Fredrik Backman 3 Books Collection Bundle (A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises, Britt-Marie Was Here)

(This review pertains to the second book in the collection, "My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry.") I once wrote a book – a series of short stories really – about a seven-year-old girl genius. Those few I shared the stories with told me, politely, that the girl was unrealistic. That she was too perfect, that she didn’t exhibit the emotions or behaviors of a normal seven-year-old. Perhaps my friends were right about that, but the real problem was this – I don’t possess the creativity and imagination of Fredrik Backman, who has pulled off the seven-year-old girl genius thing quite well. It takes a real genius to create a realistic “almost eight” one. Not that Elsa is ever referred to as a genius. She’s just “different.” Elsa is a pariah among her peers, who bully her, and an annoyance to many of the adults in her ‘house’ – the building of apartments where she lives with her mother, step-father, and granny. They know her as the girl who constantly corrects their grammar or points out fallacies in their reasoning, which I suppose would annoy most adults, regardless of the critic’s age. Unlike my own creation, Elsa does behave like a seven-year-old, just a really smart one. She expresses the emotions of a dozen angst-ridden teenage girls, with a handful of precocious twelve-year-olds thrown in for good measure. She is, at times, angry, scared, frustrated, witty, snotty, sad, worried, empathetic, courageous, lonely, introspective, extremely insightful and, on at least one occasion, carelessly mean. We can easily give her grace during spirts of selfishness, however, because she is, as Elsa reminds her adults, really only seven, after all. I hesitate to give much of the story away. No spoiler alerts, I think, would be the best policy. So, let me just say that My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is an exceptionally fine read about a girl who is sent on a quest by her grandmother. And let me warn that though this close, third-person narration sticks to our seven-year-old protagonist, Elsa’s story is not a book for seven-year-olds. My own granddaughter, Elsa, is twice this heroine’s age, and I am not sure that I can recommend the book to her until her mother reads it first. (Language, violence. Animals – one at least – harmed in the making of this book.) This novel is neither juvenile nor young adult fiction. I am not sure that a teenager would get half the humor, frankly, or appreciate the gravity of the adult issues broached in this intriguing, interwoven collection of broken lives. It’s a story of survivors, of reclamation and redemption, and true to Backman, it is a story full of love in the face of anguish, sadness and despair. More love than despair. Don’t be put off by the despair. Backman always rescues his characters through an abundance of Love. P.S. I love that Elsa, while a loyal and well-versed fan of the Harry Potter saga, has also read the collected works of Charles Dickens and all the mystery novels of Agatha Christie – two authors who top my list of all-time favorites. I like too that she has not just absorbed a sophisticated vocabulary through her reading, but that she often recalls quotes from her books as an assist to understanding her ever-changing world. Her language, and her intellect, is fit for adult reading. Finally, I’d like to mention that in this fictional account, Elsa learns about the very real, very big wave that came ashore in Thailand in 2004, killing thousands. A wave which eventually claimed the lives of Swedish actress Johanna Sällström, in 2007, and her daughter Talulah, in 2014, though neither are mentioned in the book. I remember reading about the wave. I remember the sad news of the suicides. This Swedish author, perhaps, had his heart touched by the tragedy of the wave and its repercussions, and therefore gave it prominence in his book. It’s a cathartic act, I think, to examine this tragedy together with an almost-eight-year-old genius, and I appreciate Backman for it. P.P.S – the audio version, read by Joan Walker, is superb.

The books ere a gift. My daughter was very pleased to get them.

I love these books. Funny, sad, & inspirational.

Apparently, this is a good author. I purchased this set for my mother after she told me she had really enjoyed another book. I will probably purchase more after she is done with this set.

My teenager loves these books! she is reading instead of looking at her phone :)

This trio of stories is pure Fredrik Backman magic. Each book stands on its own, but together they form a complete journey through the hearts of people who are grumpy, awkward, stubborn, and secretly full of love. However, my favorite, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, is whimsical and heartfelt. Fredrick Backman gets into the minds of his characters like no other, and it really felt like I was in the mind of a 7-year-old girl. These books are full of heart, humor, and hope. They don’t just tell stories, they remind you to look a little closer at the people around you.

These are good books, great stories. The only down side for me is the print is very small for my old eyes.

I splurged on these books after seeing the Otto movie and looking up the author online. The Ove book was pretty much like the Tom Hanks movie, but set in Sweden, and a bit darker even than the movie. The author's style seems to be to pull together a wide variety of characters, each of whom has a quirky, neurotic flaw and explore how this plays out in relationships. I think what most calls to me is that there are no real "badguys" in the writers world view, just lots of people tryna get through their day. Nothing explodes, no spaceships descend, and the only miracles that occur are the human ones, like when Ove let's his neighbors pack up his deceased wife's coats that have been jamming his entryway since she passed.

Mir haben alle Bücher gut gefallen.

I read each and every one of these books--one after the other. Simple, well-written stories that have a lot of characters who stay with you in your mind and your heart.

Love the writer and his sense of humour that shine throughout his books. But also some sad truths about the human state.

Great books from a first class author.

I have already read 2 of these books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I bought the 3 book set as a Christmas gift. Personally I love the author’s style of writing. He creates pictures of people and their eccentricities so well. The interactions between the characters and how he portrays their moments of self reflection are often poignant and memorable. These are novels I will definitely reread!