Listen free for 30 days
-
Anxious People
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Anxious People
Buy Now for $23.30
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
From the number-one New York Times best-selling author of A Man Called Ove and “writer of astonishing depth” (The Washington Times) comes a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.
First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live - and, perhaps, to send an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.
As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.
Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.
You may also enjoy...
-
Beartown
- Written by: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 758
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 672
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 670
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semifinals, and they actually have a shot at winning.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing!
- By Amazon Customer on 2017-11-30
Written by: Fredrik Backman
-
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
- Reese's Book Club (A Novel)
- Written by: Gail Honeyman
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,232
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,865
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,866
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I think we all know an Eleanor Oliphant
- By TMH on 2018-01-13
Written by: Gail Honeyman
-
Lessons in Chemistry
- A Novel
- Written by: Bonnie Garmus
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus, Pandora Sykes
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,066
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 933
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 928
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very boring
- By LW on 2023-04-05
Written by: Bonnie Garmus
-
Remarkably Bright Creatures
- A Novel
- Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 958
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 868
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 868
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful, tragic, uplifting… in my top 5 EVER
- By Patrice L. Gordon on 2022-10-07
Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
-
Tom Lake
- A Novel
- Written by: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 438
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 396
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 395
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Beautifully read, but a slow story to unravel.
- By Denise on 2023-08-29
Written by: Ann Patchett
-
Valentine
- A Novel
- Written by: Elizabeth Wetmore
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Jenna Lamia
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 6
It’s February 1976, and Odessa, Texas, stands on the cusp of the next great oil boom. While the town’s men embrace the coming prosperity, its women intimately know and fear the violence that always seems to follow. In the early hours of the morning after Valentine’s Day, 14-year-old Gloria Ramírez appears on the front porch of Mary Rose Whitehead’s ranch house, broken and barely alive. The teenager had been viciously attacked in a nearby oil field - an act of brutality that is tried in the churches and barrooms of Odessa before it can reach a court of law.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Did NOT love this one
- By Alla on 2020-05-16
Written by: Elizabeth Wetmore
-
Beartown
- Written by: Fredrik Backman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 758
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 672
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 670
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semifinals, and they actually have a shot at winning.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing!
- By Amazon Customer on 2017-11-30
Written by: Fredrik Backman
-
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
- Reese's Book Club (A Novel)
- Written by: Gail Honeyman
- Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,232
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,865
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,866
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she's thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I think we all know an Eleanor Oliphant
- By TMH on 2018-01-13
Written by: Gail Honeyman
-
Lessons in Chemistry
- A Novel
- Written by: Bonnie Garmus
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus, Pandora Sykes
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,066
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 933
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 928
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very boring
- By LW on 2023-04-05
Written by: Bonnie Garmus
-
Remarkably Bright Creatures
- A Novel
- Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 958
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 868
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 868
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful, tragic, uplifting… in my top 5 EVER
- By Patrice L. Gordon on 2022-10-07
Written by: Shelby Van Pelt
-
Tom Lake
- A Novel
- Written by: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 438
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 396
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 395
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Beautifully read, but a slow story to unravel.
- By Denise on 2023-08-29
Written by: Ann Patchett
-
Valentine
- A Novel
- Written by: Elizabeth Wetmore
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Jenna Lamia
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 6
It’s February 1976, and Odessa, Texas, stands on the cusp of the next great oil boom. While the town’s men embrace the coming prosperity, its women intimately know and fear the violence that always seems to follow. In the early hours of the morning after Valentine’s Day, 14-year-old Gloria Ramírez appears on the front porch of Mary Rose Whitehead’s ranch house, broken and barely alive. The teenager had been viciously attacked in a nearby oil field - an act of brutality that is tried in the churches and barrooms of Odessa before it can reach a court of law.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Did NOT love this one
- By Alla on 2020-05-16
Written by: Elizabeth Wetmore
What the critics say
“Hits the sweet spot between profoundly insightful and preposterously funny . . . I hugged this book tightly with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.” — USA Today
“[A] tight-knit, surprise-filled narrative. . . . The brisk, absorbing action prompts meditation on marriage, parenting, responsibility, and global economic pressures. Comedy, drama, mystery, and social study, this novel is undefinable except for the sheer reading pleasure it delivers. Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (Starred Review)
“Backman’s latest novel focuses on how a shared event can change the course of multiple people’s lives even in times of deep and ongoing anxiousness. A story with both comedy and heartbreak sure to please Backman fans.” — Kirkus Review
What listeners say about Anxious People
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- lanny klaudt
- 2020-10-26
One of the BEST of 2020
I commute to work so I listened to a lot of audible. This was seriously one of the BEST for 2020. The narrators voices were spot on . Story line had me laughing and bawling within minutes. Well done Fredrik Bachman ... a timely novel for these crazy times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Regina Russell
- 2021-02-15
Twists and Dramas
Interesting, confusing at times, relatable for sure. This was a book club choice and I'm glad we read it (or in this case heard it) but it's a different story with multiple character issues that are revealed slowly, and surprisingly throughly. Life's journey and how people react. This book is eye opening and worth the time to read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christal Barrow
- 2021-02-23
Heartfelt and funny
I loved this book! It is moving, funny, and so clever.
Some really big ideas touched on, but not in a way that felt condescending or forced. It was really a book about grief and love.
The characters were wonderful, complex, and always developing.
I love Backman’s writing style. Plain language, but constantly withholding, giving you a little bit more of the puzzle at a time. Each revelation was a surprise and unanticipated.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Huguesr
- 2021-02-28
Wow...! What a great history funny and moving
The title turns me somewhat off...! I was not in the mood for a self help book. This book is full of surprises and it is well written! It is about losses and we are grieving and surviving...! There is a spiritual component and it is absolutely not preachy and it is full of love ..! The reader is doing an awesome work it is acted more than read which brings a third dimension to the book...! The magic of audiobook
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ellen B
- 2021-01-18
A brilliant story.
As always Fredrik Backman brought his characters to life with beautiful storytelling. Excellent narration too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-01-23
Achieves Intended Results
Although the characters drove me nuts a lot of the time I felt like I knew and loved the by the end of the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dustin
- 2021-05-29
Just wonderful
What a wonderful narrator and great experience. Such a wide cast of characters and a very engaging story. Highly recommend!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elaine Stirk
- 2021-08-05
Must Read
must read. twists and turns. It is so relevant today and it's done without clichés.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Milana
- 2024-01-27
The speaker is really awesome
Loved the story, but the reader made it even more enjoyable.
This author is simple and so fun/deep at times
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nancy in Canada
- 2024-02-08
You’ll want to listen over and over!
The description of the book I read was ‘it’s a book about a robbery that didn’t happen, a kidnapping that didn’t happen, and all the idiots involved.’
When I received this audiobook as a birthday gift I thought it might be a book about anxiety. After starting, I was laughing so much, if I had anxiety, it would have been gone. It is about the condition of humankind and how complete strangers can band together in times of crisis.
Marin Ireland narrates it to perfection and Fredrik Backman, as usual, nails the different personalities of the witnesses and the police. Every character has a story and their story leads them to the exact place and time the crisis occurs. Life has a way of working out, no matter what we do. I encourage you to read the book and be prepared to love it!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!