#10 in Literary fiction
My Friends
- 436
- Pages
- about 8 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 14 weeks on the list, peaked at #1
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About the book
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.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.4 across 285 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 61% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Literary fiction average of 8.3. That is how 8.3 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 8.4 | 285 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“A novel of friendship, love, tragedy, heartbreak, and life. What makes life bearable is finding your humans, the ones that really get you, support you, motivate you, and tell you the truth about yourself that you’re too blind to see. Written as a story within a story, it’s masterfully crafted to pull at heartstrings and includes some surprising twists and unexpected turns. Backman brings his wit and humor to tackle complex topics of abuse, death, and tragedy. At the end, you’ll be convinced that the more pain you’ve experienced, the more full your life has been. If you’ve enjoyed The House in…”
“The world is full of miracles, but none greater than how far a young person can be carried by someone else’s belief in them.”
“Fredrik Backman's books are always very hit and miss for me. They're either brilliant, or absolutely awful - there is no middle-ground. This one is definitely in the former category. It was just so beautifully, so moving - and so funny . It was such a lovely reflection on the nature and value of friendship - but also, of art. I think this one is definitely the author's best so far.”
Frequently asked
What is My Friends rated?
8.3 out of 10, from 285 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is My Friends worth reading?
Readers give it 8.3/10 from 285 ratings, which puts it ahead of 81 % of the Literary fiction shelf.
How long does it take to read My Friends?
About 8 hours at an average reading pace — 436 pages.
Where does My Friends rank?
#10 in Literary fiction on the current snapshot.
Was My Friends a bestseller?
Yes — 14 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #1. Sales are shown here but never scored.
How long is My Friends?
It has 436 pages — longer than 60% of the ranked books in Literary fiction.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Literary fiction — with scores between 8.2 and 8.4, closest to this book.
