Britt-Marie was here A novel

Fredrik Backman, 1981-

Large print - 2016

Britt-Marie can't stand mess. She eats dinner at precisely the right time and starts her day at six in the morning because only lunatics wake up later than that. And she is not passive-aggressive. Not in the least. It's just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. But at sixty-three, Britt-Marie has had enough. She finally walks out on her loveless forty-year marriage and finds a job in the only place she can: Borg, a small, derelict town devastated by the financial crisis. For the fastidious Britt-Marie, this new world of noisy children, muddy floors, and a roommate who is a rat (literally), is a hard adjustment. As for the citizens of Borg, with everything that... they know crumbling around them, the only thing that they have left to hold onto is something Britt-Marie absolutely loathes: their love of soccer. When the village's youth team becomes desperate for a coach, they set their sights on her. She's the least likely candidate, but their need is obvious and there is no one else to do it. Thus begins a beautiful and unlikely partnership. In her new role as reluctant mentor to these lost young boys and girls, Britt-Marie soon finds herself becoming increasingly vital to the community. And even more surprisingly, she is the object of romantic desire for a friendly and handsome local policeman named Sven. In this world of oddballs and misfits, can Britt-Marie finally find a place where she belongs?

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LARGE PRINT/FICTION/Backman, Fredrik
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Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor LARGE PRINT/FICTION/Backman, Fredrik Due Apr 1, 2024
Subjects
Published
Waterville, Maine : Thorndike Press Large Print 2016.
Language
English
Swedish
Main Author
Fredrik Backman, 1981- (author)
Other Authors
Henning Koch, 1962- (translator)
Edition
Large print edition
Physical Description
497 pages (large print) ; 23 cm
ISBN
9781410489777
Contents unavailable.
Review by Library Journal Review

One Monday in January, 63-year-old Britt-Marie enters an unemployment office, having last worked as a waitress in 1978. After decades of fastidious living-perfect cutlery drawers, coasters under every drink, dinner at six, beds disinfected with baking soda-Britt-Marie needs a job. She's left her husband after his recent heart attack-news she received through his mistress. With limited choices, Britt-Marie is now the caretaker of a neglected recreation center in an equally run-down small town. Although not in her job description, she becomes the de facto soccer coach for a motley crew of local kids. Socially awkward though she is, Britt-Marie proves to be just the no-nonsense nurturer the children need; the adults-especially the town's only policeman-realize soon enough that beneath all that compulsive cleaning is a genuine, caring woman who deserves much more than a life merely serving others. Narrator Joan Walker takes on the eclectic cast with inspired energy, enhancing Backman's already delightful narrative with even greater charm. -VERDICT Following the international success of Backman's debut, A Man Called Ove, any library growing its collection of feel-good fiction will want to acquire Britt-Marie with alacrity. ["Backman hits a nice note between overly sweet and hard-boiled fiction; excellent for book clubs": LJ Xpress Reviews 5/20/16 starred review of the Atria hc.; the May 2016 top LibraryReads pick.]-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, -Washington, DC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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