Reviews tagging 'Death'

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

87 reviews

themirrorball's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

for the first 150 or so pages of this book i could not get into it. i didn’t understand what was going on with the fantasy worlds (miamas, etc.) and it almost seemed like it was trying too hard to be quirky, which was a lot considering i love this author’s writing. but halfway through it really picked up and i began to fall in love with the characters and become interested in where they were going. the way the fairytale kingdoms tie in with the real world is insanely creative and interesting to read about. while i did find the plot towards the end a little predictable, i didn’t mind because the story seemed to be focusing more on characters anyway. once i got past 200 pages, i couldn’t put this book down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Animal death

Moderate: Alcoholism and Cancer

Minor: Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse

amavi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This book wasn't for me, I disliked many things. I wanted to dnf it at least five times. I didn't like the fairytale aspect, the repeated references, the very unbelievable situations, felt very meh, I was annoyed many times, and I forced myself to finish it. The ending is wholesome and a lot of things come together into a cute story, that's why I bumbed it to a 3 star read. The writer did make me cry again, I'll give him that but A man called Ove was quite better for me personally 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Cancer, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Car accident, and Grief

madisonfrank's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, War, Animal death, Grief, Death, Pregnancy, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Stalking

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Stalking, Violence, War, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Physical abuse

dlrosebyh'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

3.75

Elsa is unique and seven years old. Her grandma is crazy—as in, standing on the balcony and shooing strangers with paintball guns—at the age of 77. Additionally, she is Elsa's one and only friend. In the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everyone is unique and nobody needs to fit in, Elsa seeks solace in her grandmother's tales at night. 

Elsa's biggest journey starts when her grandma passes away and leaves behind a collection of letters in which she expresses her regret to those she has mistreated. The directions given by her grandmother take her to an apartment complex filled with monsters, drunks, attack dogs, and elderly ladies, but they also reveal the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and introduce her to a grandma unlike any other.

I adore Fredrik Backman's writing style. I adore how he brings the intricacy of his characters to life in his writings. I really like the plot and the characters in this book, but one thing really got on my nerves: how frequently Harry Potter references were made. I understand that Elsa is young and that she should enjoy Harry Potter; she is free to act anyway she pleases. However, I don't want to read about Elsa being so enraged when someone hasn't read the books or seen the movies. I also don't want to read every two pages about the Gryffindor scarf. But aside from that, I think the book is both interesting and informative.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death

Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse

cheekypearson's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I love Fredrik Backman and his insight into the human condition. He does a wonderful job of knitting these characters together and bringing their complexity to life. I found Elsa to be harder to identify with-maybe all the references to HP through me off-but the book had me in tears at the end. 

A+ writing-people just want to be seen. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse

Nothing is overwhelming or explicit but it is moving and a history with some of the topics might cause them to be triggering.

theonlybaillie's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

Minor: Blood, Violence, Stalking, Physical abuse, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

bwaymadeline's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

the way this man writes community astounds me

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Animal death and Alcoholism

staceyw81's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death and Death

starklinqs's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

It was a good book, just not really for me! I think it was just a bit too slow and I couldn’t get into the POV. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

Minor: Car accident and Death

melmattocks21's review

emotional funny sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Overall I liked the book, mainly Elsa and her sassy humor. I loved her relationship with the Wurse and her Granny. However, the story dragged on way too long and it was shard to keep focused. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death