This is a sweet story about a woman reflecting on the people and loves of her life. The novel sung when it was exploring these stories and this character's transformations. But, it seemed to get bogged down with the experience of Jenny, the woman's niece - it felt disjointed when we read about her only in quick snippets and the relationship between her and her husband seemed fictional. It had excellent potential, but to me only ended up being partially successful. Similar novels that have done it better include: The Story of Arthur Truluv and Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg and others.

The end of this book had me crying in spite of knowing how it was going to end. A journey through a woman's life as chronicled in her address book, it covers her youth, her glamorous young adulthood and the passage of time that happens to everyone as youth fades. Doris has a lot of pluck and grit, which the reader sees in all the phases of her life. Her address book, a remnant of her fleeting childhood, is populated by the people she met who were important to her and have passed. A beautiful story.

Doris has kept an address book since she was a child. Now she is 96 years old, in poor health, and most of the names in her book have been crossed out due to death. Born in Sweden, she lived a full life, replete with love, loss, and adventure as a maid, a model, and a survivor of war in Europe. As Doris looks through the book, she recalls the events that included each special person in her life. And she begins to write down her memories to share with her American niece Jenny. A gentle read.

The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg was first published in Sweden in 2017. The book has since been translated to English by Alice Menzies and is available as of January 2019. This novel documents the sentimental journey of Doris, a 96-year-old woman living alone in Stockholm. Her only living relative is Jenny, her grandniece who lives in the US with her young family. The two women skype once a week and have a close and loving relationship. Doris was given a red address book by her father when she was a child. Throughout her long life, she wrote in many names of people who were part of her journey. In her old age, she started to write the story of each person in her book so that Jenny would know the history of Doris and herself. In failing health, Doris cannot forget one man who passed in and out of her life. Whatever happened to him? This small novel is a beautiful story of one woman's life. It is a little gem. Highly recommended. Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 nostalgic stars!

Oh, this book is quite lovely and nostalgic. Doris is 96 years old and lives alone in Stockholm, Sweden. She’s a bit of a recluse but looks forward to her weekly Skype calls with Jenny, her only relative and grandniece who lives in the United States.

Doris has a special address book she was gifted by her father when she was a child. In it, she has documented the names and addresses of everyone she’s known throughout her life. She crosses out the names when people have passed away.

In looking through her address book, Doris decides help Jenny by illuminating their family’s past and writing about it. Doris has lived a full life. She was a model on Paris runways in the 1930s and was forced to flee to Manhattan at the start of World War II. She also wonders what ever happened to Allan, the love of her life...

Oh, this book. I want to hug it. There is a somber, melancholic tone as Doris reflects on her life, a life full and well-lived. There is also plenty of love and uplifting, too.

I loved Doris and Jenny as if they were members of my own family, as if Doris was telling me the story of my family, and I wish she had been. I only have three living great aunts, whom I adore, and I soak up every word of reflection they give me on my grandparents or my great grandparents. Doris’ story is a treasure. Thanks to the author for telling it.

Thank you to the publisher for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

Doris is a 96-year-old woman living alone in Sweden; her only family is a niece, Jenny, in San Francisco. Approaching the end of her life, she flips back through the red address book that was a gift from her father when she was a little girls. Its pages are filled with the names of people she met over the years, many of them who have since passed away, and evokes the memories of her lifetime. Doris begins to write down her memories to share them with and save them for Jenny.

Alternating between past and present, this book takes the reader through the events of Doris' life in Europe and America - her first and true loves; reunions with friends and family; her jobs as a housekeeper and a live mannequin in Paris for designers like Chanel; and the hard times during the war. I was immediately taken by Doris and her sassiness and spunk and drawn in to the stories about each person in her life who made it in to the red address book. And, oh, that second to last chapter - I had to hold back the tears! Such a wonderful read - 5 stars for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.