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Ove is the quintessential “cranky old curmudgeon” of his neighborhood, a one-man enforcement agency of the Residents’ Association rules. He lives an orderly life, inspecting his property each morning, maintaining a clean home, fixing little things before they become big problems, and keeping his distance from all the “idiots” around him. Then a family with two young daughters move in across the street, flattening Ove’s mailbox with their U-haul, and his order ...more
Ove is the quintessential “cranky old curmudgeon” of his neighborhood, a one-man enforcement agency of the Residents’ Association rules. He lives an orderly life, inspecting his property each morning, maintaining a clean home, fixing little things before they become big problems, and keeping his distance from all the “idiots” around him. Then a family with two young daughters move in across the street, flattening Ove’s mailbox with their U-haul, and his order ...more
This book was a gem. I laughed, I cried. I cried some more. And then I cried even more. It did take me a little while to connect - initially I didn't think I'd ever warm to Ove, but when I did, he had such a firm grip on me that I couldn't bear to stop reading (or in this case, listening).
Although it was totally predictable, it didn't matter in the least, thanks to Backman's masterful writing & characterisation. It was all about the journey, and Ove's (well-disguised) humanity. It's been a while ...more
Although it was totally predictable, it didn't matter in the least, thanks to Backman's masterful writing & characterisation. It was all about the journey, and Ove's (well-disguised) humanity. It's been a while ...more
This book surprised me! I expected a good laugh and an easy read. The book lived up to my expectations, but I found that the book was much more than just a funny book.
Ove is a grumpy man with routines and rules that needs to be followed, and he isn't fond of many other people and most people aren't too fond of Ove. But there is much more to Ove, when you get to know him!
To me this book is about true love and friendship and about finding it where you least expect it. It's a book about giving peop ...more
Ove is a grumpy man with routines and rules that needs to be followed, and he isn't fond of many other people and most people aren't too fond of Ove. But there is much more to Ove, when you get to know him!
To me this book is about true love and friendship and about finding it where you least expect it. It's a book about giving peop ...more
This was a fun book - I read it for a Goodreads group read. I have a few reservations about it; Ove is a grumpy old man, but sometimes Backman really overplayed that card. The constant references to the neighbor Jimmy's weight and eating habits and the constant negative slang references to the gay young man from the coffee shop got old and were hard to read. As someone else here pointed out, this seems more like a personal problem of Backman's than character sketches. It was often just mean-spir
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This book is a series of quirky scenes from the life of a middle aged man, laced with black humor and understatement. Geeky, misanthropic and treading the fine line between very eccentric and slightly deranged, Ove is a character we’d like to hate but just can’t. He is considered the neighbor from hell and the grumpiest of old men. Ove is a man who only wants the world to be right and wrong, according to his categories of right and wrong. Of course it isn't and he is magnificently grumpy about i
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Loved it! As with the other Backman book I've read, he creates a character at the beginning that you get to know. And this character slowly begins to be affected by those around him, whether or not they want to be. We share in the gradual growth of this person, rooting for their happiness. In this case, we meet Ove--a grouchy old guy who has recently been laid off from his job and finds himself lonely and with nothing to do, so he's decided to kill himself. Unfortunately (?), people keep interru
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A cute story with a lovable grump for a protagonist. It's a day to day movement story without being overly tedious. For me, this was a book that I fell into quickly and read with relative ease. It wasn't overly gripping, but it was comfortable. It held my attention and made me want to read...always a good sign.
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I just love books like this and Backman is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Of course, I am particularly partial to grumps with big hearts.
4.5 stars
I loved that grump ole bastard!
I had heard from many book friends that I would enjoy this book. And clearly they know me better than I know myself because I was reluctant to try this book. But from the first scene in the Apple Store, I was hooked.
Ove made me laugh, made me roll my eyes, made me angry, and in the end made me cry. This story was full of just so much, but I loved the man's journey to find his way after life had dealt him yet another blow. One that he didn't think he would ever be ...more
I had heard from many book friends that I would enjoy this book. And clearly they know me better than I know myself because I was reluctant to try this book. But from the first scene in the Apple Store, I was hooked.
Ove made me laugh, made me roll my eyes, made me angry, and in the end made me cry. This story was full of just so much, but I loved the man's journey to find his way after life had dealt him yet another blow. One that he didn't think he would ever be ...more
2.5 rounded up.
I was a bit suspicious of A Man Called Ove, because I had the impression, from what I had heard about it, that it was basically the adult version of the Pixar movie Up. And it turned out that yes, it absolutely was the adult version of the Pixar movie Up, and that wasn't really a bad thing after all.
My favorite thing about A Man Called Ove, and the reason I'll definitely be reading more Fredrik Backman even though I think this particular story wasn't quite suited for me, was the ...more
I was a bit suspicious of A Man Called Ove, because I had the impression, from what I had heard about it, that it was basically the adult version of the Pixar movie Up. And it turned out that yes, it absolutely was the adult version of the Pixar movie Up, and that wasn't really a bad thing after all.
My favorite thing about A Man Called Ove, and the reason I'll definitely be reading more Fredrik Backman even though I think this particular story wasn't quite suited for me, was the ...more
I really tried to stick with this book and try to like it. A lot of people told me to stick with it longer. I did and just past the half way mark, I decided that it just wasn't working for me and DNF'd it. If a book hasn't gotten me invested in it by the halfway point, chances are it won't. I was ready to quit when I was barely a quarter into it and I stayed with it longer and just did not want to waste anymore of my time; life's too short to force yourself to read something that you don't like.
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This book took me through a lot of feelings, from tenderness and hope, to anger, heartbreak and impotence. I was amazed at how with just a sentence or two my understanding of the characters would deepen, like being given pieces of the puzzle I hadn't known were missing. I also appreciate it discussing ageism and, in general, the experience of seeing the world change as you grow old, since I think these days it's quite common to overlook or undervalue the older generations.
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This is one of them type books where in the beginning you hate the main character but by the end you like the main character just to be let down with a sad ending. I would recommend this book.
This was an amazing rollercoaster of a book.
Mar 05, 2015
Katharine
marked it as to-read
Feb 03, 2016
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Feb 03, 2017
Becky
marked it as wishlist
