Britt-Marie: Nag Bag with a heart of gold

When the reader first encounters Britt- Marie, she is silent and closed off...quite rigid. Through her encounters in Borg, she develops the ability to assert herself, and make choices about her future.
4 out of 5 stars...I found the last chapter to be disappointing. The author doesn't really explain the choices Britt- Marie made, nor why. ( )

Another great story by Backman! Definitely officially one of my favorite authors. He has such a way with words and a gift at expressing such real emotions in his stories. This story was written similarly to A Man Called Ove (Beartown and Us Against You have a different vibe) with a main character that is easily disliked...until she’s not. It’s a beautiful story with a perfect ending. ( )

Absolutely astonishing. A side of Britt-Matie that is unexpected and heart warming. She reminded me of my own grandma in the loving way. This is the second book I have read by Fredrik Backman and I absolutely love it. A true tale of you are never too old to reinvent yourself and find a new passion. ( )

I enjoyed this book. The author has a way of taking everyday people and events and making them interesting. Britt-Marie is such a socially awkward person, but it's great to see her character development. This is my second book by this author and I'll definitely search for more. ( )

Quirky character. Enjoyable read, but not as good as ?A Man Called Ove?. KIRKUS REVIEWThe latest in a trio of thematically similar books by the bestselling Swedish author of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She?s Sorry (2015), etc.Like Backman?s debut, A Man Called Ove (2014), this latest novel features an older, very particular protagonist forced to navigate a challenging set of circumstances. Readers will remember the titular Britt-Marie as the ?nag-bag? from My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She?s Sorry. In that book, and to a greater extent in this one, Britt-Marie?s compulsive fastidiousness is explained by her tragic past and history of being neglected and diminished by those around her. Having left her husband after recognizing his faithlessness, she finds herself in Borg, a tiny, economically depressed ?community built along a road.? Borg is almost Dickensian in its circumstances. Most of the town has been shut down, most of the residents have left, and the ragtag bunch remaining includes orphaned children, a criminal, a former star of the local football team (now blind), and the proprietor of the only business in town�who's in a wheelchair and also probably an alcoholic. But they are all supremely pure of heart and loving toward each other. All Borg needs to be brought back to life is for Britt-Marie to arrive and literally set about cleaning the place, transforming herself in the process. In this way, the novel feels clunky and contrived, something the earlier books narrowly avoided. Backman has always played fast and loose with internal logic; without the smart pacing displayed in his previous books, the problem is more glaring here.Fans of Backman?s style or of the metaphoric powers of football will enjoy what this novel has to offer, but it needed to simmer longer.