Another book read! I’ve discovered two ideal times for me to read a book: first thing in the morning and the middle of the night. Plus sometimes in between doing other stuff when my eyelids are not so heavy. So here’s my latest review.
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I loved this novel. I love Backman’s writing. I love his humor – not the laughing out loud kind, but the every-other-sentence kind that tickles my glee button. I love his knowledge of human nature – superior to Shakespeare’s I’d say, and oh so contemporary. I love his wisdom. How clever to use “almost eight-years-old” Elsa as the precocious observer and processor of that wisdom. Just the age when fairy tale knowledge morphs from magic wonder into adult reality with all it’s fullness and pain. From parenting to war to love of self and others, from fear to hate. The reader lives it all in this gripping adventure story. I try to imagine his process in discovering the characters and mapping out their interactions. However he did it, this is a truly special creation that I will hand on to friends and look forward to discussing in our book group, especially with the help of questions provided at the end.
monagustafsonaffinito 