Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

189 reviews

macliffe's review

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This book left me in awe. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story told this way. It’s like the author give you the pitch at the beginning, then you spend the rest of the book zooming in slowly. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the characters because most of them were pretty insufferable at first, but I think the point of the book was to show that everyone has a story and motivations for why they  are the way they are. There are similar themes in A Man Called Ove.  I ended up loving all the characters, and this book became my favorite book of the year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

bookishdragonshoard's review

emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

I laughed so very much.
I sobbed so very much.

What an incredible author. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent

sestout's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug abuse and Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence and Infidelity

avalon_sxe's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-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

3.25

Okay I will start out by saying I started to read this a year or so ago and did not like it, got maybe 100 pages in, stopped but couldn't help but wonder why so many people loved it. Fast forward, I finally thought, why don't I try listening to it instead? This was a game changer for me. To hear all the different characters, the voice inflections, sarcasm, etc. that maybe my own brain just wasn't grasping or doing well enough anyway. I loved Marin Ireland's voice, it was like listening to a friend. I was very annoyed with the interviews in the beginning but now I know why. This book made me cry several times. I guess some topics just resonated with me and my life and that overpowered some of the parts that maybe weren't my favorite. This is my first FB book I've read and I look forward to more.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Dementia

thesadcowboy's review

challenging dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

grapefruitjuice's review

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

mlmwtp's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Grief

Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism

lonelylooper's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

nessreadsalot's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

This is a story about a bank robbery that never happened and the hostages caught up in the mayhem that ensues when the bank robber disappears and bumbling local detectives try to solve the case.

The cast of complicated characters was wonderful and I loved how we learned about their true selves as the story went on.
I wasn't a fan of the police interviews, I found them incredibly frustrating and repetitive to read although they may have been more enjoyable on audio. 

I loved this book and the dark comedy throughout the story. It took me from laughter to tears and back again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt

mmccombs's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

This is my first non-Beartown Backman and now I know to always expect sweet, often corny, detailed, and moving accounts of how we belong to and owe each other, even if we are complete strangers. Though I feel like the title of this book makes no sense given the content so I didn’t anticipate what this would be about, I found this to be equally propulsive (ooh a mystery!) and cozy (ooh people hanging out and talking about their stories!). I love Backman’s style of talking about “us” while also talking specifically about a character, stretching the POV into the past, present, and future all at once, I think he is an expert at making a unique experience (and a very strange one at that in this case!) into something that captures universal truths. Everyone we meet has a life full of problems and joys and history, and when we brush up against each other we may be lucky enough to find the little connections that make our lives just a bit fuller, too. Just a pleasure to read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt