maggiefan
Written on Dec 5, 2020
The word-of-mouth bestseller causing a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman's heartwarming debut is a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step.
'Warm, funny, and almost unbearably moving' Daily Mail
'Rescued all those men who constantly mean to read novels but never get round to it' Spectator Books of the YearAt first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.
But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so?
In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible...
- ISBN10 1444775804
- ISBN13 9781444775808
- Publish Date 3 July 2014
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 7 May 2016
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
- Imprint Sceptre
- Format Paperback (UK Trade)
- Pages 304
- Language English
Reviews
Sam@WLABB
Written on Sep 20, 2020
There is just something really special about a Backman book. His characters always manage to win my heart, and this old bugger owned me. Hard on the outside, but so tender on the inside. The bits where I got to learn about his life with her wife were both beautiful and kind of tragic, and I felt the depth of his love and affection for her. But it was the way he connected and in some cases, reconnected with his neighbors. A loving family was born and it simply made my heart explode. Another stunning, touching, and beautiful book from Fredrik Backman.
laughingrachel
Written on Jun 27, 2020
dokie80
Written on Mar 5, 2020
nannah
Written on Apr 3, 2019
Sorry, I just couldn't make it. There should be content warnings on books!
Content warnings:
SUICIDE IDEATION
SUICIDE ATTEMPTS
Okay, so I'm extremely depressed and deal with suicidal ideation at least multiple times each month. This book, described on the blurb as "uplifting", described by me after a few chapters as a book version of "Up" without the balloons and traveling across the world, seemed like a heartwarming escape.
Then I read on. Chapter four (or five? I don't want to check) had the protag actually attempt suicide, thinking things over Very Thoroughly before attempting it. He was interrupted/it failed, but it didn't matter. The damage was done for me.
This continued for Every Other Chapter before I got around halfway and quit.
Every other chapter this protag tried to commit suicide in different ways!
For someone who's depressed and already suffers from suicide ideation regularly, this is like someone anonymously urging me on! Every time I read the protag thinking things through, I was like: "Well, that doesn't sound like such a bad way to go, either. Maybe *I* can do that, too." Especially due to the nonchalant way of the protagonist's thinking.
It was awful. A simple warning somewhere on the goodreads summary would've spared all this ... A lot of YA summaries are adopting this, but apparently for adults it's unneeded?
Anyway, I'm getting too bitter, so I'll stop here. I really didn't have any problems with the characters, prose, storytelling, etc. That's why I'm not giving it a rating.
Bianca
Written on Nov 2, 2018
Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it’s often one of the great motivations for living. Some of us, in time, become so conscious of it that we live harder, more obstinately, with more fury. Some need its constant presence to even be aware of its antithesis. Others become so preoccupied with it that they go into the waiting room long before it has announced its arrival. We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will pass us by. And leave us there alone.
— About a grumpy old man trapped in his grief who finds a new family with the strangers next door. What a heartwarming read.
Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews
Written on Jul 24, 2018
- If you love character-driven, heart-warming reads A Man Called Ove is a must
- Ove is a rarity as he is a loveable curmudgeon and his story is like an onion, with each layer invoking more emotion.
- Fredrik Backman has a very subtle sense of humor that could bring a smile to the most heart-wrenching moments in the novel.
- I loved reading of the backstories of Ove's neighbors and how he inadvertently affected their lives.
- Of course I also enjoyed learning about Ove's past and what molded his personality and outlook on life.
- A Man Called Ove is an unexpected gem. I closed the book happy to have made the journey, yet sad that it was over.
This review was originally posted on First Impressions Reviews
BookeryBliss
Written on Mar 11, 2018
My favorite quote:
“A time like that comes for every man, when he chooses what sort of man he wants to be. And if you don’t know the story, you don’t know the man.”
Martha G
Written on Jul 6, 2017
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Dec 22, 2016
Backman has this incredible gift for bringing his characters to life as he draws you into their story. His tales deal with small towns and everyday people who we soon discover anything but. Backman skillfully weaves these characters into your heart, and there they will remain for years to come.
You have to meet Ove. He is methodical, grumpy, opinionated and at the beginning of our story depressed. Backman shares Ove's story giving us chapters in the present as he deals with the loss of his wife and then he scatters stories of his past throughout. All of this allowed me as the reader to truly see the man. Ove made me laugh, had me recognizing similarities to my father, and made me cry. I shed both tears of joy and ones of immense sadness.
Secondary characters are fully developed adding depth and meaning to the tale. The small suburban town burst to life. He highlighted everything from homeowners associations to nosy neighbors. I loved his neighbors and the interaction between them and Ove. The banter and perfectly mundane conversations were infused with honest humor. I laughed so hard at times it brought me to tears. He sheds light on our differences and highlights what makes us the same.
Ove is at the center of the story, but it's so much more. We get to know this little community, see character growth and experience a side of humanity I want to embrace. Ove's struggles throughout the story and initiates a plan to resolve this issue. He is very through, not missing a single detail but life and his neighbors keep getting in the way. The way in which Backman had the secondary characters interfere with his plan made A Man Called Ove one of the most delightful, heartfelt books I have ever listened to. In fact, I loved it so much; I bought the hardcover edition for my bookshelf. I want to be able to spend time with these characters again.
George Newbern narrated the tale and captured Ove and this little community. The emotions, sarcasm, and awkwardness that is Ove were enhanced. I loved his voices for secondary characters including Parveneh. Who by the way was wonderful. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer