A Man Called Ove
Ratings781
Average rating4.4
I was pleasantly surprised by this book - I almost quit reading after the first chapter or so. Glad I kept reading
I was always a fan of Backman's style, heartwarming stories with charming characters, so I see it fit for his magnum opus (from what I've read) to be among my favorites.
*4.5 stars. Full review to come on this second, much more pleasant read through for me. So glad I came back to give Ove another opportunity.
This book touched my heart in a warm way that I didn't expect. From start to finish.
As the layers of Ove's life are gently peeled away, I found myself emotionally invested in his journey. Ove's character is sometimes so real and relatable that you can't help but feel a deep connection to him.
Якось так вийшло що я прочитав Бакмана в неправильному порядку. Спочатку бабусю і Бріт-Марі, потім серію “Ведмеже місто” і останньою книгою читав Уве. Книжку якою фактично потрібно розпочинати знайомитися з цим чудесним автором. Десь як і з фільмом (тим що шведський) незрозумів коли книжка закінчилася. Але на відміну від фільму у книжці якось більше емоційних гойдалок. Читаючи одну сторінку ловиш себе на тому, що обличчя розтягується в посмішці, і вже на наступній ти розумієш що букви розпливаються через те, що непрохана сльоза заважає читати. Сюжет суперовий, персонажі (особливо Парване) дуже круто описані, розвиток подій (хоч і був мені відомий за фільмом, все одно тримає в напрузі до останньої сторінки). Хто не читав, що ж ви щасливі люди що зможете пережити ці відчуття.
What a roller coaster of emotions this book holds!
Ove is an individual that reminded me so much of my Apa, he will not deal with any incompetence or any rule breakers. The only thing that kept Ove going in life was his beautiful and caring Sonya.
In this story we get the love story that is Ove and Sonya along with Ove adjusting to life without her. When a new neighbor backs his trailer into Ove's mailbox that chance encounter sets Ove in a new direction to kindness.
I cried several times but the end was the most touching for me. I loved this book and will now watch the movie, which I hope stands up to this beautiful story.
En una palabra: precioso.
Conocemos a Ove, un señor mayor cascarrabias muy fiel a sus principios hasta tal punto que empezará a gritarte y a sermonearte con que se debe cumplir las normas y a hacer lo correcto.
“He believed so strongly in things: justice and fair play and hard work and a world where right just had to be right.”
“But sorrow is unreliable in that way. When people don't share it there's a good chance that it will drive them apart instead.”
“You only need one ray of light to chase all the shadows away.”
“But we are always optimists when it comes to time; we think there will be time to do things with other people. And time to say things to them.”
I love this book so much. It's near perfect to be honest. Old people just get me more sad than anyone else and this story has the ability to make me cry every time, whether it's reading the book itself or either of the film adaptions. Im always left a mess at the end
Equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. I loved this story and these characters. I did struggle to get through it and stay with it for long periods of time; I finished 10 books between me stating this book and finishing it! But I am so glad I kept coming back to it. In the end, this was a wonderful story about love, grief, and found families.
A Man Called Ove is a well crafted, feel good novel about a very grumpy old man called Ove. At first I was really offput but Ove's grumpiness but I think everyone else in the story and the fitting ending made up for it.
Even though I have zero emotional investment and strongly dislike him (until the end lol), I thought Backman did a fantastic job developing Ove. The use of flashbacks and symbolism really paint a story of who is Ove and why he's a big meanie who distrusts everyone he meets.
An outstanding book. About a man who does what's right, because that's how things are done, and when he thinks he's done, maybe he's not quite yet.
Predictably quaint, Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove is worth a read at least once in your life, and at worst will inspire you to check in on your neighbors, your grandparents, and the stray cat in your yard.
Robert Frost claimed that one of the most important rules of good writing is to be surprised in your own work; “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” For me, this is the only problem with A Man Called Ove—it is almost too predictable. The book was heartwarming and maybe even eye-opening, but it lacked an element of unpredictability that would have added to its candid charm.
Favorite passage:
[Chapter 30, pg. 305-06]
“‘Loving someone is like moving into a house,' Sonja used to say. ‘At first you fall in love with all the new things, amazed every morning that all this belongs to you, as if fearing that someone would suddenly come rushing in through the door to explain that a terrible mistake had been made, you were actually supposed to live in a wonderful place like this. Then over the years the walls become weathered, the wood splinters here and there, and you start to love that house not so much because of all its perfection, but rather for its imperfections. You get to know all the nooks and crannies. How to avoid getting the key caught in the lock when it's cold outside. Which of the floorboards flex slightly when one steps on them or exactly how to open the wardrobe doors without them creaking. These are the little secrets that make it your home.'”
I would like to sue the author for attempted murder. I nearly died due to dehydration from all the tears.
I had high hopes for this book after reading Anxious People and I was not disappointed. Fredrik Backman's writing is so relatably human, managing to find humor in some of the darkest areas of our lives.
On the surface, Ove appears to be nothing more than a cranky old man. Beneath that gruff exterior is a wounded and lonely old man. When new neighbors move in, he finds himself suddenly surrounded by people despite his efforts to maintain his isolation.
I had to read this in a hurry because my library has waitlists on multiple copies, so I'm not sure if because of this I found it dragged a lot in the beginning. By the middle, it began to pick up though I can't say the pace changed much overall. It's one I would have preferred to read slowly. Still, I enjoyed it a lot.
This book is even better the second time. The first time I spent the first half being like, “why is this man so mean?” and this time I spent the first half being like, “why is everyone so mean to this man?”.
With a reread I feel confident calling this one of my favorite books. Just thinking about it gets me emotional. Also, JK Simmons narration was excellent, I'm not sure why it's so hard to track down.
Meh. I really enjoyed the story but the writing was too much like a picture book for me. It felt like it was all short sentences. Well developed characters but the writing style made me want to rush through it.
First chapter and I was like “In uncle ki problem kya hai?! Chill maaro na life mein” Oh boy, how this story turned around. For some reason, I could only visualise him as the grumpy old guy from ‘Up'.
I had genuine positive emotion for him and others by the time I finished.
Someone told me there's a movie as well, will definitely not watch. I want to preserve my visual memory of it.
Also, thanks Maddy for the book. Hope you're enjoying the concepts of neuroplasticity.
A Man Called Ove certainly deserves a content warning for attempted suicide, but its insight about the pain of grief, the unexpected delight of cross-generational connection, and the meaning of community tugs at the heartstrings. Here Backman, with the simultaneous pathos and comforting warmth that are his custom, provides a window into the life of a crotchety old man certain he has exhausted all joy life could ever have to offer him—until new neighbors arrive to seriously disrupt his routine. Despite his bleak outlook, Ove is one of the funniest characters I have encountered in fiction; his shameless frankness is endearing and laugh-out-loud hilarious, and I found myself rooting for him despite every effort he made to convince his neighbors, and the reader, to the contrary. Taking inspiration from Ove, I will bluntly say that this is the most uplifting story about an old guy constantly trying and failing to kill himself I have ever read.
No one does sentimentality like Backman. He just toes the line of twee, has a lot to say about good people stuck in bad systems and just makes the most likeable characters ever.