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Reviews tagging 'Death'
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
87 reviews
bookishoptimist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Death, Animal death, Mental illness, Bullying, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse
taliatalksbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
rachelkreadsbookz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, and Death
jlfaith21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Stalking, Bullying, and Grief
ridesthesun's review
- 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
No one's all shit, and no one's all not-shit
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
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
The last book I'd read by this author was "Beartown" and this one is wildly different, which speaks to his versatility.
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
pinesandpages's review against another edition
3.0
I did not enjoy that Elsa had a name for everyone (even if they’re fanciful nicknames) except “the boy with the syndrome” and “the mother of the boy with the syndrome.” Why were they the only two unnamed people? (I think maybe “the woman with jeans” remained unnamed throughout too.) Why was that one characteristic the entire extent of those two individuals?
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Toxic relationship
hmetwade's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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
Graphic: Grief, War, Stalking, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
jshep1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death and Stalking
Minor: Bullying