Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

123 reviews

hjb_128's review

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Dementia, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism

micaelamariem's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

This was a phenomenal read.
I’ve always been a fan of the sentimental so this book struck a chord with me. It evokes all the feelings, from laughter to tears. While the book is about a bank robbery gone wrong, it’s really about the people involved in this hostage scene and about people in general. Looking into each person’s mind and heart, Backman makes a point on how messy life is and how idiotic we all can be, and calls us as readers to have empathy for our fellow humans. 
I also enjoyed the drama of it all, though. For two thirds of the book I really wasn’t sure who the bank robber was and if they’d catch them or what was going to happen. I liked the plot twists told through a nonlinear timeline that kept me reading beyond the sentimental parts and the idiotic humorous parts. 
Overall, a fantastic beautiful read and a reminder that we’re all going through something, but it gets a little better if we have each other’s backs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

drpeeper's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

ridesthesun's review

challenging 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Alcohol

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This book is not what I was expecting. In clever Backman fashion, he was able to turn a basic story into something much more nuanced with a lot of layers and depth. I always find it amazing how he finds a way to make all the stories connect. I feel like it's his writing that makes his books so if you're not a fan of his commentary style third-person writing you may not like this. I for one very much enjoy his writing so I found this very enjoyable. I really love the commentary that Backman adds through his characters about various different topics. There are always so many quotable lines in his books. I just relate to them so much. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, however, I feel like the last 15% was a bit underwhelming.

I know you have to suspend your disbelief when it comes to this story but I just couldn't do that when Jim (the dad cop) just let the bank robber go and lowkey aided and abetted in their escape. I get that we had to move the story along, but I was really hoping for a big twist on how the bank robber got away. Them just finding the key and leaving was just a bit anticlimactic to me. Also, I know there are themes of suicide in this book but I was expecting the ending to be sadder or hopeful. I felt like everything came together too neatly and too happily. Like Zara and Lennard came out of nowhere. I felt like they were unnecessary. And the bank robber being with her kids in the end felt too neat. I don't know; I feel like some stories should've ended a bit more tragically. To have everyone have a happy ending was a bit of a letdown.

Overall, again I still enjoyed this book and will most definitely be reading the rest of Fredrik's books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death and Pregnancy

Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol

bearybooky's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-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

Book should be tagged lgbtqia

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

modryzamek's review against another edition

dark 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

aleroness's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Such a beautiful read centred on such a deep, complex, and sad subject.

Phenomenal examination of human behaviour and how everyone plays a role in everyone else's lives. So many fully fleshed out characters!!

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Kidnapping

kailiyahknight's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt

kanorve's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

Wow. This was such an amazing read, I couldn't help the tears in the end. I loved it from beginning to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt