You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I want to be able to give this book a higher rating, but I just can't. It feels like so much of this book was unnecessary - how many chapters did we need about Ove and Rune going back and forth with buying new cars? It honestly felt like Backman kept writing the same chapters over and over again, which again, felt unnecessary. I did appreciate the character development of Ove from the beginning to the end of his life - his relationship with the girls was very heartfelt. I just wish this story was written a little differently.
Книгата показва интересен аспект на това да намерим смисъла на живота и причина на продължим да живеем. Заслужава си четенето, само ме дразнеха ужасно многото сравнения.
3 – 3.5 stars
This was a good book just not one that hit me as deeply as I expected. It’s clearly written to be emotional and moving, and while there was one part that made me sad, it was more because of personal stuff it brought up than the actual story.
The pacing dragged for me and then suddenly rushed at the end. I usually love found family stories, and while this had that, it didn’t give me enough of it. That said, the characters were lovely, and a few scenes actually made me laugh out loud. The ending was surprising (in a good way), and I really liked the chapter titles, narration style, and the occasional poetic lines.
Overall: a solid read. Not a new favorite, but I’d still recommend it to people who I think would connect with it more than I did.
- A Woman Named Chantè
This was a good book just not one that hit me as deeply as I expected. It’s clearly written to be emotional and moving, and while there was one part that made me sad, it was more because of personal stuff it brought up than the actual story.
The pacing dragged for me and then suddenly rushed at the end. I usually love found family stories, and while this had that, it didn’t give me enough of it. That said, the characters were lovely, and a few scenes actually made me laugh out loud. The ending was surprising (in a good way), and I really liked the chapter titles, narration style, and the occasional poetic lines.
Overall: a solid read. Not a new favorite, but I’d still recommend it to people who I think would connect with it more than I did.
- A Woman Named Chantè
I’m pleased I didn’t stop after the fourth chapter, something I was seriously contemplating. The grumpy “old” man was irritating more than entertaining and the thought that someone aged 59 is over the hill felt agist - coming from someone who’s 59. Thankfully, the book turns itself around with the help of a powerful supporting character and additional sub plots. It’s well worth making it to the end.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
A Man Called Ove is a novel by Fredrick Backman; I have previously read Beartown also written by Backman, and absolutely loved it, so I was excited to read this. This book is about a man, called Ove, the life he leads, and how he got there. Grumpy, irritable, and... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk/2019/10/a-man-called-ove-book-review/
ove isn’t easy to love at first. he’s gruff, rigid, set in his ways. the kind of man who polices his street and grumbles when things aren’t done properly. but under all that anger is grief, deep and heavy.
after his wife, sonja, dies, ove’s world crumbles. she was the axis around which his life turned, and her absence leaves him untethered. (it stings, because i know that feeling. grief doesn’t just hurt. it rearranges you, makes your world feel permanently out of alignment.)
the story could have leaned entirely into melancholy, but instead it glows with such tenderness and warmth. ove’s grief is intense, yes, but so is the love that slowly gathers around him. his neighbors push against ove’s stubbornness and become the lovely interruptions that keep pulling him back into life. they give him reasons to stay.
what i loved most was how the novel allowed for contradictions in what it means to be human. ove is both prickly and kind, closed-off and full of care, furious at the world and yet endlessly loyal to it. he pushes people away, but shows up when it matters most. he wants to disappear, and yet, part of him keeps hoping someone will knock on his door. he is, like so many of us, full of jagged opposites that don’t really cancel each other out.
and then there’s grief: both a wound and a form of devotion. it’s absence and presence all at once. a silence that leaves a sound. a hollowness that takes up space.
and finally, life. this strange, stubborn life. full of heartbreak and small mercies. full of routine and chaos and loneliness and sudden connection, loss and laughter sitting beside each other, as they so often do. as in the epilogue: life, in all its ache and beauty, is a curious thing indeed.
after his wife, sonja, dies, ove’s world crumbles. she was the axis around which his life turned, and her absence leaves him untethered. (it stings, because i know that feeling. grief doesn’t just hurt. it rearranges you, makes your world feel permanently out of alignment.)
the story could have leaned entirely into melancholy, but instead it glows with such tenderness and warmth. ove’s grief is intense, yes, but so is the love that slowly gathers around him. his neighbors push against ove’s stubbornness and become the lovely interruptions that keep pulling him back into life. they give him reasons to stay.
what i loved most was how the novel allowed for contradictions in what it means to be human. ove is both prickly and kind, closed-off and full of care, furious at the world and yet endlessly loyal to it. he pushes people away, but shows up when it matters most. he wants to disappear, and yet, part of him keeps hoping someone will knock on his door. he is, like so many of us, full of jagged opposites that don’t really cancel each other out.
and then there’s grief: both a wound and a form of devotion. it’s absence and presence all at once. a silence that leaves a sound. a hollowness that takes up space.
and finally, life. this strange, stubborn life. full of heartbreak and small mercies. full of routine and chaos and loneliness and sudden connection, loss and laughter sitting beside each other, as they so often do. as in the epilogue: life, in all its ache and beauty, is a curious thing indeed.
emotional
funny
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
Very funny, very sad. Actually way deeper than I was expecting. Definitely recommend. Quite an easy read
I have previously read a few books by Fredrik Backman including Beartown and the sequel Us Against You, so I was looking forward to reading A Man Called Ove. The story follows Ove, who is a grumpy man. A young family moves in next door and accidentally runs over his mailbox. The story alternates between the present of Ove who is struggling with the loss of his wife and the past where you learn about Ove, his relationship with his father, and how he met his wife. Ove is a likable character because even though he is grumpy and set in his routines, he genuinely cares about others. It was also sweet seeing the relationships with his neighbors and the people he meets grow. The epilogue wraps up the story well and is emotional. A Man Called Ove is another fantastic book by Backman.