A Man Called Ove: Reviews by 2017 Reading Challengers

[Winter, Group Reads]

Tell us what you thought of the book! You can leave your review here. Even if you read the book outside of the group, please feel free to let us know what you thought of it.

Please make sure to mark your spoilers by typing "[spoiler]" at the start and [/spoiler] at the end but replacing the []s with <>s.

[Jille]

Just finished - I didn't expect to like it as much as I do. It's sweet and encouraging and a testament to how a community can build us up. I'm anxious to read other comments.

[Sheila]

I had actually read it before and it is now on my list of "Most Favorite" books. I too am interested in what everyone else thinks. It definitely proves that we all have a purpose and that we need each other.

[Cheri]

I read this for my book club a few months ago and was pretty disappointed in it. Here's the review I posted:

Engagingly written, but predictable. There's a lot of gender stereotyping and condescension when a story is about an unpleasant old codger who gets his heart warmed by eccentric but lovable neighbors. It would have been a very different story if the wife had been a curmudgeon -- and they wouldn't call her a curmudgeon but a bitch.

[Imbunche]

Unfortunatrly I did not enjoy it as much as most people seem to. I like the first half more, even though I found it to be really sad and not really all that funny, but later it turned very predictable and the ending was just way too cheesy for my taste.

[Kristina]

I liked the book overall. It had a charming quality to it despite being sad, and for me the humor in the writing style helped to balance out the sadness and heartbreaking parts. It was a great story of how someone can work through their grief. I loved the incorporation of the cat as Ove's companion, and I enjoyed reading how the neighbors helped Ove learn to live life again. I also really liked Ove as a person. However, I agree with Imbunche that the ending was a little cheesy, and I started feeling in the last 3rd of the book that some of the scenarios were a little farfetched or forced into the book. That said, since I enjoyed the book overall I gave it 4 stars.

[Jaimee]

This is definitely a cute, and charming book! I really liked it, and would recommend it. And while there was a sadness to the book, it also portrayed the truth; the truth about getting older, and how life changes as you age.

[Joy D]

I read this toward the end of last year. Although it's not the type book I normally read, and I had to get used to the character's gruff personality, I ended up really enjoying it and gave it 4 stars.
(view spoiler)[ I particularly liked the way the diverse characters eventually became like a small family unit. (hide spoiler)]
My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nik]

This is the most huggable book I've read all year.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I finished it and gave it 3 stars. Here's my brief review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Melanie]

I felt the book was very much about grief and survival. I found it very touching.