Today, I’m recommending Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman, the New York Times Bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry.
Britt-Marie can’t stand mess. A disorganized cutlery drawer ranks high on her list of unforgivable sins. She begins her day at 6 a.m. because only lunatics wake up later than that. And she is not passive-aggressive. Not in the least. It’s just that sometimes people interpret her helpful suggestions as criticisms, which is certainly not her intention. She is not one to judge others—no matter how ill-mannered, unkempt, or morally suspect they might be.
When Britt-Marie walks out on her cheating husband and has to fend for herself, she is more than a little unprepared. With no job experience and little life experience to speak of, she is lucky to land a temporary job as caretaker at a nearly defunct recreation center in the miserable backwater Swedish village of Borg.
Forced to cope with muddy floors, unruly children, and a (literal) rat for a roommate, Britt-Marie finds herself drawn into the daily doings of her fellow citizens, an odd assortment of troublemakers, drunkards, slackers—and a handsome local policeman whose romantic attentions to Britt-Maries are as unmistakable as they are unwanted. Most alarming of all, she’s given the impossible task of leading the hopelessly untalented children’s soccer team to victory.
In this small town of big-hearted misfits, can Britt-Marie find a place where she truly belongs?
Check out this heartwarming tale of self-fulfillment and others like it at the Sioux City Public Library.
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Support for Check It Out comes from Avery Brothers.
