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The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden - Jonas Jonasson, Rachel Wilson-Broyles
The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden
by: (author) (translator)
2.75 10
In a tiny shack in the largest township in South Africa Nombeko Mayeki is born. Put to work at five and orphaned at ten, she quickly learns that the world expects nothing from her except to die young, be it from drugs, alcohol, or just plain despair. But Nombeko has grander plans. At fifteen she... show more
In a tiny shack in the largest township in South Africa Nombeko Mayeki is born. Put to work at five and orphaned at ten, she quickly learns that the world expects nothing from her except to die young, be it from drugs, alcohol, or just plain despair. But Nombeko has grander plans. At fifteen she makes it out of Soweto with millions of smuggled diamonds in her possession. Meanwhile in Sweden the twins Holger One and Holger Two are immersed in a mission to bring down the Swedish monarchy...by any means necessary.

Here is where the story merges with, then diverges from reality. South Africa developed six nuclear missiles in the 1980s, then voluntarily dismantled them in 1994. This is a story about the seventh missile...the one that was never supposed to have existed. Nombeko Mayeki knows too much about it, and now she's on the run from both the South African justice and the most terrifying secret service in the world. She ends up in Sweden, where her life becomes entwined with the twins.

Jonas Jonasson's picaresque tale of how one person's actions can have far-reaching—even global—consequences, written with the same light-hearted satirical voice as his bestselling debut novel, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN: 9780062329127 (006232912X)
Publisher: Ecco Press
Pages no: 400
Edition language: English
Bookstores:
Community Reviews
"So it goes."
"So it goes." rated it
2.5 The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden - delightful but way too long
A delightful, surprising, silly, convoluted and humorous historical tale -- until it went on way too long. Nombeko, the hero/main character, turns all bad things her way. She's smart, snarky and rather wonderful. She does some crazy things, but because it's a fantastical story, I was more than wil...
Freda's Voice
Freda's Voice rated it
4.5 The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson
Ironically funny1 This story took a minute to get to where it needed to be, but the journey to get there was fun and full of surprises. I love the characters, although some are distasteful creatures. Nombeko is awesome, and so is Holger Two. I love how smart Nombeko is. She is so clever that most pe...
Reading For The Heck Of It
Reading For The Heck Of It rated it
4.0 How to Government Step 1: Atomic Bombs
Jonas Jonasson has a gift for political satire couched in extraordinary tales of endurance and intelligence. His characters are at once completely believable and extraordinary caricatures. You want to believe that people like this really do exist (and sometimes you shudder at the thought). The Girl ...
Alessandra
Alessandra rated it
4.0 L'analfabeta che sapeva contare
Divertente e surreale ma sempre curato ed intelligente.Lettura fresca, fluida e piacevole, in cui si intrecciano con la massima naturalezza vicende di bassa quotidianità con eventi di portata mondiale.
Papiertaenzerin
Papiertaenzerin rated it
4.0 Witzig und dennoch lehrreich!
Darum geht's: Die aberwitzige Geschichte der jungen Afrikanerin Nombeko, die zwar nicht lesen kann, aber ein Rechengenie ist, fast zufällig bei der Konstruktion nuklearer Sprengköpfe mithilft und nebenbei Verhandlungen mit den Mächtigen der Welt führt. Nach einem besonders brisanten Geschäft setzt...
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