Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - A Man Called Ove

Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

36 reviews

uyeb's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

here’s the thing. this book was just decent. i was hoping and hoping for some life changing moment that would make me love this book but honestly nothing happened like that. it was sad at the end, i’ll give y’all that, but the rest of the book just basically details the sad life of a lonely old man. and that’s fine, but just not really for me. however, i understand that there is some depth here in understanding how and why death affects people but also how lively human interaction can affect people.

but the ending seems to completely negate that? what’s the point of proving that human interaction is so important and life changing and beautiful if the end result of character growth is death? it’s an arc i will never understand. and it’s possible i’m missing something but. what is the something? i also have to wonder if the terribleness of ove’s character (ie not grumpiness but the homophobia, xenophobia, fatphobia, etc) can be looked over because he’s of a different generation, that’s part of his flaws, and because it’s an in-book flaw (meaning the author is essentially acknowledging that it’s a bad thing and that the main character isn’t good for thinking that way. i think this is super important bc smth like sexism in a book is totally fine if you’re making the sexist character a bad person. but not saying it’s bad makes it problematic, ya know?). but i’m not positive that’s what’s happening here. it more seems like his flaws like those are being written off as unimportant or just a given? so i wonder then if these things not being fixed over the course of the book mean that ove’s character growth is not as consistent as one might otherwise think? or perhaps that he’s never a good person and maybe the ending makes sense? i’m so so lost and i’m confusing myself help

but basically this is pretty wholesome and i like the writing but i’m a bit confused for a number of reasons. maybe it’s a book to reread in 10 years. also, yes, i cried a little. and it was kinda like a ‘why why why how does this make sense’ lol if that encourages you to read this. this review is absolute nonsense wow i’m making no coherent points. :)

Content Warnings

rely's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I understand the love of this book. My feelings are really complicated. I hated the first 2/3s because I hated Ove and didn't think he deserved the redemptive arc. I guess by the end it had swayed me, but I didn't love him ever, I loved the people who helped him.

Content Warnings

abookandaspotoftea's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

Content Warnings

courtsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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

Content Warnings

rebeccameyrink's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

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

I feel like I read a different book than everyone else. I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative about this book.

I found this book very predictable. The comedy didn’t hit home for me, and I found myself annoyed at the authors transparent attempts to make a heartwarming novel.

The main character reads like a curmudgeonly 90 year old man and I found it really hard to believe he was a middle aged man.

The thing I disliked most about this book was how it was seemingly about how a racist, xenophobic and overall mean man, who was constantly complaining about “foreigners” and making strange remarks on Japanese cars, would somehow have a change of heart if a “foreigner” dedicated every waking hour to forcing a friendship with him.

I personally really struggled with the ableism and fatphobia in this novel. Disability is treated as inspiration for the able bodied characters, and at one point the novel describes children with ADHD as having “no hope” for learning and “the type of students no qualified teacher with all the parts of her brain correctly screwed together would voluntarily face.” Umm what?

I truly despised the way the author described the only fat character in this book. It was dehumanizing. His happily ever after was getting a sandwich named after him. Ugh.

Content Warnings

sara_m_martins's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional slow-paced

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

4.25

this book really had to grow on me, ending with me being a sobbing mess in the last 10 or so pages.
ove is a really abrasive character and says A LOT of wrong things, so it makes getting into the story a bit hard at first, but you start enjoying the characters around him and seeing how they change his demeanor, and slowly you warm up to the whole thing.
overall, trigger and content warnings were well handled by the author
the writing is very good and really atmospheric - there's a lot of snow, so good for reading in winter

Content Warnings

More...