My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

A Novel

By: Fredrik Backman

Narrated by: Joan Walker

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of the internationally best-selling A Man Called Ove, a charming, warmhearted novel about a young girl whose grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters, sending her on a journey that brings to life the world of her grandmother's fairy tales.

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is 77 years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus crazy. She is also Elsa's best and only friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman's internationally best-selling debut novel, A Man Called Ove. It is a story about life and death and an ode to one of the most important human rights: the right to be different.

©2015 (c)2015 Fredrik Backman. All rights reserved. English language translation (c)2015 Henning Koch. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Joan Walker narrates this delightful novel with a perfect balance of reverence and playfulness, bringing out Backman's wonderfully authentic child's-eye perspective as well as his heartwarming humor." ( AudioFile)

Fredrik Backman is Amazing!

What did you love best about My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry?

Everything!

Any additional comments?

If you have not read anything by Fredrik Backman, you are missing one of the freshest and most delightful voices in literary fiction. " A Man Called Ove" immediately joined my special book lists when I read it earlier this year. Not only did it make my "Best of 2016" list, but my "One of the Best Ever" list and on to the ultimate, "Books That Live in My Heart".

So, it was with great anticipation and relish that I began "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry". Just as with Ove, it took me a few chapters to hit my reading stride, but then I was swept up into the world of this book. Once again, Backman has given us a cast of very real and unforgettable characters. The tiny protagonist, 7 year old Elsa enjoys a special relationship with her Granny, a retired physician who is an unabashedly independent spirit. Just before Granny dies, she sets Elsa on an amazing journey through the magical world she shared with Elsa which leads her one by one, to the unusual inhabitants of the building where Elsa lives. As their stories unfold, Elsa discovers just how amazing Granny truly was.

I read and listened to this book using the Kindle and Audible versions. I preferred listening as the voice of Joan Walker breathes life into each character in that way that a truly gifted narrator can.

Just as when I read "Ove", I closed my eyes, holding my Kindle to my chest and savored that special moment of completion of something as near to perfect as it can be.

"Britt-Marie Was Here", Backman's latest novel, connects to this book as Britt-Marie is an inhabitant of the building as well. It sits waiting for me to enjoy, but I may wait because when it is read, there aren't any others as yet.

Magical

Would you consider the audio edition of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry to be better than the print version?

This was fantastic, but I can not say which would be better.

What other book might you compare My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry to and why?

Fredik Backman is now one of my favorite authors, I love his writing style, this book is easily as good as A Man Called Ove. His book s are quirky,smart, heartwarming and charming.

Which character – as performed by Joan Walker – was your favorite?

Elsa, but they were all brought to life brilliantly.

If you could rename My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, what would you call it?

The title is perfect!

Any additional comments?

I can't wait to read more from this author!!

Another good story on humanity

I loved Fredrick Backman's A Man Called Ove. And this is another really good story by Backman about life and what breaks us and what heals us. Also, there's a little girl learning about growing up and that all people have their own particular story. I love Backman for his really great character development.
The fairytales were a form of flashback and - while entertaining - weren't always woven in smoothly.
I like the narrator. Her voices are lovely. The one issue that became s big issue is that her volume changes dramatically. If a narrator is whispering after talking loudly, it's really difficult to adjust the volume. I don't like the volume hurting my ears when there's normal talking and it's frustrating to rewind because the narrator is emphasizing by speaking softly.

Beer and cinnamon buns is Granny's favorite snack

Where does My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Of the 3 books I've read by Fredrik Backman, it's third. I didn't listen to his books in the order that they were released, so I listened to "Britt-Marie was Here" before this, so when I heard Britt-Marie named in this book I was surprised. Since I already knew so much about her from the other book, I think I lost out on being able to enjoy this book as much.

If you could take any character from My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry out to dinner, who would it be and why?

It would be Granny, obviously, and we'd eat beer and cinnamon buns.

Any additional comments?

This book was sad, and kind of happy, as are all of Backman's books, but I don't know if it's the order I read the books, or if this book just wasn't as good, but I'd recommend one of his other books before I recommended this one.

Love this author

this is a celebration of misfits.
great character development in a poignant story and lovely performance

Wonderful!

Laugh out loud and cry. Such full characters and excellent descriptions. I want to be Elsa's grandmother for my grandchildren.

my favorite book of all time.

Fredrik Backman is brilliant. I love how he writes. And this is such a cool story.

LOVE this book

I'm so sorry this book is over. I will miss these friends. Enchanting story, wonderful reader.

Amazing! A must read/listen story

Wonderful story of life and how it is not always as we see it. The kindness shown to others is never forgotten.

Great!

Such a good story. I love it! Heartwarming. Performance was great too! Would recommend it to everyone.