Reviews

• “It’s a linguistic universe I happily return to book after book.”

• “A story of sorrow, hope, and joy, written with an abundance of humor.”

• “In Fredrik Backman’s new novel Britt-Marie Was Here, the typically Swedish is magnified: it’s laugh-out-loud funny and sentimentally philosophical.”

• “It is doubtlessly a page-turner worthy the name.”

• “Backman is a genius at distinguishing and making us laugh at the typically Swedish – our fear of conflict, social handicap, and hopeless taciturnity.”

• “Backman has a momentum when he writes, a natural prose and a clear talent for finding the humorous angle without too much effort. And still he doesn’t lose the underlying gravity. /…/ [Britt-Marie Was Here] is a cozy tribute to the everyday heroes who never end up in the papers or TV.”

• “Backman has clearly hit a winning note with his stories filled to the brim with charm, warmth, humor and life stories. Britt-Marie Was Here is in no way an exception. /…/ Britt-Marie’s meeting with the local unemployment office clerk and her unwavering faith that scrubbing everything with baking soda will solve all problems alone are reasons enough to read this charmer of a novel.”

• “Backman has found a new way to describe reality with his original style and exceptional characters.”

• “Insightful and touching, [Britt-Marie Was Here] is a sweet and inspiring story about truth and transformation. Fans of Backman’s will find another winner in these pages.”

• “Heartfelt and truly stirring. /…/ Backman has written another bestseller with his latest novel.”

• “As with Backman’s previous two books – A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry – Britt-Marie Was Here is a brilliant mix of belly-laughs, profound insight and captivating events delivered through enchanting characters disguised as ordinary folk, with Backman’s pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature. /…/ Britt-Marie Was Here will warm hearts, wrench hearts and, most importantly, it will steal hearts. At its core, it is a love story, one in which a lonely woman learns to love a small town, its inhabitants and especially herself. Fredrik Backman has cleaned the windows so his readers can clearly view his world, and the reflections they catch of themselves may change them forever.”

• “Written with so much honest warmth and understanding of life that you would have to be made of stone not to be moved by it.”

• “Almost in the blink of an eye the story changes from comical to heart-rending, thereby creating stunning depth.”

• “Warm and satisfying.”

• “Universal. /…/ Backman hits a nice note between overly sweet and hard-boiled fiction; excellent for book clubs.”

• “Britt-Marie’s metamorphosis from cocoon to butterfly seems all the more remarkable for the utterly discouraging environment in which it takes place.”

• “This novel was well worth reading, and I embrace what I learned from it.”