Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Anxious People

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

118 reviews

sarasreading's review

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.5

Nearly 4 stars, but I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to buy that police would be such pushovers with every single person in the interrogation room. Unless Swedish police are just that different from US police. Which, maybe.

I've also found with both books I've read of his so far that it takes me quite a long time to be invested, but eventually he gets me. I enjoyed the twists in this one, and the emotional connections between the characters. I didn't enjoy it as much as Ove though.

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hannahs_library_'s review

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

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sxndaze's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

This is the type of book that depends on your mood on whether you’ll enjoy it or not. When I started it, I wasn’t really in the mood for it. and I think that’s a shame. The story can be a little hard to get into. It’s jumbled and a little hard to follow with characters that come off as insufferable. The interview format is certainly a choice.

However, the connections that unfold as you get deeper into the book really have a hold on you, and it’s quite profound. There’s something about caring about people and supporting others. The last quarter of the book is my favourite, and I’m glad I finished it. An insightful read.

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amschelly153's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.75

Absolutely a re-read and gorgeously written book.

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neverlandpages4's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Going into this, I was so sure that it wasn’t going to be a 5 star read. The characters were mostly unlikable, the plot was getting repetitive, and I just felt like it would be an okay read. As soon as I finished it, that immediately changed. The ending and how everything came together was amazing. This book taught me countless lessons. The characters’ development left me speechless. I loved everything about this book. Yes, it might’ve started off boring, but looking back at it, I knew I needed this book. Also, in the rare occasion where a book makes me sob, it’s usually a 5 stars.
I loved the unusual blend of genres. Mystery combined with humor makes for a surprisingly interesting read.
The writing style is one of my favorites and it just felt so personal, you almost feel like you’re talking directly to the author.
Fredrik Backman knows how to articulate some of the most complicated feelings of being human into words. His metaphors are always amazing and I love how easily he explains why we are the way that we are.
The relationship between the father and son was so wholesome to read about. I think the author portrays parenthood in such an honest way which makes me want to read his nonfiction book about fatherhood.
This touched on so many different topics like parenting, humanity, substance abuse, mental health, and more.
Finding out the whole reason behind the robbery was really sad and it shows how life can change completely in a matter of days.
This was a tough read because it talks about depression and suicidal thoughts quite often and when I picked this up, I was in a pretty good mental state so reading about those topics wasn’t ideal. But at the same time, if I was reading them while I was in a bad headspace, I’m not sure it would’ve been any better. So it’s just a tough book to get through.
This was a ridiculously funny, heartfelt, and life-changing book that I would recommend to everyone.

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minskiwho's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

i don't even know what to say, this book made me laugh and cry and question things.

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silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past was all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. That we are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.

I am in love with how beautiful and clever Backman's writing is. It is repetitive and humorous in a way that very few others can accomplish when dealing with such dark and difficult themes. Be aware that this novel is filled with discussions along the lines of suicide, alcoholism, infidelity, etc. so please be aware of this going into it, but Backman handles these sections of the novel with such care and skill that I would not hesitate to recommend his works fairly broadly.

I was conflicted about my rating for this book. I found it surprisingly difficult to get into. Some of the characters were initially very unrealistic in the way they conducted themselves and interacted with others and were somewhat insufferable. However, I got used to this almost comedic style of storytelling and found myself wanting to stay in this cosy alternative reality that the author constructed. I had fun reading this book and that is ultimately what my rating is based on. I grew to love and care for the characters - every single one of the unique people in this large cast. That is not an easy feat to accomplish, but - honestly - Backman never fails to amaze.

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clevergirl216's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

4.25

I had trouble getting into this book at first. It is a totally unbelievable scenario, and the style of writing was unusual. There was a lot of going back and forth from the present to the past with observations that didn’t really seem relevant. This is the only reason I didn’t give it five stars. From the midpoint on, where things began to tie together, I enjoyed the book more all the time. Several little twists that I didn’t see coming, and some thoughts about human nature that resonated. I especially liked the theme of how one person’s actions affect others.

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maiahhtratchh's review

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emotional funny reflective tense fast-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

Like all of his books, anxious people hooked me from the first chapter. I DEVOURED the last 150 pages. I’m shocked by how funny it was…. Although I don’t understand the “how’s tricks” thing…. I’ll have to Google it.

oh my god the twist of the female bank robber got me. I read that part on international woman’s day then had a hoot laughing because how silly of me to think women COULDNT be terrible bank robbers 🤣

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hmetwade's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

5.0

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