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on July 14, 2017
This book is in my top ten (I have read HUNDREDS OF BOOKS!). It had me laughing and crying often simultaneously! Fabulous story, wonderful characters, heart warming, laugh-out-loud funny, and with a great ending!!!
You MUST read this book!!! Bravo!!
You MUST read this book!!! Bravo!!
on March 1, 2017
Fredrik Backman you are so talented....I don't know why I've just discovering this gem, but grateful that I have. I am halfway through the book and am just really touched all the way around...I especially love the interactions with the cat and Ove's choice of thoughts or descriptions provoked from the cats gestures. (he looked at me like I owed him money) Filled with a mix of emotion, its a very well told story. A lot of chapters end with a statement or sentence that are sort of gut wrenching in reality. I've choked up a few times from it and gasped a couple because you're riding high on Ove's eccentricities and crankiness then suddenly enlightened or reminded to just how sweet and kind he is and really feel for him.
on December 26, 2016
This is a sweet, sweet book. The author, Fredrik Backman, has a fun writing style that leaves you knowing and loving his characters. It is a story about transformation. I was moved to tears a few times when the man called Ove discovers a new way of relating in his life - he sees the need to give up being “right” about his perspective in order to be “alive”. This kind of transformation reminds me of another book I really enjoyed, Practical Enlightenment by Ariel & Shya Kane. The Kanes write about simple ideas that have transformed the way I relate and, as a result, my life feels easy and full of possibility. Kind of like Ove’s journey.
I highly recommend reading Backman’s endearing book. The man called Ove will grow deep in your heart, as his heart expands with a love he didn’t know was possible. Be ready to be deeply touched with this quick, easy read.
I highly recommend reading Backman’s endearing book. The man called Ove will grow deep in your heart, as his heart expands with a love he didn’t know was possible. Be ready to be deeply touched with this quick, easy read.
on May 23, 2017
This book reminds me of Major Pettigrew's last stand. I loved, loved, loved that book and I loved A Man Called Ove. When I tell people what the book is about, they don't appear too impressed. However, the story is told with humor, the main characters are wonderful and you can't help but love them. All throughout the book, I was trying to figure out why Ove was the way he was and why almost everyone loved him, a cantankerous, stubborn, old man. But Ove had a good heart and was a good man and he would help anyone who needed him, and people knew this. His mechanical and carpenter skills, certainly were an asset. I have to say, not many books come along like this one which leave you feeling so good at the end of the story.
on July 12, 2017
This was a great read and easy to manage for those who need to break their reading into small chunks. I have a busy schedule that doesn't often allow me to start/finish long involved chapters, so I enjoyed the ability to find a stopping point easily with the format of this book. The character development was not as deep as I would normally like, and I would have loved more backstory on each player, but this does not detract from the story. I could feel where the plot development was going from very early on and there are no deep plot twists, but the end still left me sobbing. I finished the book and immediately searched for more of Backman's offerings. My one and only criticism is that Ove is not a 59 year old man. As written, he is a much more believable 70+.
on March 29, 2016
Bachman knows how to draw in his readers through analysis of characterization and plotting, but especially through his characters. I especially love his treatment of children and animals, where he involves humor. Bachman lets his characters reveal their everyday annoyances with the world around them, some of it cultural and some of it social, which means he can make political and cultural observations without being pedantic.
I always wanted to know what would happen to the characters and I was always pulling for those in trouble. I wanted Ove to find happiness and peace------he found it through doing the unexpected for others, all the while grumbling about the ways of the world and even at the person he is helping. He loves to swear so every other word is bloody, but when he is called on it, he tries for a time to tone it down. I think the voice of the writing is especially pleasing---it's down to earth even when dealing with weighty subjects, such as death.
I always wanted to know what would happen to the characters and I was always pulling for those in trouble. I wanted Ove to find happiness and peace------he found it through doing the unexpected for others, all the while grumbling about the ways of the world and even at the person he is helping. He loves to swear so every other word is bloody, but when he is called on it, he tries for a time to tone it down. I think the voice of the writing is especially pleasing---it's down to earth even when dealing with weighty subjects, such as death.
on June 21, 2017
Be warned that this book's basic premise is about a man trying to kill himself but continually getting interrupted. His life changes for the better due to these interruptions, though, so don't let that keep you from reading this book. (I almost did, but I've read it twice now!) There's also quite a bit of profanity, so if that bothers you, this won't be the book for you. The surly curmudgeon of a main character kept me laughing, though, and easily won my heart. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, and I cried, too. The author's wonderful writing and descriptions put the reader right in Ove's mind!
on July 10, 2017
My wife bought this in the airport before we went to London (first time either of us had been out of the country). By the time we got to the hotel she told me I should read it, as she had been reading non-stop since we got it. I am ashamed to say there were a few times that I suggested we go back to the hotel a bit early, partially because I wanted to read it more. Not since Field of Dreams have I teared up in front of her this much.
