The Red Address Book
-
- ¥1,000
発行者による作品情報
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
‘Written with love, told with joy’ Fredrik Backman, author of A Man Called Ove
‘Wise and captivating’ People Magazine
Within the pages of 96-year-old Doris’s red address book are the names of all those she has loved and lost, telling the story of a colourful life. Living alone in Stockholm, she is comforted by the weekly calls of her grand-niece Jenny, who is haunted by a painful childhood.
Finally, Doris decides to put pen to paper, using her address book to recall the memories of a life well-lived – from 1930s Paris runways to narrow New York escapes during World War Two – and what she and Jenny discover may well change their lives forever…
Reviews
‘Written with love, told with joy. Very easy to enjoy’ Fredrik Backman, New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove
‘[A] Swedish romance steeped in memory and regret … The Red Address Book is just the sort of easy-reading tale that will inspire readers to pull up a comfy chair to the fire, grab a mug of cocoa and a box of tissues and get hygge with it’ New York Times Book Review
‘Wise and captivating, Lundberg’s novel offers clear-eyed insights into old age and the solace of memory’ People Magazine
‘With an ingenious hook and a glorious heroine, this book is a delicate balance of heartwarming and heartbreaking and a timely reminder to hold on to those you love in case they get away. Enchanting’ Veronica Henry
‘In this tender and heartfelt story, Sofia Lundberg offers a reminder that those we too easily dismiss, such as the elderly, have rich histories and lives that we can learn from … Completely engrossing from start to finish, The Red Address Book is a poignant tale of memory and how those things we carry in our heart work together to create our own life stories’ New York Journal of Books
‘In a reader's lifetime, there are a few books that will be companions forever. For me, The Red Address Book is one of them. It will comfort you, and remind you of all the moments when you grabbed life with both hands. It is also an homage to the wisdom of women who have lived longer than most of us. One is never too old to learn that love is the only meaning of life – let’s listen to these women’ Nina George, author of The Little Paris Bookshop
‘Doris’s life story is magnetic, and it’s her strong personality and pearls of wisdom … that drive the book … Fans of Fredrik Backman will find much to like here’ Publishers Weekly
‘A warm and tender story about life, memories, and the power of love and friendship. A novel with heart and humor!’
Katarina Bivald, author of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
About the author
Sofia Lundberg, a journalist and former magazine editor, is the debut author behind the Swedish word-of-mouth and blog sensation The Red Address Book. Sofia lives in Stockholm with her son.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lundberg's sometimes overly sweet debut centers on a 96-year-old Swedish woman passing down her life story by remembering the names in her address book. Doris may be old, but she doesn't want to be treated as such. However, when she ends up in the hospital after an accident, she must face her own mortality and desire for independence. Doris, who has lived a full and colorful life, wants to make sure her American granddaughter Jenny knows all about it before it's too late. So she sets about writing the story of her life, framed by the names in her address book. One by one she goes through the entries and describes her life at the time she was associated with each person modeling in Paris, then experiencing the horrors of WWII before moving to Sweden and marrying. While the present-day narrative is often cluttered with overly sentimental dialogue and hampered by an underwhelming account of Jenny's travel woes as she tries to reach Doris, Doris's life story is magnetic, and it's her strong personality and pearls of wisdom ("Start cultivating your talents rather than going through life thinking you aren't not good enough. In the end, that's all that really matters. You're never any more than your soul") that drive the book. Both story lines become melodramatic during the neatly tied ending, but fans of Fredrik Backman will find much to like here.
