astoriareader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
SYNOPSIS:
- Ove is a 59 year old Swedish man, who recently lost his wife. His wife was the love of his life, and they were together for many years.
- Ove has lived in the same house in the same neighborhood for around 40 years. He’s a curmudgeon, and he likes to keep to himself.
- After losing his wife, he has been contemplating suicide. However, his suicide attempt is interrupted by his new, foreign neighbor, Parvaneh.
- “It is the leadin to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.”
MY THOUGHTS
- I rarely cry when reading, but I shed tears in the epilogue.
- Backman skillfully juggles comedy and tragedy. He explores a lot of deep themes: community, the impact we have on others, grief, loss, loneliness, aging, healing, love.
- Expert level character development. I enjoyed Ove’s backstory & learning about why he is who he is. I also loved his love story with his wife.
- I felt for Ove throughout the whole story. He feels like your friend, and you get to know him throughout the book.
- So many wonderful side characters throughout the story.
- Satisfying ending.
- Loved Backman’s writing style. Admittedly, this is the first one I have read by him. I am definitely going to look for more by this author.
- I loved the incorporation of the cat into the story, and I thought it was interesting to see how having a pet was clearly healthy & helpful for Ove.
TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️cried in epilogue. beautifully crafted story with expert level character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Miscarriage
Minor: Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Fatphobia, and Car accident
rearic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, and Death
mbergman's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
staceyinthesticks's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death, and Grief
Minor: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cursing, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Car accident
jessiekind_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fredrik Backman has such a wonderful ability to write characters you fall head over heels for. They feel so real and I always find myself thinking about them long after having read the book. A Man Called Ove is no exception.
I had seen this book everywhere and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. This is a wonderful character study, examining the way community and those close to us, in both proximity and spiritually, can impact our lives in such profound ways. I absolutely adored the relationships that develop in the story and the way Backman tells Ove's story through different periods of time and his interactions with his neighbours.
I would prepare yourself for an emotional read before going into this, and maybe check some content warnings as it was a hard read at points. The mix of laugh out loud moments, recognition of characters from my own life, emotional turmoil and the need to know what decisions Ove makes, made this such a captivating read. I'm so glad I finally read this wonderful book.
I had seen this book everywhere and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. This is a wonderful character study, examining the way community and those close to us, in both proximity and spiritually, can impact our lives in such profound ways. I absolutely adored the relationships that develop in the story and the way Backman tells Ove's story through different periods of time and his interactions with his neighbours.
I would prepare yourself for an emotional read before going into this, and maybe check some content warnings as it was a hard read at points. The mix of laugh out loud moments, recognition of characters from my own life, emotional turmoil and the need to know what decisions Ove makes, made this such a captivating read. I'm so glad I finally read this wonderful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Miscarriage
alex1's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Miscarriage, Self harm, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Ableism
anastashamarie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
☕ Never mind me, just casually sobbing over here.
🐈 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.
🐈 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.
Content Warnings
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
iwishihadmoretimetoread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, and Ableism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Pregnancy, Cancer, and Miscarriage
aliciaallen's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Pregnancy and Violence
ellaticonstellation's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Spoiler
Damn, this is dark. Ove just wants to die after he lost his wife but for a reason, he's bad at it because of his neighbors.It made me sad that he lost the love of his life and brought his heart with her when she passed.
Loneliness must have eaten him inside out. Good thing, he met new people around the community even though he's the most grumpy old man alive; people around him seemed to get his tough exterior.
It's like Ove complains a lot about other people's choices, decisions, and intelligence, but helps them anyway. I'm in my early 30s and I understood his annoyance because sometimes people younger or older than me are way different than I am.
This story is heartwarming, and sad, but funny at some points because of the community he is in.
I love that Parvaneh's kids considered him as their granddad, that's so sweet. He even gifted one of them a new iPad. So sweet❤️
Ove must have been happy to die and meet Sonja in the afterlife like what he wanted all along.
Even though he wanted to go; he touched people's lives before he did and that made this story worth reading.
It's as if he found a family before going to the love of his life. He must have a lot of stories for her.
Ove and Sonja's love story broke me😭
Now, I have to see the movie adaptation.🔥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child death, Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Self harm, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts