Reviews tagging 'War'

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

36 reviews

heim_weh's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It’s meant to be a ‘comfort book’, one that’s not literarily heavy nor dense on convoluted plot or themes. But wow did it read my heart out and ripped it into smithereens, like Elsa would say. I cried a lot reading this book. Partly because it’s a bloody well-written book, partly because I lost my grandpa to cancer exactly four months ago. He was the complete opposite of who Granny was, and he would’ve been horrified by her way of living. But I miss him, and I see him in Granny, somehow. 
This book feels a lot like Ove, except darker despite the blatantly fairy tale facade. It’s so sad and funny at the same time. It’s not meant to be realistic I guess, but the heart in the story is real enough to make me love these characters. 
‘Who teaches us to be normal when we’re one of a kind?’ I think Elsa would appreciate this quote from Legion. It’s a bloody good show. 
Minus half a star because of how juvenile it can seem at times. 
Also, please don’t feed dogs chocolate or cinnamon buns or cake mix. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, War, Death, Animal death, and Violence

sharkqueen22's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Cried about 4 times 
I recommend this book to anyone 
It's such a heartwarming book about grief through a child's life

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and War

eliz_sock's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Minor: Infidelity, Violence, War, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Death

sea_tea_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense

4.0

So much trauma, blanketed by comedy and fantasy, told from the perspective of a young girl. 
It was interesting how each character evolved, their backstories slowly unraveled in bits and pieces, through stories and fairy tales.

[Audiobook: I thoroughly enjoyed Joan Walker's narration of the audiobook. I probably would have DNF if it weren't for her storytelling.]

My heart broke when the wurse died. 💔😭

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Pregnancy, Stalking, Violence, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: War and Murder

kickitupanotch7's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Alcoholism, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Bullying, War, and Abandonment

fluture's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Such a light-hearted and inspiring book. I don't know how to explain my feelings the moment I finished reading this book. This book somehow can be a reminder for us to fully appreciate little things in life and live to the fullest. There's no wrong in questioning stuffs. Everyone carries secrets and pain in their life and they have the right to do what they chose to do—choosing how they cope with it. There's no right nor wrong in this world. Everyone just tried to survive.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, and Cursing

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

ridesthesun's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Oh this was just gorgeous 🥺🥺 this narrative style is so well done; everything is tied together and only reveiled a layer at a time, but the reader is lead through the revelations so gently that it feels like you're living along with the characters, finding things out and making sense of the world right alongside Elsa. Community and hope and family and forgiveness 🥺

No one's all shit, and no one's all not-shit 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Animal death

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Bullying, Stalking, and Addiction

Minor: Cancer and War

corriejn's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

A sweet and charming story of loss, friendship, imagination, trauma, and family. 

The last book I'd read by this author was "Beartown" and this one is wildly different, which speaks to his versatility.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Bullying, Cancer, Pregnancy, Stalking, Alcoholism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Child death, Death, Medical content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and War

Minor: Sexism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity

you don't get 5 stars if the dog dies

hmetwade's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Animal death, Bullying, Car accident, Mental illness, War, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

thestorydoer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

"My Grandmother Send Her Regards and Apologises" is Fredrick Backman's follow-up to his debut "A Man Called Ove" which is the only book I have ever thought of as perfect. And while not perfect, this book is a damn good follow-up. 

The book follows a 7-year-old girl Elsa, and I must say, it is impressive to have the narration feel like the lens of a child, and not have it be incredibly annoying. This girl makes sense of the world through the fairy tales which her grandmother had given her as she grew up, and it permeates as the main narrative style throughout the entire book. It turns out all the fairy tales her grandmother had told, which seem fantastical, were based on real human beings. 

And that's something I love about Fredrick Backman. He portrays the elderly people with flaws which feel immensely relatable, but also quite unique to the elderly. He leaves no character untouched, as each character feels so deeply layered, it's quite hard to keep track of. 

Each story has its place in the story, and it's quite a talent to pack so much story into something digestible and not overly expositional. However, I'm afraid that because there is so much stuff, it's quite difficult to keep track of it all. So many stories are so intertwined, there are some occasions where a story could come up and it takes a couple backtracks to remember exactly which story the event is a part of. That, I believe, is the only flaw in this book. It's a major flaw, but it doesn't detract completely from the rest of the story. Because at the core of it, every sub-plot is a different expression of the same story. That's why each story feels like it belongs. 

Overall, an excellent and beautifully written book which has a lot to say. So much, it'll probably need a re-read in the near future. 4.25/5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, War, Stalking, and Death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse