NARRATED BY MEG RYAN
“Sally Franson is a world class entertainer. She can finesse a serio-comic moment in a way that leaves you catching your breath. Deft and delicious, this book is a flat out delight machine. A heart opener, a page turner, and a true ‘originell!' I laughed out loud, I ugly cried, and I never, ever wanted it to end."" -- Meg Ryan, actor, writer, director
A charming, wise, and laugh-out-loud funny novel following an American woman competing on a Swedish reality show in an attempt to discover her roots.
Paulie Johansson has never put much stock in the idea of family: she has her long-term boyfriend Declan and beloved best friend Jemma, and that’s more than enough for her. Yet one night on a lark, she lets Jemma convince her to audition for Sverige och Mig, a show on Swedish television where Swedish-Americans compete to win the ultimate prize: a reunion with their Swedish relatives. Much to her shock, her drunken submission video wins her a spot on the show, and against Declan’s advice Paulie decides to go for it.
Armed with her Polaroid camera, a beat-up copy of Pippi Longstocking, and an unquenchable sense of possibility, Paulie hops on a plane to Sweden and launches into the contest with seven other Americans, all under the watchful eye of a camera crew. At first, Paulie is certain that she and her competitors have nothing in common besides their passports and views their bloodthirsty ambitions with suspicion. Yet amid the increasingly absurd challenges—rowing from Denmark to Sweden in the freezing rain, battling through obstacle courses, competing in a pickled herring eating contest—Paulie finds herself rethinking her snap judgments about her fellow countrymen, while her growing attachment to her Swedish roots increases her resolve to win the competition herself.
Grappling with long-held notions of family, friendship, and love—not to mention her feelings for the distractingly handsome Swedish cameraman who’s been assigned to follow her around—Paulie starts to reconsider her past and rethink what she wants for the future. A fish-out-of-water tale filled with warmth, optimism, and wit, Big in Sweden is at its heart a love story: love for family, friends, country, and—most importantly—oneself.
""If you devoured Pippi Longstocking as a kid, you will not be able to turn away from Big in Sweden. Reading this hilarious, heartfelt book was even more fun than watching reality television. I absolutely loved it!"" — Jessica Anya Blau, author of Mary Jane
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"If you devoured Pippi Longstocking as a kid, you will not be able to turn away from Big in Sweden. Reading this hilarious, heartfelt book was even more fun than watching reality television.”
— Jessica Anya Blau, author of Mary Jane
“A delightful blending of wit, humor, friendship, and personal growth…a fun, original, and memorable read from cover to cover.”
— Midwest Book ReviewsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Sally Franson received her education at Barnard College and the University of Minnesota. She has received recognition from Macdowell, Glimmer Train, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Ucross Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, among others. Her humor column, Loosely Literal, appears monthly with the support of the Loft Literary Center, and her stories have appeared in such places as Word Riot and Witness.
Meg Ryan is an award-winning actress known for her lead roles in romantic-comedy films, including Sleepless in Seattle, French Kiss, City of Angels, and You’ve Got Mail. A three-time Golden Globe nominee, she became a ’90s celebrity icon after appearing in the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally.