April 2018 Book Club - Britt Marie Was Here

I'm almost done reading it and like it too

 

I think I had put this on my Goodreads list after seeing it somewhere. Yes, a cover can sell me.

 

whoo hoo! picked up the CD of this today and can start listening on my way to work. I went from a 3 minute commute to a 30 minute commute recently when my office relocated. The only bonus I'm telling myself is that I can get some book listening in!

 

Just downloaded to my kindle. I’m not sure what I think about it yet.

 

@Karen your spoiler was something unique I had never seen in a book before. I liked it!

 

I think that's one of the things i loved about the book, it was kind of quirky and it speaks to Britt-Marie's initial character (in white) she was so uppity to me that asking the name of a lowly clerk in a town she wasn't staying long in anyway, was beneath her and then i guess it resonated for me because it's hard to ask some one's name after you've had several brief encounters (i'm thinking of random parents at school pickup and swimming and sports events) so in my head i just refer to them as that lady that sits 3 seats down from me or is the mum/grandma of the kid with the red hair etc).
There's also one of my favourite poems by e.e.cummings (no caps on purpose - cummings didnt like caps but the poem is about "anyone" and "no one", anonymous people and how they and all of us generally in a community go about life, side by side not necessarily noticing each other, in various years and seasons that go by and the pattern repeating through generations - i don't know if the poem would have been influential in Britt-Marie but the Someone character reminded me of that (and i audio'd it so i dont know it Someone had a capital like it was their name in the book-book but while i was listening, to me 'someone' became 'Someone' with a caps

 

(so hyper links don't get turned white) #lesson_of_the_day !

So glad you've liked this book so far - i think i suggested it, it was my fave book last year, possibly because i didn't have any expectations going in and i quickly felt sympathy and respect for Britt Marie and i didn't know if i was happy for her relationship in the end (i can't remember the husband's name, he was some kind of business man, (talking about market downturns etc if i remember correctly) and she was so proud of that etc, after all the lipstick, ungrateful step kids etc But the job centre woman ended u being for me a star employee, talk about above and beyond, because i think the 'punctual' and high expectations of B-M would drive anyone crazy

 

Hhmmm. I should have expected my initial reaction. I didn’t like A Man Called Ove until like the last chapter. This one hasn’t grabbed me yet either. Maybe it’s the reader on the cd I’m listening to but I’m finding myself annoyed with a lot of the characters. I do feel sorry for Britt-Marie, but probably not my favorite book of the year so far

 

I'm in another 3 chapters and it's getting easier to listen to. I keep hoping for that moment like I had in Ove where I'm like turned around. Lol

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I've got this one downloaded now and also the other one "My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry" by the same author.

 

Since I zipped through March’s awesome book already, I’ll start this one in the next few days.

I love how book club has me reading books I never would have purchased otherwise but completely ended up loving.

 

I’m listening on audio and something is bugging me. Is the lady in the wheelchair called Somebody? Or am I not hearing it right? Thank you

Part of me thinks Somebody is right because it’s making a point that she doesn’t bother learning names...just like the girl at the placement office doesn’t have a name...

 

I have just listened to it as well and I think that Brit Marie just calls her somebody because she initially didn’t want to learn names. I may have missed any other reasons...
This has been my favourite book this year. I loved Ove as well so may have to read his others as well...

 

Yes that is correct. She is called Somebody.

 

Thanks

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So did anyone else see the stark contrast between this book and how she’s running from death and her fear of it,while in A Man Called Ove he’s in the complete opposite state in the beginning. I do think character development was pretty good here even if I never really liked the book as a whole....

Highlighted my thoughts