Scan barcode
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
mel_j's review
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Ableism, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Cursing, Xenophobia, Racism, and Misogyny
Minor: Abortion, Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, and Addiction
iwishihadmoretimetoread'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: Death of parent, Death, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, and Ableism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Pregnancy, Cancer, and Miscarriage
notjust_irene'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
4.5
It didn’t take away from the reading experience as such, but it did make me frown a couple of times because it was quite unrealistic.
- the amount of drama Ove has to go through during his lifetime is a bit much and at one point I almost rolled my eyes as another blow was delivered to Ove’s happiness.
- Neither Ove nor his wife have any relatives they keep in touch with? None of his wife’s friends check up on Ove after her passing? Sure… maybe the author wanted to make the story flow a bit easier or emphasise the loneliness of Ove, but it wasn’t very realistic.
- the cat that goes along willingly into the car and bars, yes, these type of cats exist, but they’re extremely rare and their owners keep them on a leash. Also, it’s not typically something those cats do for people they’ve only moved in with two days ago. That’s why every cat owner knows to keep their nee cat inside for the first weeks to let them adapt.
- he’s 59 in the year 2015, works for a building company yet doesn’t grasp the concept of an iPad or any digital medium at all? Come on!
Graphic: Infertility, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Miscarriage
meganders22'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, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia
stephbernoth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Cancer, and Death
Moderate: Terminal illness, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Racism, Cancer, Violence, Medical content, Infertility, Dementia, and Body shaming
skymordaunt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was sceptical starting it cause I heard so many good things, and was worried it was super hyped and after anxious people was worried it wouldn’t compare. But I was wrong.
This book is so beautifully written and heartwrentching as I hit page 48 I knew the book was going to be amazing. You go from confusion surrounding Ove to anger to love and despair for his live. You fall in love with so many side characters and even the smallest of ones seem quite fleshed out and nuanced and these characters pull you in to the story as real and loveable as a friend.
The sense of community and exploration of mental illness, loss and grief was so well done. I now know both a Swedish and American film exist the second at the cinemas now and I’m scared shitless to watch it as I don’t anything to tarnish this beautiful book.
I nearly cried at least 10 times reading this book from feeling so much joy and hope and sadness and not many books hold that power.
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
finnifinn'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
Minor: Car accident, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Sexism, Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Racism, and Forced institutionalization
The book contains a lot of sensitive topics, but many are brief and all are handled very sensitively and appropriately.cjoulesau'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death
keyareuh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Mental illness