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A Man Called Ove

Fredrik Backman

Start date: July 1, 2017

Finish date: July 31, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: July's topic/theme is Ageism

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman…more
[close] July's topic/theme is Ageism

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

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Showing 2 of 74 topics — 1,387 comments total

Monthly Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Jul 21, 2017 John Martin rated it it was amazing

If they can get away with calling a hotel in Dubai seven stars, I can't think why the star convention shouldn't be extended to books. I happily give five stars to books I really enjoy. But every now and then a book comes along that deserves to be in an even higher division. This is one of those novels. If you can get through this book without shedding tears of mirth and tears of sorrow, you are emotionally stronger than me. The book is funny, sad, uplifting and thought provoking. Somehow the aut ...more

49 likes · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2021 Justin Wiggins rated it it was amazing

Frederick Backman's grumpy character Ove you can't help but find charming, frustrating, amusing, and someone to admire for his consistency, and the great love he bears for his wife Sonja.
In the story, the grieving Ova is prevented from taking his own life numerous times by new neighbors who come to care for him, and that he comes to care for- they take him out of his comfort zone and help him find healing in his grief. This was my favorite line from the book,
“She just smiled, said that she lo ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

May 28, 2023 Radwa rated it really liked it

Shelves: translations, contemporary, adult

IT REALLY GOT ME!

I won't deny that I was a bit annoyed by the way the cat was treated and I felt like the author has never seen or dealt with a cat before, but I was crying reading that final chapter.

Take the story of Disney's UP and make it Sweden, replace the dog with a cat, the young scout boy with a lot of nosy lovable neighbours, and the adventure with taking down the beaurucracy, and you got "A Man called Ove".

We meet Ove as an old grumpy man whose wife died and that made him grumpy with e ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 30, 2019 Andrea rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, everyone-loved-this-but-me, borrowed

So. This is awkward. There's only one (!!!) other person on my whole friend list who also only gave this one star. Clearly, I'm in the minority here.

The thing is, I have never been able to get into Swedish books. I always thought it was just the German translations I read, but I also couldn't get into an English translation. Maybe I just can't get into translations at all. Who knows.

At any rate, I couldn't get into the story, and I just didn't care. Oh well.
...more

5 likes · Like · see review

May 23, 2017 Karin rated it really liked it

Endearing. Excellent use of a tale to tell the entire story of an old man who has quite the past but few know his story. Read it in one sitting (long flight).

1 like · Like · see review