Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

362 reviews

eb_nix's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Minor: Cancer and Miscarriage

krmreads2024's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

elzmri's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

Oh, Ove.

This book had me laughing and crying. Blackman has a way of using his lexical choices to reflect the personality of the protagonist; what I mean is that even though it is in third person, it still holds Ove’s vibe. [I’ve stayed up all night and I’m tired so please excuse my attempts at explaining myself].

The characters have so much depth, and so diverse- Blackman even gives Cat Annoyance its own meaningful personality.

Ove reminded me of my grandad- I think that’s why it had me sobbing at the end.

The translator has also done a fantastic job- even though it is Swedish, it has a universal familiarity that I think everyone can relate to, no matter where you’re from.

I don’t often read contemporary novels, but this one has quickly become a favourite. I’ve already bought Anxious People and My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologies; I appreciate Backman’s writing style, which isn’t oversimplified in a way that most modern novels tend to be.

I’d love to read more about Parveneh’s life…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Fire/Fire injury

irislovescats's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

I sobbed uncontrollably, five stars 🌟 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Chronic illness, Dementia, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Homophobia and Miscarriage

elizlizabeth's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I can understand it as a dark comedy, but absolutely not as a cozy heartwarming tale. Ove is not without many flaws which fine, but did the plot have to be so dull? It mostly hinges off bad things happening and Ove reacting to them, which got tiring after a while.
I have a bone to pick with the many slurs, fatphobia, and shrieking women. Might give Backman another chance to see if this was an Ove thing or an author thing but I have limited hopes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Racism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Car accident

orchidlilly's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

4.5

A really good exploration of grief and learning to live after it. Ove is both lovable and annoying, which turns at a point to endearing in its own right. The rest of the characters feel very real and individualized, and have a lot of unspoken depth to them. The back and forth between Ove's memories and current life really build his story well and allow the reader to understand why he is the way he is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Dementia, and Death of parent

Minor: Infertility, Racism, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chiara_dose's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

karkei's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense 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

4.5

Ove is as old-school as they come. Despite the great reviews I’ve heard about this book, I was quite skeptical. When the story started out, Ove was grumpy and complaining. I wondered if he was one of those characters you’re just not supposed to like. 

While there are still things I disagree with him on, there were so many things that I grew to love about him too - mostly his love for Sonja. What an incredibly heartbreaking, yet equally heartwarming tale. 

In spite of his tough exterior, Ove was a marshmallow inside. People back then were just not taught to express themselves quite emotionally. What a tough bunch of people the boomers were. 

These were just an outstanding bunch of characters. Ove was such a simple man but yet so complex. His characterization was so intricately woven - I want to applaud Backman. Ove reminded me of other characters I like - partly that old man in Pixar’s “Up” and partly Richard Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. They must be cut from the same cloth. I also absolutely loved Sonja - she’s such a strong and loveable woman. Apart from that, the diversity that was written into this story certainly didn’t go unnoticed. 

Sonja summed Ove up best when she said he was the oddest kind of superhero. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Fatphobia, Miscarriage, and Car accident

Minor: Body shaming

emklem's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Homophobia and Miscarriage

Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

mrs_engineer's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I almost set this aside after the first hour of the audiobook but I'm so glad I kept listening. Such a heartbreakingly beautiful story about love, grief, and community. Backman has such a wonderful way with words and although he drove me crazy for the first bit, Ove is a character that will remain close to my heart.

"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. Some of us in time become so conscious of it that we live harder, more obstinately, with more fury. Some need its constant presence to be even aware of its antithesis. Others become so preoccupied with it that they go into the waiting room long before it has announced its arrival. We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will pass us by and leave us there alone."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Suicide attempt