A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman was one of my favourite reads of 2018. But it has taken until now for me to read another of his books. My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises is a quirky, humorous and moving book about love, friendship and grief.
Elsa is seven. But she’s not very good at being seven. Luckily her beloved Granny isn’t very good at being 77 either. Granny is Elsa’s only friend and she is a superhero. Granny’s superpower is telling stories. Every night, when Elsa goes to sleep, she drifts off into the fairytale world Granny has created – the Land-of-Almost-Awake.
Elsa is different. Highly intelligent and imaginative, she doesn’t fit in at school. She loves her mum, but prefers her Granny. She desperately wants to dislike her stepfather, George, but being nice is his superpower. And she is jealous of her unborn sibling, because she she knows her mum and George will like the baby more than they like her. But none of this matters while she has Granny.
Then Granny sets Elsa her own superhero mission – to deliver letters to some special people. These are all people that Granny has wronged in her life and Elsa needs to track them down. In delivering the letters, Elsa discovers friendship – and that maybe fairytales are real after all…
My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises is a wonderful book, effortlessly combining Granny’s complex fairytale world with real life. It has a cast of quirky and entertaining characters, who all live in the same block of flats as Elsa and her family. If you are a parent, you have to suspend your disbelief at just how much freedom a 7-year-old has – and how unaware her mum is that Elsa has sneaked out of the flat in the middle of the night or escaped from school to go to a different part of town.
Although a very funny read, My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises also had me in tears a few times. It is a bit different and just the sort of book I would recommend for the strange times we are living through now. I loved it so much that I went straight on to read Fredrik Backman’s next book – Britt-Marie was Here, which features one of the key characters from My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises.
Although a book for adults, this would be a suitable read for anyone from the age of 12 or 13. I am going to be adding it to my daughter’s ever-growing pile of books to read.
June 5, 2020
This sounds great, I think I’d like it. In fact, I don’t think I ever got around to reading A Man Called Ove and that’s still in my Amazon ‘to buy’ pile. I’ll definitely check out both of them next time I’m looking for a book.
Nat.x
June 6, 2020
I’m sure you would love it – and A Man Called Ove. I can’t think of another author that writes quite like Fredrik Backman, his style is unique. x
June 6, 2020
I really like the sound of that book. Will have to check it out 🙂
June 8, 2020
It is definitely well worth a read!
July 6, 2020
This book sounded so familiar when I read your review – I have it on my bookshelf! Mine is the American edition and is called ‘My grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry.’ I’ll move it up my to read list after reading your review – I’ve not read any of Fredrik Backman’s books.
#ReadWithMe
July 7, 2020
I’m sure you will love it! He is a fantastic author. I’ve never read any other books quite like his.
July 13, 2020
It’s next on my list!
July 6, 2020
I have a Man Called One on my shelf waiting for me to pick up – I like the sound of this one, too.
July 8, 2020
I’m sure you will love both of them, although you might like this one more as it goes into a fantasy world.
July 6, 2020
Ah! This sounds really lovely. I think I have A Man Called Ove somewhere… it definitely rings a bell anyway…
#ReadWithMe
July 8, 2020
It is really lovely. It’s different from anything else I’ve read. A Man Called Ove is brilliant too.
July 12, 2020
This sounds like a very sweet and loveable read, thanks for sharing with #readwithme
July 13, 2020
Thanks very much. It is a fabulous read. I’ve never read anything quite like it.
July 13, 2020
This sounds quite different to my usual reads but I do like the sound of it. Fun and quirky
July 14, 2020
It is a fantastic read. I certainly haven’t read anything quite like it before.