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.

A gentle, reflective story told in the voice of 89 year old Bo who is gradually failing, living on his own with his dog Sixten. Bo has always lived in rural Sweden in this same house that he inherited from his parents. His beloved wife, Fredrika is in a care home with dementia and no longer knows him. Carers are in several times a day and his son Hans is a frequent visitor. Hans is insistent the dog is too much for Bo and needs a more active life. Bo's stubbornness won't let him acknowledge the truth in this, he acts as if Hans is attacking him. He spends his time in his head, reliving childhood incidents with his very harsh father and happy moments with his wife and son. He still manages regular calls to best friend Ture but both are failing fast. A beautiful story, giving dignity and a voice to an elderly gentleman at the end of his life. #netgalley #whenthecranesflysouth

This is a simple story about an old man, his memories and his dog. It’s a quiet and unassuming book but it has huge heart and encompasses so much about life.

It’s beautifully written and demands that you take your time to digest and reflect on the words. It contains so many profound quotes; it’s an annotator’s dream. I loved the format. Bo’s narrative is broken up with notes from his care team, which add a different perspective to the story and show what a difference care givers can make to a person’s life.

Bo spends a lot of time looking back at the relationships from his past and considering those in the present day. Although he had a difficult and complex relationship with his father; Bo had a happy marriage and experienced a close and special friendship with Ture. Whilst his relationship with his son Hans was at times strained and frustrating, it was clear both his son and his granddaughter cared deeply for him.

Bo’s relationship with his dog Sixten really encapsulates the companionship and comfort that animals can bring to our lives and it will definitely tug at the heart strings of pet lovers.

It’s a wonderful story which brilliantly portrays the vulnerabilities and frustrations experienced with age. It’s an emotional read and one that will make you stop and consider the relationships in your own life and how your later years may look.

Beautiful, sad, warm, emotional, gripping - many compliments to describe just how lovely a read this book is.

This is a story of old age with its physical, mental and emotional challenges. Bo is an elderly Swedish widow, living with his beloved dog Sixten, his faithful friend. He's visited four times a day by various carers - some of whom he clearly loves, many of whom he can't abide. At other times, he's on the phone to his long time friend Ture, and at other times his son pops by - delivering toilet rolls, and cream cakes which Bo doesn't care for.

Everything starts to change when his son suggests that Sixten would benefit from family life. Suddenly Bo's life is falling away from him, and his fragilities become more and more obvious.

Beautifully written, with characters I really cared about, and a sad if heart warming story. Highly recommended.

When the Cranes Fly South is a book that touches your heart and soul and as I turned the last page there was a tear rolling down my face.

Bo is an elderly man living alone with his beloved dog Sixten. His wife Fredrika is in a care home. His best friend is sick and far away. And he has a frustrating relationship with his only son, Hans. This frustration reaches breaking point when Hans wants to take Sixten away from Bo.

As Bo is reaching the end of his days, he sleeps and dreams of the past. We learn of his difficult relationship with his cruel father. We learn of happy times with best friend Ture, and his marriage to Fredrika, though in this story the focus is on male relationships.

Bo has a team of carers, and the care notes are an effective literary device for allowing us to observe Bo's days from an outsider's perspective. From Bo himself we learn his deepest inner thoughts, the ones he can no longer express. Or the ones he doesn't know how to.

This book is written so beautifully and with such emotion. I think it's too often forgotten that the elders in our society have feelings and needs that go beyond the basic care that can be provided by paid carers. Ageing involves a loss of dignity and agency, and Hans most definitely finds Bo's stubbornness frustrating. But being stubborn is the only control Bo has left.

As the book draws to a close, the final scenes are moving and deeply sad, but also perfectly crafted. The sense of resolution and acceptance make Bo's transition peaceful and I believe he passed without regret and surrounded by love.

Oh goodness what did I just read. What a wonderful emotional and moving read this is. Set in rural Sweden this is Bo’s story as he sees out his final days. Told by Bo he tells us about his life as he ‘talks’ to Frederika, his wife, who has advanced dementia and is in a nursing home, and the caregivers notes about Bo and what they have done during their visit.

Briefly, Bo’s life revolves around his elderly elkhound Sixten, visits from his son Hans, telephone chats with friend Ture and caregivers who visit four times a day. But as he is getting more and more fragile his son wants to rehome his dog, his only real companion and friend. His reminiscing revolves around his life, parents, wife, son and friends and his dogs which were always allowed in the house. He rues his lack of closeness to his son and tries to remedy it before he dies.

This sounds like it is going to be a bit of a sad, even gloomy, read it’s certainly sad but definitely not gloomy. It is heartbreaking at times but Bo’s memories are so real and poignant they made me shiver. My mother lived with dementia and had to go into a home and my Dad struggled. He missed her every day and I often saw him “talking” to her, so this brought up all sorts of emotions in me. The last parts of the book hit me hard, heartbreaking but wonderfully beautiful and heartwarming. I have no more words!

'...I feel an ache in my chest. A sudden urge to talk to you'.

Bo now lives on his own in rural Sweden, with his Elkhound Sixten, visited by a range of caregivers to help him cling to his independence since his wife, Frederika, was sent to a nursing home with dementia. Bo is getting too old though to live like this, but Bo is also very proud and stubborn and when his son Hans's threatens to take his sole campion, Sixten, away too, anger threatens to boil over. But even this too becomes tiring. As Bo sleeps more, his dreams are of visceral memories: as a son, as a husband, as a father, and as a friend. All of this is addressed to his no longer present wife, 'Because of the void you left behind Frederika, I've started thinking about things I never paid much attention to'. Memories of his hard-working life are broken up by the very real notes left by his carers in their log. Slowly we mark his journey from Spring through to Autumn, 'Before they fly south again, I promise myself, I'll have left this place'.

My heart was flayed open and I was utterly destroyed by the end of this book. The last quarter was read with blurred vision. My dog became concerned with the number of times I sobbed. How can something so sorrowful, so heartbreaking, be so beautiful? It's a story of humanity, a story of love, and a story of gratitude. I would recommend this book to anyone.

'...I should have listened more. That I know now'.

When I recovered from my tears at the end of this book, I googled Lisa Ridzén to see how old she was. Surprisingly, she is quite young to have written such a powerful book on the frustration and vulnerability of old age.

Bo is elderly and lives alone with his elkhound Sixten in rural Sweden. Without the help of constant carer visits, he would not be able to maintain his independence. He is frustrated by his failing body and spends much time on his daybed reflecting on his childhood, his wife and son, things he used to be able to do but now cannot. He is reflective and generally neutral on his situation until his son raises the issue of rehoming Sixten. This is the last straw for Bo and sends the story down the path of sad inevitability.

To say this story is touching is an understatement. The reader fully empathises with Bo and wants to find a safe way for him and Sixten to stay together at home. The troubles Bo has with his son mirror, very much, that of Bo's troubled relationship with his own bully of a father. Or so Bo thinks.

This book is wholly authentic in its portrayal of old age. The day-to-day difficulties Bo faces, the thoughts he thinks and the way he feels within his skin creates such empathy in the heart of the reader. It has instilled in me a new understanding of the elderly, their needs, and a mindful approach, on my part, of patience and care. In today's busy society we have moved away from honouring our oldest familial generation, making time for them and their needs, and need to be more caring and considerate like Ingrid, one of Bo's carers.

This is a beautiful novel. One that will break and mend your heart in one fell swoop. Such a treasure, honestly.

The narrative centres on Bo, an 89-year-old man living alone in a village in rural northern Sweden as he struggles with his increasingly failing body and the lack of control he now has in his life, from simple things like whether he takes a shower or not to more complex issues like whether he is still capable of looking after his much-loved dog, his constant companion and solace. He spends much of his day now lying in bed, sharing with the reader his reflections on his life, on the joys and sorrows and the mistakes he has made, especially in respect to his son Hans with whom he has a complicated relationship, although one based on love, a love he finds it difficult to express. He is visited often by a team of carers, all of whom are well-meaning and kind, but as his independence is eroded, and his health deteriorates, there’s little joy left. With themes of ageing, autonomy, dependence, fatherhood and communication, it’s a compelling and poignant, indeed heart-rending, story, tender, sad and told with deep empathy and insight, an emotional read that lingers long after the perfectly executed final pages.