{"id":3066,"date":"2023-10-25T06:03:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T06:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3066"},"modified":"2023-10-25T06:03:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T06:03:52","slug":"my-grandmother-send-her-regards-and-apologises-an-overdone-backman-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3066","title":{"rendered":"My Grandmother Send Her Regards and Apologises: An Overdone Backman Novel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hi Readers! I am back with another review. But, it pained me to write this one, because it\u2019s the first book by Fredrik Backman that I did not enjoy. I have enjoyed A Man Called Ove<\/a>, Beartown series<\/a>, Anxious People<\/a> and And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. But, this one was not for me. Read to know why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A charming, warmhearted novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller A Man Called Ove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy\u2014as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa\u2019s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother\u2019s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Elsa\u2019s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa\u2019s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother\u2019s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She\u2019s Sorry is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman\u2019s bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove. It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different.<\/p>\n\n\n

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~~THOUGHTS~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll tales have to end sometime, of course. Some can’t finish soon enough. This one, for example, could feasibly have been rounded off and packed away long ago.\u201d<\/em><\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This quote from the book itself is how I would define my thoughts on the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I think of Fredrik Backman, I think of the stubbornly sweet Ove<\/strong><\/mark>. I think of the brokenly hopeful Ana<\/strong><\/mark>. I think of the loneliest empath Benji<\/strong><\/mark>. I think of the fragile father-son duo of Jim and Jack<\/strong><\/mark>. I think of the young lovable Noah<\/mark><\/strong>. I think of the nutty old Britt-Marie<\/strong><\/mark>. And now, after reading this book, I will think of the adventurous imaginative Granny and her granddaughter Elsa. But that\u2019s the thing. I don\u2019t only remember those characters. I also remember how most of the main characters in all these novels made me feel.<\/strong><\/mark> I can\u2019t say that for \u2018My Grandmother Send Her Regards and Apologises.\u2019 I will only remember how I fell asleep multiple times while reading it, how I wanted to read anything else and how I wanted it to end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This book is a mix of fantasy mixed with a delicate theme of death and grief. <\/strong><\/mark>With fantasy, there is an essential need for worldbuilding. So, this being a book close to 400 pages did not have enough time to acquaint readers with the seven lands with all the fantastical Woflhearts and sea angels references strewn around haphazardly. Initially, it felt like \u2018The House in the Cerulean Sea\u2019 meets \u2018Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers\u2019 meets \u2018The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared\u2019. All these three books are amazing on their own, but if you chop up pieces of each and try to club them, they don\u2019t fit. And, to top it off the book is supposed to be about \u2018the power of storytelling\u2019. This entire fantasy angle was confusing, overdone and unnecessary especially in a Backman Novel. Because, Backman doesn\u2019t need fantasy. All that readers need from him are his words that evoke sentiments to make us cry!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to feel the loss of a beloved grandparent. I wanted to read about wholesome stories on how Granny had an impact on people in unique and touching ways, which is why she sent letters to them via Elsa. And, she is like any imperfect being, that\u2019s why there are regards and apologies. I wanted Elsa to understand her Granny on a deeper level from all these people after she was gone. This. Just this. Just this would have been enough.<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n

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~~CHARACTERS~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because I talked about characters earlier, I wanted to have a section dedicated to them. Even though the story\u2019s annoyance is what I will remember, I think I will also remember these flawed characters. Granny, one-of-her-own kind of a woman who was so ambitious and inspirational. I adored brilliant little darling Elsa for her literal as well as emotional intelligence. I loved how confused and stressed Elsa\u2019s Mom was. I Enjoyed reading about Elsa\u2019s tentative father and loved-by-everyone George. I had DNFed \u2018Britt-Marie was Here\u2019, but it was fun to read her eccentricities in little doses. Coming down to it, all the characters were lovable and they all had at least one memorable story about them which I cherished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~TO READ OR NOT TO READ~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This book has a rating of over 4 stars across 232k readers. If you have loved Fredrik Backman\u2019s books, then you should read this one too and see if you love it for yourself. If you are not a fan of fantasy and magical realism, then you should not read this book. If you like mildly heartwarming stories, then you should read this book. If you want your next five star read, then this one might be a tricky choice. I really can\u2019t say if you will love it or not, but I hope you make the right choice. I have rated My Grandmother Send Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman, translated by Henning Koch at 2\/5 stars!<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n

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Until next time,<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi Readers! I am back with another review. But, it pained me to write this one, because it\u2019s the first book by Fredrik Backman that I did not enjoy. I have enjoyed A Man Called Ove, Beartown series, Anxious People and And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. But, this one was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,23,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-books","category-book-reviews","category-mindscape-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/PSX_20231025_103825-02.jpg?fit=2500%2C2500&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2567,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=2567","url_meta":{"origin":3066,"position":0},"title":"Books Read in January 2023!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"January 31, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! Just like that one month is down already. How was January for you? Did you stick to your New Year resolutions and making progress? Or is February the month you actually start working on them? Haha, either way, I am way behind on my 23 Goals of 2023.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/SI_20230128_130418-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/SI_20230128_130418-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/SI_20230128_130418-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/SI_20230128_130418-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/SI_20230128_130418-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4311,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=4311","url_meta":{"origin":3066,"position":1},"title":"Book Recommendation: My Friends by Fredrik Backman","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"July 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! By now you know my reading choices. If Fredrik Backman publishes anything, I am going to read it. Novel? Yes. Short story? Yes. Instagram Post Caption? Yes. Grocery List? Yes. Anything? YES! So, I didn\u2019t think twice before reading his latest book My Friends! And, oh what a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PXL_20250720_070534280-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PXL_20250720_070534280-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PXL_20250720_070534280-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PXL_20250720_070534280-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PXL_20250720_070534280-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=35","url_meta":{"origin":3066,"position":2},"title":"Anxious People by Fredrik Backman Book Review.","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"October 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! Now that I have a HUGE TBR PILE, I have come up with a new way of reading books. I am already reading Little Women in the morning before work. Then, I am reading The Vanishing Half post work before sleeping at night. Because this constitutes only 2\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-oZ7EvppApk0\/X459BaXfEAI\/AAAAAAAAjyo\/YKYkRTUpMiMXQuJOBEU07PFyElbd-IASwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w300-h400\/AP01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2658,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=2658","url_meta":{"origin":3066,"position":3},"title":"Book Trilogy Recommendation: Beartown Series by Fredrik Backman","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"April 2, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! I am back after quite a hiatus! But don't worry because it was just a writing hiatus and not a reading one. March was definitely the longest month ever, which usually I enjoy because it's my birthday month. But everyone's got a limit! I read five books in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_211738-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_211738-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_211738-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_211738-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_211738-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=33","url_meta":{"origin":3066,"position":4},"title":"October Reads!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"October 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Readers! Another month gone by! I READ 5 BOOKS IN OCTOBER & I\u2019m so happy that I loved 3 of those 5 books! I have already written reviews for 4 of the books, so this is going to be a short post. \u00a0 ~~THE INIMITABLE JEEVES by P.G. WODEHOUSE~~\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LXOI49NV7PU\/X50DcAOViUI\/AAAAAAAAj1E\/hrQake2_xV45bmqunzMk27WIjqusDaktQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w372-h640\/October%2BReads.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2667,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=2667","url_meta":{"origin":3066,"position":5},"title":"Books Read in March 2023!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"April 3, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! March was super long and no uneventful. Among life's ups and downs, my reading was quite interesting as well. I read FIVE BOOKS across 2016 PAGES! I absolutely loved four of those books and found one of them really intriguing. ~~CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by TAYLOR JENKINS REID~~\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_223914-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_223914-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_223914-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_223914-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/PSX_20230402_223914-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3066"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3072,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3066\/revisions\/3072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}