My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
Ratings89
Average rating4
This one took me a while to get into, but it turned out to be a sweet story. It portrayed the messiness, pain, and sorrow of life through the eyes of a feisty 7 year old as she gets to know her eclectic neighbors. Three quotes from the book really hit home for me:
1) If you don't like people, they can't hurt you.
2) Death's greatest power is not that it can make people die, but that it can make people want to stop living.
3) If people you like have been shits on earlier occasions, you have to learn to carry on liking them. You'd quickly run out of people if you had to disqualify all those who had some point have been shits.
This one is tough to review! I'm giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 (because Jeffrey Bezos refuses to give us half stars). Some parts made me roll my eyes, some parts made me cry. I'm going to keep this short because I don't really have anything insightful. The 7-year-old main character was definitely precocious (as I think she was meant to be), but sometimes too much to the point of annoyance. And that just made me think maybe she wasn't wise, she was just a brat. But then it's also a lovely found family story, a story of grief and love and choices and anger and friendship and really getting to know people and realizing they all have a story instead of just judging them by what you see.
This was my first Backman and I'd like to read another. I can't quite tell if I enjoyed this one or not.
Unfortunately, this was a Backman that didn't hit for me. The book swings between grounded meaning and syrup-y sweetness on a dime. The grandmother foils Elsa nicely at the start, but, without her, Elsa becomes too precocious. I did listen to the audiobook so that may have made a difference, but still had difficulty coming to grips with the book's eccentricity.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is one of the most moving books I've ever read, and the only book I've read that's made me cry. I don't cry easily, and it was worth it.
This was such a fun story. I loved it. The characters were deep and interesting. I laughed and got a little ready in parts.
Copy/pasted from BLC: I think I'm at a 3.5~4 stars. I really loved how the story began, and Granny was such full of character and unique charisma. I understand a lot of the swearing and word usage for a seven year old is kind of crazy.. but I guess that's what happens when someone like Granny is around? I think the whole plot was cute, and the ending as well and the meaning behind Elsa delivering these letters, but it felt a little 'bored' or lacking in the middle while Elsa was delivering these letters. Maybe because Granny's strong presence wasn't there anymore. After such a strong start, it felt lackluster after Granny's death. Enjoyed it though! My first Backman book
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader, which normally features better writing than this.
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If you don't like people, they can't hurt you. Almost-8-year-olds who are often described as “different” learn that very quickly.
really
She used to write letters to Santa every Christmas, not just wish lists but whole letters. They weren't very much about Christmas, mainly about politics. Because Elsa mostly felt that Santa wasn't involving himself enough in social questions, and believed he needed to be informed about that, in the midst of the floods of greedy letters that she knew he must be receiving from all the other children every year. Someone had to take a bit of responsibility.
3.9/5.0- I'm not good with fantasy and keeping up with imaginary stuff but it was still an adorable book and I like it when stories are connected.
Meh honestly? Odd mix of fantasy and reality. Buuut very spunky and funny 7 year old.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is one of the most moving books I've ever read, and the only book I've read that's made me cry. I don't cry easily, and it was worth it.
Made it a little over 100 pages, about a third. Didn't feel compelling, although some elements were well written. Maybe I'll pick it back up later.
In the first 100 pages, I found it humorous, fast hooked, easy to read, and sharp. The writing is witty and engaging, making it a very entertaining read. The characters are well-developed and quirky, particularly Elsa and her grandmother, whose antics and adventures keep the narrative lively and amusing. The blend of humor and emotional depth creates a compelling and enjoyable story, making it easy to get absorbed in the world Backman has created. It's a delightful start to a novel that promises both laughter and heartfelt moments.
I had a hard time imagining this book being narrated by a “an almost eight year-old,” even if she is an exceptionally bright one.
Basically... Eloise in Sweden. And instead of The Plaza, it's an apartment building (and along that vein: with Britt-Marie acting as a stand-in for Mr Salomone, I guess). I enjoyed Eloise... which is heavy on whimsy... not sure how I feel about this one. It's all so very whimsical...and all so very fairytale-ical. I'd put it down and find it difficult to pick up again. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - but guess it was a bit heavier wading than I'd have liked through the fairytale sprinkled in amongst the story. What I did enjoy was how each of the side characters personalities and back-stories were teased out and woven together.
If you liked ‘Ove'... set that feeling aside, this book is not ‘Ove'.