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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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
I really enjoyed this book more than expected. A journey through the loss of a loved one with a unique twist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Animal death, Mental illness, Bullying, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse
taliatalksbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman was cute, but not my favorite Backman book. I really liked the characters and the adventure, but I feel like the narration wasn’t quite right. Our main character felt both older and younger than she was, and while kids are obviously all over the place developmentally, it felt a little too inconsistent. I also felt like the fantasy world aspect, though believable, was a little confusing. It was a lot to remember throughout the book and while I liked the grand nature of it (since it matched the Grandmother’s personality) it made reading those moments a little difficult. I did like the way the fantasy world between Elsa and her grandmother extrapolated to the other members of their building to help piece together what it was Granny wanted Elsa to learn. I really liked the heart of the story, even though Elsa’s narration was a bit hard to follow. It really addressed the complexities of life and death and what it means to fall somewhere in between. Though different from Backman’s other novels stylistically, the “faith in humanity” messaging that I love so much in his writing was still present and forefront. Backman has a way of turning difficult topics into digestible stories, that I think speaks to his understanding of human nature. He’s certainly one of my favorite authors at this point, and I can’t wait for my next Backman read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Animal death, and Death
jlfaith21's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Such a great story about love, grief, friendship, community, and forgiveness. The writing was a little odd because it’s the POV of a seven year old, but I loved the ending and just learning about all of the characters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Stalking, Bullying, and Grief
ridesthesun's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.75
Oh this was just gorgeous 🥺🥺 this narrative style is so well done; everything is tied together and only reveiled a layer at a time, but the reader is lead through the revelations so gently that it feels like you're living along with the characters, finding things out and making sense of the world right alongside Elsa. Community and hope and family and forgiveness 🥺
No one's all shit, and no one's all not-shit
No one's all shit, and no one's all not-shit
Content Warnings
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
A sweet and charming story of loss, friendship, imagination, trauma, and family.
The last book I'd read by this author was "Beartown" and this one is wildly different, which speaks to his versatility.
The last book I'd read by this author was "Beartown" and this one is wildly different, which speaks to his versatility.
Content Warnings
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
slow-paced
3.0
It usually takes me until the 30% mark to get used to Backman’s (slow, meandering) writing style, and then until 50% to enjoy it. I would say my enjoyment with this one started at around 65% which was unfortunate. I didn’t have a BAD time but it certainly wasn’t compelling. Once we got to the interconnected parts and how the fairytales related to real life I enjoyed it. It was also interesting to have already read Britt Marie Was Here prior to this book, she plays a much more prominent role than I anticipated. (I didn’t think Backman wrote books in the same universe like this, so that was a pleasant surprise.)
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?
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?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Toxic relationship
hmetwade's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.25
"My Grandmother Send Her Regards and Apologises" is Fredrick Backman's follow-up to his debut "A Man Called Ove" which is the only book I have ever thought of as perfect. And while not perfect, this book is a damn good follow-up.
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Stalking, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
jshep1's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Stalking
Minor: Bullying