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Reading again for book club :)
There is a danger in re-reading books you loved that they may not be as good as you remembered. Fortunately, this is not the case with 'A Man Called Ove'! It is just as good as I remembered it and I enjoyed just as much as the first time. ...more
There is a danger in re-reading books you loved that they may not be as good as you remembered. Fortunately, this is not the case with 'A Man Called Ove'! It is just as good as I remembered it and I enjoyed just as much as the first time. ...more
The book and movie are very similar, although Ove's humor shines through better in the book.
I will read everything Frederick Backman writes. He has made me laugh out loud and cry real tears with every offering. What a talent, what a gift he is to the world. ...more
I will read everything Frederick Backman writes. He has made me laugh out loud and cry real tears with every offering. What a talent, what a gift he is to the world. ...more
Apr 19, 2017
Christine H
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
comfort-reading,
funny
This was a lovely story. It starts out simply amusing and engaging, and then gets ya right in the feels later on, but with enough bristly, rough-edged Ove to balance it out and prevent it from going maudlin.
I guess the basic plot is pretty familiar and tropy (crusty, rigid person reluctantly opens their heart due to wacky acquaintances), but it's executed so beautifully, and has a substantial (even dark) emotional core that keeps it from being merely silly or saccharine.
I listened to the audio b ...more
I guess the basic plot is pretty familiar and tropy (crusty, rigid person reluctantly opens their heart due to wacky acquaintances), but it's executed so beautifully, and has a substantial (even dark) emotional core that keeps it from being merely silly or saccharine.
I listened to the audio b ...more
Ove is a grumpy old man (though I don't think 59 is all that old!) who has rigid ideas about doing things the right way (his way/the only way). He prefers his predictable routines and principles over most people. Now that his beloved wife is dead, all he can think about is how he will join her. He has everything prepared--and then the new neighbors drive over his mailbox and interrupt his well-laid plans.
I was alternately crying and laughing from the first page to the last. The characters are f ...more
I was alternately crying and laughing from the first page to the last. The characters are f ...more
I didn't quite find this as great as all the reviews suggested it would be. It was a pleasant, fairly lighthearted book, with some nice, humorous touches. It felt more like a modern fable or fairytale really, which was quite nice, but slightly lacking in substance. I certainly had to suspend my disbelief at several points (the stray cat that suddenly becomes more compliant, more loyal, and certainly better trained than any of my parents dogs is a stand out example of this!), but overall I did fi
...more
Despite being bothered by the somewhat casual way the author handled the idea of suicide, I was enamored with this book. I fell in love with each of the characters, especially of course Ove, with Parvaneh right there by his side. I felt like Ove's inner dialogue was extremely real, quirks and all. The humor infused throughout the book kept it from being as heavy as it could have been, and allowed it to have a touching ending rather than a depressing one. Absolutely recommend (with the disclaimer
...more
Nov 23, 2016
Katrina
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own-on-kindle-read
I'm so sad that I am finished with this book. I enjoyed slowly learning more and more about Ove and meeting the quirky people who inhabited his world.
*Edited to add* I re-listened to this book in 2019 and it was just as good as I remembered it the first time. I adore this ensemble cast of quirky characters and want to move in on their street. And, I need Parvaneh to be my best friend, stat!
This was my first audiobook in 2019. ...more
*Edited to add* I re-listened to this book in 2019 and it was just as good as I remembered it the first time. I adore this ensemble cast of quirky characters and want to move in on their street. And, I need Parvaneh to be my best friend, stat!
This was my first audiobook in 2019. ...more
Sweet, lovely, adorable tale. If you’re short on “curmudgeonly yet lovable old grandfather” in your life, this should do the trick. Should also come with a content warning about suicidal ideation, though.
A line I love:
"Cats out! No animals in cafe!" Amel slashes at the consonants so that they hop about like naughty children caught inside the sentence.” (p. 255) ...more
"Cats out! No animals in cafe!" Amel slashes at the consonants so that they hop about like naughty children caught inside the sentence.” (p. 255) ...more
I loved this book! You can't help but love Ove, a grumpy old man. I like the way you get to learn about who he is and why he is the way he is.
...more
Absolutely incredible. I loved it.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!
Jun 10, 2018
Kathleen C.
marked it as to-read
Aug 30, 2020
Shannon
marked it as to-read
