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My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Joan Walker
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
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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.
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- B.J.
- 07-27-15
Simply splendid.
I love Fredrik Backman's writing style. He has a way of painting a picture on the surface then diving in to show you just how wrong your assumptions can be. His characters are interesting, flawed, loveable and real - with a great similarity to people you've known in your own life. He has a special way of showing what makes us who we are.
Both of his books have been absolutely terrific listens - enough so that I've now listened to both of them twice. The first time through I had to find out what was going to happen. I was totally engaged in the story. The second time through I wanted to enjoy his talent as a writer and the pure enjoyment of a perfect narration.
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127 people found this helpful
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- Elizabeth
- 12-31-15
So Disappointed
I had high expectations because I loved "A Man Called Ove" and it got great reviews here on Audible. I know I am in a minority but I was so disappointed. There is a lovely story hidden in this book but it is hidden in fairy tales that I found boring and I got lost in. I feel like I wasted 80% of my time to read 20% with meaning. I almost quit many times but I hung in there. I don't mind fantasy. I am listening to Harry Potter now and love it. I didn't like the blending of fantasy with reality. Am asking for a return.
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100 people found this helpful
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- ReaderReader
- 07-24-15
Amazing author
I'll read anything by this author; he's that good. Just buy this and enjoy it. I love A Man Called Ove more than this, but this one is charming and sweet and delightful as well.
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87 people found this helpful
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- Beth
- 07-08-15
Starts slow, but you are going to love it!
I read this as soon as I finished A Man Called Ove. Backman has an exceptional talent of description using the most incongruous elements which adroitly fill your imagination with exactly the image required (you laugh out loud despite the tears in your eyes with your identification with imperfect upbringings). This book first introduces you to the harsh and easily judgmental view of the characters that would be easily reached upon superficial evaluation, and then leads you to a far more mature and intelligent understanding of their foibles and their heroism, all told in the voice of a painfully precocious, "almost 8 year old" girl. Your understanding of the characters deepens, even as they themselves continue to develop with his talented hand. Though told in the voice of a child, do not mistake this for a children's book, even as you wish you would have read it far earlier in life!
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73 people found this helpful
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- Deborah Jacob
- 03-19-16
Nothing to Apologize For
If you're looking for a magical read to remind you of the importance of family, this is it. An engaging story with its own little mysteries, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, reminds us all that life can be one big fairy tale. Truly an engaging book with many lessons wrapped in a wondrous story.
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55 people found this helpful
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- B. Lynn
- 04-29-16
Nothing like his other book (A man called ove)
I picked this book because I thought a man called ove was spectacular. I wanted to read anything else by the author and downloaded this book with out evening reading the description. I was extremely disappointed. It's probably my least favorite book I've listened to. The story had way too much fairytale stuff and just simply boring. I felt like there was so much unnecessary dialogue and the story seemed to drag on in an attempt to make the story longer. I would not recommend the book to anyone.
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51 people found this helpful
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- Kathy in CA
- 05-23-16
Really A Quite Beautiful Story
I have to preface this review by saying that I am not a fantasy lover. I have tried the genre several times, always convinced that this time it will be different, only to find I can't continue. I really had no idea how much fantasy was in this story when I started my listen. Yes, there were times when I contemplated quitting and felt quite disappointed. But, something kept me hanging in there.
I did finish this book and am so glad I did. Sometimes we just need to push ourselves to do something that is not in our comfort zone. I have always found this to be good for me.
What initially kept me invested in this story was Joan Walker's amazing narration. She is truly a genius. As far as the story line, I found myself more and more invested in the many interesting characters and events as time wore on. Elsa, of course, was my favorite. As an almost-eight-year-old girl, she had wisdom beyond her years, as some children do in reality. Yet, she was still a vulnerable little girl whom I worried about and who still made me chuckle and laugh at times. And strangest of all, I admired her and wished I could have been more like her as a child!
If you could call this an adult fairy tale, it is surely the best of its kind. Fredrik Backman is a very special author and man, and I only have positive thoughts about his writing, this current book and the previous, "A Man Called Ove", which I tremendously enjoyed. If you are sitting on the fence about this book, let me suggest you go for it!
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- Lynne F
- 07-08-15
I laughed, I cried - then I laughed again
Backman's writing is magical - I love the eccentricity of his characters, his ability to reflect this crazy world and to populate it it with unlikely yet everyday heroes. In Ove's story the cat rules but here we have a true canine hero and a grandmother that any little girl - especially a different little girl - needs and deserves. Bravo!
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39 people found this helpful
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- Catherine Van Camp
- 05-18-16
For those who are "different" only! Quirky & sweet
What made the experience of listening to My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry the most enjoyable?
I was just fascinated with the characters. Like his first novel, Backman weaves together a somewhat suspenseful tale that highlights characters and brings out the best in the weird ones. I wished I had my 10 year old granddaughter close by to read it together. Some of the story is almost a bit too fanciful (the fairy tale parts that got long) and that dragged it down somewhat for me. (more on that later)
What was one of the most memorable moments of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry?
The opening story when grandmother had taken Elsa to the zoo in the middle of the night; Elsa discovering Alf was cool; can't give away the plot with other best parts!
Have you listened to any of Joan Walker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Many. This is a quirky story and probably not for everyone! But Ove was a quirky story too. I'd say this is even more off the wall but it has the similarity of discovering the real people behind the veneer of neighbors and I like that concept a lot.
Any additional comments?
At times I was a bit bored with the fairy story parts, that is the parts that were pure fairy story but they were kind of important so sometimes I had to listen twice. That's why I thought reading it with my granddaughter would have kept me alert when my 67 year old self was drifting away from the-land-of-almost-awake!
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31 people found this helpful
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- Janice
- 09-29-15
The importance of family & fairy tales
Writing a credible tale about precocious children is tricky. Too often it allows the child too much snarky “wisdom” while making the surrounding adults imbeciles (a la “The Simpsons”). Backman has wonderfully dodged this trap by creating a frankly precocious child who still struggles with childlike fears of abandonment and “being different”, and who still truly needs the love, strength and understanding of the grown-ups in her sphere. And although these same grown-ups (parents, stepparents and neighbors) may have their very real faults, they are united in their commitment to care for and protect Elsa. Most powerful, even in death, is Granny, whose gift to Elsa is a quest to deliver letters of apology to various people, and through this quest, to teach Elsa to embrace those who she never really understood before. Granny has instructed Elsa in a whole fantastic fairy tale world that offers clues to follow in her quest and ultimately to grasp the importance of family, friends and forgiveness.
This story had such a perfect balance of emotions that felt genuine – not manipulated. It took a while to grasp the thread of the fairy tales, but as Elsa’s awareness dawns, so does the reader’s. Joan Walker’s narration was excellent, especially for Elsa, who sounded young, but not babyish. Another homerun from the author of “A Man Called Ove”.
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- Kath Walters
- 06-24-18
Beautifully narrated
This charming, funny, sweet and tough book is bought to life poignantly by the exquisite narration. Gripping.
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Britt-Marie Was Here
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- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Joan Walker
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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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 63, Britt-Marie has had enough. She finally walks out on her loveless 40-year marriage and finds a job in the only place she can: Borg, a small, derelict town devastated by the financial crisis.
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A Gem
- By Sara on 05-12-16
By: Fredrik Backman
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And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
- A Novella
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: David Morse
- Length: 1 hr and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Grandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day. The square is strange but also familiar, full of the odds and ends that have made up their lives: Grandpa's work desk, the stuffed dragon that Grandpa once gave to Noah, the sweet-smelling hyacinths that Grandma loved to grow in her garden.
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Heartbreakingly Perfect
- By Jmo930 on 11-21-16
By: Fredrik Backman
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Anxious People
- A Novel
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- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything.
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Read. This. Now.
- By DIY Sammy on 09-09-20
By: Fredrik Backman
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Things My Son Needs to Know About the World
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Things My Son Needs to Know About the World collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood. As he conveys his profound awe at experiencing all the “firsts” that fill him with wonder and catch him completely unprepared, Fredrik Backman doesn’t shy away from revealing his own false steps and fatherly flaws, tackling issues both great and small, from masculinity and midlife crises to practical jokes and poop.
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Not my favorite Frederick Backman book
- By Frog on 06-16-19
By: Fredrik Backman
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The Deal of a Lifetime
- A Novella
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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It all begins with a father telling a story to his son on Christmas Eve. But this isn't your typical Christmas story. The father admits to his son that he's taken a life but he won't say whose - not yet. One week earlier, in a hospital late at night, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. She's a smart kid - smart enough to know that she won't beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
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Novellas Are Horrible!!!!!
- By 3xcharm on 12-28-17
By: Fredrik Backman
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Beartown
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semifinals, and they actually have a shot at winning.
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Miserable
- By Dee Garza on 06-12-17
By: Fredrik Backman
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Britt-Marie Was Here
- A Novel
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Joan Walker
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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 63, Britt-Marie has had enough. She finally walks out on her loveless 40-year marriage and finds a job in the only place she can: Borg, a small, derelict town devastated by the financial crisis.
-
-
A Gem
- By Sara on 05-12-16
By: Fredrik Backman
-
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
- A Novella
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: David Morse
- Length: 1 hr and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grandpa and Noah are sitting on a bench in a square that keeps getting smaller every day. The square is strange but also familiar, full of the odds and ends that have made up their lives: Grandpa's work desk, the stuffed dragon that Grandpa once gave to Noah, the sweet-smelling hyacinths that Grandma loved to grow in her garden.
-
-
Heartbreakingly Perfect
- By Jmo930 on 11-21-16
By: Fredrik Backman
-
Anxious People
- A Novel
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything.
-
-
Read. This. Now.
- By DIY Sammy on 09-09-20
By: Fredrik Backman
-
Things My Son Needs to Know About the World
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Things My Son Needs to Know About the World collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood. As he conveys his profound awe at experiencing all the “firsts” that fill him with wonder and catch him completely unprepared, Fredrik Backman doesn’t shy away from revealing his own false steps and fatherly flaws, tackling issues both great and small, from masculinity and midlife crises to practical jokes and poop.
-
-
Not my favorite Frederick Backman book
- By Frog on 06-16-19
By: Fredrik Backman
-
The Deal of a Lifetime
- A Novella
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It all begins with a father telling a story to his son on Christmas Eve. But this isn't your typical Christmas story. The father admits to his son that he's taken a life but he won't say whose - not yet. One week earlier, in a hospital late at night, the man met a five-year-old girl with cancer. She's a smart kid - smart enough to know that she won't beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
-
-
Novellas Are Horrible!!!!!
- By 3xcharm on 12-28-17
By: Fredrik Backman
-
Beartown
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semifinals, and they actually have a shot at winning.
-
-
Miserable
- By Dee Garza on 06-12-17
By: Fredrik Backman
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A Man Called Ove
- A Novel
- By: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: J. K. Simmons
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. But behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul.
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By Far the Best Narrator of a Book I've Had
- By WanderLaw on 04-05-20
By: Fredrik Backman
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My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry: A Novel by Fredrik Backman | Conversation Starters
- By: dailyBooks
- Narrated by: Bryan Nyman
- Length: 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This book you are about to enjoy is an independent resource to supplement the original book, enhancing your experience of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. If you have not yet purchased a copy of the original book, please do before purchasing this unofficial Conversation Starters.
By: dailyBooks
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My Name Is Eva
- An Absolutely Gripping and Emotional Historical Novel
- By: Suzanne Goldring
- Narrated by: Diana Croft
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Evelyn Taylor-Clarke sits in her chair at Forest Lawns Care Home in the heart of the English countryside, surrounded by residents with minds not as sharp as hers. It would be easy to dismiss Evelyn as a muddled old woman, but her lipstick is applied perfectly and her buttons done up correctly. Because, Evelyn is a woman with secrets, and Evelyn remembers everything. She can never forget the promise she made to the love of her life to discover the truth about the mission that led to his death, no matter what it cost her.
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The worst, simpering, stupid, ridiculous.
- By Beauhanks on 10-02-19
By: Suzanne Goldring
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My Mother's Secret
- A Completely Gripping and Emotional Listen
- By: Julia Roberts
- Narrated by: Clare Kissane
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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When she was a child, Danni would lie awake at night wondering what she had done to make her mother so cold. Now, she is determined to put the past behind them and make Diana as happy as she can in the time they have left. But as some of Diana’s memories are slipping away, others are forcing their way to the surface. One night Diana breaks down in tears and reveals her heartbreaking secret. Years before Danni was born, there was another baby who never got to see the world. Now there is one last thing Danni can do for her mother.