Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - A Man Called Ove

This book made me sob in a cafe and it made me laugh out loud so badly that I had to apologise to an elderly couple I startled in the park. When I finished reading this book, I closed it very gently, as though the pages were flesh that might be bruised. Something about the moment felt very fragile.

There are mentions and discussions and descriptions of suicide so if that hits close to home, you may want to proceed with caution with this one.

my fav quotes from this:

“We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens and then we stand there holding on to words like 'if'.”

“People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was colour. All the colour he had.”

“She just smiled, said that she loved books more than anything, and started telling him excitedly what each of the ones in her lap was about. And Ove realised that he wanted to hear her talking about the things she loved for the rest of his life.”

“Men are what they are because of what they do. Not what they say.”

“Something inside a man goes to pieces when he has to bury the only person who ever understood him. There is no time to heal that sort of wound.”

“Because a time comes in every man's life when he decides what sort of man he's going to be: the kind who lets other people walk all over him, or not.”

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spicierleaf's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

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j_nell's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

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

Backman does it again. Amazing. Had me chuckling and tearing up within minutes.

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chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

Watching "A Man Called Otto" over a year ago was my first exposure to Frederik Backman, although I had seen his novels in the library before. I was taken with the story instantly, and I managed to snag a copy of the original novel a few months ago.

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)!

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meaghanslibrary's review against another edition

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While I have heard this had a happy ending, the book was too triggering for me.

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