Take a photo of a barcode or cover
8.02k reviews for:
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - Target Club Pick
Fredrik Backman, Fredrik Backman
4.12 AVERAGE
8.02k reviews for:
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - Target Club Pick
Fredrik Backman, Fredrik Backman
4.12 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
It seems that Goodreads has changed some of the star rating descriptions, but until recently (at least in my memory, likely flawed), 5 stars means, "I loved it." I don't think this book is perfect by any means, but just as you can fall in love with an imperfect person, so too did I fall completely in love with this imperfect book and it's imperfect inhabitants. As Granny says, it is ever so slightly "reality challenged."
Like Elsa, my champion was also my grandma, a "perky" woman in the sciences at a time when that was a very difficult thing to be. My grandma was my hero and my idol; I miss her every day, so to see our relationship reflected in this book was deeply personal and moving for me. I also happen to have a profound love of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and all things Marvel Comics, and I connected with Elsa so immediately and empathized with her struggle as a female who identifies with traditionally male fandoms. Although I would not recommend this book for younger readers as it does contain some very dark, adult themes, I think Elsa is a great female character who would inspire others like her to keep embracing the things they love.
1) Sometimes, all you want to read is a happy story, or at least one that is only unhappy in an average, "these things happen to everyone" kind of way. I think this story would have been just as wonderful, deep, and moving if it had simply been about a girl learning to fit in, dealing with grief from a loss most of us will experience, and learning to accept the human imperfections of her idol.
I got more and more annoyed as the story became less and less believable and felt duped by the author because by then I was already deeply invested in these characters and wanted to know if they were going to be OK. I actually think the message of this book would have been more pure if it simply focused on Elsa's discovery of the individual struggles of each housemate and the role her granny played in their lives. We didn't need a villain like Sam to showcase those bonds.
2) I am extremely sick of sociopaths. They've become incredibly popular in fiction as of late and I'm just done with them altogether. Sociopaths are not common, although you would think there's one living in every house based on the frequency with which they're showing up in novels these days. ENOUGH. This book did not need a sociopathic villain and it made a very unique and creative tale feel very played out at the end.
3) DOES THE DOG REALLY ALWAYS HAVE TO DIE? REALLY? Also, how on Earth does this animal live on chocolate? Isn't chocolate bad for dogs? The wurse's diet borders on abuse by malnutrition. Am I supposed to accept that this is actually a magical creature and is isn't being starved to death or made sick by a diet of milk and cookies and chocolate?
/endrant
I love fairy tales, and I think this was a charming, moving, and dark new story that is ultimately about how one incredible woman uses the strength of her character and her faith in her family to build and protect her community. It's also about a little girl's quest to embrace being different in a world that puts tremendous pressure on her to conform. Despite some of the circumstances in the book pushing the limits of reality, I think that ultimately this is a journey that will resonate with anyone who's felt a little bit different, who needs a champion, and who was lucky enough to have incredible grandmother.
Like Elsa, my champion was also my grandma, a "perky" woman in the sciences at a time when that was a very difficult thing to be. My grandma was my hero and my idol; I miss her every day, so to see our relationship reflected in this book was deeply personal and moving for me. I also happen to have a profound love of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and all things Marvel Comics, and I connected with Elsa so immediately and empathized with her struggle as a female who identifies with traditionally male fandoms. Although I would not recommend this book for younger readers as it does contain some very dark, adult themes, I think Elsa is a great female character who would inspire others like her to keep embracing the things they love.
Spoiler
However, in the spirit of Elsa, I want to add a few notes on the imperfections:1) Sometimes, all you want to read is a happy story, or at least one that is only unhappy in an average, "these things happen to everyone" kind of way. I think this story would have been just as wonderful, deep, and moving if it had simply been about a girl learning to fit in, dealing with grief from a loss most of us will experience, and learning to accept the human imperfections of her idol.
I got more and more annoyed as the story became less and less believable and felt duped by the author because by then I was already deeply invested in these characters and wanted to know if they were going to be OK. I actually think the message of this book would have been more pure if it simply focused on Elsa's discovery of the individual struggles of each housemate and the role her granny played in their lives. We didn't need a villain like Sam to showcase those bonds.
2) I am extremely sick of sociopaths. They've become incredibly popular in fiction as of late and I'm just done with them altogether. Sociopaths are not common, although you would think there's one living in every house based on the frequency with which they're showing up in novels these days. ENOUGH. This book did not need a sociopathic villain and it made a very unique and creative tale feel very played out at the end.
3) DOES THE DOG REALLY ALWAYS HAVE TO DIE? REALLY? Also, how on Earth does this animal live on chocolate? Isn't chocolate bad for dogs? The wurse's diet borders on abuse by malnutrition. Am I supposed to accept that this is actually a magical creature and is isn't being starved to death or made sick by a diet of milk and cookies and chocolate?
/endrant
I love fairy tales, and I think this was a charming, moving, and dark new story that is ultimately about how one incredible woman uses the strength of her character and her faith in her family to build and protect her community. It's also about a little girl's quest to embrace being different in a world that puts tremendous pressure on her to conform. Despite some of the circumstances in the book pushing the limits of reality, I think that ultimately this is a journey that will resonate with anyone who's felt a little bit different, who needs a champion, and who was lucky enough to have incredible grandmother.
I liked this one SO much better than A Man Called Ove. This was fun to listen to, to hear the fantasy the grandmother wove for her granddaughter and how she unravels it all after her grandmother dies. I think this would be a great book for 11-12 yrs and older to read too.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The characters are so cute and the story is really nice. I found it quite slow at the beginning but I loved how everything came together in the last 3rd.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
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
Heather lent me this one, and I gobbled it down in two days. Megan wasn't a huge fan, and I can see that it might be an acquired taste: I skimmed a goodly amount of the fairy tale part (with no ill effects that I can see) and Granny herself is a difficult character to like, so the first part of the book, when Elsa is 100% pro-Granny, is challenging. However, soon Backman's multi-faceted pictures of human nature develop fully, and his picture of the beauty and pain of life makes the book powerful and moving. I'll admit it: I laughed, I cried! Backman's willingness to reveal the good in all people of all personality types is unusual and refreshing. He seems like he'd be a great friend as well as a wonderful author!
This is a novel for patient readers who love words, grammar (Elsa has a red pen that she uses to edit poorly-written signs), and other people.
'We want to be loved. Failing that, admired; failing that, feared; failing that, hated and despised. AT all costs we want to stir up some sort of feeling in others. The soul abhors a vacuum. At all costs it longs for contact.' Doctor Glas, quoted in MGAMTTYSS
"The mightiest power of death is not that it can make people die, but that it can make the people left behind want to stop living."
This is a novel for patient readers who love words, grammar (Elsa has a red pen that she uses to edit poorly-written signs), and other people.
'We want to be loved. Failing that, admired; failing that, feared; failing that, hated and despised. AT all costs we want to stir up some sort of feeling in others. The soul abhors a vacuum. At all costs it longs for contact.' Doctor Glas, quoted in MGAMTTYSS
"The mightiest power of death is not that it can make people die, but that it can make the people left behind want to stop living."