A Man Called Ove: Mid-Reading Discussion

[Winter, Group Reads]

This is where we will discuss the book after we start reading it in December.

[Elina]

I have started last night and continued today after work. At first I wasn't sure I liked that grumpy old guy, but soon I was laughing out loud and then I was crying my heart out. What a wonderful book so far!

[Alyana]

Ove is one really old and grumpy guy! But he is so funny! :D

[Sara. [Mares de Páginas]]

Ove has this typical cute-grumpy heart - I kinda relate! :D

[☼ Cristina ☼]

I feel like Ove is an amalgamation of all the grumpy thoughts we all have just clumped into one! But also a bit cathartic to live through him acting out on these

[Nivedita]

I have seen the movie. I started reading the book but I got distracted by his other book. Love his style of writing.

[Joann]

I read this book already this year and I loved it, I found out there was a movie so I watched that and loved it even know I had to read the subtitles. Great book!

[Manda]

One point of critic: 59 is not really as old as Backman makes it to be (at least my parents don’t act as old as Ove does haha). Other than that, I just loved this book! A first for an audiobook to make me cry.
Finished the audiobook yesterday and I’m already planning to buy the book and reread it some day.

[Elina]

Manda wrote: "One point of critic: 59 is not really as old as Backman makes it to be (at least my parents don’t act as old as Ove does haha). Other than that, I just loved this book! A first for an audiobook to ..."

Yeah, that was something that bugged me a bit. Ove definitely didn't sound like 59 :). But I suppose it is more of his attitude that made him look and sound so much older than his age was.

[Manda]

Yes I suppose so too and he had been through a lot, so that makes up for it as well. But like you said, it also bugged me a little.

[Zamira]

Hello everyone. I started this book yesterday. Looks great. It is my first book with this writer.

[Niyah]

Only 100 pages in but so far I absolutely love the book! I'm actually excited to get to reading every time I pick the book up. I love the characters and I'm absolutely hooked. I'll definitely be looking into this author's other works once I'm done :)

[Heather]

Joy that is true he did seem old even when he was young

[shi ❦]

Huuuh for some reason I only just now found out this is being read while I'm also reading it! I'm now at 75% and I'm enjoying it sooo much!!

[shi ❦]

Joy wrote: "Shi ❀ wrote: "Huuuh for some reason I only just now found out this is being read while I'm also reading it! I'm now at 75% and I'm enjoying it sooo much!!"

Serendipity! I love it when that happens..."

I know right!!

[ManderCat]

Just joined the group because I love reading along with others, and this book sounded interesting! I haven't read this author before, but I'm looking forward to it!

[Silva]

Right when I started this book all that could come to my head was how OCD Ove is with an grumpy old man attitude. No filter for this guy.

[ManderCat]

Joy wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Just joined the group because I love reading along with others, and this book sounded interesting! I haven't read this author before, but I'm looking forward to it!"

Welcome to the ..."

Thanks, Joy! I've made it into chapter 16 and and I'm really enjoying getting to understand his relationship with his wife.
The writing felt a bit disconnected for me, but I've started trying to think of it like a memoir, but in the third person. Each chapter takes a different lens, from a different point in time. The end result (or at least the result from chapter 16 :P) is that you get to see a person from several points of view, to ultimately make a whole person.

[Vena]

I had to wait a while to get the book from the library so I didn't start reading it until the 12th. I'm now 75% through it and honestly, it's not my cup of tea. A friend of mine read it a couple of years ago and while she liked it, she didn't think I'd feel the same. She probably knows my tastes better than I do. My issue with the book isn't even that the protagonist isn't likeable. Many books have unlikable protagonists that are entertaining. Actually, I think that Ove may be on the spectrum because he's so rigid and is often literal. One positive thing about the book is that his transformation is subtle and isn't forced, like other writers would do with books of this ilk. He keeps his ornery core. My main issue with the book is that it's contrived. How many times can Ove attempt to kill himself only to get interrupted? It's fine if it happens once or twice but by this point in the book, the interruptions are overkill. Plus, it's too predictable for my tastes. Although I'm 25% from the end, I already know that Ove will have a come to Jesus moment where he realizes that he didn't want to die after all but wants a purpose in his life now that his wife's gone. This is one of those wildly popular books that leave me wondering what the hoopla is about. Because I don't get it.

[Elina]

I think all those suicide attempts were needed in order to show his golden heart. Every time by preparing to die, he actually did something good for other people instead. On one side, he was so fed up with being all alone without his wife. On the other side, he did all those good deeds each single time which led to what happened in the end.
Of course, in real life he would have died on the first attempt, but then the book would be also over :). It was needed for the story development.

[Leon]

I have read this book a while ago. At first I did not like the grumpy character Ove too much. However reading onwards I started to understand and appreciate him. This book is definitely “don’t judge a book by its cover” . I ended up giving 4 stars.

[Jennie]

I was able to listen to this book and I ended up enjoying it, but I had to read to the end. I had a hard time with Ove because he did keep wanting to die and if he really knew his wife, he would have known that was not what she would have wanted for him. It was the ending that turned my feelings about this book around. So for those of you who are having a hard time with the book and the message, do try to read to the end. Not one of my favorite books, but definitely gave me some things to think about and I felt the end message was sweet.

[PattyMacDotComma]

I had forgotten he was only 59! I always remember him as well into his 80s, but he'd had a hard, lonely time of it, and that must have aged him faster than someone in my privileged life.

I have such very fond memories of this book and also of the Swedish film. Both are terrific!