Reviews - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - Target Club Pick

The title of this book was so intriguing to me, and I loved Fredrik Backman’s novella And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, so I decided to pick it up. I knew in advance that the book deals a lot with grief and human connections, so I was expecting it to be an emotional read, and it really was a rollercoaster. Beyond dealing with grief and connection, it also examines family relationships and not fitting in with people's expectations. I loved the wide cast of characters and how much of them we got to see. Elsa was such a loveable main character, and it was refreshing to read a novel outside of the middle grade/young adult genres from the perspective of a child. Seeing Elsa’s relationship with her Granny at the beginning of the novel really set the tone for the whole novel and even though I knew she was going to die (it’s on the blurb) I was still attached to her and felt emotional when it happened.
From Granny’s death, Backman takes a journey to the final resolution of the narrative, and it was so satisfying to see how all the seemingly unrelated storylines converged. I loved how granny’s stories slowly came to life as the story progressed and how fiction and reality slowly intertwined; in some ways it reminded me a lot of a magical realist novel. I found parts of the novel a little predictable, but that wasn’t a concern for me because it never felt like Backman was aiming to surprise with the final plot reveals at the end. The most impactful element of the story for me was the characters, especially Elsa’s relationship with her parents. Elsa’s relationship with her dad was really sweet, and I really enjoyed how different aspects of her relationship with her mum, George, and Halfie were explained. Seeing Elsa come to terms with George and Halfie being in her life was really heartwarming, and the scene of Elsa and her mother having a conversation about who Elsa’s character traits come from made me cry.
I also loved Fredrik Backman’s writing style; it was the perfect blend of humour and emotion. One minute I was crying my heart out and the next I was laughing (often through my tears). There were so many aspects of the book and so many different quotes that resonated with me and I related so much to Elsa. I also really enjoyed that, even though Elsa was the main character, the book wasn’t written in first person perspective. It felt like we weren’t limited by her age and that Backman could explore different issues in more depth while still retaining the simplicity of a child’s perspective where necessary. The overall pacing of the book was also good; I never felt like the story dragged. One final aspect of the novel that I loved was the cyclical nature of the narrative, and how even once everything has been resolved, the story is still as fairytale-esque as it was at the beginning.

jfarnum1's review against another edition

4.0

this is a very peculiar book. it takes about half, maybe three quarters of the book to see where it's going and find meaning in it. i struggle with book for adults that are written from a child's perspective. i can confidently say I'm not interested in the accompanying books, but it's clear that many characters are fleshed out for the primary purpose of turning this into a series. it's sad, and a little funny, and has a good happy ending.

alicemaryblanks14's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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: Yes

bri_13's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

annamontana's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

I was not ready for this book. Fredrik Backman is such a wonderful story teller and this story has it all. Else has been told fairy tales by her grandmother for years. Now that her grandmother has died, Else was given the task of delivering letters to all her neighbors. Through this Else discovers many of the inspiration for many of the fairytale characters along with discovering her granny and mother and even herself.
I laughed. I cried. Amazing book.

this_is_imre's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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: Complicated

kirstinelaursen's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing 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

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