Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel

Fredrik Backman

May 2016 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

The New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, and Anxious People captivates readers with this “warm and satisfying” (People) story “about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis…fans of Backman will find another winner in these pages” (Publishers Weekly).

Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention.

But hidden inside the socially awkward, fussy busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams, and a warmer heart that anyone around her realizes.

When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself in the miserable backwater town of Borg—of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it—she finds work as the caretaker of a soon-to-be demolished recreation center. The fastidious Britt-Marie soon finds herself being drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of miscreants, drunkards, layabouts. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the supremely untalented children’s soccer team to victory. In this small town of misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?

Funny and moving, sweet and inspiring, Britt-Marie Was Here celebrates the importance of community and connection in a world that can feel isolating.

Ratings and reviews

I was introduced to Fredrik Backman in June, 2015, when I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of his second novel, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. As I said in my review, I loved that book and promptly ran out to find his first book, A Man Called Ove, which was also a 5-star read for me. That's two 5-star ratings of the 26 I awarded last year (out of a total of 218 books read) for the same author: pretty impressive! Not surprisingly, then, I was looking for an equally engaging reading experience when I picked up Britt-Marie Was Here. While it was a fine book, it did not measure up to its predecessors. Backman's writing is always lighthearted, which I thoroughly enjoy, but in this case, he slipped over the edge to twee on several occasions. More importantly, though, I started the book already disliking Britt-Marie, who was a minor, but unpleasant, character in My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. In that book, she was an obsessive-compulsive doormat of a wife, and she doesn't improve much after separating from her adulterous husband. I have been happily married for 30 years, but my best friend recently divorced under similar circumstances, so I have some secondhand understanding of Britt-Marie's reluctance (or outright inability) to move on. But when she's still refusing tacos because "Kent doesn't eat foreign food" 120 pages later, I've lost what little patience I had. For a book which is supposed to be about Britt-Marie's "transformation," she doesn't seem to change very much. Nevertheless, Britt-Marie Was Here deserves to be read just for Backman's hilarious descriptions of people and places. Among my favorites: "The girl glances at the surface of the desk, which looks as if toddlers have been trying to eat potatoes off it. With pitchforks. In the dark. Borg is a community built along a road. That’s really the kindest possible thing one can say about it. Somebody has one of the worst hairstyles Britt-Marie has ever laid eyes on, as if she’s combed her hair with a terrified animal. People sometimes refer to darkness as something that falls, but in places like Borg it doesn’t just fall, it collapses. It hits the streets like an epidemic." Verdict: Those unfamiliar with Backman's prior works will find Britt-Marie Was Here more enjoyable than existing fans with high (perhaps unreasonably so) expectations, but it's still a fun read. I received a free copy of Britt-Marie Was Here from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Get past the 5th chapter ..she is SO SO annoying!!And SO SO passive agressive.. it made my brain bleed..I gm have no interest in continuing it

Absolutely delightful! I love that this captures people being people; no fantasy, no unbelievable events. Just people... living, surviving, being there for one another, and learning to be themselves

About the author

Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and Anxious People, as well as two novellas and one work of nonfiction. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter @BackmanLand and on Instagram @Backmansk.