Anxious People by Fredrik Backman Reviewed August 12, 2020 5 Stars Aww one of my “Best” Reads in 2020!<

I just loved a “Man Called Ove! I read five other Backman novels. I liked "Us Against you".
But to me the other four were only okay. Delighted that this novel totally has the Backman wit and sarcastic humor, I loved so much in “Ove”. In fact, Ove may have met his match with these characters!!

Story stars with a messed up bank robbery. The bank robber runs into a building and into an apartment that is being viewed by prospective buyers. They, of course, fear they are going to be robbed. The Bank Robber is not planning on robbing them but decides to hold them hostage, however these people are better described as” impossible” than “anxious” and taking them hostage is going to be a challenge.

The two police officers Jim and Jack, father and son who are investigating the situation had me laughing out loud; starting when the officers are interviewing London the 20 year old (know it all) bank teller at the cashless bank.

These characters would all have been perfect in a Seinfeld episodes ~ move over “Soup Nazi” now there could be “ Estelle and the Stockholmers, Zara and the Rabbit, Roger and Anna-Lena go shopping at Ikea, Jim and Jack deliver pizza, Ro, Julia and the Bank Robber go apartment hunting.

Yes! each and every character is so unique.

If you liked “Ove”…… YOU have got to read this!!

Note: I always enjoy reading the Author’s Notes at the end of the book. In this case, author Backman calls it “Author’s Thanks” and yes even it is very clever. Additionally love when author provides a resource on an issue that was touched on in the story. So many people need help and are not sure where to turn. When an author supports resources, I believe and certainly hope it is viewed seriously!

Want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 8, 2020

This novel was a bit of a departure from what I expect from Backman and I appreciate that from an author. The characters where lovely and I loved how the story ended.

This Book! My Goodness . Is it too soon to say that this is my favorite book of 2020,? Because it is ! all while going through this book, i kept thinking to me self “ this is why I love reading so much “. I don’t remember the last time i got upset at myself for falling asleep because i wanted to keep reading ,
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This book tore me apart and put me back together again. It shook me and had me hysterically laughing all in the same breath. It’s Whitty, though provoking, heartwarming , and comical . This is a story about human, about connection, our effect on people, love, all of the above . I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express how utterly amazing this book is, so I’m just going to say READ IT !

Fredrick Backman makes me want to learn Swedish just so I can read his books in his native language. Backman's writing simply states profound ideas about the human condition in a way that will just break your heart and then padlock it back together. "Anxious People" is a novel about a bridge... about a bank robbery... about a rabbit... about love, life, death, and family. Really, "Anxious People" strives to teach us what it means to be human... and I think it succeeds. Thank you so much to netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

Anxious People was rough going initially. The style was disconcerting and it was difficult to track the characters and just what the heck was going on. BUT, I stayed with it and enjoyed it tremendously. It demonstrated perfectly how different we are but how similar, too. Most of us do our best and wonder if that's good enough. We second guess our choices and feel completely inadequate at times. And if you're a parent, multiply those feelings to the nth degree! Anxious People is filled with twists and turns and every time I thought I had it figured out, I discovered I was wrong again! I highly recommend the book as an entertaining read and also as reassurance that even though life is a struggle at times, it's also wondrous! With sincere thanks to the publisher for my copy.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free ARC of this book.

I adore Fredrik Backman. Everything he writes is imbued with some sort of magic. He doesn't just write stories, he creates people and places that are so beautiful you long for them to be real. This book was no exception.

I loved every single character. I YEARNED for each person to get what they needed out of life, what they deserved in order to be happy. Because if THIS group of people can be happy, so can everyone.

I laughed, I cried, I was surprised and heartbroken. But as always, I finished the book feeling lighter. That I learned something new about life and love and anxious people. Absolutely fabulous book and author, and I recommend this book for EVERYONE.

Thank you to @atriapublishing for accepting my persistent plea for an ARC. Pub Date: 9.8.2020

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors. If he had a Fan Club I'd be the President. He doesn't have one- I just checked. So maybe I could be the Founder...

Oh my heart- he did it again. ANXIOUS PEOPLE was an absolute gem. This story was packed with so much emotion. I found myself alternating between bursts of laughter and bouts of tender tears. Backman has this way of simply, yet poignantly unraveling the layers of what makes us human. He shines a light on how the small, seemingly insignificant ways we connect with each other can ultimately be big, life changing moments. He takes this group of quirky, flawed individuals and orchestrates them into a unexpected community. Sigh- it was such a satisfying reading experience.

ANXIOUS PEOPLE is one of those unicorn books for me- compelling writing that supports a captivating story with well defined, memorable characters. Win.Win.Win.

A failed bank robber walks into an open house....⁣
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No, that’s not the beginning of a joke. It’s the premise for Fredrik Backman’s new novel, Anxious People (who else can relate to this title?🙋🏻‍♀️)⁣
That bank robber inadvertently holds the 7 people viewing the apartment hostage and those anxious people end up having a lot more in common than they could ever have imagined. ⁣
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It is a book about humanity and connection; our basic desires, fears, emotions that ultimately bring us together. ⁣
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I was so anxious (haha) to read this and I was not disappointed! I genuinely loved this book. So much. Filled with tons of humor, hope and heart that we have come to expect from all of Backman’s books. I read this in one day and felt so many emotions as the story came to a close. I may have even given my reading device a little squeeze 🤗 (is that weird?)⁣
My (very) anxious self is so grateful that Backman gave us this story. Another incredible book by a one of a kind author!⁣
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Thank you to @netgalley, @backmansk and @atriabooks for the e-ARC! ⁣
✨Pub date 9/8/20✨⁣

Quintessential Backman. I haven’t met another writer who so deftly takes us from the ridiculously funny to the raw ache of pure human emotion in the space of a page. Or a paragraph. Or a sentence. We have the lovable characters and the almost unbelievable plot lines that Backman readers have come to expect, along with the absolute sense of well-resolved good read when we turn the final page. Another winner, for sure.

OK, so according to the author, this book is about a botched bank robbery, an apartment open house, and a hostage situation. That’s it. And most everyone in the story is an idiot. Again, author’s words. Does this sound like a must-read to you? No? It certainly doesn’t to me either. But I read it because I have faith in said author to deliver a great story no matter how boring the premise. Did I like it? Yes, I did. I actually loved it. And I loved it enough to put it in my potential “best book of the year” category (which only has one other book in it so far).

Wow, this author. Fredrik Backman sure understands the human struggle. The struggle to survive, to connect, to love, to do the right thing by others, and to just live a decent life. He could take an empty room with white-washed walls, beige carpeting, no windows, and two people and turn the scene into a Pulitzer prize-winning novel. And he does it with humor. Ridiculous humor—my kind of humor. I laughed out loud many times during this story but cried throughout the last several chapters, which served brilliantly as the epilogue.

Early on I read one of his novellas. I think I gave it a two-star rating. What the hell was wrong with me then? I never reread anything, but I’m going to reread that novella and see what I think of it now. More than 2 stars worth, I’m sure.

This story is chock full of fascinating characters, 12 in all, I believe. Most of them are misfits—anxious misfits, and it was so captivating to follow them through this essentially one-day story. All at the same time this book is compelling, heartfelt, inspiring, and ridiculous.

I can’t write well enough to really give this novel its due. Just trust me when I say you need to read it. It will be good for your soul.

Thank you Net Galley, Atria Books/Simon and Shuster, and Fredrik Backman for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Much love for Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People! ⠀
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The novel centers on a police investigation into a hostage situation committed at an apartment open house. As the police unravel the story, you get to know each of the hostages, and the person who was holding them all hostage, through Backman’s beautiful prose. As we’ve all come to love and expect from this author, the novel provides such unique insights into human nature. It captures what it means when a secret or something from our past comes to haunt us, and how we can each save one another, even in the most “anxious” of times. ⠀

I loved the mystery element to this book, and all of the twists along the way. There were a couple of things that happened that surprised me so much, I had to flip back to the beginning to make sure they made sense (they did!). I also loved the classic Backman storytelling, with the elements of humor and honesty that make us all love him so much. If you’re a fan of his past work, this one won’t disappoint. Be sure to pick it up this September!⠀

Anxious People revolves around a bank robbery gone wrong that leads to a hostage situation elsewhere which also goes wrong. The story follows Fredrik Backmans’ expertly executed tradition of stories hidden within the main story. There are lessons to be learned from his writings.
This book is about life, relationships and the choices we make. It is beautifully written with characters I adored.
The writing switched back and forth from the past events to the investigation but it does so flawlessly. I enjoyed this book tremendously, and recommended it to anyone looking for a “Enduring Read”. This book is one to purchase an extra copy of, as you will want to share it as a gift.

Thank you Netgalley and the editor for allowing be to read the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Anxious People is another winner from this author, filled with memorable characters and quirky plot twists. The story has a bit of a mystery element, but it is definitely an unusual one. Each character is slowly developed over the course of the novel, until the reader comes to see them fully - something that Backman really does well. Though it is a bit more complicated than some of his other titles, I think this would appeal to readers who enjoyed the heartfelt, community-as-family element of A Man Called Ove. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for early access so that I can promote this to library patrons!

The people are certainly anxious! This is a fun and quick read, I had a few chuckles outside in the sun enjoying this sort of wacky story. There are many quirky characters and bumbling inspectors all with wild notions of others and crazy perspectives. A number of people are viewing an apartment for sale, most with arterial motives and wild ideas, when a "bank robber" appears and hold them hostage. The story contains interviews with the police of each of the perspective buyers, quite the farce. Loved the anxiousness of all the characters. Thank you #NetGalley#AnxiousPeople#AtriaBooks

Brilliant! I love Backman. This one is clever and heartwarming and so damn funny. The worst hostages ever. 😁

Was this book about a bank robbery? Idiots? Anxiety? Human connections? Love?

This book has filled up both my left ventricle and my right atrium. They are full to the brim with blood and disgusting, warm fuzzy feelings. I closed this book and I felt HOPEFUL for humanity, which is really saying something considering what’s currently going on in 2020. I find myself completely exasperated every day with humans I come in contact with in real life. This book made me stop and think, “Hey, maybe have some patience with people?” What a concept!

Basically, a bunch of strangers become “hostages” when they get stuck in an apartment with a very confused “bank robber.” They initially all seem quite impossible. A bunch of idiots, truly. Watching them all interact and form bonds was a pure delight. Jack and Jim are two cops who are put to the task of interrogating these fools to find out what actually went down in the apartment during the “hostage situation.” Every character brought their own slew of quirky behaviors. There was one character who I would’ve loved to push into an active volcano, but for the most part I found myself slowly starting to understand and root for the rest of them as the story went on. (Estelle, I love you so much, babe).

My favorite thing about this book was that it forced me to take a good look at how quickly I often judge people. I’ll be honest, when I first read that some of our main characters were cops, my eyes rolled so far back into my head I thought I was going to strain my optic nerve. There were a lot of jabs towards millennials and the youths™ in the beginning as well, which also bothered me. I was worried I wasn’t going to like this book. But I kept reading. And laughing. And gasping. And falling for these idiots. Listen, I think most of us are just trying our best. Yes, there are exceptions. There are a lot of people who are not trying at all. But there are so many more that are. It’s important to focus on that. It’s important that we keep trying to find our people. This book made me want to keep looking for mine.

It’s five stars from me. I’ll definitely be recommending this book to friends and patrons of the library.

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for sending this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a bank robbery, or is it? The author uses a hostage situation to delve into human relationships, especially those life circumstances that make us do things that only an idiot would do in hindsight. Backman has a unique way of wording the actions of the eleven characters and their thought processes as they deal with what life throws in their path. A better understanding of the circumstances of others helps to put life in perspective, and realize we've all made bad choices. We are all just anxious people trying to do life one day at a time.

I’m thrilled to see so many new titles from my favorite authors this year. Backman is back with another story that illuminates the human experience, prompted by his own struggles with anxiety. It may be a surprise to many readers that the roots of this story also go back fifteen years to when Backman was shot in the leg during a robbery. a bank robber locks himself in with an assortment of bank patrons. In his new novel, an addled bank robber takes a motley assortment of strangers hostage at an open house. Anxious People touches in turn on each of those strangers, the father-son police duo sent to their aid, the would-be bank robber, the realtor, a therapist, and the long-ago event that connects them all. Part locked-room mystery, part examination of human behavior, I think fellow Backman fans will be pleased with his latest.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Frederik Backman. What a talent! I read "Ove" and just adored it. This one is different although still very much in this writers style. He has the ability to write humorous stories about very serious topics. It's difficult to explain his books - "You see its a sweet, funny book, but it's about idiots and suicide and hostages." But it's also about love and forgiveness. In a time where the US (and world really) is so divided, this book gave me comfort that we are all more or less the same inside. Most of us worry about money, marriages or relationships, loneliness at some point in our lives or another, missed opportunities, sacrifices made, and especially mistakes that have been made.
This was a good lighter, humorous read that left me feeling a little lighter inside and with a little more hope for the human race.
We can't show half stars but I'd give 4.5 if I could.

I’ve read most of Backman’s titles but I just did not get this one at all. Not what I’ve come to expect from this author.