There is absolutely no way this book wouldn't get a 5-star rating from me, and honestly, anything I say about it won't truly do it justice. My annotation tabs were working overtime; there were just so many quotes I want to remember forever. I completely fell in LOVE with Fredrik Backman's writing through reading "The Pier Group," and I will absolutely be reading Beartown this winter! If you're looking for amazing book reviews, start with "The Pier Group."

"because in an ugly place, he was born with so much beauty inside him that it was like an act of rebellion. in a world full of sledgehammers, his art was a declaration of war." This quote describes the artist. But it also shows how Fredrik Backman uniquely perceives the world and tenderly sees the people who live in it. I think, if I could slightly tweak his own words to describe Backman himself, it would go something like this:because in such a hateful place, he was born with so much love in...

(1.5 stars) In Fredrik Backman's *The Pier Group*, a girl named Louisa meets her idol, the world-famous artist behind her favorite painting. When the artist dies, he sends his lifelong friend Ted to give the painting to Louisa. The rest of the book consists of Ted telling Louisa the story of his teenage years, his friends, and how the painting came to be. I started hating *The Pier Group* about a third of the way through, and my hatred only grew until the very end. At the start, the story seemed...

The five stages of reading this Fredrik Backman novel:Stage 1: FeastingIt starts off really good. The way he depicts the superficial art buyers scene of the super-rich is truly great and, frankly, spot on. What a great novel this will be!Stage 2: DenialStill good, but something is starting to annoy me. Can't quite put my finger on it.Stage 3: The Turning PointThis isn't writing! This is constantly trying to score points!Why does every single metaphor have to be grand, every point sharp, every pu...

I honestly don’t have the words to fully explain how Fredrik Backman's writing makes me feel, but I’ll give it my best shot 🫡You know the storytelling is brilliant when you think you've got it all figured out, but the author not only constantly surprises you in the most heart-wrenching *and* witty ways – (how *does* he blend those two? No idea, but Fredrik Backman nails it) – but also gives you chills SO. MANY. TIMES!!!!I want to protect Louisa with everything I have. She was so annoying, but i...

\n \"Art is coincidence, Love is chaos.\"\nI really needed to read The Pier Group.It was perfect. I have no other words to describe this masterpiece. Like, what the hell was I doing all these years?? How had I never picked up a Fredrik Backman book?!? Because honestly, this was so good. It hit me so hard, and it's the kind of book where you actually sit and contemplate, but it's also very easy to read and so enjoyable!! I'm so glad that this was my first book by him because it's the perfect boo...

Before I declare *The Pier Group* the best book Fredrik Backman has ever written, let me admit that I’ve lost count of how many times I cried, laughed too loudly (scaring the pets), or whined and howled while reading it. Nothing I say—no word I write—can adequately capture my feelings or do justice to this incredible book, even if I endlessly repeat the word "amazing" over and over again. My best advice? Don’t just read it and marvel at Backman’s brilliance. Instead, prepare to wipe your tears a...

"𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃. 𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒯𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹, 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓌 𝓊𝓅 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝓊𝒸𝓀." "𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓼. 𝓞𝓱, 𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓲𝓽 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓼."˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ 𝔸𝕃𝕃. 𝕋...

Fredrik Backman writes = I read. That's it. That's the review. Seriously, if Fredrik Backman puts words on a page, I'm there. With bells on. And, honestly, after reading "The Pier Group," I'm even *more* convinced of this. Backman just has this way of crafting stories that burrow into your soul and set up camp. He explores the messy, complicated, beautiful, and heartbreaking parts of being human with such grace and humor that you can't help but be completely captivated. If you're looking for a b...

Okay, I'm as shocked as anyone by this rating. I'm a huge Fredrik Backman fan. I even read his Instagram captions and sometimes find myself laughing. Still, I have mixed feelings about "The Pier Group.""The Pier Group" is a story about art and finding where you belong. It centers on a young girl, Louisa, and how much she loves a famous painting. The story of this painting, and the artist who created it, are woven through the book, along with Louisa's present-day experiences. The stream-of-consci...