Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All

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Jonasson’s real talent with a book of this nature, that actually does ask some fairly weight questions in amongst the quips, asides, and patently ludicrous but somehow believable situations, is that he neatly balances the serious with the silly in such a way that Hitman Anders never ever feels one joke disposable. Probably not by launching a ridiculously profitable hit man service, or fleeing into the wilds and not-so-wilds of Sweden in a campervan and dispensing money to deserving causes while you wage a hearts-and-minds campaign through the press, but who’s to say that wouldn’t work for you too?

A madcap new novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden The writer of internationally-successful novels The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, Jonasson is a man with a gift for drawing together disparate characters and elements and fashioning into a thoroughly convincing, not to mention hilarious, whole. In a former brothel turned low-rent hotel, the lives of three unusual strangers—a former female priest, recently fired from her church; the ruined grandson of an ex-millionaire working as a receptionist; and Killer-Anders, a murderer newly released from prison—accidently collide with darkly hilarious results. a b Lezard, Nicholas (March 25, 2000). "A Feyn romance". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022 . Retrieved February 14, 2011. In povestea asta, personajele principale sunt un recepționer al unui hotel, o fostă preoteasa si un asasin ce il descoperă pe Dumnezeu. Întâmplările prin care trec sunt pe cat de amuzante pe atât de ireale.

For those who have read / listened to either of the author's previous books, there is nothing really surprising here, and if you enjoyed those books, I'd highly recommend this one to you as well. The same unpredictable twisting plot and the same vein of light humour flows throughout this story. As testament to Jonasson's breezy style, the opening chapter gives us the full life-story (including family history) of our first protagonist; a receptionist lumbered through circumstance with the somewhat silly name of Per Persson - "...not that it's impossible to be named Per Persson or, for that matter, Jonas Jonasson, but some might find it monotonous" - and a brief summary of the life and misfortunes of our titular Hitman, Johan Andersson. As double biographies go, they're concise, to say the least. Totul in cărțile lui Jonasson este diferit. De la numele personajelor, alese in asa fel incat sa aduca zâmbetul pe buze, până la acțiunile lor ieșite din comun la fel de amuzante si absurde.

Together these two people, who share a distaste for the world in all its disappointing forms – their list of things they hate doesn’t shrink a little as the novel goes on and they realise that perhaps life does have something quite likable to offer them – and who believe there is no chance of anything good lasting long enough to change their circumstances for good, bond together, and with Hitman Anders embark on a zany search the length and breadth of southern Sweden in the search for the elusive meaning of it all. Jonasson matches the irreverence of his debut The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. . . .It’s a thrilling ride. Financial Times You’ve said previously that The One-Hundred-Year-Old Man took you 47 years to write. What was the catalyst that helped you complete it in the end?Our life’s journey is the meaning of it all. If you travel enough – mentally and physically – you will die happy. When Anders gets Christianity, he says “Hosanna” a lot without knowing what it means – that’s the “comedy” by the way. If you laughed then, you’ll love this book because it’s full of, ahem, “jokes”, like that. Maybe when Anders becomes pastor of his church Jonasson is saying organized religion is run by crooks? Never heard a sentiment like that uttered before… Criticising Christianity is so passé these days – aren’t we over this yet? I’m not religious at all and firmly believe religion does more harm than good but I’m extremely bored with people pointing and laughing at Christianity. It’s easy and it’s been done people, move on or else have something original to say about it, which Jonasson doesn’t. Jonasson nicely treads a line between the silly, the giggle-worthy and the plain hilarious, and the weightier considerations of life in a novel peppered with spot-on observations and the kinds of sentiments that even the most beige and mundane of us have entertained at one point or another. a b "The Meaning of it All". complete review. Archived from the original on December 14, 2010 . Retrieved February 15, 2011. Humour beside, it's a clever plot, with plenty of twists, turns, and double-crossings. The discussions between the hitman and the priest about God are priceless. In fact, I like the banter and dialogue best.

I know this though: the book should come with a warning about drinking any kind of beverage, especially Moldovan red wine, when reading Hitman Anders, lest liquid come out of your nose, when you snort at the one of the many funny, clever sentences. This reminds me of Joseph Heller too. Having loved Jonas Jonasson's previous tomes "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared" and "The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden" I was super excited to get my hands on his latest effort "Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All". Sadly, it was a bit of a disappointment. I honestly haven’t laughed as much at this kind of religious irreverence since I read God Knows, by Joseph Heller (who also wrote Catch 22). So the writer of this book, Jonas Jonasson, is in good company indeed. The bestselling novel from the author of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden The cover describes the three as “likeable characters pushed into absurd situations”, but in fact only the rather unintelligent hitman fits this description. Both the priest and the receptionist start off OK: robbing gangsters and giving money to charity has a Robin Hood element about it (although the giving is instigated by the hitman, who has found Jesus). But when their money-making scheme targets well-meaning churchgoers, they become much less appealing.

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Per Persson, the hotel receptionist, just wants to mind his own business and, preferably, not get murdered. Johanna Kjellander, temporarily resident in room eight, is a priest without a vocation and, as of last week, without a parish. But right now she has two things at her disposal: an envelope containing 5,000 kronor and an excellent idea....