Status
Checked out
Call number
Call number
FIC ING
Collection
Description
Martha Andersson may be 79 years old and live in a retirement home, but that doesn't mean she's ready to stop enjoying life. So when the new management of Diamond House starts cutting corners to save money, Martha and her four closest friends--Brains, The Rake, Christina and Anna-Gretta (a.k.a. The League of Pensioners)--won't stand for it. Fed up with early bedtimes and overcooked veggies, this group of feisty seniors sets about to regain their independence, improve their lot, and stand up for seniors everywhere. Their solution? White collar crime. What begins as a relatively straightforward robbery of a nearby luxury hotel quickly escalates into an unsolvable heist at the National Museum. With police baffled and the Mafia hot on their trail, the League of Pensioners has to stay one walker's length ahead if it's going to succeed.… (more)
Series
Publication
HarperCollins Publishers (2014), 416 pages
Original publication date
2014-01-01
Original language
English
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member atticusfinch1048
Growing Old Disgracefully and In Style
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a fun read by Swedish author Catherina Ingelman-Sundberg who shows us that just as we may get old we do not have to sit in God’s waiting room awaiting our turn for the inevitable final journey. It is easy to see
Martha Andersson is a woman who walks with the aid of a zimmer frame and is a resident along with her four friends of Diamond House a residential home for the elderly or as she sees it somewhere that she is waiting to die. Martha and friends are being drugged up and locked up but she has no intention of letting that remain the position for her and her friends. She and her male friend Brains after watching a programme on prisons come up with a plan to become residents of a prison as they seem to have a better life there than at Diamond House.
This is when they decide to rebel against the regime of their retirement home as the plastic food no exercise and being drugged up all the friends decide they have had enough. It is time for them to commit a crime that will lend them a prison sentence and therefore better conditions while at the same time highlighting the plight of the elderly ensconced in retirement homes across Sweden, the silent majority.
As five old people embark on their plan of criminality with the aid of their zimmer frames and walking sticks we find that not everything goes to plan. Once they have committed their felony they find they have quite a taste for this and hatch upon another plan as they enjoy the excitement. They want to commit the perfect crime where nobody gets hurt but at the same time they are able to make some money and escape Sweden.
Will they get away with their audacious plan? The only way to find out is to read this wonderful humorous book. Is it a crime thriller yes of sorts, is it funny, yes, does it question our treatment of our elders yes. If we do not look after them then they may just decide to grow old disgracefully and I for one am with them!
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a fun read by Swedish author Catherina Ingelman-Sundberg who shows us that just as we may get old we do not have to sit in God’s waiting room awaiting our turn for the inevitable final journey. It is easy to see
Show More
why this book is an international bestseller as it is humorous different and quite a warm hearted story where you actually want the criminals to succeed. Martha Andersson is a woman who walks with the aid of a zimmer frame and is a resident along with her four friends of Diamond House a residential home for the elderly or as she sees it somewhere that she is waiting to die. Martha and friends are being drugged up and locked up but she has no intention of letting that remain the position for her and her friends. She and her male friend Brains after watching a programme on prisons come up with a plan to become residents of a prison as they seem to have a better life there than at Diamond House.
This is when they decide to rebel against the regime of their retirement home as the plastic food no exercise and being drugged up all the friends decide they have had enough. It is time for them to commit a crime that will lend them a prison sentence and therefore better conditions while at the same time highlighting the plight of the elderly ensconced in retirement homes across Sweden, the silent majority.
As five old people embark on their plan of criminality with the aid of their zimmer frames and walking sticks we find that not everything goes to plan. Once they have committed their felony they find they have quite a taste for this and hatch upon another plan as they enjoy the excitement. They want to commit the perfect crime where nobody gets hurt but at the same time they are able to make some money and escape Sweden.
Will they get away with their audacious plan? The only way to find out is to read this wonderful humorous book. Is it a crime thriller yes of sorts, is it funny, yes, does it question our treatment of our elders yes. If we do not look after them then they may just decide to grow old disgracefully and I for one am with them!
Show Less
LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
Meh. Trite or simplistic writing (perhaps the result of it being a translation?). Not really "funny" but more light-hearted, not serious. Not believable, just whimsical.
LibraryThing member Twink
As I've mentioned before, I have a fondness for heist tales, be it book or movie. Well, Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg has come out with a fun caper story, with a twist - The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules.
Seventy nine old Martha and her four friends reside at the Diamond Retirement Home in
Hang on....what if? You can see it coming, can't you.....
Martha and her newly formed League of Pensioners gang come up with a plan. They'll commit robberies and have themselves sent to prison. Surely they'll be treated better there! And a little bit of extra cash wouldn't go amiss either.
And half the fun is in the planning. Who is going to suspect five old folks with walkers? Well, it turns out they have a knack for crime, although their plans don't always execute quite the way they intended..
What I really enjoyed were the seniors themselves, their thoughts, interactions and desire to live an interesting, full, rich life despite their advancing age. I think older people are discounted far too often. Ingleman-Sundberg's take on her seniors' lives has a large dose of truth woven throughout. Her imaginings of what they might do to change their circumstances were really quite entertaining. For me, not quite the laugh out loud funny mentioned on the cover blurbs, but definitely charming. You'll be cheering for the 'gang'.
Being a crime fiction fanatic, I had to stop myself from picking apart plot points that were a bit far-fetched in places and just go with the story. Although, I can see this being made into a movie - and it would be fun to cast. There seem to be a lot of 'feisty old folks' films being produced lately.
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a bestseller in Sweden (1.2 million copies sold!). I found the translation to English a bit wooden in spots and some references may have been 'lost in translation. If you enjoyed The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Window and Disappeared, you might enjoy this book.
Seventy nine old Martha and her four friends reside at the Diamond Retirement Home in
Show More
Sweden. The administrators running the home have slowly but surely eroded the seniors' enjoyment of life, through tasteless meals, strict rules, rising costs and worse. They're bored. Surely even prisoners are treated better than they are!Hang on....what if? You can see it coming, can't you.....
Martha and her newly formed League of Pensioners gang come up with a plan. They'll commit robberies and have themselves sent to prison. Surely they'll be treated better there! And a little bit of extra cash wouldn't go amiss either.
And half the fun is in the planning. Who is going to suspect five old folks with walkers? Well, it turns out they have a knack for crime, although their plans don't always execute quite the way they intended..
What I really enjoyed were the seniors themselves, their thoughts, interactions and desire to live an interesting, full, rich life despite their advancing age. I think older people are discounted far too often. Ingleman-Sundberg's take on her seniors' lives has a large dose of truth woven throughout. Her imaginings of what they might do to change their circumstances were really quite entertaining. For me, not quite the laugh out loud funny mentioned on the cover blurbs, but definitely charming. You'll be cheering for the 'gang'.
Being a crime fiction fanatic, I had to stop myself from picking apart plot points that were a bit far-fetched in places and just go with the story. Although, I can see this being made into a movie - and it would be fun to cast. There seem to be a lot of 'feisty old folks' films being produced lately.
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules is a bestseller in Sweden (1.2 million copies sold!). I found the translation to English a bit wooden in spots and some references may have been 'lost in translation. If you enjoyed The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Window and Disappeared, you might enjoy this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Mithril
Humourous and light.
LibraryThing member polarbear123
Story has a decent plot and is told from a few different viewpoints. Some translation is awkward and there are many mistakes in the text. Just wasn't as good as billed!
LibraryThing member Meggo
For some reason I have been reading a lot of Scandinavian fiction lately. Perhaps it is the long winter that got to me. In any event, this book was a fun little look at what happens when a little old lady decides to fight back against corrupt nursing home staff and embark on a life of crime.
Show More
Nothing ever goes exactly as planned, of course, but human nature being what it is our intrepid band of rogue senior citizens end up living happily ever after. An odd - but enjoyable - little book. Show Less
LibraryThing member HelenGress
I've spent quite a bit of time in a nursing home in the past 6 years with my parents. The frustration that accompanies a loss of independence and freedom is palpable. Of course the pensioners depicted in this book are certainly less impaired by aging than my parents- but the spirit of fun and the
The plot- not quite plausible- but fun; the characters- quirky and diverse; the setting-Sweden; the themes- respect your elders- and give them space! Over-all an enjoyable read- puts me in mind of Guppies for Tea, The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared.
Show More
longing for adventure and respect is familiar. The plot- not quite plausible- but fun; the characters- quirky and diverse; the setting-Sweden; the themes- respect your elders- and give them space! Over-all an enjoyable read- puts me in mind of Guppies for Tea, The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and The 100 year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Alan1946
This is one of those books that I found that I could dip into rather than read the thing continuously. A light, relatively easy read based on characters from an old folks’ home who decide that the prisons that they see on television look better than their accommodation and so try to do something
It is very pleasantly readable, the characters are all well drawn, and I did thoroughly enjoy it, although not quite as much as “The hundred year old man”.
If you want a break from whodunits or all action adventures, this might well be one to try.
Show More
about it. It is not so much the plans that they come up with that lead the reader on, but more “when will all this unravel and disaster strike”!It is very pleasantly readable, the characters are all well drawn, and I did thoroughly enjoy it, although not quite as much as “The hundred year old man”.
If you want a break from whodunits or all action adventures, this might well be one to try.
Show Less
LibraryThing member EvaW
A little TOO absurd, but fun. Martha and her friends at the Diamond Retirement Home turn to a life of crime ...
LibraryThing member pgchuis
Supposed to be reading this for book club. DNF on page 40. My life is too short. Is this meant to be funny? It is quite pathetic (as in full of pathos) and the tone grates on me.
LibraryThing member cyderry
Martha is 79 years old and living in a retirement home but decides that when they start cutting services, she'll just go out and rob a bank so that she has funds for the better things in life. She convinces 4 of her fellow residents to join her in the life of crime that she is starting.
My book club
My book club
Show More
was looking for a book that was light and easy to read and a bit different so we tried the Old Lady. The story was humorous but at times seemed to be pushing a bit too hard to be. It also seemed to me to be more a collection of short stories about the characters than a novel. I doubt that I will revisit the League of Pensioners any time soon. Show Less
LibraryThing member shelleyraec
The Lily of the Valley retirement home was once a haven for Martha Anderson and her friends, but now under new management, and renamed Diamond House, the group had become victims of rate rises and repeated service cuts. Management’s decision to not provide decorations for the Christmas tree is
I can’t help but draw some comparisons between The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules and The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by author, Jonas Jonasson, the two books share a similar cover design, title, a ‘senior’ protagonist and both author’s are Swedish to begin with, but in truth there are few similarities.
While Allan Karlsson’s only plan is to escape his centenarian celebrations at the care home, Martha and her gang make meticulous plans for their break out and subsequent adventures with a clear goal in mind. The plot is largely straightforward with their initial schemes escalating when things don’t go exactly to plan. And things go wrong – a wild storm, a curious Yugoslav Mafia member and an ambitious hotel housekeeper, all add excitement and a touch of danger to the pensioners enterprise.
Ingelman-Sundberg plays it straight where Jonasson comedic sense wanders into the absurd. There is humor of course in a group of old age pensioners rebellion against society’s ‘rules’, the care home’s restrictions and their crime spree, certainly enough to raise a chuckle or three.
Commentary on the marginalisation of the elderly and their vulnerability to the power of care institutions, more concerned with profit margins than the well-being of their clientele, is inevitable though tempered by the idea of ‘growing old disgracefully’. You can’t help but admire the group’s sense of fun and mischief.
I read the English translation of the novel which I think was well done. I did find the pace a little uneven and thought perhaps overall the novel was a little too long.
I did enjoy The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules, it’s an entertaining, feel good crime caper which will have you cheering for the elderly rebels on the wrong side of the law.
Show More
the last straw for Martha who, after watching a television documentary, decides they would all be better off in a prison cell than as clients of Diamond House. Escaping the home is just the first step of a masterful scheme that includes the ‘League of Pensioners’ living the high life in Stockholm’s most exclusive hotel, a trip to the national art museum and a relaxing stay in a minimum security institution…but not everything goes to plan.I can’t help but draw some comparisons between The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules and The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by author, Jonas Jonasson, the two books share a similar cover design, title, a ‘senior’ protagonist and both author’s are Swedish to begin with, but in truth there are few similarities.
While Allan Karlsson’s only plan is to escape his centenarian celebrations at the care home, Martha and her gang make meticulous plans for their break out and subsequent adventures with a clear goal in mind. The plot is largely straightforward with their initial schemes escalating when things don’t go exactly to plan. And things go wrong – a wild storm, a curious Yugoslav Mafia member and an ambitious hotel housekeeper, all add excitement and a touch of danger to the pensioners enterprise.
Ingelman-Sundberg plays it straight where Jonasson comedic sense wanders into the absurd. There is humor of course in a group of old age pensioners rebellion against society’s ‘rules’, the care home’s restrictions and their crime spree, certainly enough to raise a chuckle or three.
Commentary on the marginalisation of the elderly and their vulnerability to the power of care institutions, more concerned with profit margins than the well-being of their clientele, is inevitable though tempered by the idea of ‘growing old disgracefully’. You can’t help but admire the group’s sense of fun and mischief.
I read the English translation of the novel which I think was well done. I did find the pace a little uneven and thought perhaps overall the novel was a little too long.
I did enjoy The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules, it’s an entertaining, feel good crime caper which will have you cheering for the elderly rebels on the wrong side of the law.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Barbaralois
Funny!!!.A old group of friends living in a retirement center decide to start a life of crime to pay for some fun in their old age.
LibraryThing member AriadneAranea
A gentle and genteelly humour pensioner heist - rather enjoyable.
LibraryThing member jfe16
It’s Martha Anderson’s dream to escape her retirement home . . . and to rob a bank. She’s determined to do this to fund an exciting life for herself. Recruiting her four oldest friends, they decide to rebel against the rules and stage a protest against early bedtimes and inedible meals. The
Age should have no bearing on how people are treated. But at Diamond House, the new owner has cut back on all the amenities, giving Martha and her friends the completely implausible idea to become criminals. It’s difficult to imagine that the living conditions in a retirement home are so draconian that prison seems to be a better place to live. The characters are mostly unlikeable and it isn’t even vaguely humorous to have this group of senior citizens setting out on a crime spree. Stereotypical bumbling police officers don’t add anything to this nonsensical tale in which the League of Pensioners comes off as selfish and mean-spirited and no one thinks to stand up and say what they’re doing is wrong.
Perhaps it’s the translation [?], but there’s no empathy between character and reader in this trite tale that’s likely to leave readers saying, “Meh.”
Show More
group, calling themselves the League of Pensioners, decides to break out of the retirement home and have an adventure . . . .Age should have no bearing on how people are treated. But at Diamond House, the new owner has cut back on all the amenities, giving Martha and her friends the completely implausible idea to become criminals. It’s difficult to imagine that the living conditions in a retirement home are so draconian that prison seems to be a better place to live. The characters are mostly unlikeable and it isn’t even vaguely humorous to have this group of senior citizens setting out on a crime spree. Stereotypical bumbling police officers don’t add anything to this nonsensical tale in which the League of Pensioners comes off as selfish and mean-spirited and no one thinks to stand up and say what they’re doing is wrong.
Perhaps it’s the translation [?], but there’s no empathy between character and reader in this trite tale that’s likely to leave readers saying, “Meh.”
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Digital audiobook read by Patience Tomlinson.
Martha Andersson is 79 years old and lives in a retirement home. But she isn’t happy with the realities of the situation. When new management takes over, corners are cut, and the promised amenities are no longer evident. Martha and her friends –
These characters are a hoot! As outlandish and ridiculous as many of their schemes are, I found it great fun to watch them unfold. Of course, things don’t always go as planned (how many times can those paintings be stolen?), but it would be a short book if it all went right the first time. Martha and her “gang” are a resourceful bunch, and who on earth would suspect a little old lady with a walker of being a master criminal? Does make you think twice about discounting the senior citizens in our lives. There may be snow on the roof, but there’s a fire inside.
I did get more than a little tired of Nurse Barbara and her schemes to get her married lover to leave his wife and marry her instead. Enough already. Still, it was an enjoyable adventure.
This is the first in a series. Wonder what the League of Pensioners will get up to next?
Patience Tomlinson does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and manages to give the characters sufficiently unique voices so that I didn’t get confused about who was speaking.
Martha Andersson is 79 years old and lives in a retirement home. But she isn’t happy with the realities of the situation. When new management takes over, corners are cut, and the promised amenities are no longer evident. Martha and her friends –
Show More
Brains, Rake, Christina and Anna-Greta – are not going to take this lying down. They form the League of Pensioners and decide the best way to improve their circumstances is to engage in some nonviolent crime. These characters are a hoot! As outlandish and ridiculous as many of their schemes are, I found it great fun to watch them unfold. Of course, things don’t always go as planned (how many times can those paintings be stolen?), but it would be a short book if it all went right the first time. Martha and her “gang” are a resourceful bunch, and who on earth would suspect a little old lady with a walker of being a master criminal? Does make you think twice about discounting the senior citizens in our lives. There may be snow on the roof, but there’s a fire inside.
I did get more than a little tired of Nurse Barbara and her schemes to get her married lover to leave his wife and marry her instead. Enough already. Still, it was an enjoyable adventure.
This is the first in a series. Wonder what the League of Pensioners will get up to next?
Patience Tomlinson does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and manages to give the characters sufficiently unique voices so that I didn’t get confused about who was speaking.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
Five residents of a retirement home are bored, and tired of budget cuts that are making their lives less pleasant, so they decide to try their hands at crime. Sounds like a fun story, a bit of fluff. It wasn't The book, at about 400 pages, was much too long for the story. Of course, it was silly
Show More
and completely unbelievable. But it was also boring. And annoying. The author seems to have an obsession with Zimmer frames, and I got really tired of reading about them. The writing was stilted and felt amateurish to me. Perhaps most or some of the fault lies in the translation, but no matter who was responsible for it, I was not entertained. The point seemed to be that older people can be capable, and deserve better treatment. Well, this old lady is capable, too, and I deserve better books than this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member -Eva-
Charming tall tale about a group of geriatrics who plan a heist so that they can afford to escape their humdrum retirement home. Slightly silly but very cute.
LibraryThing member PriscillaM
Very lighthearted, implausible. I just did not connect with this book. The oldies at the Retirement home are unhappy with the care they are receiving for the money they pay. The management is cost cutting too for their own benefit and engaging in inappropriate liaisons. A small band of close
Show More
friends at the home decide to make a break for it and live it up. Show Less
LibraryThing member jalfredb
The dovetailing of events of this novel made reading light and fun.
LibraryThing member addunn3
Stereotypical seniors commit a series of robberies. Very weak plot with many contradictions. Interesting book concept but lacking depth in character development and plot structure.
LibraryThing member hobbitprincess
I didn't see the humor in this that so many others saw. The author portrays older adults, like in their 70s, as feeble people all on walkers in an assisted living type setting. Most of the people I know in that age group are very active and independent unless illness has happened. I would be
Show More
offended by this book! Perhaps things are different in Sweden and something has gotten lost in the translation. Maybe they don't have rules that govern senior living places. Perhaps prisons are nicer there than here? The crimes that this group commits to land themselves in prison to get a better lifestyle and so improbable that it made for some hard reading. I think I can safely say that these crimes would never happen. Again, maybe things are different in Sweden. That's the only justification I can think of for the plot of this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
A friend loaned me all 3 of these books. I enjoyed this first one so I'm looking forward to tucking into the next one whenever I need a light-hearted read.
Martha Anderson, age 79, is the ringleader of a group of senior citizens who live in a seniors' home in Stockholm. As the home is a for profit
This group is a little unbelievable but it's good fun. I am personally hoping never to have to go into a retirement home but if I did I'd want neighbours like these people.
Martha Anderson, age 79, is the ringleader of a group of senior citizens who live in a seniors' home in Stockholm. As the home is a for profit
Show More
endeavour there isn't much for the residents to do. Martha comes up with plans to relieve the boredom, starting with breaking into the company board room at the top of the building where there is liquor and much better food than they are served. That little caper didn't go so well because they were caught. When Martha is watching television one night she discovers that prisoners in Sweden are treated much better than the residents of the care home. So she comes up with an idea that will get the group arrested and convicted. They break out of the home, go to stay in a swanky hotel and steal a valuable painting from the museum next door. They then hold the painting for ransom intending that the money will be hidden while they are serving their sentences. Although some of the ransom money goes missing the plan goes quite well except the painting then goes missing. The group have to confess to the police in order to get arrested but they do get to spend time in jail. On their release they return to the care home but it seems even worse than before. Enter robbery plan #2 at the conclusion of which the group leave Sweden to lay low in a Caribbean island that has no extradition treaty with Sweden. I presume the next book will be about their adventures there.This group is a little unbelievable but it's good fun. I am personally hoping never to have to go into a retirement home but if I did I'd want neighbours like these people.
Show Less
LibraryThing member IonaS
This is about five elderly people living in a Swedish old folk’s home, or retirement home, as it’s translated as.
There are five of them – Martha, Christina, Anna-Greta, Rake and Brains.
Martha was seventy-nine. At school she had always protested against things she believed were unjust, and
Christina was the youngest of them, only seventy-seven, a former milliner, who was used to a certain standard of food, and didn’t want to eat junk food.
She had dreamt of becoming a librarian and what she didn’t know abut the Swedish classics wasn’t worth knowing.
Anna-Greta was tall and slim and an assertive woman. She had worked in a bank.
She had made some smart investments so she was rich. At school she has always been top of the class in mathematics and could quickly do sums in her head.
Rake had been at sea in his youth but afterwards had trained as a gardener.
Brains was an inventor and used to have his own workshop. He also liked good food and was plump and cuddly. He was the solution-finder of the group. He thought that problems were there to be solved.
The five friends had moved into the same retirement home, Diamond House. They formed a choir group and also performed at hospitals and parish halls.
It used to be pleasant to live at the retirement home, but after a new owner had taken over, they no longer got good food, particularly, not enough fruit or vegetables. Previously they were allowed out at least an hour every day, but not any more.
The old folks were fed harmful pills every day which made them lethargic. But Martha saw to it that they threw out these pills instead of taking them, whereafter they all felt much better.
The villain of the piece was Nurse Barbara, who was in charge of the old people. It was she who fed them the pills.
Nurse Barbara was infatuated with the new owner of the home. Director Mattson, who had much power and was rich. He was married but this did not deter her and they soon entered into a relationship.
Nurse Barbara cut down on the pensioners’ food so they got only one square meal a day, and otherwise only sandwiches.
The home had a gym, but only for the staff. The five realized they needed to improve their physical condition, and since Martha had appropriated a master key and found out how to get into the gym, they went up there and trained at night when Nurse Barbara was out gallivanting with her boyfriend.
Martha had watched and recorded a TV documentary from a prison and saw that in the dining-room the prisoners could choose from fish, meat or vegetarian, and even have chips to go with it. And there was salad and fruit too.
She showed the recording to the others; they were incensed at the fact that the criminals were better off than they were.
The five decided to live a life of crime so they perhaps could end up in prison. Everything they stole would go to the Robbery Fund and they would dole it out to culture, care of the elderly and everything else that the state neglected.
They would call themselves The League of Pensioners.
They booked a room for themselves in a posh hotel, the Grand Hotel, the very swankiest hotel, in order to enjoy a bit of luxury.
The old people used Zimmer Frames, a term I had never encountered before, but I believe they resemble rollators.
The Zimmer Frames had baskets at the bottom where things could be placed.
Eventually, they visited the National Museum and managed to steal a couple of valuable paintings, a Renoir and a Monet, which they smuggled out in the baskets of the Zimmer Frames.
Nobody suspected that these frail old age pensioners, who could hardly walk on their own, were capable of carrying out such a bold robbery of such valuable paintings.
They themselves called the robbery “The Great Zimmer Frame Robbery”.
They received ten million kroner in ransom money. Many complications occurred, including losing some of the money and also losing one of the paintings.
Also, I don’t understand that they were able to use the money given that the serial numbers of the banknotes had been registered. Perhaps there was something I missed.
The police were dumbfounded as regards who had stolen the paintings. It was one of the biggest thefts in Swedish history.
At one point the old folks confessed to the crime but were not believed by the police!
I found this to be an amusing, easy-to-read story, and can recommend it to those who want a humorous light read, There is at least one other little old lady book by the author and I may well be getting hold of it later.
There are five of them – Martha, Christina, Anna-Greta, Rake and Brains.
Martha was seventy-nine. At school she had always protested against things she believed were unjust, and
Show More
when a teacher she had fought against unreasonable regulations. Christina was the youngest of them, only seventy-seven, a former milliner, who was used to a certain standard of food, and didn’t want to eat junk food.
She had dreamt of becoming a librarian and what she didn’t know abut the Swedish classics wasn’t worth knowing.
Anna-Greta was tall and slim and an assertive woman. She had worked in a bank.
She had made some smart investments so she was rich. At school she has always been top of the class in mathematics and could quickly do sums in her head.
Rake had been at sea in his youth but afterwards had trained as a gardener.
Brains was an inventor and used to have his own workshop. He also liked good food and was plump and cuddly. He was the solution-finder of the group. He thought that problems were there to be solved.
The five friends had moved into the same retirement home, Diamond House. They formed a choir group and also performed at hospitals and parish halls.
It used to be pleasant to live at the retirement home, but after a new owner had taken over, they no longer got good food, particularly, not enough fruit or vegetables. Previously they were allowed out at least an hour every day, but not any more.
The old folks were fed harmful pills every day which made them lethargic. But Martha saw to it that they threw out these pills instead of taking them, whereafter they all felt much better.
The villain of the piece was Nurse Barbara, who was in charge of the old people. It was she who fed them the pills.
Nurse Barbara was infatuated with the new owner of the home. Director Mattson, who had much power and was rich. He was married but this did not deter her and they soon entered into a relationship.
Nurse Barbara cut down on the pensioners’ food so they got only one square meal a day, and otherwise only sandwiches.
The home had a gym, but only for the staff. The five realized they needed to improve their physical condition, and since Martha had appropriated a master key and found out how to get into the gym, they went up there and trained at night when Nurse Barbara was out gallivanting with her boyfriend.
Martha had watched and recorded a TV documentary from a prison and saw that in the dining-room the prisoners could choose from fish, meat or vegetarian, and even have chips to go with it. And there was salad and fruit too.
She showed the recording to the others; they were incensed at the fact that the criminals were better off than they were.
The five decided to live a life of crime so they perhaps could end up in prison. Everything they stole would go to the Robbery Fund and they would dole it out to culture, care of the elderly and everything else that the state neglected.
They would call themselves The League of Pensioners.
They booked a room for themselves in a posh hotel, the Grand Hotel, the very swankiest hotel, in order to enjoy a bit of luxury.
The old people used Zimmer Frames, a term I had never encountered before, but I believe they resemble rollators.
The Zimmer Frames had baskets at the bottom where things could be placed.
Eventually, they visited the National Museum and managed to steal a couple of valuable paintings, a Renoir and a Monet, which they smuggled out in the baskets of the Zimmer Frames.
Nobody suspected that these frail old age pensioners, who could hardly walk on their own, were capable of carrying out such a bold robbery of such valuable paintings.
They themselves called the robbery “The Great Zimmer Frame Robbery”.
They received ten million kroner in ransom money. Many complications occurred, including losing some of the money and also losing one of the paintings.
Also, I don’t understand that they were able to use the money given that the serial numbers of the banknotes had been registered. Perhaps there was something I missed.
The police were dumbfounded as regards who had stolen the paintings. It was one of the biggest thefts in Swedish history.
At one point the old folks confessed to the crime but were not believed by the police!
I found this to be an amusing, easy-to-read story, and can recommend it to those who want a humorous light read, There is at least one other little old lady book by the author and I may well be getting hold of it later.
Show Less
ISBN
1443428264 / 9781443428262