anastashamarie's review against another edition
- 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
🐈 I had a long wait to get this one from the library, but honestly, I'm just going to go buy it (and probably the rest of Backman's bibliography) because this book hit me in a way nothing has since I was a teenager reading John Green.
🏘️ This is an existentialist masterpiece. The writing is so simple yet so impactful. The characterizations of the whole cast are so well-rounded. It's heartbreaking and uplifting and just generally just so human. It's full of love and sorrow and so much hope. One of those stories that I think is going to stick with me forever.
🖍️ Now, if you'll excuse me while I go back to crying my eyes out. We can talk more about it later.
Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Fatphobia, Death, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Infertility, and Misogyny
romeroreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, and Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Death, Dementia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Death of parent, and Cancer
lozbug's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
my_a's review against another edition
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, and Infertility
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Misogyny
kt2e56's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Grief, Ableism, Suicide, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Car accident, Dementia, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Bullying, and Infertility
booknerdsinmn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Fatphobia
Moderate: Death, Racism, Misogyny, Car accident, Xenophobia, Grief, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Body shaming
bridgetkay's review against another edition
The character is problematic as all hell and I really have no interest in a story centred on a white man who’s surrounded by people who aren’t white men as supporting characters to some kind of redemption arc. Any time I attempted to read this, it put me in a bad mood. So for self care purposes, I will not be finishing this.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
bookchatwithbeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death and Car accident
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Dementia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Drug use, and Sexism
abominablesnowaro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Terminal illness, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Bullying
madelinedalton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think the book was just a bit too slow-paced throughout for my taste, and because of that, I found it hard to stay engaged.
I also found Ove’s (and, let’s face it, the author’s) comments about women and fat people to be pretty offensive at times. The reader would have still found Ove to be just as curmudgeonly if he hadn’t been so misogynistic and fatphobic. Ove is homophobic and xenophobic too. These comments were much more connected to the story, but they could’ve been handled more delicately or even omitted entirely.
Finally, I found Ove’s age to be very odd. His character would have made more sense to me if he were 70 rather than 59. My own father is 60, and it just felt weird to read about a grumpy curmudgeon who was a year younger than my dad when I don’t view my dad that way at all.
Graphic: Fatphobia and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Xenophobia