Doris is 96, lives alone in Stockholm, and only has a niece in the United States that she Skypes with.

Doris has caregivers stopping by during the day and is essentially alone except for her memories and the red address book her father gave to her when she was thirteen. The red address book has kept track of every person she has met over her life time.

At thirteen after her father died, Doris was forced into becoming a servant in a wealthy household since her mother couldn't afford to feed her. While in the wealthy household, a model agency saw Doris and Doris became a living mannequin in Paris.

THE RED ADDRESS BOOK takes us back and forth in Doris' life as she reminisces about her past and all the people that have been in and have touched her life.

This book was a beautiful, beautiful read that I didn't want to end.

It was heartwarming as well as heartbreaking.

For a debut novel, the author did a marvelous job with the dual time line and with keeping my interest.

I truly enjoyed Doris' interesting life story. It made me want to document anything in my life that might be important for my family to know.

If you are in need of a book that will have you remembering and loving the characters and the story line long after you close the last page, THE RED ADDRESS BOOK will be a welcome read.

I absolutely LOVED this book that was filled with love and a book everyone needs to read. 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley and BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.

As the book opens, Doris is a Swedish woman in the twilight of her life. She has a nursing service come in to help her once a day, but the caregiver is simply getting the job done without caring about the person she is paid to help. Doris is kind, but doesn’t bother to interact. The caregiver doesn’t notice. Doris’ body is betraying her with weakness, but her mind is still sharp and her memories clear.

There are two things Doris does interact with. One is the computer phone call to her niece in the States, which happens every day. Both of the women delight in seeing the other from around the globe and sharing their lives. The other is the red address book that her father gave her for her tenth birthday in 1928. Just by opening the pages and scrolling through, she can walk through her past and relive the good and the bad of all the years.

At this stage of her life, Doris’ red address book holds many names of the dead. As each friend or family member passes away, she draws a line through their name and writes in one word. DEAD. She has lived a full and interesting life and has accepted the fact that her life is soon to be over. Her niece realizes that her beloved aunt is failing fast, and makes the journey to see her one last time. Her bittersweet journey will open her eyes to the woman Doris once was and still is until her last breath.

Lundberg skillfully takes us from past to present by using the entries in Doris’ red address book to tell us of the people she has encountered and events that have happened in her long and interestingly colorful life. Not all of the experiences have been good – but each of them has shaped Doris into the strong woman she remains to be today.

Oftentimes as people get older they are not seen as the young, vibrant person they were before age slowed them down. I have been fortunate to have close older family members tell me about their lives, just like Lundberg does for Doris. By the end of the book, I had laughed and cried with her as if she was an Aunt I was truly fond of.

This is the first book Sofia Lundberg has written and I am excited to see what this promising author does next. The former journalist that resides in Sweden is an author to put on your radar. I have read hundreds of books this year. Some of them fantastic, some mediocre, some made me want to chuck them across the room for various reasons I won’t mention. But hands down, The Red Address Book is the best book I have read this year. Do yourself a favor and get it now. Share it with your friends and read it for your book club. Tell me what you think!

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Copyright © 2018 Laura Hartman

my rating i somewhere between a 3.5 and 4
I agree with some of the constructive criticism , in that it is not a "deep" book, and maybe not the greatest literature. And the ending may indeed be a little too pat. however I loved Doris and I really liked this book...so a definite read in my opinion.

You will want to know about Doris. You will care about here life's story.