Helpful Score: 16
Sometimes you take a book to bed and finish it and say, "well that was a waste of time". Sometimes you say, "gosh I loved this book". Then once in awhile, not very often, you say nothing and silently slip it under your pillow, turn out the light and think how sometimes a book was meant for you at that time in your life. Ove made me laugh out loud. Ove made me wanna sock a couple "white shirts". And Ove made my mascara run.....ALL OVER MY FACE. Ove reminded me to never overlook even those who seem to need no one. This is an author I will always watch for. Ove wasn't just a story, it was also a lesson in life that we all could use a reminder of. I loved Ove.
Helpful Score: 9
This is a book that I'd managed to ignore for almost a year. When I keep seeing the same title over and over again on the book websites and blogs that I frequent, I tend to go into avoidance mode. Hype makes me suspicious. It wasn't until recently when someone whose opinion I trust recommended this book that I decided to give it another look. Am I ever glad that I did.
A Man Called Ove runs the gamut of emotions: laughter, exasperation, anger, compassion, fear, love, loss. Those new neighbors of his force him to get involved in something other than his own tunnel-vision plans, and as Ove constantly gets yanked into the lives of others, his backstory is slowly revealed. That backstory makes all the difference in the world because we get to see Ove as a child, as a teenager, as a young man-- and we see why Ove became so mean-spirited.
Some may dismiss A Man Called Ove as a simple "feel good" story. Yes, it does make the reader feel good, but that assessment sells this book short. It is a wonderful characterization and examination of a man's life. It just may get some of us to re-evaluate the curmudgeons in our own lives.
I was stunned to learn that this is a debut novel because it certainly doesn't read like one. I could ramble enthusiastically for several more paragraphs, but I won't. If you've been avoiding Fredrik Backman's book because of the hype, stop. Pick it up and read it. My only warning? Have a family-size box of tissues close at hand when you near the end. You will be crying. Crying for sad... and crying for happy.
A Man Called Ove runs the gamut of emotions: laughter, exasperation, anger, compassion, fear, love, loss. Those new neighbors of his force him to get involved in something other than his own tunnel-vision plans, and as Ove constantly gets yanked into the lives of others, his backstory is slowly revealed. That backstory makes all the difference in the world because we get to see Ove as a child, as a teenager, as a young man-- and we see why Ove became so mean-spirited.
Some may dismiss A Man Called Ove as a simple "feel good" story. Yes, it does make the reader feel good, but that assessment sells this book short. It is a wonderful characterization and examination of a man's life. It just may get some of us to re-evaluate the curmudgeons in our own lives.
I was stunned to learn that this is a debut novel because it certainly doesn't read like one. I could ramble enthusiastically for several more paragraphs, but I won't. If you've been avoiding Fredrik Backman's book because of the hype, stop. Pick it up and read it. My only warning? Have a family-size box of tissues close at hand when you near the end. You will be crying. Crying for sad... and crying for happy.
Helpful Score: 7
An absolutely delightful read! A grumpy man with principles and a bigger heart than he is willing to show. I loved the characters. It is humorous, heart warming and bittersweet, but thoroughly enjoyable!
Helpful Score: 6
Am I glad I decided to give this book a try. I fell in love with Ove immediately. He's a grumpy, but lovable old man with a big heart, but you have to read the book to find out just how big it is!
This book has everything...it's hilarious, laugh out load funny, sad; you'll smile and cry at the same time, LOVED it!
This book has everything...it's hilarious, laugh out load funny, sad; you'll smile and cry at the same time, LOVED it!
Helpful Score: 5
I finished this book several days ago, and I've been thinking about it ever since. Some books just stay with you once you finish them, and this book is definitely one of those.
When I first started reading it, I wondered how I was going to get all the way through the story. Ove is a total curmudgeon, and has some very colorful names for everyone around him. He has no filter, and he is in a hurry to finish living. I thought the book would be depressing, but somehow, it wasn't.
I loved the different characters in the story. The author really fleshes everyone out. The story flips back and forth between Ove's past and present, and the author gradually explains how Ove came to be where he is in life and why he feels the way he does about things. It is definitely a book that I would describe as a "slow burn". It gradually builds and reveals the relationship between the characters. I never expected some of them from the way the story began.
The book has quite a few funny moments. Some made me laugh out loud. It also has some incredibly sweet ones. I very much enjoyed watching the transformation that Ove goes through as the story progresses. I can count the number of times on one hand that a book has made me cry. This book had me sobbing at the end. It has been a long time since any book has made me feel such a connection to the characters. I will definitely read another book by this author.
When I first started reading it, I wondered how I was going to get all the way through the story. Ove is a total curmudgeon, and has some very colorful names for everyone around him. He has no filter, and he is in a hurry to finish living. I thought the book would be depressing, but somehow, it wasn't.
I loved the different characters in the story. The author really fleshes everyone out. The story flips back and forth between Ove's past and present, and the author gradually explains how Ove came to be where he is in life and why he feels the way he does about things. It is definitely a book that I would describe as a "slow burn". It gradually builds and reveals the relationship between the characters. I never expected some of them from the way the story began.
The book has quite a few funny moments. Some made me laugh out loud. It also has some incredibly sweet ones. I very much enjoyed watching the transformation that Ove goes through as the story progresses. I can count the number of times on one hand that a book has made me cry. This book had me sobbing at the end. It has been a long time since any book has made me feel such a connection to the characters. I will definitely read another book by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this novel about a cranky man and his life in a Swedish community after losing his wife. Ove is 59 and drives a Saab. He frowns upon anyone who drives anything else. He rises early to inspect the neighborhoodâchecking doors, making sure people properly recycle their trash, putting waylaid bicycles in the shed where they belong, and making sure everyone observes the sign stating that no vehicles are allowed in the residential area. He feuds with a neighbor who has a feisty dog that pees on his cobblestones and wants to attack a stray neighborhood cat. And then some new neighbors move in who can't even back up a trailer without smashing Ove's mailbox! What has life become for him? But deep down, he has a heart of gold and eventually comes to love his new neighbors along with his friend who he has been feuding with for years. He longs to join his wife in the next life but something always happens to keep him from her.
This was a very touching story and before it's through, most of its readers will shed a few tears. I would whole-heartedly recommend this one. I actually decided to read this after it languished on my shelves for a few years because it is now a movie titled A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks that will be released in January. I saw the trailer for it and I'll be looking forward to seeing it!
This was a very touching story and before it's through, most of its readers will shed a few tears. I would whole-heartedly recommend this one. I actually decided to read this after it languished on my shelves for a few years because it is now a movie titled A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks that will be released in January. I saw the trailer for it and I'll be looking forward to seeing it!
As a daughter of a similar person to the One character, this book really warmed my heart.
Reading this book was just such a delight!
Absolutely one of my all-time favorite books! It made me chuckle, laugh out loud, tear up and cry. So well written and the characters, while all unique, are believable. You will see your friends and neighbors and maybe even an enemy in the characters. I can't wait to read more from this author.
After hearing so much about this book I was delighted to have it put into my hands by a librarian friend. Needless to say, I was not as excited about the read as so many others. Yes, it's funny. Yes, it's good. Yes, it's sad but in a lifelike way. And, yes, the author writes well but I enjoyed his second book more. This may be because when I read books by the same author back to back I find that my opinion of one is less. Perhaps that's why I like to read books in a series spread apart and do not mind if I read them out of sync.
About Ove. If you've read the book summary and some of the reviews you discover much about this delightful character who has a heart but doesn't want anyone to know it. He grumbles about just about everything and everyone but helps many. It's a charming story that is well worth reading but my advice is not to read both books (My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry) back to back. You may enjoy them more.
About Ove. If you've read the book summary and some of the reviews you discover much about this delightful character who has a heart but doesn't want anyone to know it. He grumbles about just about everything and everyone but helps many. It's a charming story that is well worth reading but my advice is not to read both books (My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry) back to back. You may enjoy them more.
It's not as if there are any real surprises in this book. The title character, a sad and disillusioned widower who wants only to join his dead wife, is dragged grumbling and resisting back into the human community, led by the young couple who buy the house next to his and begin the relationship by backing over his mailbox with the moving van. But the journey is such fun, the writing so delightful, and the character of Ove so recognizable, that one can't help but fall in love with him.
This book was so sweetly written. It's about a man that most consider a feisty old grouch, and very unpleasant. True at times, but there's much more to the man and his life and what made him that way. Sometimes, humorous, sometimes sad (but not very often). A lot of things occur in the book that make you change your mind about Ove, and make him a lovable man. I'm glad I read it.
Loved this book. It was the first book I ever read by Fredrick Backman and made me a fan of his work. Deals with lonelyness and grief as well as finding a reason to go on with your life and find some peace and joy again. Highly recommend it.
I laughed throughout the book - I think this is the funniest book I have read and I truly fell in love with Ove - he is so much like people I have known in various aspects throughout my lifetime - my grandfather, husbands father, etc.. Such an enjoyable story and one I will never forget.
Passed the book on to my husband.
It's a treasure.!
Passed the book on to my husband.
It's a treasure.!
I enjoyed it very much. Such a sweet read.
Story of a grumpy introvert widower and his reluctant involvement with new neighbors. Much of it is very funny; overall a heartwarming tale.
Couldn't get thru it. Too much conversation. Was hard for me to follow. Not enjoying it, so move on.
Could not understand how this book got any good reviews. This man was just plain annoying, the story dragged and was incredibly boring.
All Ove wants to do is die - so he can join his beloved wife. He makes plans, several of them in fact, to take matters into his own hands. However, his new neighbors as well as some of his long-time neighbors, seem to keep interfering with those plans. Ove is old-school: there's a right way and a wrong way to everything. In this well told tale of one man's struggle with the changing world and attitudes, he finds that he really is needed. So, joining his wife must be postponed until his jobs are complete. I loved this book. Different style, but charming. I laughed and cried at times. Well worth the read!!!!
Loved this book!! I can see how this book became a word-of-mouth international best-seller. Ove initially appears to be a miserable old man who loves routines and rules and not much more. When new neighbors literally bump into his life, they derail plans he has made to join his late wife. As Ove's backstory is revealed, readers learn about Ove's approach to life and about his marriage. Ove doesn't change his stubborn ways, but does discover a fulfilling way to live in his new life. I laughed and cried.
I enjoyed Ove. He reminded me of several people in my life.
This is what I'm recommending the next time someone asks me for a book idea. It made me both laugh out loud and weep, so that's an automatic 5 stars. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say it's heartbreakingly wonderful and encourage you to get your hands on a copy.
Unique and entertaining but draws at ones heart strings a real swift read to lighten ones afternoon and make one ponder deeply human nature and societies intricities.
I loved this book! Some aspects of Ove reminded me of my dearly departed father. And while I also enjoyed the movie, of course the book was better.
This was such a sweet story. It unwound slowly over time and was such a joy to read.
Wonderful. Don't miss reading this book. A beautiful life lesson of not judging a book by it's cover.
I loved Ove. He was not only grumpy but lonely and as so many people like him, deep inside he had a heart of gold. The treasure of this book is the author does not come right out and give details but builds the story page by page until you fall in love with A Man Called Ove.
Lovely! I read it in 1 day, and who really has time for that anymore? While this book maybe predictable, the author has a way of inviting the reader to read "just one more" chapter, til the next thing you know an hour has gone by. Heartwarming, feel good book.
Yes, it's a 'feel good' book--but as you get more into it, there is a wider appeal based on the other characters introduced from the neighborhood. Did I feel it could have been even better written but wasn't because it lacked a little in the translating? Yes, but it didn't really bother me because the story became so interesting. I didn't find it 'funny' though--just human.
This was the first book that I've read by this author and it was shared with me as a family member wound up buying 2 of the same books.
At first I was like hmmmm but after I read a few chapters I literally couldn't put the book down. I'm off to find another book to read by this author!
At first I was like hmmmm but after I read a few chapters I literally couldn't put the book down. I'm off to find another book to read by this author!
Charming novel about the slow chipping away of the glacial exterior of a man called Ove.
I just finished reading Truly Madly Guilty, and the character of Ove is reminiscent of that story's crotchety old neighbor, Harry. Ove, a cranky widower, has a very hard shell -he keeps to himself and couldn't care less whether people like him or think of him at all. As the story unfolds, the reader gets a glimpse as to why Ove keeps himself so guarded. Though he is set in his ways and lives strictly by a well-scheduled routine, circumstances force him off-track. It's delightful to read as he's transformed by these unplanned circumstances, and in turn, how he transforms others.
Book Description
In this charming debut from one of Sweden's most successful authors, a grumpy yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon and the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell. But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Fredrik Backman's novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others. If there was an award for Most Charming Book of the Year,' this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down.
My Review
All I can say about this book is that it is a very delightful and beautifully written book. It makes you laugh-out-loud but has some sad and tender moments which make you cry. I will be looking forward to reading more by this author. When you read this book, you will find that Ove will stay with you long after you've finished the book so be sure not to miss this one!
In this charming debut from one of Sweden's most successful authors, a grumpy yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon and the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell. But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Fredrik Backman's novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others. If there was an award for Most Charming Book of the Year,' this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down.
My Review
All I can say about this book is that it is a very delightful and beautifully written book. It makes you laugh-out-loud but has some sad and tender moments which make you cry. I will be looking forward to reading more by this author. When you read this book, you will find that Ove will stay with you long after you've finished the book so be sure not to miss this one!
Oh. My. Goodness! I started this book several years ago and put it aside. Not my cup of tea.
Now my book club is reading it so I decided to give it another try and I am SO glad I did. My initial reaction to not liking it was that someone as cranky and curmudgeonly as Ove should have been older than 59. Once I got past that I was in for a spectacular ride. There is humor and sadness bound together in this sweet story. It's a story of loss, of kindness, of unusual friendships, of love...
Ove desperately misses his wife of 40 years and finds it impossible to cope with the pain and loss of the only person who ever understood him. Throughout the story he learns what the healing power of love is all about. The people he begrudgingly lets into his life help him through a lot of pain.
His wife was the opposite of him. You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away, she said to him once, when he asked her why she had to be so upbeat the whole time.
Ove had never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him, he would have answered that he didn't.
I laughed, I cried. I loved it!
Now my book club is reading it so I decided to give it another try and I am SO glad I did. My initial reaction to not liking it was that someone as cranky and curmudgeonly as Ove should have been older than 59. Once I got past that I was in for a spectacular ride. There is humor and sadness bound together in this sweet story. It's a story of loss, of kindness, of unusual friendships, of love...
Ove desperately misses his wife of 40 years and finds it impossible to cope with the pain and loss of the only person who ever understood him. Throughout the story he learns what the healing power of love is all about. The people he begrudgingly lets into his life help him through a lot of pain.
His wife was the opposite of him. You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away, she said to him once, when he asked her why she had to be so upbeat the whole time.
Ove had never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him, he would have answered that he didn't.
I laughed, I cried. I loved it!
This isn't really my cup o' tea: too sentimental, too "cute." But having just been forced to read a very bad, very badly written book, it forced me to reevaluate my judgement: Backman clearly understands style and pacing, and knows how to use them. The choppy sentences and brief chapters contribute to a fairy-tale quality, and while some reviewers objected to the repetition ("a man call Ove did xyz..."), I thought it neatly hammered home that Ove is Everyman, and his life is our lives. And Backman has a point to make. The point may be a little simplistic, don't judge a book by its cover, don't judge anyone until you've walked a mile in their moccasins, but "simple" doesn't mean wrong, and doesn't mean it might not need saying.
For me, it could have been darker. Ove is a grumpy old pain in the you-know-where, but REASONS!! So many, many reasons! I think I would have liked Ove better if he had just been allowed to be grumpy, without the SPOILERS sad childhood, lost job, dead wife etc, etc, etc. His neighbours are walking, talking embodiments of Meet Cute: awkward fat guy? Check. Sassy woman of colour? Check (and she's pregnant! How cute is that?) Ove's former neighbourhood adversary is now suffering from dementia, saved from permanent hospitalization by his loyal, over-whelmed wife. Ove is denied no opportunity to be both politically incorrect, and demonstrate that he's basically decent and has a heart of gold.
A "grumpy old man" story that was more to my taste is Frederick Barthelme's "There Must be Some Mistake."Interestingly, another book in which the central character has settled into "old" habits in his 50s. But while backstory trauma is hinted at, the central character's anti-social ways aren't excused or explained, and he's seen through the lens of neighbours who are as annoying and as flawed as he is -- much funnier and more realistic.
I will probably come back to this: I may keep in on my bedside table, and dip into it, in the spirit of the blog essays it started as
For me, it could have been darker. Ove is a grumpy old pain in the you-know-where, but REASONS!! So many, many reasons! I think I would have liked Ove better if he had just been allowed to be grumpy, without the SPOILERS sad childhood, lost job, dead wife etc, etc, etc. His neighbours are walking, talking embodiments of Meet Cute: awkward fat guy? Check. Sassy woman of colour? Check (and she's pregnant! How cute is that?) Ove's former neighbourhood adversary is now suffering from dementia, saved from permanent hospitalization by his loyal, over-whelmed wife. Ove is denied no opportunity to be both politically incorrect, and demonstrate that he's basically decent and has a heart of gold.
A "grumpy old man" story that was more to my taste is Frederick Barthelme's "There Must be Some Mistake."Interestingly, another book in which the central character has settled into "old" habits in his 50s. But while backstory trauma is hinted at, the central character's anti-social ways aren't excused or explained, and he's seen through the lens of neighbours who are as annoying and as flawed as he is -- much funnier and more realistic.
I will probably come back to this: I may keep in on my bedside table, and dip into it, in the spirit of the blog essays it started as
I didn't think I was going to like this, but I was pleasantly surprised. Once I got into it, I could not put it down. Lots of twists and turns; very good book.
Not Scandinavian enough for me.
