The idea of this book is great: a man who
is about to have his 100th birthday party escapes from his
retirement home and embarks on a series of hilarious and dangerous
adventures. And, for the most part, it
is funny. But, it is also told in two
time periods…the present day (where the man is 100) and the past (where the man
in younger but still having adventures).
I LOVED the present day parts.
They are well-written and VERY funny…sardonic, sarcastic, and very, very
dark in its humor. But, the flashbacks
to the past are…part funny, part endearing, and part history lesson. After a while, all of the histrionics of the
flashbacks begins to take its toll. I
wanted more (all) of the present day story.
The flashbacks play out more like Being There (the film and originally the
Jerzy Kosinski book) and Forrest Gump…where the man, Allan and
his life and works alter segments of history, such as Los Alamos, actual events
in China, North Korea, etc., where he seemed to have no trouble affecting
international politics just by being himself.
Aside from being in the “thick” of things politically (President Truman
was a good friend), Allan was also high adventurous and enterprising as a young
man (he walked back to his homeland of Sweden over the Himalayas after his
involvement in the Far East was over. So, the flashbacks part was a overly unbelievable
and less funny than the antics of the 100-year-old Allan and his group of
misfits. These misfits include a thief
who befriends Allan shortly after his “escape” from the retirement home, a hot
dog cart owner (who also has a car that comes in handy), a home owner who just
happens to own the house Allan and his crew stumble upon (the home owner is also
the owner of a stolen/found elephant), and eventually a crime lord. If you want a funny, lively and truly
entertaining read, try this one. Skim
the flashbacks (they are funny in parts…just too long) but savor the
present-day adventures of a 100-year-old man.
