[Britta17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Så mysig bok, gillade den verkligen!! Perfekt för sommarläsning 🍋🍋🍋

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

förutsägbar o något irriterande karaktärer, men läste ut snabbt och njöt ändå av läsningen pga kravlös bok o handling. precis vad jag behövde nu faktiskt.

[Mack · Rating 2 out of 5]

A romantic comedy? How this book is by some considered romantic or funny is beyond me. The only romantic relationship happening that was actually romantic here was perhaps between Lussan and Paolo (no idea if that were their names in the English editions as well). That relationship had some real potential.

As for Agnes and David, there’s absolutely nothing romantic about how she treated him for 90 % of the book and the fact that he just kept being so nice to her throughout the books and in the end somehow begin to fall for her? Like what? Does it turn you on when a girl treats you like a piece of gum stuck beneath your shoe? Do you find it hot that she always found creative ways to reject you in the most rude, mean and demeaning ways possible? Is it cute that you’re willing to sacrifice all of the little dignity you seem to have for a girl who clearly does not give two shits about you? Y’know who this reminds me of? Bruno Mars in Grenade. And while David is all like ”gave you all I had but you tossed it in the trash” and ”but darling I’d still catch a grenade for you” I, similar to Kingsley, am over it.



After his countless attempts to be friendly, the only reason she came around in the end was the fact that he gave the restaurant a good review. Honestly man if I was him, I’d feel honoured to have finally won over such a dime.

Even as a food critic/reviewer/whatever it’s called why tf would he write such a nice review about the service he was receiving at the restaurant when the waitress deliberatly ignored you every time you came to eat there and made you wait so much longer? Also why Agnes treated David as if he was beneath her does not make any sense to me given that she, from her relationship with Tobias, should know more than anyone how that feels. Is this the same thing that goes on as when a victim of bulliyng in the future becomes a bully maybe? I don’t know, because all of her displaced anger towards such harmless weakling made me want to rush through the pages where the two interacted.

In terms of Tobias and Agnes...


...the term doormat does not even begin to describe what she is to him. Maybe it’s just an inability of mine to empathize with people who have little self-respect, and I tried, I really tried to put myself in the shoes of someone in a destructive relationship but I still couldn’t wrap my head around Agnes behaviour when it came to Tobias.

Of course the books wasn't all bad and I don't really mind that it wasn't a romcom (as long as people stop talking about it as if were). I really liked the staff at the restaurant and the whole restaurant in general. It was interesting seeing them going into this project so wholeheartedly.

Really had to fight my way through this one though. Considered marking it as a DNF every 15 pages or so. Not even kidding. Going to watch the movie now. It seems like it's very different from the book, which in this case might be a really good thing.

[Andrea Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this book. Not because it was a great romance or because I identified with Agnes, but because she was real, and because her life was such a train wreck.

I couldn't grasp two things about her, why she didn't report the boss that sexually harassed her and then fired her and why she clung to Tobias. However, fear makes even the smartest women do stupid things, so I could try to see why she behaved the way she did.

The secondary characters were what made the book so enjoyable. The problem for me reading it was trying to figure out some of the Swedish names, but once I got over that, it was smooth sailing.

Another thing I loved about this book was the glimpse inside the creation of a restaurant, and how hard it is to stay afloat. That time in the book is a bit of downer, plus Agnes lost her mother then too. That was probably the most emotional part of the book.

I really felt Kajsa did a great job writing about Maud's death, especially as she had been such an upbeat character.

Some things in the book were a little predictable. If you don't guess who the restaurant critic is long before it is revealed, you aren't paying enough attention.

It is a short summer read. Perfect for a day in the sun or by a hotel pool Relax and enjoy a good story.

[Gigli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Časy se rychle mění a tohle bylo teda aktuální jak Babička.
Jsem se v půlce musela podívat na původní rok vydání, páč jsem měla pocit, že autorka žije v nějakym jinym vesmíru, když si myslí, že poměrně luxusní restaurace se může v době sociálních sítí dělat bez jakýkoli propagace. Že se jako čeká, že tam jen tak přijdou lidi... Rok vydání 2004 toho dost vysvětluje.
Takže jako před 15 lety by to bylo možná za 3. Teď už neni moc důvodů číst totálně neaktuální citronovou limonádu, u který je vám navíc jasný rozuzlení na straně 100, většina lidí je tu vcelku blbá a autorka ani nemá moc talentu pro vykreslení nějaký romantiky...nebo vlastně čehokoliv.
Ale furt lepší jak Losos v kaluži...z toho jsem si odnesla doživotní trauma.

[Patty_pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ogni tanto ci vuole un romanzo leggero, semplice, con avvenimenti “normali” che possono accadere a tutti ma non per questo sono noiosi. E questo lo è!
Agnes vive a Stoccolma, lavora in un ristorante famoso con un capo dalle mani lunghe che la licenzia dopo essere stato respinto da lei. Il suo fidanzato e convivente la lascia per un paio di “tette”. Ce n’è abbastanza per demoralizzarsi, direi. Anche perché trovare un altro lavoro, a quanto pare, non è affatto facile. Ogni tanto una visita ai genitori nel piccolo villaggio natale fa bene, a meno che non arrivi la notizia che la fabbrica locale, che dà lavoro a mezzo paese, chiuderà a breve, lasciando disoccupati o prepensionati più di quattrocento persone. I genitori sono fortunati e appartengono a coloro che andranno in pensione e potranno dunque godersi il loro hobby: il giardinaggio. La sorella insegna all’asilo e sta per andare a vivere con il fidanzato, novello disoccupato!
Una luce in fondo al tunnel: un amico apre un ristorante e la vuole come collaboratrice. Lo chiameranno “piccoli limoni gialli” e lo arrederanno a tema.
Il resto del libro scorre leggero, senza scossoni di rilievo, tranne uno, terribile che sconvolge la vita di Agnes. Ma è soprattutto la probabile visita di un critico gastronomico che potrebbe designare la vita o la morte del ristorante che permea il resto del romanzo.
Mi è piaciuto: è stata una bella boccata d’aria fresca.

[Josefin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Älskade den!

[Nellie Hjorth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lite random bok? Men ändå ganska charmig

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trevlig. Sträckläste den.

[G. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Solitamente non perdo tempo a recensire libri ma questa volta voglio scrivere due righe:
Uno dei libri più antifemministi che io abbia letto, tanto che pensavo fosse stato scritto da un uomo. La protagonista è un'inetta della vita e delle relazioni, il libro si apre col suo capo che cerca di stuprarla e lei per salvarsi rompe una bottiglia da n corone e cos'è la cosa grave? Il fatto che la bottiglia si sia rotta non il tentato stupro. Non viene analizzato per niente il suo stato d'animo dopo questa grave violazione, passiamoci oltre, d'altronde un tentato stupro che sarà mai? Mica è andato a "buon fine".
Viene subito dopo scaricata dal ragazzo che è un donnaiolo cretino per poi tornarci verso metà libro perché non c'è mai fine al peggio.
Non si sprecano in questo libro stereotipi omofobi e anche maschilisti, si sa che se un uomo è gay allora ascolta Cher e se una donna si veste in minigonna allora è per forza una t*oia. La storia è scialba e senza particolari colpi di scena, è scorrevole certo, ma non basta.

[Anki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, this is just such a goodfeel book. I love the way it just turns me into this good mood. It's well written and love the way the book is kind of a typical woman's literature like Bridget Jones, but don't feel like it.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is bubblegum, just like the authors taste in music. The book was entertaining in a small way, but mostly irritating. Every character and situation was completely predictable. Add to that, putting down Bob Dylan,Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd....ridiculous.

[Malacorda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Commediola leggerina: bella la scrittura, non male l'ambientazione, ma la trama è prevedibile. Quest'ultima cosa è parzialmente perdonabile in quanto la prevedibilità rientra tutto sommato nel realistico e/o verosimigliante.

[Kua · Rating 1 out of 5]

Il concentrato della noia all'ennesima potenza.

[mariann · Rating 2 out of 5]

ngl see polnud kõige parem raamat mida ma lugenud olen, aga kooliraamatuna oli see kerge lugemine ja ei võtnud palju aega.
seal oli väga palju draamat ja ma imestan, et agnes oma vigadest tobiasega üldse ei õppinud. kalle oli vahva sell ja ilmselt koos davidiga mu lemmik tegelane. arvan, et lussani probleeme oleks võinud veidi rohkem avada.
mulle meeldis et seal raamatus polnud ainult suhetele keskendatud ja toodi sisse ka kurvemaid, kuid eluga kaasas käivaid hetki.
uuesti ma seda ei loeks aga kindlasti on see parem kui moned teised romcommid.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agnes has most things in life: a job at a fancy restaurant, a boyfriend who loves her, and a best friend whom she knows inside out. Or does she? All of a sudden things begin to crumble, one by one, and soon nothing is as it was. Her boyfriend leaves her for a big busted singer, and she is fired by the sexist and abusive owner of the restaurant where she works. She gambles everything she has on the success of a newly opened restaurant, but the road to the glowing review which will open the door to fame and fortune has, to say the least, unexpected twists and turns.

In Yesterday’s News Kajsa Ingemarsson’s comic talent comes into its own. The book is one of the greatest bestsellers of all time in Sweden with more than 800,000 copies sold. Juicy and satisfying, Yesterday’s News is a story about daring and winning and about faith in yourself, a feelgood novel sure to please anyone looking for the antithesis to Stieg Larsson.

4.5 Stars

This popped up in my inbox for B&N's "Daily Find" which meant I got it for several dollars less, and I am so vulnerable to affordable books. Described as "the antithesis to Stieg Larsson", whose series I cannot bring myself to read after everything I've heard, this description won me over.

For back cover copy, it's remarkably faithful to the book. It doesn't overstate the drama or pull the other tricks often used to hook readers. This paragraph for the default description, in fact, names the part that won me over:

The woman in trouble is Agnes. In Yesterday’s News she will rebound from personal tragedy and find courage in the face of the unknown. In the end she stands there as the hero of her own life.

Agnes is the steady, reliable girl, without any overwhelming ambition to be somewhere else, though she had enough to get out of her isolated small town. She's a romantic, and in that stage of life that society arbitrarily names adulthood but is so hard to define and realize once you're actually in it. Make sure you're a reasonably productive member of society, and mark time until you know you're "there": like buying a house or winning the Nobel Prize.



But she's just lost her job and her boyfriend dumped her, and she's lost.

Actually, that all happens pretty quickly and the rest is Agnes defining her life thereafter. Where do we find direction? and of course, what's really important?

So if you've been reading..well a great many books with romantic plot tumors...and are sick of characters like Bella Swan not recognize they have a jerk for a boyfriend—I think you'll like Agnes. She's not really very Bella-like, she does have a backbone, but she also has little self-confidence and doesn't recognize her own worth. What a difference that makes, when she starts to take initiative in her own life!

I remember saying I fell in love with Agnes by first chapter. She's basically being groped by her boss, at work, in the wine cellar, and she's just so taken aback. A "what is happening?" kind of response, which made sense to me. She fends him off, but the victory isn't unsullied: after all, she's lost her job, and it's not so easy to find a new one.

All the side characters are great: her relationships with her parents and sister are easy and natural to read, but they aren't necessarily easy for Agnes. She doesn't always understand them, and finds they can take her by surprise.

There's the moment, about two thirds of the novel that made me cry, for several chapters. I won't say more, but Ingemarsson writes emotion well; the reader can relate to Agnes.

My favorite part of the book was Agnes learning she didn't have a handle on everything and didn't have to. She's emotionally dependent, at the start, pretty much on everyone around her. Once Tobias leaves her, she leans on her friend. When she finally gets a job, she starts taking control, but still treats it much like a crutch. Eventually, she realizes starts standing on her own, after finally hearing a few hard truths that she never really listened to before.

When I first added the book, the top shelf was "romance" and the entire 287 pages I was looking for it. Now, she does have a romantic arc, but this is not a romance book at all. In fact, even when the love interest showed up (which was fairly obvious to all but Agnes) it still barely counted as part of her character growth: there was no romance until she actually understood what she wanted in a relationship. I squeed.

Yes, I saw most of the plot-points coming, the twist was telegraphed fairly early on. But I'd still say a lot of that's on Agnes, on her prejudices and assumptions.

Yesterday's News stands best as a character study than even the 'chick lit' genre covers, at least in the US market I know. Calling it a story about "growing up" sounds ridiculous, when Agnes starts already a functioning adult. She's just unsure of herself, and her boundaries—she hasn't pushed herself for a time.

I gave Yesterday's News four stars because I loved it, but it didn't blow me away. Now I feel like the Grinch.

Don't be a Grinch: read Yesterday's News!

[Therese Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

En mysig bok som jag faktiskt hade svårt att lägga ifrån mig. Även om huvudpersonen gjorde mig väldigt irriterad då och då så kände jag igen mig i henne och jag grät när hon grät. Kändes som att vissa händelser var väldigt överflödiga och boken var rätt förutsägbar men jag gillade den på något sätt ändå. Den passade mitt läshumör just nu och är svag för böcker som utspelar sig i stockholm samt där idioter till killar blir dumpade som de förtjänar.

[josefin · Rating 2 out of 5]

en ”feel-good-roman”. gillar inte den här typen av genre jättemycket. det är tunn handling och man lär inte känna karaktärerna så bra. helt ok förströelseläsning. (den har ett lätt språk och handlingen är enkel att hänga med i.) det som jag inte gillar med denna genre och även specifikt denna bok är att man VET att det kommer sluta bra. det kan man räkna ut redan efter första sidan. hade lite högre förväntningar på den här boken så det var synd att den inte levde upp till dem.

[Clara · Rating 2 out of 5]

När ska jag lära mig att jag inte klarar av att läsa feelgood romaner ('förutsägbarhet' ligger ju högst upp på min hat-topplista)??? Den delen ligger såklart på mig själv så förutom det så var boken faktiskt helt okej om man är ute efter en lättläst utfyllnadsbok. Huvudpersonen var också så fruktansvärt störig! På något konstigt vis var det som att en 16- och 85åring var fast i en 29årings kropp??? Så självcentrerad och vresig när det inte passade henne...

[Lovisa Wistrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,8 eller kanske 5

Den här boken var oväntat bra, även om den följer den klassiska feelgoodmallen där en kvinna i bokens början blir både dumpad och av med jobbet. Jag blev så arg på henne när hon dessutom tog tillbaka den jäveln som varit otrogen flera gånger!

Hur som helst, en väldigt bra bok.

[Wilma Karlsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

den va realistisk, men inte ångestfylld pga igenkännande och dystra tankar. Utan det kändes som en handling som har hänt en person (förutom slutet som var lite väl hm gott slut kanske). Huvudkaraktären hade jag personligen ej hade varit vän med men boken var god ändå

[Regina Petreikienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Istorija paprasta, knyga lengvai skaitosi. Pabaiga nuspėjama, bet pati istorijos linija pasakojanti apie paprastus žmones, veikiančius paprastus dalykus buvo įdomi.

[Ditte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lite långsam start och klyschigt slut men annars var den bra

[Ellen Roxenius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lättläst & ganska härlig, men tyvärr väldigt förutsägbar och inte så händelserik, därav det ganska låga betyget. Detta till trots kände jag alltid att jag kunde ta upp boken o läsa ett kapitel kanska lätt och rofyllt mär som helst. Blev dock oxå lite ställd av en del ord (kanske mer specifikt ett) som var normaliserade 2005…

[Krista Kõrgesaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma ei pea end suureks filmivaatajaks, aga tundub, et ma olen siiski piisavalt palju romcom-e vaadanud selleks, et antud teose süžeed ära arvata. KUIGI oli ka arenguid, mida ei nâinud ette ja see hoidis raamatu teises pooles üsnagi kütkes. :) Mõnus sidrunkollane ajaviiteromaan, iseäranis sobilik Vahemere köögi austajatele!

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lite som en lite dålig romcom. Lättläst, snäll och man vet ungefär vad man får. Hittade i min systers bokhylla på Ingarö