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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Normally I don’t read books like ‘The Father’. I read crime books, mysteries and detectives but a based-on-a-true-event crime novel, written through the eyes of the ‘criminals’ is definitely a first for me. But this book just sounded so good, and the cover looked amazing, I decided it was time to try out a book like this.
Although this book is very different than my normal reads, I was hooked to the pages from the moment I started reading. The authors definitely have a special way of writing and I was completely intrigued by it. This book alters between the past and the present, and it alters between the point of view of all the main characters. That sounds like a confusing part, but for this book it really worked perfectly.
On the front of my review copy of ‘The Father’, it says: “How does a child become a criminal? How does a father lose a son?”. And throughout this book, we get the answers to these questions.
We get to read parts of the bank robbers, Leo, Felix and Vincent’s youth, which really made me feel for them. And yes I know they are supposed to be the ‘bad’ guys, but they were also really human to me. Greedy and out of control.. Yes, but they didn’t sound like these truly terribly and angry people. Throughout everything they were brothers at first. Brothers who had a terrible example as a father and who taught them violence.
Reading about the robberies and about the detective wo was trying to catch them, it was really thrilling an nerve wrecking. On the one hand I was rooting for the detective to catch those robbers, but on the other hand I was rooting for Leo, Felix and Vincent. These authors definitely did a great job with making you think all kinds of things. In the end I almost didn’t know who I wanted to win.
From the moment I started reading this book, I just didn’t want to stop. I really wanted to know how this story would end. And I wasn’t satisfied until I reached the very end of the book and knew what happened.
‘The Father’ was definitely a great read. It was different, thrilling, confusing and definitely just very good.
Although this book is very different than my normal reads, I was hooked to the pages from the moment I started reading. The authors definitely have a special way of writing and I was completely intrigued by it. This book alters between the past and the present, and it alters between the point of view of all the main characters. That sounds like a confusing part, but for this book it really worked perfectly.
On the front of my review copy of ‘The Father’, it says: “How does a child become a criminal? How does a father lose a son?”. And throughout this book, we get the answers to these questions.
We get to read parts of the bank robbers, Leo, Felix and Vincent’s youth, which really made me feel for them. And yes I know they are supposed to be the ‘bad’ guys, but they were also really human to me. Greedy and out of control.. Yes, but they didn’t sound like these truly terribly and angry people. Throughout everything they were brothers at first. Brothers who had a terrible example as a father and who taught them violence.
Reading about the robberies and about the detective wo was trying to catch them, it was really thrilling an nerve wrecking. On the one hand I was rooting for the detective to catch those robbers, but on the other hand I was rooting for Leo, Felix and Vincent. These authors definitely did a great job with making you think all kinds of things. In the end I almost didn’t know who I wanted to win.
From the moment I started reading this book, I just didn’t want to stop. I really wanted to know how this story would end. And I wasn’t satisfied until I reached the very end of the book and knew what happened.
‘The Father’ was definitely a great read. It was different, thrilling, confusing and definitely just very good.
I was sent a copy of this by Hachette New Zealand for review. The Father is inspired by a true story, one I'd never heard of until now, but the story that came from it is disturbingly good.
I'd never heard of the Military League before this. I can't get over the fact that none of them had committed a crime before this. If half of what happened in this book is true, these men were incredibly smart and kind of crazy to even attempt what they did in the first place.
The way Leo, Felix and Vincent were raised, especially by their father, was isolating and abusive. What Ivan was able to get these boys to do to their own mother is disgusting and completely wrong. He teaches his kids that they're a clan, no one outside the five of them matters. He may not have psychically abused his sons, it's not the book anyway, but they were raised with violence in their home, with their father teaching them things young boys shouldn't know. It's no wonder they grew up to be who they were.
The planning that went into the robberies was intense. It was kind of scary. To think that two of them had started planning it years before too. The things Leo came up with, the escape routes and getaway cars, was really smart for someone who'd never done it before. I'd expect to see this kind of thing in a movie, not in a book inspired by true events. I don't know how much of the robberies actually happened but from the interview in the back of the book it sounded like they tried to keep them as close to what happened as possible.
I don't know how much of this is true and how much was put in to make a good story but from when I read it, it all makes for one crazily addictive book. I didn't want to put it down. I found myself wanting to read more even as I was busy with other things.
I highly recommend The Father. It's gripping, I couldn't think of anything else for days after I'd finished it. The whole time I was reading it I was wondering if they'd get caught, they seemed so smart, too smart. Sometimes when you're that clever, you get cocky and it all comes crashing down around you.
I'd never heard of the Military League before this. I can't get over the fact that none of them had committed a crime before this. If half of what happened in this book is true, these men were incredibly smart and kind of crazy to even attempt what they did in the first place.
The way Leo, Felix and Vincent were raised, especially by their father, was isolating and abusive. What Ivan was able to get these boys to do to their own mother is disgusting and completely wrong. He teaches his kids that they're a clan, no one outside the five of them matters. He may not have psychically abused his sons, it's not the book anyway, but they were raised with violence in their home, with their father teaching them things young boys shouldn't know. It's no wonder they grew up to be who they were.
The planning that went into the robberies was intense. It was kind of scary. To think that two of them had started planning it years before too. The things Leo came up with, the escape routes and getaway cars, was really smart for someone who'd never done it before. I'd expect to see this kind of thing in a movie, not in a book inspired by true events. I don't know how much of the robberies actually happened but from the interview in the back of the book it sounded like they tried to keep them as close to what happened as possible.
I don't know how much of this is true and how much was put in to make a good story but from when I read it, it all makes for one crazily addictive book. I didn't want to put it down. I found myself wanting to read more even as I was busy with other things.
I highly recommend The Father. It's gripping, I couldn't think of anything else for days after I'd finished it. The whole time I was reading it I was wondering if they'd get caught, they seemed so smart, too smart. Sometimes when you're that clever, you get cocky and it all comes crashing down around you.
Anger, greed, domination and aggression.
I heard so much hype about this book and I love Nordic Noir, so I decided to read it. The Father is not fiction, it is inspired on the true story of three brothers who committed various bank robberies in Sweden in the nineties. Allegedly none had committed a crime before, they were all young, under 24. The book opens with a gruesome scene of domestic violence, when the father, having been banned from the house, enters and almost kills his wife. The boys grow up, scarred by that event. None of them remembers who opened the door, but each one secretly takes the blame nonetheless. The father is an alcoholic, immigrant, angry man with a chip on his shoulder. Fast forward to the bank robbery period. And it is all planning and deceit, and robbery after robbery. Cleverly done. I was engaged by the writing, but I felt slightly detached from the characters, 592 pages long, I was expecting to get a bit more substance. The characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me. It could have been 100 pages shorter, there were parts that dragged on. Maybe I just didn't get it, or maybe I just don't care about these kinds of stories/characters anymore. All I can say is prepare to embark into a feast of extreme toxic masculinity.
I heard so much hype about this book and I love Nordic Noir, so I decided to read it. The Father is not fiction, it is inspired on the true story of three brothers who committed various bank robberies in Sweden in the nineties. Allegedly none had committed a crime before, they were all young, under 24. The book opens with a gruesome scene of domestic violence, when the father, having been banned from the house, enters and almost kills his wife. The boys grow up, scarred by that event. None of them remembers who opened the door, but each one secretly takes the blame nonetheless. The father is an alcoholic, immigrant, angry man with a chip on his shoulder. Fast forward to the bank robbery period. And it is all planning and deceit, and robbery after robbery. Cleverly done. I was engaged by the writing, but I felt slightly detached from the characters, 592 pages long, I was expecting to get a bit more substance. The characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me. It could have been 100 pages shorter, there were parts that dragged on. Maybe I just didn't get it, or maybe I just don't care about these kinds of stories/characters anymore. All I can say is prepare to embark into a feast of extreme toxic masculinity.
Thanks to Quercus for the copy in exchange for my honest review.
I had originally requested THE SONS by Anton Svensson (releasing in early March) but then I was told that it is part two in a series and that I needed to read THE FATHER before diving in. I'm so happy that I did. This book sucked me in from the first page and held on until the end. With it being almost 600 pages I was surprised at how quickly I read this one.
This is based on the true story of the brothers and father that rocked Sweden with multiple violent bank robberies, a bomb threat, and the largest weapons theft in European history. The first chapter was crazy - the violence these boys faced as children definitely sets the tone for the duration of the story.
Leo, Felix, and Vincent are brothers and were always told that they are a clan, and a clan never turns on each other. These qualities were engraved into their minds by their violent and proud father, Ivan. The book bounces back forth between Now and Then (clearly marked as different parts). I thought this was great because after events in the present we are then brought back to their childhood and see the events that ended up molding these sons into the bank robbers they've become.
It's so hard to really describe all the events in this without ruining the reading experience. I highly recommend picking this one up. Not only is it based on true events and people, but brings the reader into the minds of these boys and their father. What breeds a criminal? We also get to see the investigation end of the story with Detective Broncks as he desperately tries to find out who these highly sophisticated bank robbers are.
After reading this book I realized that Anton Svensson is the pseudonym for Anders Roslund and Stefan Thunberg. Stefan is the 4th brother of the Military League - the name that the Swedish newspapers gave the criminal gang. That added an element to the novel for me that set it apart.
I give this one 5/5 stars!
I had originally requested THE SONS by Anton Svensson (releasing in early March) but then I was told that it is part two in a series and that I needed to read THE FATHER before diving in. I'm so happy that I did. This book sucked me in from the first page and held on until the end. With it being almost 600 pages I was surprised at how quickly I read this one.
This is based on the true story of the brothers and father that rocked Sweden with multiple violent bank robberies, a bomb threat, and the largest weapons theft in European history. The first chapter was crazy - the violence these boys faced as children definitely sets the tone for the duration of the story.
Leo, Felix, and Vincent are brothers and were always told that they are a clan, and a clan never turns on each other. These qualities were engraved into their minds by their violent and proud father, Ivan. The book bounces back forth between Now and Then (clearly marked as different parts). I thought this was great because after events in the present we are then brought back to their childhood and see the events that ended up molding these sons into the bank robbers they've become.
It's so hard to really describe all the events in this without ruining the reading experience. I highly recommend picking this one up. Not only is it based on true events and people, but brings the reader into the minds of these boys and their father. What breeds a criminal? We also get to see the investigation end of the story with Detective Broncks as he desperately tries to find out who these highly sophisticated bank robbers are.
After reading this book I realized that Anton Svensson is the pseudonym for Anders Roslund and Stefan Thunberg. Stefan is the 4th brother of the Military League - the name that the Swedish newspapers gave the criminal gang. That added an element to the novel for me that set it apart.
I give this one 5/5 stars!
For some unknown reason I was slightly reluctant to start The Father. I think, as mentioned in some reviews before, the fact this novel was translated from Swedish and was set in Sweden made me a little anxious. My geography skills and knowledge of other cultures is somewhat lacking and I worried that I wouldn’t really be able to immerse myself in this novel due to the lack of info I know about Sweden. However I couldn’t have been more wrong and I wish I’d started reading this sooner. The Father is one of the best books I have ever read.
The Father is based upon the true story of Sweden’s most notorious bank robbers; a family of brothers and their father who commit some of the most audacious robberies the world has ever seen. Told through sections in the present and sections explaining the families past, The Father had me gripped from the very start. We follow the men as they start to plan the robberies and are with them right until the tense ending that had me strangely conflicted.
That was the best part about this book for me: I wanted the robbers to succeed. I was on their side the whole way through. I can’t believe that I was supporting their cause and thinking what they were doing was OK, but I was so sucked into their story and felt such intense feelings for the characters that I couldn’t help but cheer them on and punch the air when something went right. Strange, eh?! Never before have I wanted criminals to have such success!
As mentioned, the novel switches between past and present to great effect. Reading about the brothers and their younger years was really revealing and gave such a brilliant insight into why they turned into the people that they did. I have to admit though the scenes in the present were my favourite. I was in awe as I read about their intricate and incredible plans and wished I was a clever and daring as them!
I’m not sure if that was quite what the authors intended…that I would suddenly want to join the clan of robbers, but as I turned the final page of the novel I felt like I’d been on the most adrenalin-filled journey of my life. Not only do we follow the gang of brothers, we also follow a policeman, Broncks and his quest to find the infamous robbers and stop them in their tracks. He was a great secondary character and even though I felt as though I wanted him to fail (I can’t believe how strongly I supported the brothers!!) I was really intrigued reading about his past too and learning about him as a character.
I just wish I could read more and more and more! The Father is called Made In Sweden: Part One and so I am crossing my fingers and toes and everything else in the hope that there shall be a part two! I so desperately want to find out what happens to them all next and follow their journey even further.
I cannot express how much I loved this book. It’s haunting to think that what happened within those pages actually happened in real life and it makes it all the more shocking and thrilling. Anton Svennson is actually a name for two men; a scriptwriter and one of the brothers who didn’t get involved in the robberies…can you imagine? Your whole family becoming the country’s most notorious criminals and robbing banks at gun point…it just screams to be written about!
The writing is fabulous throughout and, for a book so long, there was never a moment that I felt a lull in the narrative or got bored reading. I was glued to page after page and didn’t want to put it down. I wish I could give this book to everyone to read. It really is an astounding book that I will read and reread for years to come.
The Father is a must-read novel for everyone.
The Father is based upon the true story of Sweden’s most notorious bank robbers; a family of brothers and their father who commit some of the most audacious robberies the world has ever seen. Told through sections in the present and sections explaining the families past, The Father had me gripped from the very start. We follow the men as they start to plan the robberies and are with them right until the tense ending that had me strangely conflicted.
That was the best part about this book for me: I wanted the robbers to succeed. I was on their side the whole way through. I can’t believe that I was supporting their cause and thinking what they were doing was OK, but I was so sucked into their story and felt such intense feelings for the characters that I couldn’t help but cheer them on and punch the air when something went right. Strange, eh?! Never before have I wanted criminals to have such success!
As mentioned, the novel switches between past and present to great effect. Reading about the brothers and their younger years was really revealing and gave such a brilliant insight into why they turned into the people that they did. I have to admit though the scenes in the present were my favourite. I was in awe as I read about their intricate and incredible plans and wished I was a clever and daring as them!
I’m not sure if that was quite what the authors intended…that I would suddenly want to join the clan of robbers, but as I turned the final page of the novel I felt like I’d been on the most adrenalin-filled journey of my life. Not only do we follow the gang of brothers, we also follow a policeman, Broncks and his quest to find the infamous robbers and stop them in their tracks. He was a great secondary character and even though I felt as though I wanted him to fail (I can’t believe how strongly I supported the brothers!!) I was really intrigued reading about his past too and learning about him as a character.
I just wish I could read more and more and more! The Father is called Made In Sweden: Part One and so I am crossing my fingers and toes and everything else in the hope that there shall be a part two! I so desperately want to find out what happens to them all next and follow their journey even further.
I cannot express how much I loved this book. It’s haunting to think that what happened within those pages actually happened in real life and it makes it all the more shocking and thrilling. Anton Svennson is actually a name for two men; a scriptwriter and one of the brothers who didn’t get involved in the robberies…can you imagine? Your whole family becoming the country’s most notorious criminals and robbing banks at gun point…it just screams to be written about!
The writing is fabulous throughout and, for a book so long, there was never a moment that I felt a lull in the narrative or got bored reading. I was glued to page after page and didn’t want to put it down. I wish I could give this book to everyone to read. It really is an astounding book that I will read and reread for years to come.
The Father is a must-read novel for everyone.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes