Road trip audiobook!

I actually bought this on CD for another road trip over five years ago, but never got around to listening to it because on that road trip my daughter had finally gotten me to listen to digital audiobooks through the Libby app on my phone. I've been meaning to revisit Fredrik Backman since I enjoyed A Man Called Ove so much and even enjoyed the Tom Hanks adaptation earlier this year. So let's wrangle those disks!

This is very reminiscent of A Man Called Ove as a precocious little girl discovers the community around her as she grieves the death of her beloved grandmother. The other residents of her apartment building turn out to be colorful characters with their own complex baggage in regards to her grandmother.

I could have done without the story-within-a-story in. the form of grandmother's home-made epic fantasy that reflects all the people in her life in one way or another. The book felt bloated with all the time devoted to it.

It's too fluffy and the plot ties itself up far too neatly and predictably, but it still had a pleasing air that helped the miles zip by and made me want to try the companion book, Britt-Marie Was Here, so I borrowed that on Libby for the return trip. (I won't miss fumbling with those darn disks.) ( )

A very enjoyable read, and that from someone that generally avoids recently published fiction. Very creative use of language and imagination. A flight of fancy. Probably 4.5 stars if that was an option ( )

Wow, what a wonderful story, wrapped up in a fairy tale! ( )

Undrar om jag någon gång nånsin faktiskt gråtit när jag läst en bok. Nu gjorde jag det.
Om att vara, och att få vara, annorlunda.
Om sorg och kärlek, drömmar och verklighet. Jag älskar Fredrik Backman lite för att han skrivit den här boken och för att han gett mig Elsa, mormor och de andra.

Varje mening är så välskriven att det är en fröjd att läsa. ( )

This is the best book, and I highly recommend everyone read it as soon as possible ( )