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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
This book was just great from the start. I was interested in the story from the first page and most books, even books that I love take a few chapters for me to truly feel involved in the story. This book was hard to put down, I truly fell in love with each and every character and loved every page because of how all of these amazing characters interacted. I loved the writing style and the pacing and just the entirety of this book. This book made me cry and it is common knowledge I loathe crying and I don't tend to cry over most things. I thought I was gonna make it out of this one without crying once I got near the end but the last 15 pages really got me. This book was just beautiful and I will definitely be buying my own copy after I return the one I currently have to the library. In conclusion, an amazing book, 10/10, and everyone should read it at least once.
I’m not crying, you are!
Beautifully tragic
Great story of finding purpose after loss
Good length chapters
Great structure
Loved the three-year-old girl, so cute
Story unfolded nicely, and learned about the context of why he did things in certain ways
I will definitely be watching the film
Still trying to work out if its uplifting or depressing
Beautifully tragic
Great story of finding purpose after loss
Good length chapters
Great structure
Loved the three-year-old girl, so cute
Story unfolded nicely, and learned about the context of why he did things in certain ways
I will definitely be watching the film
Still trying to work out if its uplifting or depressing
Great book! Ove was an endearing grump and I really loved his development through the book, as well as the initial stretch of somewhat unreliable narration as we got a trickle of understanding of his situation and life until the pieces clicked together over time.
The narrative structure and chapter titles were also pretty great. I loved just how much the community appreciated him and how much good he did by the end. As a character, he was a good man despite his gruff and grumpy attitude.
The narrative structure and chapter titles were also pretty great. I loved just how much the community appreciated him and how much good he did by the end. As a character, he was a good man despite his gruff and grumpy attitude.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
fredrik backman ALWAYS gets it. in a world disenchanted,he brings us back to a modern yet magical world in which other humans are what bring out the best in humans. his ability to create a heartwarming narrative out of an unexpected origin remains amazingly fortified.
ove, you have my whole heart. the way this man loves his wife and grows to love the people around him regardless of the taciturn nature he cannot shed (and why would he, it makes him himself) and the trauma he’s had to endure is just so human yet remarkable. the story is unconventional, and touches on topics one might not think could be turned humorous but that’s just because they haven’t met fredrik backman yet. it definitely made me think about my relationships while appreciating them. the love within this book exuded by all the characters grabs you and pulls you in, making you feel like you’re part of this found family. this book makes you feel like your heart is being hugged. cat’s commentary was outstanding!
ove, you have my whole heart. the way this man loves his wife and grows to love the people around him regardless of the taciturn nature he cannot shed (and why would he, it makes him himself) and the trauma he’s had to endure is just so human yet remarkable. the story is unconventional, and touches on topics one might not think could be turned humorous but that’s just because they haven’t met fredrik backman yet. it definitely made me think about my relationships while appreciating them. the love within this book exuded by all the characters grabs you and pulls you in, making you feel like you’re part of this found family. this book makes you feel like your heart is being hugged. cat’s commentary was outstanding!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are books you enjoy, and then there are books that reach you. A Man Called Ove is, for me, one of the latter—a quiet, unassuming novel that slowly broke down my defences and left me both deeply moved and quietly changed.
What initially appears to be the story of a grumpy, rule-bound old man quickly becomes something far richer and more emotionally layered. Ove is not simply “the neighborhood curmudgeon,” he is a man clinging tightly to routine because the world as he knew it has crumbled beneath him. His life is shaped by profound grief, the kind that doesn’t always look like tears and sorrow, but like stubbornness, short tempers, and an obsessive need for order.
As someone who finds a deep emotional and intellectual connection with stories about grief, I was especially struck by how Backman portrays it here — not as a singular event, but as a long, uneven terrain that reshapes a person’s entire way of being. Ove doesn’t speak openly about his pain. He doesn’t “process” it the way we might expect. Instead, he lives with it, in every gesture, every ritual, every moment of silence. His loss is not a backdrop to the plot; it is the foundation from which his transformation grows.
And then come the interruptions, the loud, messy, heartfelt interruptions of life in the form of neighbors, stray cats, and unlikely friendships. Backman shows us that grief doesn’t disappear , instead, it is slowly softened by connection, by being needed again, by tiny acts of care that accumulate into meaning. The people around Ove don’t change him with grand gestures; they simply refuse to leave him behind. And that, to me, is one of the most beautiful messages of the novel: sometimes healing doesn’t look like a breakthrough, but like showing up over and over again for someone who has forgotten how to ask for help.
The writing itself is simple but deceptively powerful. Backman has a way of crafting moments that sneak up on you—one moment you’re chuckling at Ove’s dry commentary, and the next, you're wiping away tears over a single line that captures the weight of love or the ache of memory. It’s gentle, never manipulative, and filled with an authentic compassion for ordinary people trying to make sense of loss, life, and each other.
By the end, I felt a quiet ache, the kind that lingers in the best way. Ove’s story reminded me that grief takes many forms, and so does love. That people who appear cold or difficult are often carrying invisible wounds. And that sometimes, all it takes to bring someone back to life is the presence of others who refuse to give up on them.
I give "A Man Called Ove" a full 5 stars. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s deeply honest. It’s the kind of book I’ll return to in difficult seasons—not for answers, but for the reminder that even when life feels unbearably heavy, there is still meaning to be found in the smallest connections. There is still room to say yes to life—stubbornly, slowly, and in our own imperfect way.
“You miss the strangest things when you lose someone. Little things. Smiles. The way she turned over in her sleep.”
“We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens, and we stand there holding on to words like ‘if.’”
"Death is a strange thing… It takes a while to get used to someone being gone. You go around expecting them to come through the door. It’s like you’re waiting for them to give you a hug."
These quotes stayed with me long after I finished reading. They reminded me that grief is just love that has nowhere to go — and that love, in all its stubbornness and softness, still finds a way to keep us connected.
What initially appears to be the story of a grumpy, rule-bound old man quickly becomes something far richer and more emotionally layered. Ove is not simply “the neighborhood curmudgeon,” he is a man clinging tightly to routine because the world as he knew it has crumbled beneath him. His life is shaped by profound grief, the kind that doesn’t always look like tears and sorrow, but like stubbornness, short tempers, and an obsessive need for order.
As someone who finds a deep emotional and intellectual connection with stories about grief, I was especially struck by how Backman portrays it here — not as a singular event, but as a long, uneven terrain that reshapes a person’s entire way of being. Ove doesn’t speak openly about his pain. He doesn’t “process” it the way we might expect. Instead, he lives with it, in every gesture, every ritual, every moment of silence. His loss is not a backdrop to the plot; it is the foundation from which his transformation grows.
And then come the interruptions, the loud, messy, heartfelt interruptions of life in the form of neighbors, stray cats, and unlikely friendships. Backman shows us that grief doesn’t disappear , instead, it is slowly softened by connection, by being needed again, by tiny acts of care that accumulate into meaning. The people around Ove don’t change him with grand gestures; they simply refuse to leave him behind. And that, to me, is one of the most beautiful messages of the novel: sometimes healing doesn’t look like a breakthrough, but like showing up over and over again for someone who has forgotten how to ask for help.
The writing itself is simple but deceptively powerful. Backman has a way of crafting moments that sneak up on you—one moment you’re chuckling at Ove’s dry commentary, and the next, you're wiping away tears over a single line that captures the weight of love or the ache of memory. It’s gentle, never manipulative, and filled with an authentic compassion for ordinary people trying to make sense of loss, life, and each other.
By the end, I felt a quiet ache, the kind that lingers in the best way. Ove’s story reminded me that grief takes many forms, and so does love. That people who appear cold or difficult are often carrying invisible wounds. And that sometimes, all it takes to bring someone back to life is the presence of others who refuse to give up on them.
I give "A Man Called Ove" a full 5 stars. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s deeply honest. It’s the kind of book I’ll return to in difficult seasons—not for answers, but for the reminder that even when life feels unbearably heavy, there is still meaning to be found in the smallest connections. There is still room to say yes to life—stubbornly, slowly, and in our own imperfect way.
“You miss the strangest things when you lose someone. Little things. Smiles. The way she turned over in her sleep.”
“We always think there's enough time to do things with other people. Time to say things to them. And then something happens, and we stand there holding on to words like ‘if.’”
"Death is a strange thing… It takes a while to get used to someone being gone. You go around expecting them to come through the door. It’s like you’re waiting for them to give you a hug."
These quotes stayed with me long after I finished reading. They reminded me that grief is just love that has nowhere to go — and that love, in all its stubbornness and softness, still finds a way to keep us connected.
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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
funny
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
slow-paced