Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel
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 isolating.
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Community Reviews
Love the way this author writes and will defo read another book by him (this was my second)… I’m a little mixed with how I feel bout britt marie was here though, fell in love with the characters and liked the story but felt on ocassion he goes into little rants/statements bout life which wasn’t needed… also felt some bits got confusing about what was actually going on… but I did enjoy it xx
I've become a Frederik Backman fan, and this is the 5th book I've read by him, but it is by far my favorite. Yes, he has a grumps-with-a-heart-of-gold theme that he repeats over and over. However, he really succeeded in created a nuanced imperfect character with Brit-Marie who experiences life as realistically as I've seen in a while. Most books I would change this or that about but this is a pretty nearly perfect story. Backman makes it look easy, but judging by all the many books I've read, it definitely isn't.
Note: Britt Marie is a character in My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, and this comes sequentially after, but the style of this one is more realistic.
Note: Britt Marie is a character in My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, and this comes sequentially after, but the style of this one is more realistic.
All passion is childish. It's banal and naive. It's nothing we learn; it's instinctive, and so it overwhelms us. Overturns us.
...That is the reason why passion is worth something, not for what it gives us but for what it demands that we risk. Our dignity.
I was blown away by Backman's book [b: A Man Called Ove|18774964|A Man Called Ove|Fredrik Backman|https:images.gr-assets.com/books/1405259930s/18774964.jpg|21619954]. The book became a quick favorite, and Ove, the main character, became one of my favorites as well. It was a tall order for Britt-Marie to make any kind of impression on me. A few chapters in, I was worried she wasn't going to.
Britt-Marie is socially awkward. She says things she maybe shouldn't and is often a bit rude without ever meaning to be. She likes to feel needed and lives to take care of her husband, Kent. Unfortunately, Kent has repaid her for this by having an affair. At the ripe age of sixty-three, Britt-Marie has left her husband and has moved to the struggling town of Borg to take the one job offered to her (after much persistence) by the unemployment agency.
Borg. The town is so vivid that it becomes a character. Whenever my husband and I travel on the motorcycle, we go through little towns that remind me of Borg. The houses are sagging. Most of the stores are shut down. Most don't even have For Sale signs, just plywood over the windows. Rusted vehicles are parked in the driveways - never just one car per driveway - almost always three or four. They are the towns I always think you'd have to be born in to live there because why would you move there by choice?
Both Britt-Marie and Borg (including the people of Borg) grew on me ever so slowly. There is a strong emphasis on soccer, which I am vaguely familiar with the rules of from playing when I was very young, but not in a way that you can't enjoy the book if you aren't a huge fan. What makes this work is that Britt-Marie is not a fan. She knows very little of the sport. What she does know is how to get stains out of the clothing the children wear while playing soccer.
I'm pretty sure Backman was sitting there with my little heart in his hands, just tossing it from one hand to another as I laughed and then cried and then laughed. And then cried a bit more. And then laughed again. And again.
A year turned into several years, and several years turned into all the years. One morning you wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it's happened.
5 Stars
...That is the reason why passion is worth something, not for what it gives us but for what it demands that we risk. Our dignity.
I was blown away by Backman's book [b: A Man Called Ove|18774964|A Man Called Ove|Fredrik Backman|https:images.gr-assets.com/books/1405259930s/18774964.jpg|21619954]. The book became a quick favorite, and Ove, the main character, became one of my favorites as well. It was a tall order for Britt-Marie to make any kind of impression on me. A few chapters in, I was worried she wasn't going to.
Britt-Marie is socially awkward. She says things she maybe shouldn't and is often a bit rude without ever meaning to be. She likes to feel needed and lives to take care of her husband, Kent. Unfortunately, Kent has repaid her for this by having an affair. At the ripe age of sixty-three, Britt-Marie has left her husband and has moved to the struggling town of Borg to take the one job offered to her (after much persistence) by the unemployment agency.
Borg. The town is so vivid that it becomes a character. Whenever my husband and I travel on the motorcycle, we go through little towns that remind me of Borg. The houses are sagging. Most of the stores are shut down. Most don't even have For Sale signs, just plywood over the windows. Rusted vehicles are parked in the driveways - never just one car per driveway - almost always three or four. They are the towns I always think you'd have to be born in to live there because why would you move there by choice?
Both Britt-Marie and Borg (including the people of Borg) grew on me ever so slowly. There is a strong emphasis on soccer, which I am vaguely familiar with the rules of from playing when I was very young, but not in a way that you can't enjoy the book if you aren't a huge fan. What makes this work is that Britt-Marie is not a fan. She knows very little of the sport. What she does know is how to get stains out of the clothing the children wear while playing soccer.
I'm pretty sure Backman was sitting there with my little heart in his hands, just tossing it from one hand to another as I laughed and then cried and then laughed. And then cried a bit more. And then laughed again. And again.
A year turned into several years, and several years turned into all the years. One morning you wake up with more life behind you than in front of you, not being able to understand how it's happened.
5 Stars
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