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Pensionärsligan #1
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules
Martha Andersson may be seventy-nine years old and live in a retirement home, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to stop enjoying life. So when the new management of Diamond House starts cutting corners to save money, Martha and her four closest friends — Brains, Rake, Christina, and Anna-Gretta (a.k.a. The League of Pensioners) —won’t stand for it. Fed up with early bedtimes and overcooked veggies, this group of feisty seniors sets out to regain their independence, improve their lot, and stand up for seniors everywhere.
Their solution? White-collar crime. What begins as a relatively straightforward robbery of a nearby luxury hotel quickly escalates into an unsolvable heist at the National Museum. With police baffled and the Mafia hot on its trail, the League of Pensioners has to stay one walker's length ahead if it's going to succeed...
Their solution? White-collar crime. What begins as a relatively straightforward robbery of a nearby luxury hotel quickly escalates into an unsolvable heist at the National Museum. With police baffled and the Mafia hot on its trail, the League of Pensioners has to stay one walker's length ahead if it's going to succeed...
393 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
4116 people are currently reading
18791 people want to read
About the author
Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg
41 books274 followersCatharina Ingelman-Sundbergs böcker har sålt i över 400 000 exemplar. 1999 belönades hon med Widdingpriset som årets författare av historiska romaner och populärhistoria i Sverige. Hennes böcker är hittills sålda till 14 länder.
Catharina ägnade femton år av sitt liv att som arkeolog söka efter vår historia på havets botten runt om i världen. Denna tid har hon skildrat i boken Bland hajar, karlar och vrak. I Norge har hon bland annat deltagit i utgrävningen av fregatten Lossen och har även varit anställd vid Norsk sjöfartsmuseum.
Som marinarkeolog dök hon på allt från vikingaskepp och ostindiefarare till slavskepp och försvarsspärrar utanför vikingastaden Birka i Mälaren.
Hon var även anställd vid Western Australian Museum i Perth där hon ledde arbetet med att bärga och utforska den holländska ostindiefararen "Zeewijk" från 1727. Om detta kan man läsa i den sjöhistoriska romanen Kampen mot bränningarna, klassad som en av de bästa sjöromanerna som skrivits på svenska.
Efter några år som marinarkeolog i Australien återvände hon till Sverige där hon arbetade flera år vid Malmö sjöfartsmusem och bärgade det vikingatida Fotevikskeppet utanför Skåne.
Därefter utbildade sig Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg till journalist vid Journalisthögskolan i Göteborg parallelt med att bokskrivandet kom igång. Förutom Kampen mot bränningarna och romantriologin Vikingablot, Vikingasilver och Vikingaguld har Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg även gett ut populärvetenskapliga faktaböcker, bl.a Boken om vikingarna och underhållningslitteratur som Tantlexikon.
Vikingaromanerna skildrar vad som hände när missionären Ansgar kom till Skandinavien för att kristna hedningarna, om vikingarnas härtåg i västerled och österled och om den starka vikingakvinnan. Böckerna har publicerats i flera länder.
Hon har även skrivit om vikingafurstinnan Ingegerd i romanen Mäktig mans kvinna och tre böcker från medeltiden. I romanerna Brännmärkt, Förföljd och Befriad berättar hon bland annat om Östersjöns sjörövare vitaliebröderna, den tyska Hansan och drottning Margareta. I Tempelbranden berättar hon om när Sverige kristnades och förstörelsen av Uppsalatemplet.
Idag delar Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg sin tid mellan det egna författandet och arbetet som frilansjournalist.
Snabbfakta om Catharina:
Utbildning:
* Adolf Fredrik musikgymnasium, student 1967
* Fil. kand i Historia, Konsthistoria och Nordisk och jämförande folklivsforskning 1970, Uppsala universitet. Därtill betyg i arkeologi och nordiska språk.
* Svenska sportdykarförbundets 1:a klassbrev 1971
* Skepparexamen 1981
* Journalistexamen 1986
Anställningar:
Dykinstruktör, AB Dyksport, Uppsala
Marinarkeolog och amanuens på Statens sjöhistoriska museum och Oslo Sjöfartsmuseum, Marinarkeolog och museiintendent på Western Australian museum, Perth och Malmö sjöfartsmuseum
Journalist på GT, Göteborgsposten, SVT Västnytt i Göteborg och Svenska Dagbladet, Stockholm.
Böcker:
Marinarkeologi, dykaren, arkeologen fynden, 1985
Kampen mot bränningarna, 1991
Den svarta ejderungen (illustrationer S. Hellmark), 1991
Bland hajar, karlar och vrak, 1995
Vikingablot, 1995
Vikingasilver, 1997
Vikingaguld, 1999
Boken om vikingarna, 1998
Stockholms dolda museer, 2000
Mäktig mans kvinna, om vikingafurstinnan Ingegerd, 2001
Forntida kvinnor, 2004
Tantlexikon, 2004
Brännmärkt, 2006
Förföljd, 2007
Befriad, 2009
Tempelbranden, 2010
Kaffe med Rån, 2012
Catharina ägnade femton år av sitt liv att som arkeolog söka efter vår historia på havets botten runt om i världen. Denna tid har hon skildrat i boken Bland hajar, karlar och vrak. I Norge har hon bland annat deltagit i utgrävningen av fregatten Lossen och har även varit anställd vid Norsk sjöfartsmuseum.
Som marinarkeolog dök hon på allt från vikingaskepp och ostindiefarare till slavskepp och försvarsspärrar utanför vikingastaden Birka i Mälaren.
Hon var även anställd vid Western Australian Museum i Perth där hon ledde arbetet med att bärga och utforska den holländska ostindiefararen "Zeewijk" från 1727. Om detta kan man läsa i den sjöhistoriska romanen Kampen mot bränningarna, klassad som en av de bästa sjöromanerna som skrivits på svenska.
Efter några år som marinarkeolog i Australien återvände hon till Sverige där hon arbetade flera år vid Malmö sjöfartsmusem och bärgade det vikingatida Fotevikskeppet utanför Skåne.
Därefter utbildade sig Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg till journalist vid Journalisthögskolan i Göteborg parallelt med att bokskrivandet kom igång. Förutom Kampen mot bränningarna och romantriologin Vikingablot, Vikingasilver och Vikingaguld har Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg även gett ut populärvetenskapliga faktaböcker, bl.a Boken om vikingarna och underhållningslitteratur som Tantlexikon.
Vikingaromanerna skildrar vad som hände när missionären Ansgar kom till Skandinavien för att kristna hedningarna, om vikingarnas härtåg i västerled och österled och om den starka vikingakvinnan. Böckerna har publicerats i flera länder.
Hon har även skrivit om vikingafurstinnan Ingegerd i romanen Mäktig mans kvinna och tre böcker från medeltiden. I romanerna Brännmärkt, Förföljd och Befriad berättar hon bland annat om Östersjöns sjörövare vitaliebröderna, den tyska Hansan och drottning Margareta. I Tempelbranden berättar hon om när Sverige kristnades och förstörelsen av Uppsalatemplet.
Idag delar Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg sin tid mellan det egna författandet och arbetet som frilansjournalist.
Snabbfakta om Catharina:
Utbildning:
* Adolf Fredrik musikgymnasium, student 1967
* Fil. kand i Historia, Konsthistoria och Nordisk och jämförande folklivsforskning 1970, Uppsala universitet. Därtill betyg i arkeologi och nordiska språk.
* Svenska sportdykarförbundets 1:a klassbrev 1971
* Skepparexamen 1981
* Journalistexamen 1986
Anställningar:
Dykinstruktör, AB Dyksport, Uppsala
Marinarkeolog och amanuens på Statens sjöhistoriska museum och Oslo Sjöfartsmuseum, Marinarkeolog och museiintendent på Western Australian museum, Perth och Malmö sjöfartsmuseum
Journalist på GT, Göteborgsposten, SVT Västnytt i Göteborg och Svenska Dagbladet, Stockholm.
Böcker:
Marinarkeologi, dykaren, arkeologen fynden, 1985
Kampen mot bränningarna, 1991
Den svarta ejderungen (illustrationer S. Hellmark), 1991
Bland hajar, karlar och vrak, 1995
Vikingablot, 1995
Vikingasilver, 1997
Vikingaguld, 1999
Boken om vikingarna, 1998
Stockholms dolda museer, 2000
Mäktig mans kvinna, om vikingafurstinnan Ingegerd, 2001
Forntida kvinnor, 2004
Tantlexikon, 2004
Brännmärkt, 2006
Förföljd, 2007
Befriad, 2009
Tempelbranden, 2010
Kaffe med Rån, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,230 reviews
April 28, 2019
A great premise: a group of older people in an assisted living facility become frustrated with their living conditions and embark on various activities to emancipate themselves. Sadly, the writing is unable to live up to the premise, though I read a translated version, which could have contributed to the confusion. Much like hanging out in a residential facility, I found myself dozing off without warning.
The first paragraph from chapter one:
"The next day, while the guests, or the 'clients,' as they were now called, at Diamond House were drinking their morning coffee in the lounge. Martha thought about what she should do. In her childhood home in Österlen, down in the south off Sweden, people didn't just sit and wait for somebody else to take action. If the hay must be put in the barn, or a mare was going to foal, then you simply pitched in and did what was necessary. Martha looked at her hands. She was proud of them--they were reliable hands, and showed that she had done her fair share of hard work. The murmur of voices rose and fell all around her as she surveyed the rather shabby lounge. The smell was decidedly reminiscent of the Salvation Army and the furniture seemed to have come straight from the recycling depot. The old gray 1940s building, with its asbestos fiber cement cladding, was like a combination of an old school and a dentist's waiting room. Surely this wasn't where she was meant to end her days, with a mug of weak instant coffee to go with a plastic meal? No, damn it, it certainly was not! Martha breathed deeply, pushed her coffee mug aside and leaned forward to speak to her group of friends."
If you are still awake and appreciated the exact description of Martha's moment of reflection and the building she is in, you should read on! This is the book for you. If you think that you would like a little less description and a little more action, then you may want to skip ahead to page 69 when the 'League of Pensioners' put their first crime into action. As they are the most incompetent thieves ever, I got stuck trying to understand which parts were supposed to be ironic and/or funny. Or was this genuine, and elderly Swedish people are incapable of simple logic, and the surrounding 'normal-aged' people incapable of recognizing subterfuge?
And confusion, I confess, continued, because Sweden is pretty close to socially perfect, so why are they being so awful to their old people? The administrators lock the 'clients' up at night, and then (mild spoiler) the staff decides to mildly drug them to keep them compliant. What?!? I felt like this must be set in the 1960s--surely Swedes don't run around drugging people? Is this the secret to a compliant society? We haven't been allowed to do that in America for years and years, despite millions of oxycodone prescriptions. I truly don't understand; was I supposed to laugh that their robbery plans were so incompetent as to not include the lights going out? Or that Nurse Katia isn't concerned there's no notes regarding the absence of five residents? This seems so strange to me.
There's some sort of sub-plot about the awful administrator at the facility having an affair with one of the staff, and the declining conditions at the facility. Maybe the hook is that the book is hyper 'realistic' in description and scenarios--with the exception of the elderly shenanigans. But the writing ended up killing it. It feels like a basic reading level in vocabulary and thought process, as the above paragraph shows. A third person point of view often means that it is just narrated from different perspectives, not that much insight is offered. First this happens, then that happens, and then that. Pacing is terribly slow, with paragraphs of description of both setting and Martha's crew making plot points even further apart. I ended up with a terminal loss of interest around page 95. In fact, I'm falling asleep writing this. Not recommended for listening while driving.
The first paragraph from chapter one:
"The next day, while the guests, or the 'clients,' as they were now called, at Diamond House were drinking their morning coffee in the lounge. Martha thought about what she should do. In her childhood home in Österlen, down in the south off Sweden, people didn't just sit and wait for somebody else to take action. If the hay must be put in the barn, or a mare was going to foal, then you simply pitched in and did what was necessary. Martha looked at her hands. She was proud of them--they were reliable hands, and showed that she had done her fair share of hard work. The murmur of voices rose and fell all around her as she surveyed the rather shabby lounge. The smell was decidedly reminiscent of the Salvation Army and the furniture seemed to have come straight from the recycling depot. The old gray 1940s building, with its asbestos fiber cement cladding, was like a combination of an old school and a dentist's waiting room. Surely this wasn't where she was meant to end her days, with a mug of weak instant coffee to go with a plastic meal? No, damn it, it certainly was not! Martha breathed deeply, pushed her coffee mug aside and leaned forward to speak to her group of friends."
If you are still awake and appreciated the exact description of Martha's moment of reflection and the building she is in, you should read on! This is the book for you. If you think that you would like a little less description and a little more action, then you may want to skip ahead to page 69 when the 'League of Pensioners' put their first crime into action. As they are the most incompetent thieves ever, I got stuck trying to understand which parts were supposed to be ironic and/or funny. Or was this genuine, and elderly Swedish people are incapable of simple logic, and the surrounding 'normal-aged' people incapable of recognizing subterfuge?
And confusion, I confess, continued, because Sweden is pretty close to socially perfect, so why are they being so awful to their old people? The administrators lock the 'clients' up at night, and then (mild spoiler) the staff decides to mildly drug them to keep them compliant. What?!? I felt like this must be set in the 1960s--surely Swedes don't run around drugging people? Is this the secret to a compliant society? We haven't been allowed to do that in America for years and years, despite millions of oxycodone prescriptions. I truly don't understand; was I supposed to laugh that their robbery plans were so incompetent as to not include the lights going out? Or that Nurse Katia isn't concerned there's no notes regarding the absence of five residents? This seems so strange to me.
There's some sort of sub-plot about the awful administrator at the facility having an affair with one of the staff, and the declining conditions at the facility. Maybe the hook is that the book is hyper 'realistic' in description and scenarios--with the exception of the elderly shenanigans. But the writing ended up killing it. It feels like a basic reading level in vocabulary and thought process, as the above paragraph shows. A third person point of view often means that it is just narrated from different perspectives, not that much insight is offered. First this happens, then that happens, and then that. Pacing is terribly slow, with paragraphs of description of both setting and Martha's crew making plot points even further apart. I ended up with a terminal loss of interest around page 95. In fact, I'm falling asleep writing this. Not recommended for listening while driving.
November 23, 2024
Globally best selling dark comedy about a group of elderly people going on a crime rampage, in response to realising that data indicated that elderly people in a home didn't get treated as well as prisoners in captivity! 7 out of 12, Three Stars for this fun-ish read.
2014 read
2014 read
March 5, 2014
I read about a third of this book when I decided I couldn't get interested in it enough to finish which is a pity because it looked like a really good story from what was written on the back cover. I don't know whether something got lost in the translation. It was just BORING!
January 11, 2025
This is a robbery.
And so… It begins. A 79-year-old lady, Martha Andersson, shuffles into a bank at the end of a day with a walker (they call it something different in Sweden) and hands a teller a note that “this is a robbery” and expects to be taken seriously.
Of course…They do not, and instead put her in a taxi and send her back to her retirement home.
A place that the corporation has cut costs on and no longer care about the residents.
And so…Martha Andersson hatches a plan.
She and a fellow group of retirees, Brains, Christina, Rake and Anna-Greta, come up with a plan to commit a crime that will give them entrance to prison, where the living conditions surely are better.
But…Being criminals is more complicated than they thought, and the situation quickly grows beyond anything they ever imagined.
Fun. Silly. Spunky main characters. With some romance – who knew? Easy to read.
Will this group pull off their perfect crime in the end and get the ultimate retirement dream? With perhaps no jail time?
And so… It begins. A 79-year-old lady, Martha Andersson, shuffles into a bank at the end of a day with a walker (they call it something different in Sweden) and hands a teller a note that “this is a robbery” and expects to be taken seriously.
Of course…They do not, and instead put her in a taxi and send her back to her retirement home.
A place that the corporation has cut costs on and no longer care about the residents.
And so…Martha Andersson hatches a plan.
She and a fellow group of retirees, Brains, Christina, Rake and Anna-Greta, come up with a plan to commit a crime that will give them entrance to prison, where the living conditions surely are better.
But…Being criminals is more complicated than they thought, and the situation quickly grows beyond anything they ever imagined.
Fun. Silly. Spunky main characters. With some romance – who knew? Easy to read.
Will this group pull off their perfect crime in the end and get the ultimate retirement dream? With perhaps no jail time?
July 18, 2022
I see several other reviewers wondering if this horribly written would-be comedy is perhaps the translator's fault. The answer is no.
March 25, 2015
Edit: I don't feel it's justified to change the rating over a year after I read it, but looking at it in retrospect, I feel like I should have rated it two stars, rather than three - considering my direct thoughts as well as the fact that I hardly remember the book now.
When I read the blurb, I was sure I wanted to read this book, so I bought it. I was really excited to start reading it, thinking it would be absolutely hilarious, and to some extent it was.
Although I did truly enjoy the story, it did not live up to my expectations. Or at least, so I thought while reading the middle part. However, when I got towards the ending, the story started to become better again, and funnier. What the funny thing is about this novel is that the story itself is not that hilarious, but little paragraphs are - like conversations, or thoughts of the elderly people.
What must be kept in mind, is that I read this book in translation. I do not read Swedish, which is the original language it was written in. It is also set in Sweden, and this means there are some elements which readers from other countries may not understand. At some instances, the translator explains these things, and sometimes he omits this which I think is done accurately because one can interpret.
What bothered me while reading it was the fact that even though the average vocabulary in this novel is quite easy, sometimes a random word in a sentence would be of high register. The problem with reading a translation is that you do not know whether this is really a footprint of the translator, or maybe the author herself also did this (perhaps to show how elderly people tend to use outdated words?).
After I finished it, for a little while I thought of giving it 4/5 stars, but I decided that would not be fair, because the middle part really was boring at some times, or at least not quite as entertaining as I had hoped it would be. 3/5 stars would be underrating it, hence my decision to rate it 3.5 stars. I would recommend this to people who want to have an easy and funny read. Enjoy.
When I read the blurb, I was sure I wanted to read this book, so I bought it. I was really excited to start reading it, thinking it would be absolutely hilarious, and to some extent it was.
Although I did truly enjoy the story, it did not live up to my expectations. Or at least, so I thought while reading the middle part. However, when I got towards the ending, the story started to become better again, and funnier. What the funny thing is about this novel is that the story itself is not that hilarious, but little paragraphs are - like conversations, or thoughts of the elderly people.
What must be kept in mind, is that I read this book in translation. I do not read Swedish, which is the original language it was written in. It is also set in Sweden, and this means there are some elements which readers from other countries may not understand. At some instances, the translator explains these things, and sometimes he omits this which I think is done accurately because one can interpret.
What bothered me while reading it was the fact that even though the average vocabulary in this novel is quite easy, sometimes a random word in a sentence would be of high register. The problem with reading a translation is that you do not know whether this is really a footprint of the translator, or maybe the author herself also did this (perhaps to show how elderly people tend to use outdated words?).
After I finished it, for a little while I thought of giving it 4/5 stars, but I decided that would not be fair, because the middle part really was boring at some times, or at least not quite as entertaining as I had hoped it would be. 3/5 stars would be underrating it, hence my decision to rate it 3.5 stars. I would recommend this to people who want to have an easy and funny read. Enjoy.
Read
August 12, 2017ناتمام
نویسنده خیلی تلاش کرده بود کتابی در سبک و سیاق "پیرمرد صدساله ای که از پنجره فرار کرد و ناپدید شد" بنویسد، اما این کجا و آن کجا؟
صرفا تقلید کورکورانه که نه جذاب بود، و حتی نه قابل خوندن :|
نویسنده خیلی تلاش کرده بود کتابی در سبک و سیاق "پیرمرد صدساله ای که از پنجره فرار کرد و ناپدید شد" بنویسد، اما این کجا و آن کجا؟
صرفا تقلید کورکورانه که نه جذاب بود، و حتی نه قابل خوندن :|
May 26, 2016
Almost dnf-ed this sucker. First at the 15% mark, then at the 50% when I resolutely stopped reading. After a week or so I thought to give it another chance as I really wanted to know what happened and how it got solved.
Anyway, so the blurb had me interested, geriatric crime!
At first it was all good, we meet the characters, we learn of their environment etc etc. But then it just started to get sillier and sillier. The writing was pretty basic and childish, the humor flat and banal. Things might have been lost in translation though, but one can only have so much before it gets annoying.
The silliness included the incompetence of the local police and the things the 'gang' could get away with. You really have to suspend a considerable amount of belief to enjoy the story. There is also a lot of repetitiveness, personal traits are being mentioned over and over again, or how much one liked the other.
And maybe the story wanted to focus on the mishaps in retirement homes, it completely missed the mark with the idiotic staff.
Anyway, so the blurb had me interested, geriatric crime!
At first it was all good, we meet the characters, we learn of their environment etc etc. But then it just started to get sillier and sillier. The writing was pretty basic and childish, the humor flat and banal. Things might have been lost in translation though, but one can only have so much before it gets annoying.
The silliness included the incompetence of the local police and the things the 'gang' could get away with. You really have to suspend a considerable amount of belief to enjoy the story. There is also a lot of repetitiveness, personal traits are being mentioned over and over again, or how much one liked the other.
And maybe the story wanted to focus on the mishaps in retirement homes, it completely missed the mark with the idiotic staff.
February 4, 2014
This sounded like a good premise for a novel - a bunch of pensioners who run away from their depressing old age home to lead a life of crime. And it is humorous but more in a warmly, amusing way than laugh out loud humour. There are some really funny moments and the author's thoughts on how older people with little to lose might approach crime was often humorous. However, I think the novel was longer than it needed to be and the plot could have benefited by being sharper with a lot less waffle between the pensioners exploits. It's possible that something was lost in translation and there were a few jokes particularly around music that you would need to be Swedish to appreciate.
August 12, 2024
3.5
What a fun read— and one that can be picked up when you need a good chuckle.
What’s a group of aging retirees to do when their retirement home becomes worse to live in then prison? Find a way to go to prison…
Lots of silly antics with a good dose of reminding readers that life doesn’t end when you are “over the hill” by society’s standards.
I think this would make a great series— I spent the last few chapters casting the parts (Candace Bergen as Martha, Jane Fonda as Christine, Pierce Brosnan as Rake and DeNiro or Pacino as Brains… ).
(Reviewed 12-7-21)
What a fun read— and one that can be picked up when you need a good chuckle.
What’s a group of aging retirees to do when their retirement home becomes worse to live in then prison? Find a way to go to prison…
Lots of silly antics with a good dose of reminding readers that life doesn’t end when you are “over the hill” by society’s standards.
I think this would make a great series— I spent the last few chapters casting the parts (Candace Bergen as Martha, Jane Fonda as Christine, Pierce Brosnan as Rake and DeNiro or Pacino as Brains… ).
(Reviewed 12-7-21)
February 21, 2016
If anyone's looking for an inconsequential, light hearted, good natured, warm fuzzy book that has the power to make you titter out loud then I heartily recommend this yarn. I loved every syllable. 5 stars doesn't come near to its true worth in my opinion.
December 13, 2013
Growing Old Disgracefully and In Style
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a fun read by Swedish author Catherina Ingelman-Sundberg who shows us that just as we may get old we do not have to sit in God’s waiting room awaiting our turn for the inevitable final journey. It is easy to see why this book is an international bestseller as it is humorous different and quite a warm hearted story where you actually want the criminals to succeed.
Martha Andersson is a woman who walks with the aid of a zimmer frame and is a resident along with her four friends of Diamond House a residential home for the elderly or as she sees it somewhere that she is waiting to die. Martha and friends are being drugged up and locked up but she has no intention of letting that remain the position for her and her friends. She and her male friend Brains after watching a programme on prisons come up with a plan to become residents of a prison as they seem to have a better life there than at Diamond House.
This is when they decide to rebel against the regime of their retirement home as the plastic food no exercise and being drugged up all the friends decide they have had enough. It is time for them to commit a crime that will lend them a prison sentence and therefore better conditions while at the same time highlighting the plight of the elderly ensconced in retirement homes across Sweden, the silent majority.
As five old people embark on their plan of criminality with the aid of their zimmer frames and walking sticks we find that not everything goes to plan. Once they have committed their felony they find they have quite a taste for this and hatch upon another plan as they enjoy the excitement. They want to commit the perfect crime where nobody gets hurt but at the same time they are able to make some money and escape Sweden.
Will they get away with their audacious plan? The only way to find out is to read this wonderful humorous book. Is it a crime thriller yes of sorts, is it funny, yes, does it question our treatment of our elders yes. If we do not look after them then they may just decide to grow old disgracefully and I for one am with them!
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a fun read by Swedish author Catherina Ingelman-Sundberg who shows us that just as we may get old we do not have to sit in God’s waiting room awaiting our turn for the inevitable final journey. It is easy to see why this book is an international bestseller as it is humorous different and quite a warm hearted story where you actually want the criminals to succeed.
Martha Andersson is a woman who walks with the aid of a zimmer frame and is a resident along with her four friends of Diamond House a residential home for the elderly or as she sees it somewhere that she is waiting to die. Martha and friends are being drugged up and locked up but she has no intention of letting that remain the position for her and her friends. She and her male friend Brains after watching a programme on prisons come up with a plan to become residents of a prison as they seem to have a better life there than at Diamond House.
This is when they decide to rebel against the regime of their retirement home as the plastic food no exercise and being drugged up all the friends decide they have had enough. It is time for them to commit a crime that will lend them a prison sentence and therefore better conditions while at the same time highlighting the plight of the elderly ensconced in retirement homes across Sweden, the silent majority.
As five old people embark on their plan of criminality with the aid of their zimmer frames and walking sticks we find that not everything goes to plan. Once they have committed their felony they find they have quite a taste for this and hatch upon another plan as they enjoy the excitement. They want to commit the perfect crime where nobody gets hurt but at the same time they are able to make some money and escape Sweden.
Will they get away with their audacious plan? The only way to find out is to read this wonderful humorous book. Is it a crime thriller yes of sorts, is it funny, yes, does it question our treatment of our elders yes. If we do not look after them then they may just decide to grow old disgracefully and I for one am with them!
September 23, 2014
I heard of this book from a friend, who posted a very negative review of it on her blog. Given my masochistic approach to books and the fact that the plot sounded like it could be really fun, I figured I should give it a try, that it might be fun even if it wasn't good.
No such luck.
First of all it's badly written. The author has absolutely no idea how to use paragraphs, and they can go on for pages with different actions and thoughts being mixed up in a way that just doesn't flow very well when you read it. Knowledge is usually imparted through dialogue, which is usually not a good idea unless maybe you're Dan Brown. And then there's the part where she tends to overinform us, the readers, of the plot, and repeat stuff that happened just a few pages earlier. It gets tiresome to get treated like you're an idiot by the author.
Secondly, while I don't mind a few improbable events in books, most of the plot in this one relies on everyone carrying around an idiot ball and letting the main characters get away with too much shit. Someone overlooking an incident once or twice and having that work out well for your characters is one thing, but when the entire plot hinges on the police not being able to do their job even when evidence is right in front of them? Then it's just annoying.
Thirdly, all of the characters are brutal stereotypes and that's just annoying as well.
Very disappointed in this book, even if the premise was kinda fun. It just took everything too far for me to enjoy it.
No such luck.
First of all it's badly written. The author has absolutely no idea how to use paragraphs, and they can go on for pages with different actions and thoughts being mixed up in a way that just doesn't flow very well when you read it. Knowledge is usually imparted through dialogue, which is usually not a good idea unless maybe you're Dan Brown. And then there's the part where she tends to overinform us, the readers, of the plot, and repeat stuff that happened just a few pages earlier. It gets tiresome to get treated like you're an idiot by the author.
Secondly, while I don't mind a few improbable events in books, most of the plot in this one relies on everyone carrying around an idiot ball and letting the main characters get away with too much shit. Someone overlooking an incident once or twice and having that work out well for your characters is one thing, but when the entire plot hinges on the police not being able to do their job even when evidence is right in front of them? Then it's just annoying.
Thirdly, all of the characters are brutal stereotypes and that's just annoying as well.
Very disappointed in this book, even if the premise was kinda fun. It just took everything too far for me to enjoy it.
December 14, 2024
What a fun ride! Instead of the typical trope of the group of elderly people solving crimes, this time they're the criminals. Really enjoyed this read.
October 2, 2020
مدتیه که دارم اثار نویسنده های سوئدی رو میخوانم اولیش فردریک بکمن بود ، دومیش یوناس یوناسن، سومیش هم کترینا اینگلمن سوندبرگ بنظرم عالی مینویسن سوئدی ها 😁
این کتاب چند جاییش واقعا خندیدم
این کتاب چند جاییش واقعا خندیدم
June 15, 2022
This book was suggested to me by a bookseller in Powell River, BC as some light reading material that would make me laugh. The book is set in and around Stockholm.
The story is amusing and I did want to find out what happened to the gang of 5 retirees aka the League of Pensioners. They start by breaking the rules at their retirement home. They rebel against early bedtimes, tasteless meals, and ridiculous cost-cutting measures such as limiting the pensioners to two cups of coffee per day.
Their life of crime begins when they steal some jewellery from a secure box in the Grand Hotel after putting cannabis and henbane in the steam room to make everyone happy and cutting the wires to the security system. This robbery doesn't produce much loot so they then decide to steal or 'kidnap' some paintings from the National Museum to fund their criminal activities. The ransom is to be left by the authorities on the Helsinki ferry, but half of it disappears. The other half is placed in a secret location in the Grand Hotel by the retirees, who then confess to their crime.
They all spend time in prison but are let out and plan another robbery, this time on a security van delivering banknotes to ATMs.
As you can probably imagine, the security services don't come out of this too well, as an efficient police force would hinder the progress of the pensioners in their life of crime.
The story is amusing and I did want to find out what happened to the gang of 5 retirees aka the League of Pensioners. They start by breaking the rules at their retirement home. They rebel against early bedtimes, tasteless meals, and ridiculous cost-cutting measures such as limiting the pensioners to two cups of coffee per day.
Their life of crime begins when they steal some jewellery from a secure box in the Grand Hotel after putting cannabis and henbane in the steam room to make everyone happy and cutting the wires to the security system. This robbery doesn't produce much loot so they then decide to steal or 'kidnap' some paintings from the National Museum to fund their criminal activities. The ransom is to be left by the authorities on the Helsinki ferry, but half of it disappears. The other half is placed in a secret location in the Grand Hotel by the retirees, who then confess to their crime.
They all spend time in prison but are let out and plan another robbery, this time on a security van delivering banknotes to ATMs.
As you can probably imagine, the security services don't come out of this too well, as an efficient police force would hinder the progress of the pensioners in their life of crime.
March 3, 2014
After 150 pages "The little old lady who broke all the rules" finally became interesting. It turns out it's nothing like "The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared", which I had expected and was actually the reason why I chose to read this one. That book was more of a modern fairy tale, while this is more like a reality show, like "Big Brother" in the retirement home. The humor seems a bit forced. But when things finally start to go wrong in this storyline, the humor works and I kept wondering how the characters would tackle the problems, most of which they aren't even aware occurred! The second half of the book reads like a runaway train. It's very engaging, yet feels a bit simplistic here and there and thus a bit unbelievable that the characters could really succeed.
November 30, 2014
What a lot of nonsense! How could this book be a bestseller? It is very rare for me not to finish a book but I gave up after 80 pages.
February 28, 2014
The title of this book appealed to me as I’m rapidly heading towards being a little old lady myself. Five friends in a retirement home in Sweden realise they are not being treated as well as they would be if they were in prison and they resolve to change the situation. They find a gym in their home which is out of bounds to residents for some reason and they work hard at getting fit before they ‘escape’ and go on a crime spree.
So far, so good and it is an entertaining read and it seems to have survived the translation process pretty well. I liked the characters of the friends and I sympathised with their boredom and their sense of injustice. I also liked the police inspector who was faced with trying to investigate their crimes and who spent his time tearing his hair out because nothing made sense to him. Elderly fugitives from retirement homes just do not commit crimes!
There was something which did not quite ‘gel’ with this book but I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is. I enjoyed it but found it a little long winded. There is plenty of humour, marvellous characters and situations but . . . You may love it but I was left feeling a bit disappointed.
So far, so good and it is an entertaining read and it seems to have survived the translation process pretty well. I liked the characters of the friends and I sympathised with their boredom and their sense of injustice. I also liked the police inspector who was faced with trying to investigate their crimes and who spent his time tearing his hair out because nothing made sense to him. Elderly fugitives from retirement homes just do not commit crimes!
There was something which did not quite ‘gel’ with this book but I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is. I enjoyed it but found it a little long winded. There is plenty of humour, marvellous characters and situations but . . . You may love it but I was left feeling a bit disappointed.
January 5, 2015
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules is the first book in the Senior League series by Swedish author, Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg. As the director and his nurse begin to cut corners to cut costs at the Diamond House aged care facility in Stockholm, the residents are increasingly dissatisfied. Martha Andersson sees a program on conditions in prisons and is soon planning with her four friends in the Vocal Chord choir, Christina, Anna-Greta, Brains (Oscar) and Rake (Bertil) to change their lives. They intend to carry out victimless(??) crimes aided by ingenuity and Zimmer frames.
This translated novel is somewhat amusing, but rather slow-moving and is padded with unimportant details (and therefore far too long); the plot so far-fetched, it is not even vaguely believable. The main characters are all in their late seventies, quirky, but resourceful: soon they are partaking in jewellery theft, art theft, security van theft, ransom demands, and eventually, some prison time. The police and the Serbian Mafia look like idiots as they tangle with the League of Pensioners. The translation by Rod Bradbury is almost flawless (plumply is NOT an adjective), but if you thought Jonasson’s Hundred Year Old Man was only OK, don’t bother with this one, it’s not as good. Not as funny as it sounds.
This translated novel is somewhat amusing, but rather slow-moving and is padded with unimportant details (and therefore far too long); the plot so far-fetched, it is not even vaguely believable. The main characters are all in their late seventies, quirky, but resourceful: soon they are partaking in jewellery theft, art theft, security van theft, ransom demands, and eventually, some prison time. The police and the Serbian Mafia look like idiots as they tangle with the League of Pensioners. The translation by Rod Bradbury is almost flawless (plumply is NOT an adjective), but if you thought Jonasson’s Hundred Year Old Man was only OK, don’t bother with this one, it’s not as good. Not as funny as it sounds.
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February 8, 2014Not great literature, but it is tremendous fun. Sick of poor living conditions in her retirement home, 79 year old Martha decides that she and her friends would be better off in prison. Marshalling her initially reluctant crew, she starts to organize a crime spree which ranges from art theft to bank robbery. It's a fantastic idea for a book and, for the most part, Ingelman-Sundberg handles it well. The middle of the book, where Martha and her crew are serving time, loses pace a little, but it picks up again once they get out and return to their life of crime. Not everything goes smoothly for the League of Pensioners, but Martha is makes for a very sympathetic criminal mastermind, especially when up against the requisite bumbling cops, and watching her scheme her way out of every setback is part of the joy of the book.
Stylistically, it's a little clunky, with patches of exposition and a rather heavy-handed social message, but it also kept a smile on my face all afternoon and some passages are pure joy, so I'm inclined to be forgiving.
Stylistically, it's a little clunky, with patches of exposition and a rather heavy-handed social message, but it also kept a smile on my face all afternoon and some passages are pure joy, so I'm inclined to be forgiving.
August 2, 2019
A very humorous book of older people (70 plus) to have what was promised to them at the retirement home.
They were feeling stifled with lock down at eight pm. No more than three cups of coffee per day with no sweets to go with it. Poor food too.
They really thought prison would be better than their present arrangement.
They found ways to have a better life, even if they broke all the rules.
They were feeling stifled with lock down at eight pm. No more than three cups of coffee per day with no sweets to go with it. Poor food too.
They really thought prison would be better than their present arrangement.
They found ways to have a better life, even if they broke all the rules.
January 9, 2021
من کتاب رو با ترجمعه کیهان بهمنی خوندم. ترجمه واقعا خوب و قابل فهم بود.
اگر بخوام به چشم طنز به کتاب نگاه کنم امتیازش یک هست. حتی یک لبخند هم به لبم نیومد. اما اگر صرفا به چشم یک داستان بهش نگاه کنیم، خط و ربط داستان جذاب و سرگرم کننده بود.
اگر بخوام به چشم طنز به کتاب نگاه کنم امتیازش یک هست. حتی یک لبخند هم به لبم نیومد. اما اگر صرفا به چشم یک داستان بهش نگاه کنیم، خط و ربط داستان جذاب و سرگرم کننده بود.
January 7, 2018
Who knew a bunch of retired people could keep me turning pages so swiftly? I really liked this book. Clean. Funny. Suspenseful.
October 25, 2020
Quite honestly one of the worst books I’ve ever read.
November 11, 2016
" 'And I thought I'd be able to take it easy in my retirement,' moaned Rake. Martha pretended not to hear, but exchanged a few meaningful glances with Brains."
For those familiar with the many genres in the overall mystery category, this book is akin to what is often dubbed a "cozy." Unlike many cozies, which are only somewhat satisfying (like artificial sugar), The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a frothy delight.
Set in Sweden and penned by a Swedish author, this book captures the tale of the self-named League of Pensioners, a group of five friends who decide that the conditions at their old age home are even worse than those of Swedish prisons. As a result, they decide to commit the ultimate crime -- robbing the National Museum of two famous paintings.
Of course, their initial goal is to get caught so that they can enjoy the superior food and services of the Swedish prison system, but police can't really believe that this group of over-70s could mastermind such an event.
The way in which events play out is funny and charming, and readers will soon come to root for the thieves, even when they realize that their planning isn't always on point, nor do the results turn out quite the way they envisage. Needless to say, the ending is a very satisfying one, with the police once again discounting these wily seniors.
Author Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg makes the great point that you're never too old for a bit of fun, and she makes it go down smoothly like a spoonful of sugar.
Thanks to Good Reads and Harper for allowing me to read this delightful book.
April 22, 2017
رواية سويدية عن مجموعة أصدقاء مسنين في دار للمسنين، أصبحت الإدارة في الدار سيئة فيجبرونهم على النوم مبكراً وأصبح الطعام بجودة سيئة جداً، وقلة حصتهم اليومية من القهوه والممرضة المسؤلة عنهم أصبحت شخصيتها لا تطاق.
في أحد الأيام شاهد الأصدقاء المسنين وثائقي عن السجون في السويد ومستوى العيش فيها وقارنوها بدار المسنين. فوجدوا أن حريتهم ستكون في السجن فيقومون بارتكاب جريمة ليتم القبض عليهم. وأي مغامرة ممتعة ومضحكة يخوضونها!
رواية سريعة الأحداث وسهلة القراءة. سأشتاق لعصابة المسنين هذه :-)
أشكر دار المنى لاتاحتها الفرصة لنا القراء العرب للتعرف على نوعية أدب آخر من الدول الاسكندنافية وكذلك المترجمة مايا أبو الحيات التي ابدعت في الترجمة.
في أحد الأيام شاهد الأصدقاء المسنين وثائقي عن السجون في السويد ومستوى العيش فيها وقارنوها بدار المسنين. فوجدوا أن حريتهم ستكون في السجن فيقومون بارتكاب جريمة ليتم القبض عليهم. وأي مغامرة ممتعة ومضحكة يخوضونها!
رواية سريعة الأحداث وسهلة القراءة. سأشتاق لعصابة المسنين هذه :-)
أشكر دار المنى لاتاحتها الفرصة لنا القراء العرب للتعرف على نوعية أدب آخر من الدول الاسكندنافية وكذلك المترجمة مايا أبو الحيات التي ابدعت في الترجمة.
September 20, 2019
A comedy robbery story about the exploits of 5 pensioners who realise life would be better in prison than their current care home, so commit crimes to upgrade their accommodation. The characters are cartoonish and the plot silly, but if you like Jonas Jonasson this is in a similar vein.
January 18, 2014
The Lily of the Valley retirement home was once a haven for Martha Anderson and her friends, but now under new management, and renamed Diamond House, the group had become victims of rate rises and repeated service cuts. Management's decision to not provide decorations for the Christmas tree is the last straw for Martha who, after watching a television documentary, decides they would all be better off in a prison cell than as clients of Diamond House. Escaping the home is just the first step of a masterful scheme that includes the 'League of Pensioners' living the high life in Stockholm's most exclusive hotel, a trip to the national art museum and a relaxing stay in a minimum security institution...but not everything goes to plan.
I can't help but draw some comparisons between The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules and The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by author, Jonas Jonasson, the two books share a similar cover design, title, a 'senior' protagonist and both author's are Swedish to begin with, but in truth there are few similarities.
While Allan Karlsson's only plan is to escape his centenarian celebrations at the care home, Martha and her gang make meticulous plans for their break out and subsequent adventures with a clear goal in mind. The plot is largely straightforward with their initial schemes escalating when things don't go exactly to plan. And things go wrong - a wild storm, a curious Yugoslav Mafia member and an ambitious hotel housekeeper, all add excitement and a touch of danger to the pensioners enterprise.
Ingelman-Sundberg plays it straight where Jonasson comedic sense wanders into the absurd. There is humor of course in a group of old age pensioners rebellion against society's 'rules', the care home's restrictions and their crime spree, certainly enough to raise a chuckle or three.
Commentary on the marginalisation of the elderly and their vulnerability to the power of care institutions, more concerned with profit margins than the well-being of their clientele, is inevitable though tempered by the idea of 'growing old disgracefully'. You can't help but admire the group's sense of fun and mischief.
I read the English translation of the novel which I think was well done. I did find the pace a little uneven and thought perhaps overall the novel was a little too long.
I did enjoy The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules, it's an entertaining, feel good crime caper which will have you cheering for the elderly rebels on the wrong side of the law.
February 13, 2019
Digital audiobook read by Patience Tomlinson.
Martha Andersson is 79 years old and lives in a retirement home. But she isn’t happy with the realities of the situation. When new management takes over, corners are cut, and the promised amenities are no longer evident. Martha and her friends – Brains, Rake, Christina and Anna-Greta – are not going to take this lying down. They form the League of Pensioners and decide the best way to improve their circumstances is to engage in some nonviolent crime.
These characters are a hoot! As outlandish and ridiculous as many of their schemes are, I found it great fun to watch them unfold. Of course, things don’t always go as planned (how many times can those paintings be stolen?), but it would be a short book if it all went right the first time. Martha and her “gang” are a resourceful bunch, and who on earth would suspect a little old lady with a walker of being a master criminal? Does make you think twice about discounting the senior citizens in our lives. There may be snow on the roof, but there’s a fire inside.
I did get more than a little tired of Nurse Barbara and her schemes to get her married lover to leave his wife and marry her instead. Enough already. Still, it was an enjoyable adventure.
This is the first in a series. Wonder what the League of Pensioners will get up to next?
Patience Tomlinson does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and manages to give the characters sufficiently unique voices so that I didn’t get confused about who was speaking.
Martha Andersson is 79 years old and lives in a retirement home. But she isn’t happy with the realities of the situation. When new management takes over, corners are cut, and the promised amenities are no longer evident. Martha and her friends – Brains, Rake, Christina and Anna-Greta – are not going to take this lying down. They form the League of Pensioners and decide the best way to improve their circumstances is to engage in some nonviolent crime.
These characters are a hoot! As outlandish and ridiculous as many of their schemes are, I found it great fun to watch them unfold. Of course, things don’t always go as planned (how many times can those paintings be stolen?), but it would be a short book if it all went right the first time. Martha and her “gang” are a resourceful bunch, and who on earth would suspect a little old lady with a walker of being a master criminal? Does make you think twice about discounting the senior citizens in our lives. There may be snow on the roof, but there’s a fire inside.
I did get more than a little tired of Nurse Barbara and her schemes to get her married lover to leave his wife and marry her instead. Enough already. Still, it was an enjoyable adventure.
This is the first in a series. Wonder what the League of Pensioners will get up to next?
Patience Tomlinson does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and manages to give the characters sufficiently unique voices so that I didn’t get confused about who was speaking.
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