The Distinctly Competent District Councillor

by Jonas Jonasson, Unknown Author

Schläfst du noch oder träumst du schon?Überall auf der Welt schlummert man selig in den kuscheligsten Betten der Marke Traumbett, made in Hamburg, Germany. Überall? Nein, einzig in Schweden konnte das Unternehmen sich noch nicht durchsetzen. Das will der neue Firmenbesitzer Konrad Kaltenbacher Jr. schnellstens ändern. Und wenn es nach Julia, der Bürgermeisterin von Halstaholm in der schwedischen Provinz, ginge, dann hätte sich Traumbett mitsamt seinen 800 neuen Arbeitsplätzen sowieso schon längst bei ihnen niedergelassen. Um die Deutschen von den Vorzügen ihrer Heimatstadt zu überzeugen, startet Julia fest entschlossen eine Charmeoffensive, die man so in Halstaholm noch nicht gesehen Vom kurzerhand umbenannten Angela-Merkel-Kreisverkehr, selbstverständlich mit schwarz-rot-goldener Bepflanzung, über eine aus dem Boden gestampfte Deutsche Schule unter der Führung von drei betagten Rentnerinnenfräuleins, bis hin zur umfunktionierten »Bierstube Badehaus« – das Schwimmbad stand doch sowieso schon seit Jahren leer! –, jeder muss mitziehen. Denn Julia bekommt immer, was sie sich in den Kopf setzt. Eine Hartnäckigkeit, die auch den deutschen Traumbett-Chef Konrad Jr. beeindruckt … Charmant, rasant und originell wie immer!

»In diesen schweren Zeiten wollte ich etwas Hoffnungsvolles schreiben, über die Freundschaft – nämlich über die Freundschaft zwischen den Schweden und den Deutschen, die ich so sehr liebe. In meiner neuen Geschichte trifft Blau-Gelb auf Schwarz-Rot-Gold und es zeigt Mit den richtigen Freunden an der Seite geht es für alle wieder bergauf!« Jonas Jonasson

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Humor, Swedish Literature, Short Stories, Sweden

Paperback

First published November 12, 2024

About the author

After a long career as a journalist, media consultant and television producer, Jonas Jonasson decided to start a new life. He wrote a manuscript, he sold all his possessions in Sweden and moved to a small town by Lake Lugano in Switzerland, only a few meters from the Italian border.

The manuscript became a novel. The novel became a phenomenon in Sweden, and now it is about to reach the rest of the world.

Reviews

[Verelien]

Jonas Jonasson staat bekend om zijn humorvolle en absurdistische romans. En dit keer heeft dit allemaal in een novelle van 140 bladzijde gestopt.

Het lastige aan een novelle is het weinige aantal bladzijdes en hoe je daarin goed uitgewerkte karakters en een afgerond verhaal moet stoppen. Dat is hem gelukt. Oke ik had graag nog iets langer door gewild, maar het was netjes afgerond.

Ik heb meerdere keren hardop gelachen en dit boek met een grote smile op mijn gezicht gelezen. Zijn boeken zijn eigenlijk een beetje van die sterke verhalen waarmee die ene vriend altijd op de proppen komt. Ze komen ongeloofwaardig over, maar het kan wel gebeurd zijn, al lijkt het wel heel onwaarschijnlijk.

Er zaten ontzettend leuke personages in en ook zeer verschillende. Sommige waren heel loveable, andere totaal niet. Je kan niet alle karakters in detail uitwerken in dit aantal bladzijdes, maar je kreeg genoeg van iedereen mee om een beeld van de karakters te krijgen. Sommige waren lekker eigenzinnig of vrij sassy. Heerlijk gedaan! Alle personages in dit boek voegen iets toe.

Een verhaal over doorzetten en niet opgeven. Een boek die je dichtslaat met een glimlach op je gezicht.

Bedankt AW Bruna voor het recensie exemplaar.

[John Hatley]

This is a highly entertaining book. It has a little of everything, above all, Jonasson’s brilliant sense of humour.

[Tara]

What a Lovley little read.

The distinctly competent district Councillor is a light, fun, entertaining read. If you're after a short book perhaps to get back into reading or don't have much time, this is a great book for that.

You get to understand the character's personality with only little descriptions as it is only 130 odd page book. You don't feel like you're missing any gaps of information. A well written well-rounded book, would recommend. I quite enjoyed it and would like to read another book from this author.

[Myriam]

Eine wunderbare, herzerwärmende und lustige Geschichte für zwischendurch!

[Mojca Rudolf]

Avtor zapiše, da je želel napisati knjigo o prijateljstvu med ljudmi različnih narodnosti in ta knjiga je njegov mali prispevek k mednarodnemu prijateljstvu. Tako za zaplet zamisli nemškega izdelovalca sanjskih postelj ter malega švedskega mesteca, ki je v popolnem zatonu, s propadlo tovarno, vedno manj prebivalci in ogromno brezposelnostjo, ter novo županjo, ki želi rešiti mesto z nenavadnimi potezami.
In tako dobimo novodobno pravljico. Mičkeno spominja na dela Backmana, najverjetneje zaradi posebnih junakov in zapletov, ki res mejijo na pravljično sfero. Vsi junaki so ali beli ali črno. A vendarle mi je bila ta kratka knjigica strašno všeč. Je ravno prav duhovita, in zeeeelo pozitivna, meni pa se zdi, da prav takšnih zgodb manjka. Več ali manj nam v spominu ostanejo le izjemno težke tematike. Razumem. Žalost in bolečino poznamo vsi in se nas dotakne. A humornih knjig je precej manj, še manj ljudi jih omenja kot priljubljene knjige.
Če sem od tega avtorja zmogla le Tik pred koncem sveta, ostalih pa, kljub večkratnih poskusih, ni šlo, pa sem ob tej neizmerno uživala. Nekaj čisto preprostega, duhovitega, nenavadnega, za popolno sprostitev in za eno pravljico za lahko noč, kajti prebrana je bila v enem samem večeru, nasmeh pa mi je še vso noč plesal na obrazu...

[Claire]

This novella was absolutely bonkers and knew it. Newly minted mayor of down-on-its luck Hastaholm, Julia Bäck, needs to find a way to turn her Swedish town’s prospects around. She settles on persuading a German bedding giant to open its new factory there. What follows is a wholly implausible but broadly delightful romp about the comedic lengths Julia and her ragtag task force are willing to go. For fans of Parks & Rec and those needing something lighthearted and breezy.

[Žiga]

Zagotovo ni višek umetnosti, je pa knjiga, ki ti na obraz nariše nasmeh. In včasih je to več kot dovolj. Čeprav je kratka, da bralcu več kot marsikatera knjiga s 500+ strani, ki jo pozabiš že nekaj dni po tem, ko jo odložiš.

[Saar Steverlinck]

Gelaagde en vinnige feelgood; dat heb ik graag!

[A Dreaming Bibliophile]

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for providing me with an eARC.

This was a super wholesome book. I read it in a stretch and couldn't stop smiling throughout at how heartwarming it was. I absolutely love found family books and this is a great example of that. I really liked how they all brought their skills together to build and develop the town in such a short duration. There were also a lot of laugh out loud moments. I liked the characters individually and as a group which doesn't happen as often, especially in short books. My only issue with the book is that the ending felt really rushed. It could have been another 50 pages or so long to end it more smoothly but that's okay. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a quick heartwarming read.

[Floor]

Mijn eerste boek van Jonasson en ben erg gecharmeerd van zijn hoopvolle, humoristische en ietwat sprookjesachtige stijl. De Boer, de Vrouw en de Brandewijn ligt al op me te wachten!

[Margaret Wakeling]

Loved it. Enjoyed every minute of it especially after the previous two books I’d read.

Typical Jonas Jonasson, totally preposterous but made me laugh.

[Lizzie Eves]

Such a fun light read! Absurd and witty so I enjoyed it :)

[Justin Berry]

A shorter than usual offering from this author,but unmistakably in his own imitable style.
This for me had hints of Magnus Mills, which is no bad thing, and this kept me entertained and amused from start to finish.

[Dave Hambleton]

A nice little beach read.

[Emily]

3.5!! Very good, very sweet, very silly

[Bridget]

A shorter story than Jonas Jonasson’s usual style, but it follows the same familiar format: an unlikely ragtag group of heroes thrown together to battle the odds, outwit the bad guys, and ultimately achieve their aim.
Fun, lightweight, and satisfying.

[Ken Fredette]

This was good book to read as it was from the heart as far as I could tell. Jonas used all his favorite things to write about to tell this story. He made it funny as he describes what these people went through to get the final contract signed. He takes Konrad Kaltenbacher Jr. and doesn't describe him as a loving person except for his girls. Jonas leaves this part of Konrad until the end. But Julia was a new mayor and made mistakes along the way that put her in troubled with the law. She used everybody to get what she wanted and the contract was signed even after she went to jail. We can ascribe this to Konrad's change in his behavior with Julia.

[Sabrina]

Gute 3,5 Sterne. Sympathische Charaktere, kurzweilige Geschichte, zum Lächeln.

[Clara]

Einfach wirklich nicht mein Humor.

[Sandra]

Mans vet vad man får. Och slutet är inte vidare svårt att räkna ut. Men det är underhållande och roligt.

[Kent Kobylka]

A short, absurd romp with too many characters, indefatigable as ever, Johansson sprints headlong into an increasingly ridiculous plot that keeps its charm on the offensive and it's offensive characters stuck on defense. The main character, Julia Bäck, is a liar, a cheater, overly impulsive, and so easy to fall in love with. Her foil, Karden Karshtoffleburger or whatever his overtly German name is, is a posh silver spoon who is also dramatically likeable. And the villain, Card-table or whatever the fuck, is beautifully hateable.

All in all, Johannasson does exceptionally well. The supporting cast is quirky and delightful, especially the execution of Peter the Small - a 10 year old tasked with teaching teachers how to speak German.

So... Why not 5 stars? It's too short. It lacks a satisfying middle act, or perhaps a bit more hijinx. The end is a bit rushed. It folds together a bit too quickly. Structurally less sound at the end than the beginning. Sweet Sweet revenge was better.

But that's alright. You can finish this one in less than 3 hours. Can't say the same for JJ's other works. Good show!

[Freya McKenzie]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I've learned to anticipate from Jonas convoluted plot twists and completely insane characters, but really, at no point could I have predicted how much I'd come to love - or hate! - some of the side characters in only 132 pages.

It's lighthearted and fun, and I maybe dock it some points only for being a bit too simplistic. It's easy to root for Julia and hate Kenneth, and what more do you need from a story than a heroine for whom everything works out in the end (a happy ending is generally expected from Jonas Jonasson, even when it looks unlikely) and a cartoonishly clowny villain?

There's not that much to say about it, because there's not much to it at all, but it was a book I'm glad I picked up!

[RolloTreadway]

I'm not sure why Goodreads is telling me that I'm trying to review a book that hasn't been released. I got it from the library. Hurrah for libraries! Anyway, this was a simple, charming story. Likely won't stay in my mind for long. But it's a nice diversion.

[Daniel Kukwa]

It's about as pleasant and ephemeral a summer read as you can find...but at least it's honest and up-front about being a simple feel good story for our current times. In that respect, it achieves its goal.

[Beth Keeble]

Woefully boring, and a painful struggle to the end. Would recommend if you want something quick to read but don’t expect humour, a good plot, or characters to connect with (despite there being a new character every page!)

[Vivien Behling]

Mag eigentlich alles an Jonas Jonasson. Diese kleine Geschichte ist leicht zu lesen und bringt einen zum Lächeln.

[Evelien]

Heerlijk grappig, fijn luisterboek!

[Laurien]

knuddig en cute ♡

[Sula Verdievel]

Geluisterd naar dit verhaal
Grappig, ideaal tijdens huishoudelijke klusjes ☺️

[Tammo Meijering]

Att läsa denna bok är som att sitta och scrolla insta reels. Hjärnröta rakt igenom. Men vet inte vad jag förväntade mig heller. Berättelsen är i många delar bara obskyr.