At first I thought this story was a lot about nothing, but the further I got into the book the more it resonated with me. Old age is not easy particularly when you get beyond being able to look after yourself. Accepting help from carers is hard, you might not particularly like each and every one and clearly Bo didn’t. Ingrid was his favourite and clearly a born carer, knowing just what was needed to chivvy Bo along, cheer him up or eventually make him comfortable in his last moments. This was also a story about the sometimes awkward relationship between a father and son. Old fashioned Dad verses new age son or even between a bully and a child. This was translated well from Scandinavian to English, with the prose reading easily.
It’s not making old age look good! But hopefully we can all learn along the way how to cope with it in good spirits.

A quiet, gentle novel about love and family and the cruel indignities of ageing. The characters are well-realised and there were some lovely, poignant moments.

This is such a beautiful book. It’s so descriptive and the descriptions of Bo and his struggles are just amazing. My favourite book of 2025. I can’t recommend this enough.

I wanted to love this - I read a positive review and elevated it on my TBR pile. To be honest, though, it left me underwhelmed.

The premise is sensitive and quite sad: Bo, an elderly man in rural Sweden, is living out his days with his beloved dog, Sixten, and thinking back on his life with is wife who is suffering from dementia and in a care home. Hans, Bo’s son, is desperate to get Sixten rehomed, claiming that Bo isn’t capable anymore. This is devastating for Bo and he does all he can to prevent Sixten being taken away.

Bo spends time telling his story to his beloved wife - and recounting what his daily carers write in his diary. I can see how it’s sad and affects so many people - I learned at the end how the writer has been affected by something similar which inspired the writing of the book. However, the prose is quite ploddy and I really don’t like the colloquial translations - words like ‘my old man’ and ‘nout’. I just don’t think these work. It is sad how Bo loses Sixten, then best friend Ture, and how, at the end, he is on his death bed. Sixten returns and he drifts off to sleep.

Many people will love this and find it really sad - and they’ll probably cry, too. I can empathise with the writer and many people are badly affected by such things. However, I found the prose quite dull and there is too much repetition, particularly at the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

“When The Cranes Fly South” is a touching story about Bo, an elderly man living in rural Sweden. His wife is in a care home with dementia, and his own health is getting worse. The story follows the last six months of his life, during which many things change beyond his control.

Bo tries to hold on to the things he loves most—his best friend Ture, his granddaughter, and his beloved dog, Sixten. He reflects on his past, including a difficult childhood with a harsh father and how it affected his relationship with his own son, Hans.

The story is emotional and relatable, especially for those with aging parents. Bo’s struggles highlight how fragile life can be. Despite his grumpy moments, Bo is a very likable character.

This is a beautifully written and emotional story that, while heartbreaking, is also uplifting. It explores deep themes like love, loss, and life, making the reader reflect. The author’s writing is evocative, with authentic dialogue and characters that feel real and relatable. The story moved the reader deeply; making them laugh, think, and cry.

A sensitive and heartfelt novel. Highly recommended.

This is a really special novel. Following the story of 80-something year old Bo who is nearing the end of his life, this is a story of how we are shaped by our childhoods and how toxic masculinity can leave lasting scars behind until someone is brave enough to break the cycle it can create.

As he navigates his day to day existence with the help of his visiting care team, Bo is joined by his beloved elkhound Sixten. But as the story progresses it quickly become clear that Bo is struggling to care for Sixten, and the idea of losing him triggers a number of memories from his own childhood and that of his son Hans, with whom he has a tricky relationship.

This is a beautifully paced novel, and I loved Bo and his ability to recognise his own flaws. He has a cheeky side which the reader gets to glimpse from time to time, and his love for Sixten is incredibly moving. This is a story that doesn't shy away from the more difficult aspects of the human experience, but does so with a loving and optimistic hand. I loved it.

Beautifully written, capturing the end of life, the regrets of life and what makes a life meaningful. Sensitive and moving.

Bo is in his twilight years; his wife has dementia and no longer lives with him, his best friend Ture is too frail to visit and his son is trying to take over his life. His only companion, other than a carousel of carers, is Sixten, his, dog,. As his future diminishes, the past is all that he has left to visit and he spends his days reflecting on his life and relationships with others as he too waits to fly south.
This was a poignant yet heartwarming read that left me feeling sad yet hopeful. Loved it!

Well this was wonderful. I have just finished this wonderful novel with tears in my eyes.
The story of Bo, an elderly man, whose wife has been in a care home with dementia for some time. Bo lives alone with his dog, visited by a team of carers and his son, who are increasingly concerned by his inability to look after himself or his beloved dog.
To anyone who has a situation like this in the pit lives this hits hard.
I couldn’t put it down even though I knew what was probably coming.
A 24 hour read that I can’t praise enough.

This is a moving story about Bo who is an elderly man living in rural Sweden. Bo's wife is in a home suffering with dementia and Bo's health has been declining for some time. This is the story of his final six months during which time his living circumstances change in ways Bo cannot control.

When The Cranes Fly South is very moving as Bo tries to hold on to all the things he loves in the world - his best friend, Ture; The relationship he has with his granddaughter and his beloved dog, Sixten. As we go through the months Bo tells us about his upbringing, the difficult relationship with his bullying father and the impact it had on his relationship with his own son, Hans.

This story resonated as I look at my relationship with my own octogenarian mother. For now she is healthy but Bo's story reminds us all how fragile the human mind and body are. The loss of control of his environment is particularly heartbreaking and despite him being a little cantankerous at times, it was very easy to like Bo and feel aggrieved on his behalf.

The writer, Lisa Ridzen was inspired to write the story after the discovery of papers her grandfather's carers left after his death. She also researched masculinity norms in rural Sweden and these come through clearly in the novel where each generation strives to be better than the one before.

We are all a product of our surroundings, genetics and upbringing and Lisa Ridzen deals with her subject very sensitively.

Recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the advance review copy.

I feel that the title of this book may be a synonym for death I Sweden, I'd love to know if I'm right. Bo's story is so touching, especially as I have a very elderly parent who is unlikely to be here a lot longer. The story deals with such a difficult subject with sensitivity and tenderness which is not lost in the translation, as can so often be the case. Recommended.

This was such a beautifully written tender story, and although heartbreaking it is uplifting with some amazing themes and messages that really make you think about relationships and love and loss and life. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil this for others but needless to say, I adored it.

This author is super talented and the descriptions evocative, the dialogue and characters authentic, they felt like friends I didn't want to leave. I laughed and I cried and I pondered and then I ugly cried.

Cannot recommend highly enough. Thanks to the publisher for the early arc and of course to NetGalley.

Bo, an elderly man, reflecting on his life and his relationships. He takes enormous pleasure from the comfort and companionship given by his dog, Sixten, especially now that his beloved wife is in a care home. But, with decreasing mobility and frailer health, decisions are taken which bring him distress and distance him from his son, Hans. None of us can avoid that ‘final journey’ but we can choose understanding and acceptance, saying those things we’ve long meant to say before departing.

The final pages were heart-rending.

Thank you NetGalley for my Advanced Reader Copy.

I could not put down the book. The story of Bo is so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I cried through the story. You feel for Bo and his dog Sixten.

Bo is telling the story about his life, childhood, family life and his regrets.
The author portrays the characters very well, you can easily imagine every single one. Even thou the story is told from Bo’s perspective we get the sense of the people around him, the carers, his son Hans and granddaughter.

This is a must read for fans of A man called Ove by Backman and All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle.

This is a quiet, beautifully written novel about Bo, an 89-year-old man reflecting on his life from his bed in rural Sweden. With his loyal dog Sixten at his side and daily visits from carers, Bo looks back on his childhood, marriage, and strained relationship with his son Hans, all while coping with the heartbreak of his wife’s dementia.
It’s a deeply emotional story about love, loss, and the things left unsaid between generations, especially among men. The carers’ notes, interspersed with Bo’s memories, add a touching outside perspective that says a lot in just a few words.
Despite its simple premise, the book is full of depth. Ridzén captures the quiet pain of aging and emotional distance with real tenderness. It’s sad, moving, and incredibly relatable. ‘When the Cranes Fly South’ is a powerful, heartfelt read that stays with you.

4.5 Stars

When the Cranes Fly South is a heartfelt and beautifully written story. The themes of family, love, loss, and change are woven together in a way that really sticks with you. It’s a quiet, powerful read that resonated with me from personal experience and felt realistic and emotional for that reason.

This book was incredibly moving! I found the main character so charming and you can’t help but feel for him. It was written with a lot of emotion. I did find the book overall quite sad, and you can bet there were tears!

This is such a lovely book but tissues are definitely needed! It's told from the viewpoint of an elderly man, Bo and is interspersed with updates left by his carers.

Bo is very independent, enjoys getting out into nature, loves his dog Sixten and is a little set in his ways. He is grieving the loss of his wife who suffers from dementia and has recently moved to a care home. Increasingly, his body is letting him down and he worries that his son Hans will take away Sixten.

Heart-breaking and tender, we follow Bo as he loves through a range of emotions: loneliness, frustrstion, anger and grief. The translation from Swedish is a but quirky (the use of "Ta-ra!" made me chuckle) but overall the book is beautifully and sensitively written.

Such a beautifully written book told thro the eyes of Bo as he nears his end. The empathy for his family and friend is so real and his love for his dog is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Very good read

This was a very bitter sweet account of an ageing man. His relationship with his dog was portrayed very realistically and pulled on my heart strings. This is exactly how I think I would feel and react in the same situation.

The flashbacks to his former years with his wife were brief distractions, I am unaware of whether these would happen in reality but they gave context to the story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.