Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

بریت ماری این جا بود by Fredrik Backman

34 reviews

sandysmith's review against another edition

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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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martapsalvado's review against another edition

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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.

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candiemarsh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

This was a nicely paced read. I'd say it's a "feel good" book, with some emotional moments. Great character development; the characters grow to be more lovable as you go on with the story. It's the kind of read that isn't too heavy but at the same time makes you reflect.

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sheryl_macca's review against another edition

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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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ericaw212's review against another edition

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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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bessadams's review against another edition

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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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brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0


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avasbookmark's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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


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laurataylor's review against another edition

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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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mikarala's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

3.5

The first 100 pages or so of this one were rough. Britt-Marie is intentionally written as a frustrating busybody, and even knowing she'd grow out of it, it was hard to sit through that. I also found the prose surprisingly juvenile compared to the only other Backman novel I've read, Beartown, although again I think that's a function of Britt-Marie's very idiosyncratic worldview and way of thinking. For those reasons, I can't really rate this one any higher.

However, the character growth is extremely satisfying in this novel, and the way the whole cast of characters interact with each other is really enjoyable. I particularly loved the bond developed between Britt-Marie and Sami, and
the climax with Sami's premature death was incredibly moving.
I also like that the conclusion wasn't so neat and easy, as it felt like a good reflection of real life. Overall, I would recommend this novel, with the caveat that you do need to suffer through the first third or so before it gets really good.

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