The Deal of a Lifetime

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 4,501 ratings

Price: 0.99

Last update: 12-25-2024


About this item

In this short story enhanced with beautiful illustrations, the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, Beartown, and Anxious People delivers an insightful and poignant tale about finding out what is truly important in life.

A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.

As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.

Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.

With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.

Top reviews from the United States

Suad
5.0 out of 5 stars Forget the cost - what about the story?
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2017
Most of the reviews I've read talk about the cost of the book and rate the book based on their feeling of getting ripped off by the price. They don't discuss the actual story, the writing, the message conveyed or anything else to do with the actual book though.

Is the book overpriced for its size? Sure, but I believe Amazon and every other online book store provides you with the details of the book prior to purchasing it. So it clearly says that the book is 65 pages long. If you thought it was too expensive for such a short book, there was no need to buy it in the first place.

I bought it and I read it in 30 minutes. It is a really short book, with illustrations inside that give it the feel of a children's fairytale - although it isn't one - perhaps more of an adult fable. The story is profound. It is painful and it is very true to Fredrik Backman, who does not shy away from any topic, no matter how difficult it is to read about.

The story plays out like a letter that a father is writing his son. It is an apology. It is a goodbye. It is sad and heartfelt and full of regret. In a span of very few pages, the father makes you hate him, love him, root for him and respect him. You can't begin to understand your own feelings towards this character, but he touches you somehow. He confesses that he's killed a girl. We're shocked. We don't get it. Is it a hit and run? Is he a doctor that made a surgical error? What's going on?

He talks about an older lady in a grey sweater. We sees glimpses of his past. We begin to understand a little more. We now know what this older lady represents. We expect one thing. Another happens.

His foreword at the beginning, in which he talks about the circumstances that led to writing this novella are just as good. Perhaps just as important to read. It really sets the scene for the whole story, and makes you think beyond the characters and into the writer's life, wondering if the story is in any way a reflection of feelings he's had or has been having, of conflicts he's been facing with his own family. Who knows?

65 pages - half of which are illustrations - but he still gets to me. Fredrik Backman is someone I love reading for, no matter how short the story, or how few the pages.
CS
4.0 out of 5 stars The Deal of a Lifetime - Still Quintessentially Backman
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2017
3.5 Stars

"A second is always a second, that’s the one definitive walue we have on earth. Everyone is always negotiating all of the time. You’re doing the deal of your life, every day. This was mine.”

When you’re used to being charmed by Backman’s characters, by his stories, this one is a bit different. A different slice of life, Poignant, bittersweet, introspective, and yes, charming, but more in the darker slice of life way, still, look beneath, and you’ll find Backman. A story that examines the value of a life, and how, as life goes by, the value we place on things or people in our lives may change, those who value things over love, money over knowing another person may begin to reevaluate their choices. The value we place on the time we are given here should be infinite, even though the time here is not.

”The Deal of a Lifetime” is approximately half the length as last year’s “And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: A Novella” (96 pages) It’s a weighty thought for so few pages, and yet Backman manages to wrap it with just the right amount of everything, hope, humour, compassion, and a sense of wistfulness - but still leave us wanting more.
Rhonda
5.0 out of 5 stars good book
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2024
Short and quick read. I love it. He do write so well as always enjoy his books. Beautiful story - grieving and sad
Dezi
3.0 out of 5 stars The overall moral of.the story is good, the execution is a bit lacking for me.
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2023
I was underwhelmed by this short story. Yes, there's is a tree on the cover, yes it takes place around Christmas...No, its not an actual Christmas story . I think that's a great thing as this can be read at any point during the year. I give it a 3.5 at best.

The story is about wrong doings, redemption, forgiveness and insight. It's about perspective and change. All good things really, the story just felt a little disjointed and fell flat in the writing. A little dry. The premise was interesting however, so that was its saving grace. I think this is a toss up on who likes this sort of read.
BobJac
5.0 out of 5 stars Profound
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2024
Backman’s style of writing stood out as usual, insightful with a touch of humor. What does life mean? Do we want to be loved? Do we want to be happy? Or do we want to be rich and famous and be remembered for that? These questions are touched on in this short story about life and death.
Karen@thebookreturnblog
4.0 out of 5 stars Very short but a great story
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2020
You’ll be waking up soon, it’s Christmas Eve in Helsingborg, and I’ve killed a person.

An absentee father who is more worried about making lots of money than raising his son seeks to explain his actions. It includes a Backman style twist at the end.

Fredrik Backman writes some of my favorites characters (Ove, Britt-Marie, Elsa’s grandmother). So, I was hoping for some fun and quirky characters in this short Christmas novella. I quickly found out that this was not the case. It is a story about morality and it is meant to get you thinking about what is important in life.

While not my favorite Backman book it will definitely was worth reading. At well under 100 pages, it is also a quick read. Well worth giving an hour or so of your reading time.
Barbara Strona
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous author
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2024
I adore this man. He zeroes in on his characters so they come alive. I particularly loved the ones centered around a town and ice hockey. I suspect the author is as kind as many of his characters are.
Ken Howard
5.0 out of 5 stars A Heart-gripping Story
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2024
This amazing short book - I read it in about 90 minutes - absolutely grabbed my heart and left me near tears of joy or sorrow or something I can't describe at the end. You really have no idea where it's going until the last few paragraphs and then it's wow! Would I do what he did? I do not know, but I've thought about it since I read it, more than a few times. I highly recommended it for the heart.

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