Excuse me as I cry in perfection . The best author the best books always has me sobbing but also so joyful and happy and hopeful

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Frederik Backman has the ability to create characters that you instantly relate to and makes a modge podge of personalities gel together. A group of people at a showing for an apartment are taken hostage by a bank robber. But the robber gets away - assisted by the hostages? Great characters, dialogue and plot line. Loved it. #AnxiousPeople #FrederickBachman #netgalley

I loved this book so much. It shows true human life and how things happen. I read Ove by this author as well and loved it.

Fredrik Backman is a great writer of interesting characters. He did not disappoint with Anxious People.
This was a very delightful, quirky book.. If you are a fan of the show The Office, then you will enjoy this
book.

What a treat this book was! This character-driven novel gave the reader a little bit of crime and mystery, and a great deal about each character's individual story. The author did a masterful job of showing the value of knowing people's stories, and filled the pages with nuggets of profound wisdom that are valuable "take-aways" from this book. However, this wasn't just a "deep" book. It was also a humorous and surprising novel! The twists and turns demonstrate Backman's incredible creativity! My book club had a lively discussion about this one, and I would recommend it for older teens and adults who enjoy realistic fiction and getting into the minds of people to find out what makes them tick!

I know we’re only a little over a month into the new year, but I think I’ve found my favorite book of 2021 already. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman revolves around an odd mix of people who are conveniently taken hostage by an attempted bank robber. While that sentence could lead to many different storylines of hostage scenarios and gun-toting officers, instead it leads to sweet relationships and unlikely friendships. Backman possesses an ability to write characters with powerful depth and emotion that I can’t compare to any other author and it’s these personas that drive the story. During a tale of great disappointment and despair, Backman still includes humor and hope and shows the force of love.

And oh my gosh, like every Fredrick Backman book I’ve ever read, the last 50+ pages had me bawling uncontrollably. I love how while Backman books don’t always have the typical “happy ending” they do usually end with powerful connections and relationships made between characters.

A heartwarming story of multiple characters whose lives all intertwine in a magnetic way. Characters shown to be judged on the outside before their story was even written. Anxious People was brilliant in so many ways. I felt so connected with every character and could relate in some way with all their anxieties. Definitely a must read.

I was gifted this arc Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Anxious People is the first work of this author I have read. I throughly enjoyed the quirky, relatable traits of the characters, but at first I was rather confused. Once I was fully immersed into the storyline I came to truly appreciate the author’s ability to weave the story into such a varying layers, and yet establish such a beautiful sense of connection. Too often when an author introduces several characters their individual stories get lost in the fray of the main plot, and I will be forever grateful that was not the case in Anxious People.

A failed bank robbery turns into a hostage situation in this charming book about eight strangers forced to be together in an unusual situation. Backman's writing is so sharp and funny--I actually giggled many times throughout the book--and his characters are so well-developed. I also really loved how so many different characters and their stories connected in so many unexpected ways. The book was slow for me at times, which is the only reason I'm not rating it higher. But it was so well-done and delightful!

Thought-provoking and funny. My first Fredrik Backman, but definitely not my last! I listened to parts of this book on audio and enjoyed Marin Ireland as narrator.

This book was very quirky, sweet, and left me feeling uplifted. I just wish that it moved a bit more quickly through the first 2/3rds of the book! I found myself slogging through the narrative style and, at times, cringing at the banter between the characters.

The truth? The truth about all this? The truth is that this was a story about many different things, but most of all about idiots. Because we're doing the best we can, we really are. We're trying to be grown-up and love each other and understand how the hell you're supposed to insert USB-leads. We're looking for something to cling onto, something to fight for, something to look forward to. We're doing all we can to teach our children how to swim. We have all this in common, yet most of us remain strangers, we never know what we do to each other, how your life is affected by mine.

Oh the humanity. We are more alike that we are different but are differences bring out the anxiety we have. Oh the humanity-is what makes this read brilliant. Brilliant in narration, in characters and how they are brought together because of the bridge. We are warned in the beginning that it is not about the bridge but because of the bridge.

First the setting is the bridge, a bank, an apartment showing. All the characters are unforgettable because they have many different issues but the same brokenness. I have my favorites in Zara and the father/son police officers. The narration is playful in humor. The humor exposes something deeper that is relatable. How do we look at others? We can have different lifestyles, worldviews, social standings, jobs but we all are fighting a battle so be kind. Your kindness may make a difference. These characters bring out the battle, the brokenness, and ultimately the kindness that humanity needs. I have to say this my all time favorite.

A special thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

remember those <i>chicken soup for the soul</i> books? fredrik backman’s books feel a little like those, only with sharper human insight, better writing, and less fluff. so maybe not much like those books at all.

aside from <i>us against you</i>, i’ve loved everything this guy has put out, and <i>anxious people</i> is no exception. the synopsis—a bank robbery, a hostage situation, a group of strangers stuck in a room together—didn’t immediately grab me, but i figured backman had several tricks up his sleeve. he did. the plot, such as it is, is merely a vehicle for his most successful probing of the human condition yet. what makes this book such a joy to read is its unapologetically hilarious and heartbreakingly sad, often at the same time. will you laugh? will you cry? yes, probably simultaneously. but there is no emotional manipulation here: these are simply real people, dealing with real struggles, and heartbreaks, and successes. they’re all anxious people, just like you and me.

not yet sure if this is my favorite release from backman—i have a soft spot for the novella <i>and every morning the way home gets longer and longer</i>—but this is certainly in my top reads of the year, no doubt. fredrik backman is a master storyteller.

This is a story about a bridge, a bank robbery, a hostage situation, love, idiots and lots and lots of "Stolkholmers." Everything is not necessarily connected, but....it is connected.

At an apartment showing on New Year's Eve (who does that??) a group of 9 people gather to look at an apartment. Not even half of them really want to buy the apartment, some of them that do want to buy the apartment don't want it to be their home, and one of them is holding all of them hostage - but not really. The police interview transcripts from after the hostages are released show that someone is lying, and everyone is an anxious idiot just trying to survive the best way they know how. The storyline vignettes between the police interviews show the connections between the hostages and the bank robber/hostage taker as well as illustrate the heartbreak and "hardness" of relationships.

Frederick Backman has earned a spot in my top 5 favorite authors. My only criticism of his books is I get lost in "quotes to remember" and have to re-read pages to get back on track of the storyline because my mind is still ruminating on the profoundness of some of his sentences.

If you are a collector of quotes, read Frederick Backman. If you love Liane Moriarty or Maria Semple, read Frederick Backman while waiting for their new ones.

Mr. Blackman has done it again. Very entertaining and full of emotion, Anxious People went straight to my heart. I’m very much in awe of the authors writing style, as it captures me and makes me feel I’m right there alongside the characters. Well done!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books.

This was my first book by this author, and I was pleasantly surprised. When I first started, I was kind of confused and didn't really like the characters and the dialogue. However, as more layers were peeled back when the story progressed there was so much more depth that I actually really enjoyed it. I loved how some of the connections were revealed and how new connections were made. I'm glad I stuck it out because it was a good book.

I love Backman and I will be buying this book now that it's full released. I'm glad I got a chance to read it beforehand because Fredrik is always such an emotional heavyhitter!

cw: mentions of suicide, discussions of depression

I loved this novel. I love Backman's characters so very much. By the end of this story they all felt like dear friends I wanted to hold and save. I was proud of them and rooting for them and shed many a tear during the second half of this book. This story wove together so many different characters and I thought this was accomplished expertly. I felt I knew them intimately by the end of the novel and understood their motivations and how they came to change and grow throughout the course of this story.

This is a character driven story, most of it takes place in one apartment over the course of one afternoon. The other half is formatted into police interviews. If you're into fast paced, plot driven stories, this is not that tale.

The narrating voice of this story frequently reminded me of Lemony Snicket in "A Series of Unfortunate Events." Sometimes this felt a little contrived for me, a little too silly and on the nose. But I still found it completely charming. Backman’s writing can be very sentimental and while I love that sentimentality, if you prefer slightly cynical reads, this probably won’t work for you.

I reviewed this book for Military Families Magazine - it was excellent. Please see link below, excerpted here.

A hostage situation. A man on a bridge, about to jump. Two unrelated events, years apart, intertwine in this funny, deftly clever, and subversive tale from “New York Times” bestselling author Fredrik Backman.

Backman is a Swedish writer who rose to worldwide literary fame with his debut novel, “A Man Called Ove” (now being adapted for film starring Tom Hanks). His books, translated into English from his native Swedish, shine with hope and humanity and are especially poignant reads as we move forward from the difficult year of 2020.

The lives of 8-10 strangers (maybe 12--there were a lot of characters...especially if you want to add in the two police officers, the therapist, the man on the bridge, etc.) are inexplicably intertwined when a bank robbery-gone-wrong becomes an apartment hostage drama-gone-wrong. This is a third-person narrative that goes into the background of the characters, which, at first, seemed disjointed and a bit irrelevant, but the reveal was one that I had not anticipated.
There were wonderful poignant moments throughout the book and Backman is skillful in building the world around these flawed characters. I typically like trying to guess where the narrative is going--especially for a mystery--and I was pleasantly surprised.