THE LITTLE OLD LADY WHO BROKE ALL THE RULES: TAKE TWO.

Originally posted on Lindsay's site, I thought I'd share my review here today for those who had missed it and might be interested in reading it.

THE LITTLE OLD LADY WHO BROKE ALL THE RULES by CATHARINE INGELMAN-SUNDBERG. 

SOURCE: Read and review on behalf of fellow blogger Lindsay @ The Little Reader Library.

THE BOOK {According to the back cover}: 79-year-old Martha Andersson dreams of escaping her care home and robbing a bank.

She has no intention of spending the rest of her days in an armchair and is determined to fund her way to a much more exciting lifestyle. Along with her four oldest friends - otherwise known as the League of Pensioners - Martha decides to rebel against all of the rules imposed upon them. Together, they cause uproar with their antics protesting against early bedtimes and plasticky meals.

As the elderly friends become more daring, they hatch a cunning plan to break out of the dreary care home and land themselves in a far more attractive Stockholm establishment. With the aid of their Zimmer frames, they resolve to stand up for old aged pensioners everywhere - Robin Hood style. And that's when the adventure really takes off . . .

FIRST SENTENCE {Prologue}: The little old lady gripped the handles of her zimmer frame, hung her walking stick next to the shopping basket and did her best to look assertive.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 385}: ' .....Those damn old pensioners got into the people carrier with their zimmer frames, but are now leaving it without them. They haven't even got walking sticks. Didn't I tell you they were shady types?' Inspector Lonnberg pointed at the oldies in the dark.

MY THOUGHTS: At last an 'international best seller' that I've actually enjoyed. 

A story about a pensioner (and her friends), The League Of Pensioners, behaving badly. Whilst I can understand comparisons being made between this novel and The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (see my review here) I'm personally loathe to do so except to say that in my opinion this is a far superior read.

Far-fetched? Without a doubt and yet unlike the afore mentioned One hundred Year Old Man the author never strays into the absurd. But more than anything else The Little Old Woman Who Broke All The Rules is a wonderfully quirky alternative crime novel that takes many of the stereotypes about elderly people and turns them upside down.

A more or less constantly funny novel (I did think certain bits fell slightly flat) full of memorable characters that I readily took to heart. Whilst written by a Swedish author (The English translation is extremely well done by Rod Bradbury) the almost farcical nature of some of the scrapes Martha and her fellow conspirators (also known as the League of Pensioners) found themselves in put me in mind of one of those old Ealing Comedies.

And yet very much up to date. The social commentary on topics such as the potential vulnerability of the elderly in residential institutes more concerned with their profit margins is exemplary.