Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

14 reviews

baileyes's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Grief, Child death, and Death of parent

sandysmith'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

4.25

I do like a Fredrik Backman book. Britt-Marie has Ove like tendencies. She has OCD, cleans as a coping mechanism, and says what's on her mind, and she has no filter. She is a 63 year old who unexpectedly moves to Borg, a small village where she is the caretaker for the community centre, that is scheduled to be demolished.  She becomes the children's football coach. Another one that creeps up on you makes you think, thought provoking funny, sad and is unbelievably wholesome. Great stuff

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Child death, and Violence

mel_j's review against another edition

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

Fredrik Backman always manages to make me cry. I loved this book, Britt-Maries story will stay with me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Grief

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Racism, Homophobia, Ableism, Gun violence, and Hate crime

sheryl_macca's review

emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Child death, Cursing, and Car accident

ericaw212's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

i love all of fredrik backman’s books but this was not his best one. it felt like a combination of all his other books and it took too long before britt-marie became likeable

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident

Moderate: Child death, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Minor: Vomit, Gun violence, and Infidelity

bessadams's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-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: Gun violence, Murder, Death of parent, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Car accident, and Bullying

Minor: Medical content

laurataylor's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Child death, Gun violence, Alcoholism, and Death

starrysteph's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

“If a human being closes her eyes hard enough and for long enough, she can remember pretty well everything that has made her happy.”

Britt-Marie is an eccentric 63 year old who has suddenly found herself alone for the first time in, well, all of her adult life. She's left her cheating husband and stumbled her way into the position of a caretaker in Borg's recreation center (soon-to-be defunct).

Underneath Britt-Marie's socially awkward comments, obsession with cleaning products, and slightly brittle exterior is a deep desire to be known by others, to leave a mark on her community. She's been controlled and afraid most of her life - this is her journey of stepping into herself and finding her voice.

In Backman style, we've got a peculiar set of characters that become deeply loveable and easy-to-root for as you get to know them (the children in particular were a real strength). It's a relatively quick, simple story but it packs so much depth and charm.

There were so many splendid, poignant moments of community and connection.

“One morning you wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it’s happened.”

CW: grief, death, alcoholism, gun violence, infidelity, child death, toxic relationship, death of a parent, violence, emotional abuse, ableism, fatphobia, mental illness

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Death, Violence, Infidelity, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Ableism, and Mental illness

allyordyna's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted 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? Yes

3.75

Lots of swearing, but I love the execution of this book. Reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant, but Backman’s clever, lovable style of writing and characters 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Death

Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Infidelity

katrinarose's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

3.5

I enjoyed reading this and flew through it very quickly. However, it took a loooong time for Britt-Marie to grow on me, she was very irritating for at least half the book. It was also a bit dramatic towards the end. But the kids definitely redeemed the character cast and I did like Britt-Marie’s journey to self actualization! Overall I enjoyed the trope done in A Man Called Ove better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Medical content