A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman -- Restarting May 13th 2025

[Sarah Elizabeth]

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

[Maja]

Done with chapter 5

It's safe to say Ove is a very... interesting main character :D At first I found him really annoying and unlikeable (I mean honestly, he's so nitpicky and snaps at people who did nothing to him) but now that I read his backstory I can understand why he turned out the way he is... Most people would become very embittered in his situation

[Maja]

Finished chapter 11

(view spoiler)[It's so hilarious to me how Ove's attempts at suicide are unintentionally prevented and he's just getting more and more frustrated :D I wonder how many more times he will try, I still find him pretty annoying but I don't want him to die! (hide spoiler)]

Also I LOVE Parvaneh she's so badass and funny and just hasn't got time for Ove's bullshit :DDD And I can see how she's turning him into a better person, you go Parvaneh!!!

[Maja]

Finished chapter 19

It's getting sadder and sadder reading about Ove's backstory, so far: (view spoiler)[both his parents died early, he was accused of thievery just because he didn't want to tell on anyone, his house he out so much effort into burnt down, insurance didn't cover it because some jerk fooled him, his wife he loved more than anything in the world had an accident and then died, we don't know if they never had kids because of this or if they died but I suspect the latter (hide spoiler)]. I still don't really understand him and I don't think he should take his anger out on innocent bystanders but still I feel sorry for him.

[Maja]

On a brighter note, THIS CAT IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL. So passive-agressive and sassy even though she can't talk, it's hilarious :D

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting April 18th 2018. Happy Reading ☺

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[[deleted user]]

started... 10.0% (view spoiler)[ Aww the end of chapter 4 was sad. Ove is so funny cuz he is such a grump. Lol. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

28.0% (view spoiler)[ Are you kidding me?! I knew that man was a swindler!! I hate people like that... poor Ove his first friend and this is what happens. No wonder he is so distrustful of people. 😔 (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

50.0% (view spoiler)[ Haha. Ove has a heart and can’t bear to see that cat die. I like how he ends up with it. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

82.0% (view spoiler)[ He is so getting another roommate. I like how his plans keep on getting ruined, I can't believe that poor boys dad kicked him out because he is gay... (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

99.0% (view spoiler)[ Awww I didn't want him to go anymore... he had found friends and the cat... (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

100.0% (view spoiler)[ I love what Pervanah did with the money. (hide spoiler)]

[Andrea]

Chapter 4 - (view spoiler)[Shed my first tears. I knew before starting that his wife had died, but the cemetery scene was still sad :(
It's quite funny at the same time - definitely more laughs than tears (so far!). (hide spoiler)]

[Andrea]

Chapter 13 - (view spoiler)[He hit the clown, hahaha! Ove is hilarious, in his special, grumpy kind of way. But such a good heart, really! (hide spoiler)]

[Andrea]

Chapter 22 - (view spoiler)[I love how Ove keeps talking to the cat! Also, Parvaneh is a bully, haha, but just the sort of bully Ove needed :) (hide spoiler)]

[Andrea]

Finished - (view spoiler)[Oh, Ove had a heart that was too large!
I was scared he would die then, after the birthday party, but so glad he got to enjoy another four years with everyone.
Anyway, going to dry my tears now. I loved this book! (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

22%: (view spoiler)[I love the new neighbors and the lady with the dog is bitch. I might hate cats but I wouldn't throw rocks at them. (hide spoiler)]
44%: (view spoiler)[OMG I wanted to cry like a baby reading about his wife dying. Oh lord, if I wasn't at work I would've. Their relationship was so cute. (hide spoiler)]
67%: (view spoiler)[Oh lord, him and this cat. If the cat is the only that keeps him from trying to commit suicide - I pray that the cat never dies or runs away. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

89%: (view spoiler)[This little battle between them has got to end! (hide spoiler)]
100%: (view spoiler)[WOW I almost cried at work. That ending man.. basically a mini heart attack. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting May 28th 2018. Happy Reading ☺

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[Sanah]

Checking in and already enjoying this!

[Christine]

I'll be starting late for the challenge. Can't wait!

[Christine]

Chapter 1-10 (view spoiler)[ I like Ove's personality. It's more of a personal read for me because I could actually relate to his character. I may not be as old as Ove but I'm a bit cranky as him. But Chapter 10 made me really really sad and made me rethink who Ove really is. That was devastating but I wish Ove made a smarter decision and not trust the stranger. (hide spoiler)]

[Christine]

Chapter 19 (view spoiler)[ This arrival of the cat is seriously suspicious. Is reincarnation happening here? or is just normal for cats to tag along with a grumpy man. (hide spoiler)]

[Christine]

Chapter 30 (view spoiler)[ I take this read personally. My mother also died because of cancer. I can't help but shed a tear reading how Sonja faces cancer. "We have to take it as it comes" - Sonja (hide spoiler)]

[Sanah]

Ch 1-7 (view spoiler)[ Ove reminds me of Carl Fredricksen from the movie Up because both men are grumpy, but have faced a lot of tragedy and are alone in the world. When Ove was standing at his wife's grave, my heart went out to him and this scene shows one of the reasons why Ove is angry at the world (hide spoiler)]

[Sanah]

Ch 12-15 (view spoiler)[ I love how Parvaneh stands up to Ove and makes him somewhat empathetic to people, especially Anita. I'm glad Ove hit Tom in the face and got his watch back because everyone knows Tom deserved it and it just shows how much of a wimp Tom is. HE HIT THE CLOWN...I don't think I've ever laughed so much at 3:00 am (hide spoiler)]

[Christine]

Finished (view spoiler)[ It has been a great read. The whole time I’ve been so jealous of the side characters for having the chance of meeting Ove in their world. (hide spoiler)]

[Sanah]

Ch 20-23 (view spoiler)[ Ove and the cat haha. I wish the Blond Weed would just leave. She makes me mad and I don't understand how Ove keeps his cool (hide spoiler)]

[Sanah]

End (view spoiler)[ I didn't expect to like this, but I loved Ove and this was a story of there being more to someone than meets the eye. (hide spoiler)]

[Christine]

Sanah wrote: "End [spoilers removed]"

Exactly. I love the message of this story.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting February 4th 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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[Lesa]

Im hoping to start this later today. Almost forgot since I didnt see it on the Februry book list i think Sarag just forgotten to add it to the calendar for today.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting September 14th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting May 13th 2025. Happy Reading ☺

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[Lara]

I've just stared reading this, so excited there's a buddy read for it! So far I'm not loving it as much as I've loved the author's other books - but I'm only 6 chapters in so it's definitely too early to make a judgement!

I'm sure that Ove's character will grow on me but it seems like that'll be a long way off!

[Lara]

Chapter 14 - I feel like the book is growing on me, but I'm still not as invested as I thought I was going to be.

(view spoiler)[ I'm enjoying getting more pieces of Ove's backstory, and he is definitely growing on me as a character! But his level of obliviousness does feel somewhat unbelievable, and the continued interruptions to his suicide attempts are just feeling a bit repetitive to me (hide spoiler)]

[Lara]

Chapter 28 - I'm finding this so much sadder than I was expecting! (view spoiler)[ I'm very much enjoying Ove's interactions with an ever-increasing cast of side-characters, and it's cool to see how people keep on working their way into his heart! I'm especially loving Parvaneh, and also learning more about the history with Anita and Rune. (hide spoiler)]

[Lara]

Finished! This book took me a while to get into, but definitely grew on me! I enjoyed all the backstory a lot, and loved the side characters! I think I'm going to rate it a 3 because whilst I did enjoy it, I was quite bored at the start and don't feel like it was hugely groundbreaking. But it's definitely on the 3.5 side of things!

(view spoiler)[ I definitely should have seen the ending coming, but it still very much caught me by surprise when Ove followed through. I teared up on the last page! (hide spoiler)]

Here's my final review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sibil]

Lara wrote: "I've just stared reading this, so excited there's a buddy read for it! So far I'm not loving it as much as I've loved the author's other books - but I'm only 6 chapters in so it's definitely too ea..."

So far I agree with you. It's too early to really say, but I was hoping to fall in love from the start and so far it has not happened!

[Sibil]

chapters 1-8
(view spoiler)[ It's sweet to see how much Ove loved his wife, and it's really sad that now he is all alone, and he just lost his job!
Tbh, I didn't think he would hang himself for real, I thought that something or someone would interrupt him again, or that he decided to go and help the neighbors one last time, just to have everything in order!
Now I need to know what happens next, but I can't read again till this evening, argh! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Lara wrote: "Chapter 14 - I feel like the book is growing on me, but I'm still not as invested as I thought I was going to be.

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I am invested in the story now, too, but it is a work in progress. And I found the failed suicide attempts humorous, but also frustrating, because I can really feel him (not the suicidal part, the frustration of something always happening to thwart his plans) (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

chapters 9-20
(view spoiler)[The parts about Ove's past are all so full of hurt and sadness. There are some lights here and there, but the bad parts are the majority. And I really feel sad for him. And I know that going onward we would only get more hurt, because there is the incident, and at the point I am now, Sonja is pregnant, but we know they don't have children, so... I don't really see a lot of good things happening here!
About the present, Ove's neighbors, the ones with the dog, are just so incredibly rude and despicable! I hope Ove will get back to them in some ways, because they are just the worst!
I loved Jimmy, and I am glad to see him having a small role in the story, but I hope he will become a fixture, like the new family. Parvaneh is bossy and I find her bothersome more than anything else, but I am glad that she caught on to what Ove is trying to do and she is keeping an eye on him.
What really perplexed me was the council. I mean, I get why they may be trying to take Rune to a hospice or a health care structure, and I get why they may want to do it even if the wife is not on board. That situation is understandable, but I don't know why they have to be so rude and spiteful about it.
And I don't get why everyone is behaving like Ove is old. I mean, he is not young, and he is acting like a grumpy old man, that's clear, but at the beginning it's said that he is almost sixty, if I remember right. And 60 is not really old. (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Lara wrote: "Chapter 28 - I'm finding this so much sadder than I was expecting! [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I wasn't expecting so much hurt and sadness, either. It is just so full of pain! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

chapters 21-33
(view spoiler)[This book grew on me, and suddenly I was completely immersed in it. I really wanted to keep going and reach the ending, but I had to go to work, sigh.
The emotional damage that this book is doling out is astounding! But it was sweet to meet the kid who knew Ove's wife, and I am glad that Ove is slowly finding a new family of a sort. All the secondary characters that I wasn't really loving have slowly wormed their way in Ove's heart (and in mine, too). I wasn't really a fan of them all, but they all grow on me, and I find myself utterly captivated. But poor Ove, he really had a hard life! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Finished
(view spoiler)[The ending was heartwrenching and heartwarming at the same time. It started slow, and I wasn't really into the characters for a good part of the book. I am not so sure anymore, but I guess that I started really warming to them around the midway point.
Anyway, once I started caring, all the characters wormed up a little place in my heart. I don't care anymore that in the beginning I was skeptical; I loved this book! (hide spoiler)]

[Lara]

Sibil wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"

Yes I really feel that! By the ending you can't help but love all the characters and feel all the emotions!