Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
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Anxious People
2021 Monthly Group Reads
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October Group Read Discussion: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
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Hello! I am Allie, and I will be your Discussion Master!
If you want to, introduce yourself and tell us how far you are in the book.
Feel free to interject with questions or comments about the book or whatever!
Hi all! I'm Harmke and I've read this book earlier this year. I loved Beartown, so I was excited to read another Backman. I was not disappointed! Looking forward to read all your opinions and comments and share mine with you!
Hi! I'm Megan and, like Harmke, read this one earlier in the year. Both of my book clubs read/discussed it in April -- it was a hit with both of them. I've read almost everything Backman has written and has been translated into English, and I absolutely loved this one.
Megan wrote: "Hi! I'm Megan and, like Harmke, read this one earlier in the year. Both of my book clubs read/discussed it in April -- it was a hit with both of them. I've read almost everything Backman has writte..."Same! One of my book clubs read this one earlier this year and enjoyed it. I'll admit the first half was a stretch on my patience, but it all came together in the second half for a very Backman-style ending that pulled me in. I've also read pretty much everything he's written and plan to continue with future books (like the third Beartown book coming out soon - yay!).
Hope everyone enjoys the book this month!
Lauren wrote: "like the third Beartown book coming out soon."Wait, hold the phone. A THIRD BEARTOWN???
Allie wrote: "Lauren wrote: "like the third Beartown book coming out soon."Wait, hold the phone. A THIRD BEARTOWN???"
Yes! The Winners :)
I read this one in January I think, and enjoyed it immensely. I really love the way he ties characters together. Looking forward to the discussion.
I read it last year when the English translation came out. And I just finished The Deal of a Lifetime and Other Stories so now I'm considering rereading just to participate in the group read.
So, what did everyone think about the relationship between Jack and Jim? Or what do you think about it so far?
Do you think that readers miss out not reading the author's books in the original language?
I have to finish the book I am reading now One of Us Is Lying before I can start this one. But I should be able to start later this week. I'm excited to finally read along with every one. I usually have either already read the monthly book or am reading other books and didn't have time to pick it up.
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Lynn wrote: "I have almost everything of Backman's that has been translated into English and simply adore his writing!! I read this in April and that last part! Be still my heart!"Was it (view spoiler)?? It definitely got to me!
Lynn wrote: "... and that last part! Be still my heart!"It seems like that is Backman's style. He gets you with the humor and then, bam. ALL of the Feelings.
My faulty memory - I read this last November, and it appears that if I am going to participate, I'm going to need to re-read it. Oh, darn!I read everything he writes as soon as I can get my hands on it. The English versions, of course.
I'm sure it would be great to read in the original language of Swedish, but that's not ever going to happen. It would be fun to see if his humor is even funnier in the original. My poor monolinquist self will have to be content with translations, for better or worse.
I love how he tells you what is going to happen, but then when it does happen you still end up surprised. 😁 And I've always marveled at the translator because the word play is excellent at times and how do you properly translate that? But if I ever manage to become fully bilingual it will be French, not Swedish....
Okay, I haven't been able to post since GoodReads glitched. But hopefully that has given everyone a chance to get a little further into the book.So what do we think so far?
- Do you think the police interviews were successful? Or do you think people naturally hold back?
- What do you think of the term "Stockholmers"? Do you feel like some people from the city represent that term? Do you, or have you ever heard, creative terms for "city folk"?
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Was it [spoiler..."
That was a large part of it.
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I read everything he writes as soon as I can get my hands on it. The English versions, of course.
I'm sure it would be great to read in the original language of Swedish, but that's not ever going to happen. It would be fun to see if his humor is even funnier in the original. My poor monolinquist self will have to be content with translations, for better or worse."
Agreed, on all counts!
Mod
When I was at Hanover College I was first introduced to the term "townies"! I had never heard it before then. Though that wasn't referring to what I think of as a city, but rather the town of Madison, Indiana and the even smaller burg of Hanover, Indiana. The campus was quite isolated in the country.
Allie wrote: "- What do you think of the term "Stockholmers"? Do you feel like some people from the city represent that term? Do you, or have you ever heard, creative terms for "city folk"?"In Dutch people from a city or village are called er. So people from Amsterdam are Amsterdammers. And people from Arnhem are Arnhemmers. And so on. The other form is -aren or -naren. So Stockholmers doesn't sound strange to me.
In creative terms: the Dutch word for city is 'stad'. In the northern region Groningen the central city is also called 'Groningen'. People from outside the city call the people from the city (=stad) 'stadjers'.
Finished! Definitely not what I was expecting from this book. I got confused in some places but all came through in the end. Glad I read this one.
Has everyone gotten to the end? Which was your favorite relationship? Which was your least favorite?
Allie wrote: "- Do you think the police interviews were successful? Or do you think people naturally hold back?"I was pretty uncomfortable with this aspect of the story. I have major issues with policing, even though I know the systems are different in places like Sweden. I wasn't sure how Backman was going to handle that part of it, but I was ultimately relieved by the way things unfolded on that front.
And yes, it seemed like interviews included a lot of confusing circular conversations where people weren't giving up key pieces of information. It was fun to learn why later. :)
Allie wrote: "- What do you think of the term "Stockholmers"? Do you feel like some people from the city represent that term? Do you, or have you ever heard, creative terms for "city folk"?"I thought that was an interesting theme to incorporate in the story. I live in Austin, Texas where there's a huge stigma about big cities (especially Austin) when you get into rural parts of the state. I think it's problematic and a significant part of our political divide (people in rural areas generally being isolated from diverse communities/views unless they intentionally seek them out), but there's also something to the sometimes-snobby/condescending/elitist viewpoints of those in big cities, especially those in power who are leaving rural areas with limited resources. It's very complicated here in the US (and in my state especially) so it was interesting to see that element also shows up in other parts of the world.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
One of Us Is Lying (other topics)The Deal of a Lifetime and Other Stories (other topics)
The Winners (other topics)
Beartown (other topics)
Anxious People (other topics)
Allie has volunteered to be the 'fascinating facilitator' for this discussion! Thank you!
Every person reads at a different pace, so please use spoiler tags if you are sharing any plot-related surprises. This allows others to decide whether this information might reveal surprising information they have not yet read.
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