A Man Called Ove
Ratings779
Average rating4.4
Really good! I could somewhat identify with Ove. Also with his wife. This was reviewed as an afternoon's read, and that was true. Still good.
The story of the grumpy old man with the good hidden heart has been told many times before, so this book doesn't break any new ground. Having said that, the setting is intriguing and characters are likable, the diversity is interesting, but pushed a little too far to sound authentic. The writing is warm and funny and the book goes by quick and easy. A good read, but I don't think it will have a lasting effect.
قال الناس إن أوڤ رأى العالم بالأبيض والأسود. لكنها هي كانت بالألوان. كانت كلّ لون عرفه.
I hated that guy called Ove at first, how one dimensional he is, how much he is attached to an old stupid Saab car, how dry he is, how rude and clear he is, how routine oriented he is, how dead he is....The more i read through the more i saw that avoidant old grandpa for his true self. The memories that made him, how repressed he was at his childhood, how strict his dad was, how he learned that the only quality that makes a man is his own words. Ove was an avoidant one dimensional person, we got to see throught the book his whole life, chapters discussing his romantic life with his wife Sonia (one of the most beautiful and warm relationships i read in a book althought Ove never spoke word of love for her, it showed on every action, it showed in every sensation) , his work life, his life routine, his parents, his beleifs. I really got attached to him so fast, i felt like i'm like him on my own way of thinking, algthough i don't judge people by whether they are riding a Volvo or a Saab, but this guy gave me permision and hope that guys like us can normaly form relationships (beautiful ones too), can form great meaningful connections. This book made me dead ass laugh at myself, especially his relationship with the random cat outside his home. Avoidance exists lol.
I loved how Partinia (his crazy neighbour, as he worded it), kept always trying to pile his walls down and she succedd at that at the end. As the story went by, Ove became less and less avoidant. Not to mention how at first he was trying to end his life on daily basis, because life without Sonia was nothing, she left him in a word that couldn't understand his language, he felt suffocated, no hope in life, he just wanted to rest beside her coffin. I loved how emotionally dead he is, that he always thought in terms of the people he loved. I like this because Sonia would love it !! Didn't imagine i would cry for you Ove, but man i love how real the story convied avoidance and how we really think from the insides. Thank you Ove for giving me that confidence.
Some quotes from the book:
«سأكون في انتظارك هنا غداً مساءً عند الساعة الثامنة. أريدك أن ترتدي بذلة، وأودّ أن تدعوني للخروج معك لتناول العشاء».
أنّ معظم الرجال هربوا من قسوة الحياة، ولكن أوڤ ركض إليها.
وقال لها إنه سيحبّها. على الرغم من أنه كان يعرف أنه لا يمكنه أن يحبّها أكثر ممّا يحبّها أصلاً.
قالت صونيا في إحدى المرّات إنّه للتمكّن من فهم رجال أمثال أوڤ ورون، يجب على المرء أن يفهم منذ البداية أنّهم رجال موجودون في الوقت الخطأ. فهم رجال يطالبون فقط بأشياء قليلة وبسيطة من الحياة؛ كما قالت. إنهم يريدون سقفاً فوق رؤوسهم، وشارعاً هادئاً، وسيارة جيدة الصنع، وامرأة ليكونوا مخلصين لها، وعملاً يكون لديهم فيه دورٌ ووظيفةٌ مناسبان، ومنزلاً تنكسر فيه الأشياءُ بفتراتٍ مُنتظمة، فيكون لديهم دائماً شيءٌ ليصلحوه بغير براعة أو يشغلوا أنفسهم به. «جميع الناس يريدون أن يعيشوا حياةً جليلة وكريمة. ويختلف معنى الكرامة بالنسبة إلى كلّ شخص». قالت صونيا.
كان كما لو أنّه لا يريد أن يتحدّث إليه الناس الآخرون، وكان يخاف من أن تمحوَ أصواتُهم المُثَرثِرة ذكرى صوتِها هي.
«إذا كان هناك شيءٌ واحدٌ يمكن أن يُكتَبَ في نَعي أوڤ عند وفاته، فهو أنه كان على الأقلّ اقتصاديّاً في استهلاك الوقود».
Made it halfway in the audiobook, but decided to stop it now. It's the story of a grumpy old man, he's pretty much annoyed by everything, and shows his displeasure at all times. Which nearly made me stop the book after the first couple chapters. But then there was a reveal at the end of chapter four which was rather touching. So I kept going. But, everything just is so predictable. Grumpy old man, forced by circumstances and people around him, unwillingly finds new reasons to enjoy living. There's no mystery I feel i need to stick around for, and the prose alone isn't good enough for me to keep going.
It's almost like Backman had an assignment to write the most repetitive and predictable novel of all time and he absolutely understood the assignment.
Contains spoilers
TW: suicide
I found myself thinking that too much drama happens to this old man. Reflecting on my own telanovella of a life I decided that I was wrong. This book is sometimes hard to read because of its content about suicide, but part of its humor is Ove's constant foiled attempts. These then leading Ove to becoming an accidental hero, role model, & all around good guy by the end of the book. The book is about great love, terrible loss & finding your place in the world afterwards. I cried, the book was great.
Yes, I cried. Yes, the book was good. Yes, I loved the writing. Do I really need to say anymore?
“A Man Called Ove” is an amazing story that is beautifully written and explores themes of love, loss, loneliness, and the importance of community, all through the lens of a man who seems unlovable and annoying at the beginning but ultimately proves to be relatable and endearing. It made me think deeply at times when I often felt empty.
Evidently I totally forgot to add that I was reading this but it was really quite good. I think it may have been slightly overhyped, though, so I think my expectations were a bit too high going into it. Regardless, Backman is a compelling author and I loved his writing, so I will certainly be picking up more of his work.
I keep reading these stories about strangers becoming family and I love it. I like exploring the good in humans. This book was hug!
Man, everything about this book was absolute perfection - the dark humor, the characters, the cat. The ending had me in tears. Fuck to be loved the way Ove loved Sonja and the neighbors loved Ove.
This may be the funniest book I've ever read while simultaneously impacting my outlook on life in a way that few books ever have. I love how the book is structured, the characters are all so easy to get behind (especially Ove of course). It's the perfect balance of hilarious and meaningful while remaining believable and interesting. Can't recommend this book enough.
this book is a european man's idea of whimsy. what i mean by that is that there is an underlying layer of bigotry across everything, thin enough to ignore for the first few instances but physically grating when being subject to it for 300+ pages (or 9 hours in my case). like a swedish coworker who's friendly and has interesting stories to tell, but who eventually says something that's misogynistic or racist and makes you remember ah yes, this is a white man who has never had to think about being anything else but a white man.
i could go on and on about the things i didn't like about this book but here are some of the most egregious:
1. for some reason the author can't go 2 sentences without describing how overweight a certain character is whenever he's in a scene. Like long gratuitous descriptions of how his“rolls of fat” wobbled every time he talked or moved.
2. in the audiobook, the narrator gives a half-white, half-Iranian child a thick middle eastern accent, even though he is born and raised in sweden. i can't find any reason for this choice other than to otherize non-whiteness. this coupled with the mom of the child always being called the “foreign woman” is like microaggression central.
3. all the women in this book are like perfect manic pixie dream girls who are insanely nice to ove for some reason. especially sonja. what do you mean she married him because no one else would ride the train for so long to be with her?? what do you mean she read shakespeare to special needs kids?? can you be more on the nose please
4. there's a part in which ove and his friend plant drugs in the house of rowdy teenagers and get them arrested and evicted from their neighborhood. it's meant to be like a funny bonding moment for the two men. what?! first of all, these kids' lives are now ruined. second of all, fuck your HOA. third, ACAB!!! i realized at this point that none of these issues are ones that affluent white european men ever have to think about. and then i got mad. and then i still had 2 hours left in my audiobook!!
i don't have an issue with ove being a character of questionable values and opinions. i wouldn't be so one-dimensional to expect that a protagonist's morals align with my own. my issue is with the author. i don't know what i was looking for when i started this book, but i finished it being more exhausted of white male perspectives than I had been in the recent past.
(and it also further proved my point that goodreads ratings can't be trusted.)
Beautiful. Heartwarming!
I'm sure, I'll be remembering Ove for a long time! ❤️
“A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman is a masterclass in character creation, bringing the curmudgeonly Ove to life with remarkable empathy and compassion. Backman's portrayal of Ove feels deeply human, transforming a seemingly gruff and solitary man into a profoundly relatable and endearing character. Through Ove's interactions with his neighbors, the novel reveals layers of vulnerability and kindness beneath his tough exterior. This heartwarming story highlights the transformative power of community and connection, making readers both laugh and cry. Backman's skillful narrative ensures that Ove remains memorable long after the final page.
A heartwarming book about a grumpy old man who gets into fights with his neighbours. I think the only problem I had with this book is that although Ove's heart may be in the right place, he is also an absolute dickhead. But since the book is written from his perspective and with a humorous tone, it's biased towards him coming across as more of a a likeable character than he actually probably is.
[a:Frederik Backman 19692362 Frederik Backman https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] has absolutely mastered the art of character development. It's impossible not to feel each character's joy–their sorrow, their frustration, and their love towards Ove. You get to experience the cold exterior of Ove's heart melt away through his many brief, but meaningful interactions with others. Ove is a modern day Grinch, a character who is extremely committed to maintaining their image of a gruff and abrasive person, while also having a pure heart–one that is capable of growing many sizes (maybe even one size too big). A Man Called Ove has many themes that you hope will one day feel outdated, but right now are still incredibly important and relevant. You initially understand Ove's resilience to act sympathetically to queerness, to immigrants, to those that don't conform to typical gender roles (e.g. men who can operate a computer, but not hang drywall) as just an example of someone whose beliefs are outdated. He is old enough that you almost want to excuse him as it can be so difficult to change your ways with age; but Ove always come out on top of these situations and learns to accept these things because it's just the right thing to do.Ove shows us that anyone is capable of loving and caring for others, of acceptance and tolerance. We might have initial reservations of accepting people who are different or act differently, but ultimately it's just easier to love others. Everyone just wants to be happy and succeed in life, and it does no good trying to stop others from living their lives. (An exception to this might be bankers and scammers, who are never redeemed in the eyes of Ove.)Ove's character continues to inspire me after reading. There are so many opportunities each day to just help people because it's right; to accept others for who they are. It's hopeful to think that one might achieve their own happiness by living with the ideal of serving others when they can. Maybe one day I too will die and people will be happy to have known me, and grateful for what I had done for them. And I will die grateful to have met so many others and for the kindness and compassion they had given me in return. When I die I will definitely have been grateful to have read this book, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to others. Naysayers may feel that this book presents an idealized world that is too simple and kitschy, and maybe the truth is that the world really is that simple: just tell the truth and be kind to others.
I got this recommended by a book website called readgeeks based on other books I rated. This sounded both like something I could enjoy and something that I would hate, but I guess it ended up in the middle. This is like the popular version of the books I would like and I guess I don't like popular things! I was surprised to see this on feel good books lists when there were so many disturbing topics at the start, but yea I guess they sorta faded out in a weird way. It was a very readable book regardless.
I was also very curious about Swedish literature and this was quite a promising start, I have some hopes now for some reason that the classics from this country will be bangers. Not sure if I want to pick up another book from this author tho, I probably won't.
I have no idea how to feel about this book. At some points it got deep and interesting and I wanted it to go somewhere especially in the beginning, but I don't feel like they explored the topics I wanted that well. It felt like a disney film at times and I can see why it's popular. The main character was fascinating at times and at times worse than the worst of people I would interact with in real life, the shallowness of the car thing and how it's running so deep in the book. It is hard to believe that the wife really loved books or knew that much about them, some statements felt faulty about her and really why was she with Ove?
This book I guess is about altruistic people who are kinda annoying and normies. There are also a lot of parents. It is not my version of wholesome, but I am not so heartless as to dismiss it entirely.
A new reflection on april 6: Right now I feel like I gaslit myself into liking it a bit because there's just so many values there I don't want to be a part of. Like I want to live in an enviromentally friendly world, not the one where I get to hear people be oddly obsessed over ancient cars. These people are not vegan, not childfree and proud about it, that's already torture to me. That sounds a bit shallow, but honestly parenthood took up so much space in the book and I am personally not comfortable with it. These characters are not in search of the truth and values that I care about the most. Now that I am more comfortable with the stuff I enjoy, I am more comfortable in recognizing that this book, to me, personally was a waste of time.