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abbyl819's review
3.0
The main part of this book that I liked was the ending. The last 50 pages made this worth reading. Over the course of the rest of the book, I ended up enjoying the flashbacks the most, to when Ove and Sonja met. I liked Parvaneh and her children a lot, but my favorite character was Sonja. This book was definitely hard to get into for me, so it took longer to finish than it usually would have.
mrsbosner's review
5.0
I was not emotionally prepared for the ride this book took me on. It was brilliant. I love how it went from past to present to give laughs throughout the entire book, helping dry up the tears it caused.
criminalpancakes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
evelynsnow10's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this book. Really. And grumpy men are not grumpy, they just have a different way to look at things.
daisy23's review
5.0
Favourite quotes:
"He was a man of black and white. And she was colour. All the colour he had"
"We are always optimists when it comes to time, we think there will be time to do things with other people. And time to say things to them. Time to appeal.”
"People said he was bitter. Maybe they were right. He’d never reflected much on it. People also called him antisocial. Ove assumed this meant he wasn’t overly keen on people. And in this instance he could totally agree with them. More often than not people were out of their minds.”
"Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it’s often one of the great motivations for living"
"He was a man of black and white. And she was colour. All the colour he had"
"We are always optimists when it comes to time, we think there will be time to do things with other people. And time to say things to them. Time to appeal.”
"People said he was bitter. Maybe they were right. He’d never reflected much on it. People also called him antisocial. Ove assumed this meant he wasn’t overly keen on people. And in this instance he could totally agree with them. More often than not people were out of their minds.”
"Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it’s often one of the great motivations for living"
tyiennasreads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
skes96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
4.5
confused_cat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.75
Excellent book. Much better than the Hollywood movie adaptation.
I simply love everything about it - the writing, the pace, the dark humor, the characters.
Ove's character seem to be timeless. I imagine there will always be people who are traditionalists, strong, stubborn, loyal to the fault, and live by their principles. I don't always agree with them and their old school ways but I do admire them.
Answering reading group questions and some reflections:
I simply love everything about it - the writing, the pace, the dark humor, the characters.
Ove's character seem to be timeless. I imagine there will always be people who are traditionalists, strong, stubborn, loyal to the fault, and live by their principles. I don't always agree with them and their old school ways but I do admire them.
Answering reading group questions and some reflections:
- I only drive Toyota - haha. Is there a bit of Ove in my character?
- Ove was actually grieving for almost for the entirity of the book. Having human (and animal) to care is what got him through.
- Honestly, the neighbourhood that Ove lives in is almost similar to the one I grew up in - where every one helps and bothers each other quite a lot. I sort of miss that.
- Ove and Sonja have opposing communication style. This would make things difficult in real life but it seems that they have enough love hence patience with each other to go thru life challenges.
- I wonder if there are actually more people like Ove in the world, doing heroic things and refusing to make a fuss.
- Technology, relationships, and lifestyles kept on changing. It would be great if we can slow it down. I seriously can't imagine what life would be like say 40 years from here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Minor: Animal cruelty
ssaba's review
4.0
I've been eyeing this book for some time and I can finally say that I've read it. adorable storytelling. very passionate descriptions of the characters. Shows you how you don't know any one's battles in life and that, you can even befriend your worst enemy.
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[b:A Man Called Ove|18774964|A Man Called Ove|Fredrik Backman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405259930l/18774964._SY75_.jpg|21619954]