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angorarabbit's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
TLDR: Exceeded expectations. It is better than the blurb suggests.
Three chapters in I was sure this was another male author’s attempt at writing a funny-middle-aged-lady story. Including funny characters like you find in funny little villages. Another chapter was enough to convince me to stick around a while and see what happened. Slowly you learn about what brought Britt-Marie to this point in her life. Slowly you learn that the funny village people have had not so funny lives. There are profound thoughts about grief folded into the funny bits.
Three chapters in I was sure this was another male author’s attempt at writing a funny-middle-aged-lady story. Including funny characters like you find in funny little villages. Another chapter was enough to convince me to stick around a while and see what happened. Slowly you learn about what brought Britt-Marie to this point in her life. Slowly you learn that the funny village people have had not so funny lives. There are profound thoughts about grief folded into the funny bits.
Against my will I started to smile and then giggle with Britt-Marie. At the end I had an acute allergy attack that required the use of a not insignificant amount of paper handkerchiefs. Mr Backman has learned that a feel good ending needs tragedy to spice the joy and he wrote it in the perfect way..
Mr Backman gets points for his portrayal of women at different places in their lives and for not allowing his male characters to overshadow them. He also gets points for a boy wanting his hair to look nice with his date with another boy the perfect normal thing that it is; and his portrayal of Beck and Somebody’s struggles with disabilities and their importance to their community. Fiction has improved over the decades in its portrayal of the lgbtqaa* community but it is still rare for me to read a book with a character with disabilities for some reason of other.
I wish Britt-Marie, Vega, and Omar all the good in their fictional world. But something in me hopes that Kent continues to visit Borg to play soccer. And maybe afterwards stops at the pizza place/car mechanic/post office/ bodega to watch the game and have a beer with Sven. There is a lot the two of them could learn from each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, and Medical content
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Violence, and Death of parent
martapsalvado's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
2.75
If I had a nickel for every time I disliked a Fredrik Backman book about a grumpy elderly person who finds the importance of community, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
To be fair, I didn't totally dislike this book. During the first half I was considering DNFing, mainly because it was very repetitive, but for some reason I didn't and I don't regret it. I had a weird relationship with this book- I liked the author's humour and the message that he was trying to convey and found some really good passages, but didn't love the plot, nor cared that much about the characters.That said, the second half of the book was a little more fast-paced and it became more interesting and less repetitive (or did I just start skimming through the repetitions? 👀).
I understand why so many readers love Backman's stories, but maybe they're just not for me.
To be fair, I didn't totally dislike this book. During the first half I was considering DNFing, mainly because it was very repetitive, but for some reason I didn't and I don't regret it. I had a weird relationship with this book- I liked the author's humour and the message that he was trying to convey and found some really good passages, but didn't love the plot, nor cared that much about the characters.That said, the second half of the book was a little more fast-paced and it became more interesting and less repetitive (or did I just start skimming through the repetitions? 👀).
I understand why so many readers love Backman's stories, but maybe they're just not for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Violence and Alcohol
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Violence, and Car accident
Minor: Medical content
katsmedialibrary's review against another edition
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Minor: Violence
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
aura_rurubele's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism and Child death
This book told me about love and loss. About learning and growing, while young or old, and most importantly about accepting that you do not need to accept every situation that comes to you "in your stride", that while this may be the best love you have ever received, it may not be the best love you will ever receive. Britt-Marie is written to brilliantly, she's smart and kind and very brave. She is autistic coded and fascinates me constantly. This book encompasses the found family dynamic and is so cute. The manner in which death is written here is so subtle but beautiful in the feeling it gives you (which is not very beautiful). The entire text is witty and comforting and gives us a peak into Britt-Marie's mind even from a bird's eye view.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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Vomit, Car accident, and Death of parent
esther_me's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.5
I absolutely loved the book. The main character is very unique and I enjoyed getting to know her through this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
bexi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, and Medical content