My Friends: A Novel
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later.
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Community Reviews
T
thenextgoodbook.com
What’s it about?
Louisa is turning eighteen and will finally be able to leave foster care. She does not have much in her life except a love of art. When she accidentally meets her favorite artist and his best friend, Ted, a new adventure begins. This book alternates between the present with Louisa’s story and the past, told mainly by Ted.
What did it make me think about?
The power of friendship and the power of art.
Should I read it?
This book is quintessential Fredrik Backman- so if you liked A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, or any of his other books, you will also like this one. I am always amazed by the simplicity of his sentences and the complexity of his themes. He drops thought-worthy ideas throughout his books, “…because that is the worst sort of gossip: the sort that is discussed as concern,” or “Being a parent is so strange, all our children’s pain belongs to us, but so does their joy.”
In this story, the four childhood friends are the anchor for me. I also appreciated the weight of Louisa’s story and the author’s ability to bring it all together at the end.
So, with great admiration, I share that many of his books are just okay for the first 75% of the story. Then, by the time I turn the last page, I am kind of in awe. I am not sure how I feel about that. It makes for an uneven novel for me, but I always admire his talent.
This will be a favorite of book clubs next year. There are so many interesting themes and characters to discuss.
Quote-
“Nothing weighs more than someone else’s belief in you.”
What’s it about?
Louisa is turning eighteen and will finally be able to leave foster care. She does not have much in her life except a love of art. When she accidentally meets her favorite artist and his best friend, Ted, a new adventure begins. This book alternates between the present with Louisa’s story and the past, told mainly by Ted.
What did it make me think about?
The power of friendship and the power of art.
Should I read it?
This book is quintessential Fredrik Backman- so if you liked A Man Called Ove, Anxious People, or any of his other books, you will also like this one. I am always amazed by the simplicity of his sentences and the complexity of his themes. He drops thought-worthy ideas throughout his books, “…because that is the worst sort of gossip: the sort that is discussed as concern,” or “Being a parent is so strange, all our children’s pain belongs to us, but so does their joy.”
In this story, the four childhood friends are the anchor for me. I also appreciated the weight of Louisa’s story and the author’s ability to bring it all together at the end.
So, with great admiration, I share that many of his books are just okay for the first 75% of the story. Then, by the time I turn the last page, I am kind of in awe. I am not sure how I feel about that. It makes for an uneven novel for me, but I always admire his talent.
This will be a favorite of book clubs next year. There are so many interesting themes and characters to discuss.
Quote-
“Nothing weighs more than someone else’s belief in you.”
This is the first Fredrik Backman book I've listened to that didn't hit for me. Parts of the book were beautiful, but it is a very long story. Many themes are repeated over and over again. I didn't think it needed to be a 13 hour audiobook. The narrator did an amazing job. This story felt much more stream of consciousness than other books I've read by him, which I tend to not enjoy. Frienship is important, and so is art, but I must be the worst kind of person (an adult) because I just wasn't feeling it.
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