Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

90 reviews

maryehavens's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

 Wow.
Are all Fredrik Backman books like this?
I wanted to highlight so many gems. I started off listening to it but switched to print because I wanted to devour. Listening was great but when I switched to print, it became apparent that I had missed some things. There's a lot going on so it's easy to miss.
The actual story is interesting, cute, a little slow. But the message is what I'm here for. And what I was interested in highlighting. Just so many things I think about or have experienced. Like people not wanting to be on anti-depressants because they are numbed out. Been there, done that.
One of the very last lines really got to me. I've been feeling very stressed out and unmoored and when I get like that, I get pretty low. It's hard to put one foot in front of the other on those days. But that last part of just getting through the day made me feel so seen and hopeful.
I'm a huge mood reader and part of that is because I believe that certain books need to be read at certain points in your life. I think that's why I juggle so many at once. This book was the book I needed for today.
An extra special thank you to my niece, Karis, for gifting me this book many Christmases ago. I finally got around to reading it was because it was meant for this day :D 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Minor: Drug abuse

caroline_norrish's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Gun violence, Grief, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Addiction

modryzamek's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death

lemonteacat's review against another edition

copaganda and a lot of other annoying worldview

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

caitielovebug's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Suicide

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Grief

ndmngz's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad 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

5.0

I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this. It is truly a work of art that made me tear up, my heart ache, but also laugh out loud. 

The plot itself is a story about a failed bank robbery turned hostage situation, all the events that lead up to it, and what occurs during and after it. It’s told with time jumps and some unreliable 3rd person narration that only adds to the twists and drama as we uncover the ‘mystery.’ But the true gem is the story Backman weaves of the human condition, of the hurts and hardships many face but fail to ever talk or admit. It’s a story about real love, compassion, forgiveness, failure, and redemption, about the depth we all truly share with one another and the ways in which we can impact others’ lives. 

There were 10+ significant characters in this story, but I never got them confused or forgot who was who. They all felt well rounded and incredibly developed, but also flawed in a way that so inexplicably human. I rooted for them all despite their many flaws. The author never tried to make the reader forgive or overlook the characters’ mistakes either, he simply made the other parts of them redeemable. 

I listened to the audiobook and Marin Ireland did an amazing job at bringing the story to life, I couldn’t stop listening at one point. I will 100% be getting the physical copy of this book to own and markup, because for the first time in my life I feel truly compelled to reread something (or re-consume it in this case).

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

scmiller's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcoholism

Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Racism

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Anxious People is a story about a bank robbery. No, it’s a hostage drama. No, it’s about a bridge. No, wait, a rabbit? No… No. It’s a story about idiots. 

In truth, Anxious People is about desperation, grief, mental health, greed, the housing market, purpose, loneliness, parenting, marriage, hope, connection, love, Stockholm… It’s a fascinating exploration into being human. 

It’s also part mystery that will keep you hooked until the very end! When I tell you I could not put this book down, I mean it.  HOOKED. It had me in an absolute fucking chokehold all the way through. I gasped, I screamed, at one point I closed the book and beat it against my couch because I was so mad that I missed something so obvious… lol It also has so much heart, and such endearing (and frustrating and hilarious and idiotic) characters. I wiped away lone tears, I laughed out loud, snorted, and fully broke down sobbing…. several times… just within the last 25 pages. 🥲

No one can craft a story like Fredrik Backman. No one captures the messy magic of humans like him. No one else can weave so many seemly disconnected stories together into an absolute masterpiece, and tie them all together flawlessly. 

I didn’t think it was possible, but Anxious People has unseated My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry as my favorite book. Backman remains my favorite author for a reason. The man is undefeated. 

A quote on the back from USA Today sums up Anxious People perfectly: “Hits the sweet spot between profoundly insightful and preposterously funny… I hugged this book tightly with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Classism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Alcohol, Dementia, Death of parent, and Sexism

katieb1034's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Suicide

Moderate: Drug abuse

fantaiil's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Fredrik Bakmann is and will always be my favourite author. And this is his best one yet (in my opinion).
I love his words, his characters and how he makes me cry while talking about humans and their inability of saying, what they want to say.

This book is about love, despair, kids, dumb choices, pizza, love, marriage, kids and their parents, money, capitalism, love and a bridge. It's about the connection between people and the irrational things we do, when we feel emotions that are to big to describe.

Backman is a magician. A magician of words and sentences and making one feel and cry and laugh and feel once again.

I wish, I could buy this book a thousand times and gift it to everyone I know.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Self harm, Murder, Blood, Violence, Grief, Addiction, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Gun violence