*Read on the Kindle
Now that sure is a book with a long title ! Upon reading this in a flurry, I found it quaint and charming, yet biting and sarcastic in wit at certain parts. Comprised of an unlikely cast of characters, the story takes wild turns of imagination, with flashbacks of the now 100 year old Allan's life, and what an interesting life indeed. From chance meetings with the President of the USA, Winston Churchill, Stalin and Madam Soong May Ling, you know you're in for a ride.
I've been trying to come up with a proper way to introduce Allan, but words evade me. On the whole, he is quirky, eccentric and has a tendency to make very matter-of-fact statements. There are lots of funny parts in the book because of his affinity for telling the blunt truth.
At one point, the story seemed too ludicrous to be realistic, but for most parts, the main character seemed devoid of all normal emotions, taking things in stride as they came. However, it is this unfeelingness that leads to pretty straightforward observations such as these :
" Revenge is like politics, one thing always leads to another until bad has become worse, and worse has become worst "
Another interesting point to note is that the book had vague references to history, after all, it is the recount of a 100 year old man's life, so there is bound to be mention of the key events that have happened in the past. It is a cheeky attempt at looking at history in a light hearted manner, but what I liked was the 'alternative' scenarios that the author cleverly included as part of the story.
I'm not sure if this is a book that I will read again, but it wasn't a bad way to kickstart the year.
Rating : 3.5 stars
