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A Man Called Ove
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Start date
January 5, 2016

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What Members Thought

Megan
To be rated/reviewed after this month's book club

While the premise may sound off-putting, this novel is well worth a read. The main character, Ove, is the quintessential curmudgeon set in his ways. He gets frustrated by people who don't follow simple rules or worse, drive BMWs. Saabs are the only acceptable vehicles, thank you very much! His tendencies have grown more pronounced since the death of his wife, Sonia, four years prior. Ove's made a dramatic decision about his life, but his plans are
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Amy
Mar 07, 2017 rated it liked it
A Man Called by Frederik Backman started off with a persnickety curmudgeon who readers grew to 'ove.' Told through the protagonist's narrative, readers realize that Ove has being suffering, losing everyone he loved. Despite holding people at an arms length, they fight their way into his life and end up saving his own. ...more
Megan
Aug 04, 2017 rated it really liked it
Ove starts out as a crusty old man, but as his story evolves, I realized I would not be nearly as nice as he was if placed in his position. A Man Called Ove demonstrates the potential of people to truly change one another's lives, the way all the neighbors in this story do. ...more
Sam
May 24, 2017 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: audio-books, rc2017
Super sweet story of a curmudgeonly old man and his quirky neighbors who keep foiling his plans. Listened to this while commuting and it was a perfect book for that. The writing is structured and simple and the story easy to follow being humorous and maudlin in turns.

While some found the language to describe the characters off putting, I think to do it in a PC way would devalue the character of Ove. This is a man who does not think twice about offending someone and his inner monologue doesn't p
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Leslie
Dec 10, 2020 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
For some reason I avoided this one when it was really buzzy a few years ago - I didn't think it would be my kind of book. I was wrong, because a story about a grumpy old secret softy who finds community despite his best efforts to stay unhappy and isolated is totally in my wheelhouse, and I really liked it.

Trigger warning, though, for suicidal ideation and many aborted suicide attempts. I did not realize going into it that was going to be a major part of this book.
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Stacey
Oct 25, 2020 rated it really liked it
A quick, cozy sort of read.
Charlene
Jan 11, 2017 marked it as to-read
Anna
Jan 25, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Gina
Nov 26, 2022 rated it really liked it
Amanda
May 11, 2017 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Heather
May 19, 2017 rated it really liked it
Amy
Jul 14, 2017 rated it really liked it
Lauren
Jul 16, 2017 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Laura Seagraves
Nov 20, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Ashley
Feb 20, 2019 rated it really liked it
Chris Chappelear
Jan 25, 2018 rated it it was amazing
Jane
Feb 23, 2018 rated it liked it
Shelves: fiction, humor
Kelly
Mar 07, 2018 marked it as to-read
Amy Crehore
Jun 24, 2018 marked it as to-read
Martha
Apr 28, 2019 marked it as to-read
Kate
Jul 17, 2019 marked it as to-read
Marcella
Jan 03, 2020 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: owned
Kate Murphy
Mar 29, 2020 rated it it was amazing
Kelly
Jul 21, 2020 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Noel
Sep 06, 2020 rated it really liked it
Kayte
Dec 04, 2020 marked it as to-read
Lisa
Dec 25, 2020 marked it as to-read
Shelves: tbr-own
Sarah
Jan 27, 2021 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Korie Brown
Mar 11, 2021 rated it really liked it
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