Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

10 reviews

bookish_slagathor's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.5

This book gave me some serious emotional whiplash. 

One chapter I was smiling, next I was bawling my eyes out, confusing the hell out of my fiancée and my cats.

This was my first venture into Backman’s books and I can already feel that I will have a wonderfully toxic relationship with his books where he makes me smile, laugh, promising a wonderful but somewhat bittersweet time and then unexpectedly stabs me in the heart repeatedly. 

And I will keep coming back, wanting more.

Backman’s prose is truly something else. I can’t say if this is true of him in general, so anyone who has read several of his works feel free to add your two Swedish kronas, but he takes mundane people and pretty depressing concepts and uses utterly absurd humor to make it seem less… well, depressing as hell.

The only reason why I didn’t give it five stars is the somewhat open ending, which in general I am not a fan of.

Still, definitely a book I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone okay with being hurt by words.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Death, and Alcoholism

Minor: Emotional abuse

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

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

katsmedialibrary's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

Minor: Violence

novelbabe's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Alcoholism, and Grief

knunderb's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-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

5.0

I thought I would.hate the ending right up until the end. This book is a beautifully written picture of the effect someone can have on a community. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Murder

radfordmanor's review

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Minor: Infidelity and Toxic relationship

ate_reads's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Grief, Infidelity, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, Physical abuse, Vomit, and Mental illness

_danika's review

hopeful reflective sad 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

3.0

I liked this book. Definitely an emotional journey. 

So: Good but I was kinda sad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Physical abuse

gem114's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

Britt-Marie Was Here is the story of an older woman who is struggling to build a new life for herself after she finds out that her husband of 40 years was having an affair.  To describe Britt-Marie as "type-A" is perhaps an understatement.  She lives by her lists, prides herself on being proper, and swears by sodium bicarbonate for solving (most of) life's problems.  When she winds up in Borg, a small town that's been hit hard by the financial crisis, for a job cleaning a recreation center, she's pushed far beyond her comfort zone.  Her relationships with the town's residents, especially the children on the soccer team she coaches, challenge her to come out of her shell.

I listened to Britt-Marie Was Here as an audiobook narrated by Joan Walker.  Although Walker's narration was on point from page 1, it took me a while to buy into the story.  I had just come off reading Legendborn and Grown (YA, diverse, suspenseful), and Britt-Marie is the exact opposite.  Soon, though, I found myself falling in love with Britt-Marie, with Borg, with Omar, Vega, Somebody, Sven, Sami, and all the others.  Regarding narration, I hated Walker's voice for Omar, but the rest were fine, and she's a perfect Britt-Marie.  I often listen to audiobooks while walking my dog, and there were times I found myself laughing out loud as I walked the sidewalks of my town at Backman's dialogue and Walker's delivery.

This was my first Backman novel, and it definitely won't be my last.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Alcoholism, Violence, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, Death, Child death, and Car accident