Title: Britt-Marie Was Here
Author: Fredrik Backman
Pages: 324
Finished: February 10, 2019
First Sentence: Forks. Knives. Spoons
Summary: Britt-Marie, a very particular woman, leaves her cheating husband and finds herself in the town of Borg. Britt-Marie does not like soccer. Britt-Marie does not like mess. Britt-Marie has never lived for herself. She now finds herself the caretaker of the recreation center and the soccer coach to a team. And one thing is sure, no one will forget Britt-Marie
Thoughts: Huh. This is a weird one. While reading it, I found the book very compelling. I wanted to know what was going on with this very odd woman. Why was she the way she was and what was going to be the outcome. Once I finished the book, I was a bit annoyed.
The good: I really liked Britt-Marie. This is the first Backman book I've read, and I've been told that she's unlikable when she shows up in another one of his books. But in this one, I really felt I understood her. I felt sorry for her, a woman who has lived only for other people. Constantly seeking approval and never getting it. I like that she starts finding out who she is, and in the end, she decides to live for herself and not anyone else.
The bad: This is the stuff that I noticed after finishing the book. The formula. This reads like a number of middle-grade contemporary novels that I have to read for work. Down to the climax where Britt-Marie learns who she is and the soccer game. It was predictable. Also, I will admit I get really annoyed by books where everyone is brought together for the love of a sport. In this book, the kids were pretty inclusive. In real life, my experience is that if you don't love a sport, you are ridiculed and bullied. I know that I should get past that, but I don't care about sports. I will never care about sports. And I have to listen to sports all the time. So the book doesn't even ring true to me.
I'm curious what our discussion will be about.
Read for my family book discussion.
The good: I really liked Britt-Marie. This is the first Backman book I've read, and I've been told that she's unlikable when she shows up in another one of his books. But in this one, I really felt I understood her. I felt sorry for her, a woman who has lived only for other people. Constantly seeking approval and never getting it. I like that she starts finding out who she is, and in the end, she decides to live for herself and not anyone else.
The bad: This is the stuff that I noticed after finishing the book. The formula. This reads like a number of middle-grade contemporary novels that I have to read for work. Down to the climax where Britt-Marie learns who she is and the soccer game. It was predictable. Also, I will admit I get really annoyed by books where everyone is brought together for the love of a sport. In this book, the kids were pretty inclusive. In real life, my experience is that if you don't love a sport, you are ridiculed and bullied. I know that I should get past that, but I don't care about sports. I will never care about sports. And I have to listen to sports all the time. So the book doesn't even ring true to me.
I'm curious what our discussion will be about.
Read for my family book discussion.
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