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ellaticonstellation's review
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
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: Child death, Cursing, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
c0zyreader's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
atypeofgrass's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
I loved this book. It is probably my favorite I have read this year. I have to say that the movie (which I watched after) is not nearly as heartfelt or touching as the book. I actually started crying when it ended. Both because it was sad and it was such a great book. Even if you don’t like books that can be sad, read this. It truly is phenomenal.
Edit: most of the comments I am reading after this I feel don’t understand the point of the book. It is not about the plot of the book at all. It is about the character and their development. Don’t go into this expecting a great story, go into this expecting to be sad. The man in the story is grumpy all the time because that was how he was written. Spend time thinking about the real people in the world who are constantly angry, and think of what they may feel on the inside. Not everything should be judged off of the first glance.
Edit: most of the comments I am reading after this I feel don’t understand the point of the book. It is not about the plot of the book at all. It is about the character and their development. Don’t go into this expecting a great story, go into this expecting to be sad. The man in the story is grumpy all the time because that was how he was written. Spend time thinking about the real people in the world who are constantly angry, and think of what they may feel on the inside. Not everything should be judged off of the first glance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Self harm
Moderate: Infertility, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Hate crime and Pregnancy
cady_sass's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Not to be dramatic but I would die for Ove
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
sichloeng's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Infertility, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Car accident
sandysmith'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? Yes
4.5
An emotional read, funny sad and thought provoking and a whole host of other emotions as you gradually fall in love with a grumpy old man. The only thing I didn't like was the fat shaming, but other than that it was wonderful
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
emmah_1845's review against another edition
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, and Suicide attempt
macliffe's review against another edition
Language
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Infertility, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent
bandysbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
Going into A Man Called Ove, I was worried that this would be another overhyped book for me. I see it everywhere and it's always receiving rave reviews. I've read a few of Backman's other books and enjoyed them, but didn't find them mind-blowing. I was, therefore, blown away when this turned into an instant favorite.
Ove is an elderly curmudgeon of a man and also a recent widower. After his wife's death, life has lost all meaning and he is walling himself off from the world around him in preparation for his own death. Things don't progress as smoothly as he'd hoped because his interfering, nosy, well-intentioned neighbors keep showing up with minor emergencies for him to resolve.
The plot concept is simple and not entirely unique. (It certainly reminds me of the movie Up by Pixar which was produced a couple years prior to this book.) That said, Backman leans into that simplicity and just tells a really good, moving story. He doesn't try to make is surprising or twisty. Instead, he builds a relationship between the reader and Ove and the cast of characters that surround him.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see this book touch on topics like ableism, ageism, xenophobia, racism, social services and homophobia. I did not expect this book to take a stance on these topics, but each one is addressed by little plot points throughout the story.
The characterization was one of my favorite parts of the book. Each character from Ove himself to the minorest of supporting characters is vibrant, alive, and realistic. Not only could I imagine the interactions that occur, but I've actually witnessed similar interactions by similar people in my own life.
If you enjoy found family tropes, grumpy old men, and an easy to enjoy style of writing, this is the book for you! Don't be put off by the hype. This one is worth it.
Ove is an elderly curmudgeon of a man and also a recent widower. After his wife's death, life has lost all meaning and he is walling himself off from the world around him in preparation for his own death. Things don't progress as smoothly as he'd hoped because his interfering, nosy, well-intentioned neighbors keep showing up with minor emergencies for him to resolve.
The plot concept is simple and not entirely unique. (It certainly reminds me of the movie Up by Pixar which was produced a couple years prior to this book.) That said, Backman leans into that simplicity and just tells a really good, moving story. He doesn't try to make is surprising or twisty. Instead, he builds a relationship between the reader and Ove and the cast of characters that surround him.
I was also pleasantly surprised to see this book touch on topics like ableism, ageism, xenophobia, racism, social services and homophobia. I did not expect this book to take a stance on these topics, but each one is addressed by little plot points throughout the story.
The characterization was one of my favorite parts of the book. Each character from Ove himself to the minorest of supporting characters is vibrant, alive, and realistic. Not only could I imagine the interactions that occur, but I've actually witnessed similar interactions by similar people in my own life.
If you enjoy found family tropes, grumpy old men, and an easy to enjoy style of writing, this is the book for you! Don't be put off by the hype. This one is worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I absolutely adore Backman’s writing. His characters are incredibly well developed and loveable. His stories are always more than meets the eye, which this definitely was. I like to go into his books totally blind and it always improves the experience of reading his books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy