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chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's interesting to see what was changed for American audiences in the recent film. I find it a little strange that Ove's name was changed to Otto, as though American audiences can't handle a Swedish name such as Ove. Even if the movie is set in Pittsburgh, there's no reason why someone living there wouldn't be named Ove, like in the book.
It's also strange that Parvenah's character is renamed Marisol and is no longer Iranian. Perhaps the decision was made so the story would be more "relevant" to American audiences, but even if more Americans are Mexican than Iranian, there are still plenty of Iranian immigrants who deserve to be represented in films such as this one.
The change that I understand the most is how Mirsad's character went from being gay in the book to trans in the movie. Given the current political climate, it's more important than ever to educate people and to teach them to be kind and generous towards trans people, especially trans youth, and while I would need to rewatch the movie to catch all of the changes that they made (Is he still named Mirsad in the film? I can't remember...), I appreciate the new take on an old storyline.
My familiarity with the movie did not diminish my enjoyment of the original novel. It was a delight to read, and the book expands upon some topics that I didn't fully understand in the movie--or rather, it made details from the movie stand out so that they moved me more deeply. A good example of this is how Frederik Backman expands upon the rivalry between Ove and Rune, repeating the list of the cars they drove over the years while gradually expanding upon the reasons why they chose certain models. The way that it all ties back to their families and the futures they planned but did not achieve breaks my heart and makes the characters even more sympathetic.
All in all, I would say this is my second favorite Frederik Backman novel. Number one is still "Anxious People," and number three is "Britt-Marie Was Here," with "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" coming in at number four. They're all lovely books, so even the one in last place is well worth the read. I hope to dive into his sports trilogy soon (and when an author gets me to read sports trilogies, that's when you know that they're good at weaving yarns)!
Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death
Moderate: Cancer, Pregnancy, Animal death, Ableism, Dementia, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, and Car accident
Minor: Infertility
shaleen64's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Miscarriage, Medical content, Homophobia, Car accident, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Cancer
eliya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Sobbed through the first half. Made me think of my dad.
I don’t find his meanness charming, I don’t excuse him for the way he talks about his neighbors. I empathize with him. The book was sweet, I cried like a hole in a waterpipe, but I did not like ove and I felt bad for the people around him.
There’s this weird phenomena of this generation or men, idk what it is, where;
1. what’s happened to you is the worst thing to happen to anyone ever and you can’t move past yourself to acknowledge the suffering that is living, and,
2. to almost expect your community or the people who you care about to see through your nastiness and show that you’re good. There’s this brand of people who believe that if you do good actions that’ll show you’re good, and you don’t have to show basic human kindness to anyone! Pithy excuse for emotional immaturity that I’m exhausted by and made me angry to read.
Graphic: Suicide, Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Grief, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Dementia, and Death
chelle22's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Blood, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Dementia, Grief, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Violence
allydee's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Car accident, Cancer, and Body shaming
gillzzzo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, and Death
Minor: Car accident, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
craftysnailtail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm also fairly convinced that Backman has never met a cat before in their entire lives. A cat that licks steering wheels passive aggressively, happily wears socks, and calmly sits on bar stools in cafes they've never been in before was so out of left field. The rest of the book is very realistic, so the cartoon cat threw me in every scene they were in.
The use of similes to describe every single disgruntled expression this man has ever had in his life drove me mad as well, but that's clearly a personal writing style preference, so to each their own.
The overall message of the book is... nice. And I think it gives the reader a nuanced perspective of what it's like to be a senior that society seems to have given up on. But the road to get there was gritty and uncomfortable. I mean I was rooting for Ove getting what he wanted for the vast majority of the book because it felt like his right to make that decision. At least I appreciated the ending, though. I don't think it's a book I would recommend to friends, but it was different from other books I've read recently, so that made it worth it for me in the end.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, and Grief
Minor: Fatphobia, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Xenophobia, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Cancer, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
riordanfan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Cancer, Drug use, Terminal illness, Outing, Pregnancy, Homophobia, and Miscarriage
sydblount's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Pregnancy and Child death
Minor: Domestic abuse
megwhitlock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Suicide, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Infertility and Cancer
Minor: Domestic abuse
Everything is handled in a sensitive and thoughtful way, and nothing is gratuitous.