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
In "A Man Called Ove," Fredrik Backman expertly illustrated a maddeningly, hilariously inflexible man and let him blossom -- in a realistic way -- into a still maddeningly, hilariously inflexible yet also somehow lovable man.
Britt-Marie shares some of Ove's rigidity: Dinner must be at 6. Lists must be made, but never in pen, because, well, you never know when you might need to change the list. A meeting called for 9 am means 9 am, not 9:03 am. A compulsive cleaner, Britt-Marie can't keep her hands off sponges and window cleaner, especially as she is suddenly alone after decades of an unsatisfying marriage, but one she depended on for her sense of self.
As she tries to build an independent life, Britt-Marie becomes the incongruous "den mother" to a motley bunch of teenagers living in the tiny town of Borg, economically depressed, whose residents have mostly fled. The book's title speaks to the author's theme, which is that what people desperately need is to feel that they are seen, heard, and count. This goes not only for Britt-Marie but also for the remaining townspeople.
Through the story, Britt-Marie discovers that she does count as a woman outside her marriage, but this is not an arch feminist rant against men. In fact, when her estranged husband shows up, as obnoxious as he is it's clear that in his own way he loves Britt-Marie and misses her.
Britt-Marie is a very funny, socially awkward, rules-driven character. In a meeting with an employment office worker through whom she wants to find a job, she says, "It's very brave of you to wear such a short haircut, especially with such a high forehead." In one of the funniest scenes in the book, the little pizzeria that Britt-Marie helps manage is being held up at gunpoint, yet when the robbers demand that she open the register, she shouts that this is impossible without them first making a purchase.
Backman has a special talent for letting his characters grow both in courage and charm.
I do have two quibbles with this book. One is the character known only as "Somebody." She is a major character in the book and speaks oddly in the way of an immigrant who hasn't mastered the language, but her background is never explained. Neither is her disability being wheelchair-bound, also making the jobs she does extremely improbable. For a book whose theme is the deep desire to be recognized, having a character known only as Somebody becomes very irksome. Similarly, several of the characters in Borg clearly come from other countries, and the author seems to be tiptoeing around the issue of the difficulties that immigrants have integrating socially and economically. In fact, there are serious problems in Sweden in particular with some from Muslim countries, yet the issue is only hinted at the most opaque manner. As it is, the problems and backgrounds are so obscure that it is distracting.
Britt-Marie shares some of Ove's rigidity: Dinner must be at 6. Lists must be made, but never in pen, because, well, you never know when you might need to change the list. A meeting called for 9 am means 9 am, not 9:03 am. A compulsive cleaner, Britt-Marie can't keep her hands off sponges and window cleaner, especially as she is suddenly alone after decades of an unsatisfying marriage, but one she depended on for her sense of self.
As she tries to build an independent life, Britt-Marie becomes the incongruous "den mother" to a motley bunch of teenagers living in the tiny town of Borg, economically depressed, whose residents have mostly fled. The book's title speaks to the author's theme, which is that what people desperately need is to feel that they are seen, heard, and count. This goes not only for Britt-Marie but also for the remaining townspeople.
Through the story, Britt-Marie discovers that she does count as a woman outside her marriage, but this is not an arch feminist rant against men. In fact, when her estranged husband shows up, as obnoxious as he is it's clear that in his own way he loves Britt-Marie and misses her.
Britt-Marie is a very funny, socially awkward, rules-driven character. In a meeting with an employment office worker through whom she wants to find a job, she says, "It's very brave of you to wear such a short haircut, especially with such a high forehead." In one of the funniest scenes in the book, the little pizzeria that Britt-Marie helps manage is being held up at gunpoint, yet when the robbers demand that she open the register, she shouts that this is impossible without them first making a purchase.
Backman has a special talent for letting his characters grow both in courage and charm.
I do have two quibbles with this book. One is the character known only as "Somebody." She is a major character in the book and speaks oddly in the way of an immigrant who hasn't mastered the language, but her background is never explained. Neither is her disability being wheelchair-bound, also making the jobs she does extremely improbable. For a book whose theme is the deep desire to be recognized, having a character known only as Somebody becomes very irksome. Similarly, several of the characters in Borg clearly come from other countries, and the author seems to be tiptoeing around the issue of the difficulties that immigrants have integrating socially and economically. In fact, there are serious problems in Sweden in particular with some from Muslim countries, yet the issue is only hinted at the most opaque manner. As it is, the problems and backgrounds are so obscure that it is distracting.
Backman spoecializes in stories of unlikely characters who are accidental heroes to the community they are surprised to find around them. Britt-Marie is easy to ignore. And take for granted. She is ignored by her father in abandonment, her mother in mourning for Britt-Marie’s livelier yet dead sister, her gregarious and status-seeking husband, and almost, by the employment office and new community she arrives at to begin work. But she finds her people and her purpose. Britt-Marie, most of all, wishes to no longer be ignored. She gets her wish. A charming story in which almost nothing happens, but everything does.
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