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Totally Booked with Zibby Owens
#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger's life twenty-five years later.
Most people don't even notice them-three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it's just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa's care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting's birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she'll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don't always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
Ratings (9)
Incredible (3) | |
Loved It (4) | |
Liked It (2) |
Reader Stats (15):
Read It (9) | |
Want To Read (5) | |
Did Not Finish (1) |
2 comment(s)
This is rising to the top of by Backman Favorite Title's list, and I've loved them all. As a "world famous artist" dies, he plots to sell everything he owns to repurchase his first and most famous painting. At the auction for that work is a young drifter about to be 18 for whom the painting has been a touchstone. He decides to gift her the painting, and she then accompanies the artist's friend to their hometown by the sea on an adventurous journey while relating the painting's backstory. True to Backman's style, there are many twists and turns, the assumptions youmake are challenged in the end, and there will be tears. Delightful, again, rising to the top of my entrenched favorites!!!
6 stars
what a beautiful read. once again fredrik backman has exceeded my wildest expectations. he is truly the master of creating characters that come alive off the pages. books like this are truly why I love to read!!!! I could hear louisa’s voice in my head as I read this. I cried, laughed, smiled and went through all the stages of grief, and truly did not want it to end. forever my favorite author
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