"Wonderful Feels Like This"

Sara Lövestam, a writer as well as a huge jazz music fan, lives in Sweden.

She applied the Page 69 Test to Wonderful Feels Like This, newly released in English, and reported the following:

Wonderful Feels like This is about the bullied teenager Steffi, who finds comfort and happiness in old jazz music, and her friendship with the 89-year-old man Alvar, who was once a famous jazz musician. So let me check page 69 in the US version of this book...

She has a brilliant idea, but her Pappa doesn't get it. He's even pretty upset. Steffi hears it as his v's turn to b's and then sees his expression change. "What are you saying?" he exclaims, and his usual calm eyes have become fiery. "How did this man contact you?"

"He's my friend, even though he's really old."

"You may not talk to this man ever again! Do you hear me? Next time he tries to talk to you, just say no! Tell him your pappa refuses to let you meet him! Do you understand?"

Steffi is filled with rage and can feel irritating tears form. "Do YOU understand?" she asks, and is amazed at her loud voice.

"Going to Karlstad with a man is OUT OF THE QUESTION!"

It's impossible to have a discussion with Eduardo Herrera. Hard to believe he and she are even related, when she understands so much and he understands so little.

Hm, nope. This page is not representative for the book. Very rarely does Steffi fight with her father - actually, the fight on page 69 is the only fight they have. A representative page would probably feature any of the conversations between Steffi and Alvar, preferably accompanied by a 40's jazz tune on Alvar's old funnel gramophone. The only way this passage does represent the book, is that the fight Steffi has with her dad is about Alvar. Of course, at this point in the story her father doesn't know that the "older guy" is actually 89 years old and staying at the retirement home...

Visit Sara Lövestam's website.

--Marshal Zeringue