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Loading... Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel (original 2016; edition 2017)by Fredrik Backman (Author)
Work InformationBritt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman (2016)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 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. 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 townwho'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. no reviews | add a review
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Fiction.
Literature.
Humor (Fiction.)
HTML:The New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, and Anxious People captivates readers with this "warm and satisfying" (People) story "about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis...fans of Backman will find another winner in these pages" (Publishers Weekly). Britt-Marie can't stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others??no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It's just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes. When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg??of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it??she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she's given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children's soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs? Funny and moving, sweet and inspiring, Britt-Marie Was Here celebrates the importance of community and connection in a world that can feel i No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)839.73Literature German literature and literatures of related languages Other Germanic literatures Swedish literature Swedish fictionLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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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. ( )