A Man Called Ove in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Jul 13, 2017 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-loans, international-reads, tea-and-tomes-book-club-books, translated-into-english, funny-humor-satire, scandinavia, europe, contemporary, book-club-5point0-books

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 ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 Graceann rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, general-fiction, pop-sugar-2019

When I started reading A Man Called Ove, I thought "this guy is just a jerk; I hate him already." However, I was mindful of the comments made by other readers when this complaint has been voiced in the past. Over and over, I heard "stick with it; you'll find out why and start caring pretty quickly." I stuck with it, found out, and A Man Called Ove is my favorite read of 2019 so far.

Ove is what you could charitably refer to as a curmudgeon. It would be deeply tempting to call him an asshole and m When I started reading A Man Called Ove, I thought "this guy is just a jerk; I hate him already." However, I was mindful of the comments made by other readers when this complaint has been voiced in the past. Over and over, I heard "stick with it; you'll find out why and start caring pretty quickly." I stuck with it, found out, and A Man Called Ove is my favorite read of 2019 so far.

Ove is what you could charitably refer to as a curmudgeon. It would be deeply tempting to call him an asshole and move to get away from him. He's a very particular sort; what my husband might call a "character." He has deeply embedded principles, and they are sometimes inexplicable to those around him. For instance, he finds it impossible to reason with someone who has a certain type of car. Why? Only Ove knows, though he really thinks it should be obvious to everyone.

I think I connected with Ove because, in his finest moments, he reminded me of my father, who was a difficult person, to say the least, but very infrequently displayed flashes of emotion and generosity that would surprise and endear. Ove may be a stickler for the rules about driving in the residential area, but he'll also take on an abusive thug who has been beating up his partner. He may balk at paying to park at the hospital, but he'll still drive you there. He's blunt, he's confrontational, he's exasperating. He's also doing the best he can in a world that just doesn't "get" him. Ove is a special kind of man, which his wife Sonja sees, even if not everyone else does.

The thing about Ove is that he has deep reservoirs of emotion and pain, but doesn't have the facility for expressing these feelings in the way that average people do. He just "gets on with things," and doesn't understand why others can't be the same way. Yes, sticking with the story helped me understand Ove, and helped me understand a person in my own life who felt things deeply, but lacked the ability to express himself in conventional ways. I wasn't just entertained by Ove's adventures; I learned from them. It seems a weird thing to wish for an Ove in one's life, but I freely admit I was sorry to say goodbye to him, and to his collection of friends, at the end of the book. ...more

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Mar 07, 2017 Amy 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

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Dec 10, 2020 Leslie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, 2020-reads

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. ...more

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Dec 29, 2019 Larissa rated it liked it

I started and stopped this book a few times as I was not really excited about reading a book about a grumpy old man. I finally continued it to the end and I did really end up enjoying the story and the sweet relationships that developed throughout the story. Now to check out the movie?

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