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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
oliviagrace430's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I will say there are some racist and fat phobic comments made from the POV of the main character (I think to show us where his flaws were) but they 1) never felt necessary (was able to grasp character flaws without them) and 2)took me out of the book a bit, hence the deduction from 5 stars.
Graphic: Child death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism
nasolireads'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: Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Outing
michelle_mc96'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
Moderate: Violence, Racism, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Car accident, Miscarriage, Infertility, Pregnancy, Death, Medical content, Terminal illness, Grief, Child death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Fatphobia
theliterarylair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
TW- Fatphobia, racism, sexism, suicide
This book is like when you feel you *have* to laugh at something an old man said to you, just to be able to get away from him...
I get where this was trying to go, and understand why it tugs at certain people's heartstrings, I suppose, but I was deeply uncomfortable at almost every page.
This has not dated well at all, and this "bitter" man is actually very racist, sexist and fatphobic. Why am I supposed to feel inspired by someone who eventually just acts *somewhat* politely.
Have Backman's other books aged better?
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism and Racism
fogg_asphyx'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
Moderate: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Dementia, Sexism, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Death, Cancer, Outing, Homophobia, Racism, Miscarriage, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
daniellel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Miscarriage, and Car accident
ashteroid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, Child death, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Islamophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Racism, and Racial slurs
waybeyondblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Dementia, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Racism, Domestic abuse, Child death, Cancer, Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, Car accident, and Outing