This is a lovely saunter through the life of 95-year-old Doris, as remembered through the names in her address book and told to her great-niece in story form.

After her father unexpectedly passes, 12-year-old Doris' mother, able to care for only one of her two daughters, turns Doris out. Doris finds work with a wealthy Swedish woman, where she cleans and helps care for the woman's house and guests. It is here where Doris meets life long friend, Gosta, an older man who cares for Doris as a father figure.

Within a couple of years, Doris moves to Paris, where she works as a live mannequin in upper-end shops and poses for magazines. Bathed in the finest clothes and make-up, Doris meets and falls in love with Allan, an American whose mother is French. As WW2 breaks out, Doris' younger sister, Agnes, comes to live with Doris when their mother dies. Through twists and turns, Doris and Agnes end up in America, where Agnes starts a family.

Back in Europe, and now considerably aged, Doris' only remaining family is her great-niece, Jenny, who lives in America. When Doris takes a fall and lands in the hospital, Jenny brings her baby to Sweeden to be with Doris. It is here that Jenny learns about her family's history and secrets and helps Doris reunite one last time with her only love, Allan.

Extremely well-written, this beautiful story floats along smoothly and without too high of highs or too low of lows; just a nice journey.

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Excellent story. KIRKUS REVIEWNearing the end of her days, 96-year-old Doris Alm turns the pages of her red address book, a gift from her father decades ago, lingering over names crossed through with the word ?dead? etched in the margin.Impoverished at age 13 by her father?s untimely death, Doris is sent by her mother to work as a maid for the glamorous Madame Serafin. Stunned to be thrust into the world so soon, Doris bravely embarks on the first of what will be many adventures in her life. As the third maid, Doris takes on the most unpleasant tasks, but she also meets the artist G?sta Nilsson, a man forced to hide his homosexuality even in bohemian Europe. G?sta and Doris become lifelong friends even as Doris travels with Madame to Paris, where she is sold off to Jean Ponsard and begins work as a living mannequin, modeling clothes in department stores and for magazine shoots. She meets the love of her life, Allan Smith, in the park one afternoon. A whirlwind romance ensues until suddenly Allan disappears, moving to the U.S. to care for his mother. Brokenhearted, Doris plunges into her work, which enables her to care for her younger sister, Agnes, after their mother dies, at least until war breaks out. Just as all hope seems lost, a battered, yellowed letter from Allan arrives with funds to take Doris and Agnes to America, where fresh calamities will keep them apart. In this, her debut novel, Swedish writer Lundberg has created a cast of warm characters, all conjured anew in the eyes of Doris? great-niece, Jenny, who?s arrived to sit with Doris in her final days. Reading through Doris? book and hearing her stories, Jenny concocts a plan to reunite the star-crossed lovers.A charming, fragile romance.

Touching story with modern day and flashbacks, lots of characters, and variety of kinds of love. It was just a little too extreme to be believeable. ( )

The Red Address Book is a quiet book, one that doesn't rush but rather takes its time and slowly, delicately infiltrates your heart.

Doris' red address book, evidence of a long and full life but increasingly filled with crossed-out names marked "dead", prompts her to write down the story of her life by concentrating of some of her most meaningful relationships. I really loved the juxtaposition between younger, energetic Doris and older Doris, struggling to come to terms with the gradual loss of her physical abilities and her independence. Doris really lived - sometimes making tough choices and sometimes having to deal with the result of other people's choices or external circumstances - but she learned to accept it all, the good and the bad, and make the most of it.

It was refreshing to read about an elderly protagonist who isn't the usual cantankerous old woman. Yes, Doris did have her moments of intolerance, but they were limited and justified by her frustration at finding herself deprived of her independence. The rest of the time, Doris was caring, funny and resourceful, even teaching herself how to use Skype in order to keep in touch with her family in the US. I also liked getting to know Jenny, Doris' grandniece and only remaining family, and really felt her pain at having to confront a loved one's mortality. I wasn't too keen on Allan at first and definitely felt like he could have explored more as a character and in his relationship with Doris.

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect going in this book, but I ended up falling in love with Doris and having ALL the feels! I definitely choked up towards the end, and when I turned that last page it felt like saying goodbye to an old friend.

Overall, this is a bittersweet and charming read that will likely appeal to fans of family histories and quiet historical dramas.

For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. ( )

So many emotions!

I recently read Violeta by Isabel Allende and can't help but compare the two books. In both books, two dying women write down their lives for a younger relative. In Allende's book, I disliked how dispassionate it was. Such a rich life but told so indifferently, it didn't resonate with me.

Here it's the opposite. Dorris wasn't perfect, and I didn't agree with all her choices. I was upset with her at times and delighted at other times.
But what I really loved was her relationship with Jenny and how affected Jenny was reading Dorris's life story. The 4 stars are because I wasn't all that happy that the love story was the focus at the last pages. ( )