Ruth Kvarnström-Jones's 'Summer in P1' is a love letter to Stockholm, but lacks salt

Author Ruth Kvarnström-Jones dedicated her "Sommar i P1" radio program to expressing her love for Stockholm. She recounted how a lost wallet incident in Gröna Lund, where a kind stranger returned it, made her fall for the "honest Swedish people."

Kvarnström-Jones, known for her historical feel-good novels set in Stockholm, aims to live and die in the city. Her books, like "Väninnorna på Nordiska Kompaniet" and "De fenomenala kvinnorna på Grand Hôtel," have topped sales charts and become synonymous with Swedish feel-good literature.

Growing up between a rural village and the city, Kvarnström-Jones felt like two people in one. This duality mirrors her experience in Sweden, where she is the Brit in a Swedish setting, and in Britain, where she is the one who left. Her journey to Stockholm began with a Nordic languages course in London, leading to multiple trips before she ultimately settled permanently.

While her program is a heartfelt tribute to Stockholm, the "city of opportunities," it surprisingly lacks the "salt" often associated with the city. The review suggests her love for Stockholm might be blinding, or perhaps it's a reflection of her feel-good genre, resulting in a smooth but occasionally monotonous narrative.