∎ Read A Man Called Ove A Novel Fredrik Backman Books

A Man Called Ove A Novel Fredrik Backman Books

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A Man Called Ove A Novel Fredrik Backman Books

My sister and I listened to this book from Audible and I am now reading his other book. Such a sweet, well written story of despair and hope.Having just lost a husband less than a year ago, I can certainly relate to his sorrow and feelings of worthlessness - being old and useless. What a blessing this book as been to me.


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A Man Called Ove A Novel Fredrik Backman Books Reviews

There is a part of me that didn't think I needed to review A Man Called Ove because so many people have read it at this point, but I have talked to a few who have not, hence my desire to write this review.

I will admit that I am entirely on the Ove train!

The book is about a man, named Ove, who is the angry neighbor that we all seem to have. He complains about everything, has put up signs around his neighborhood with rules about what should and shouldn't be done, and feels there is a proper place for everything. He is not a friendly guy to say the least.

Into his life walks or rather drives a family who are to be his new neighbors. He doesn't bother to get to know their names and calls them the pregnant one and the lanky one. After an accident with the lanky one, Ove is forced to help this family, complaining the entire time.

Throughout the book Ove also speaks to his wife, complaining about the neighbors, the rule breakers, and how much he misses her (very minor spoiler). During interludes within the narrative, we read about how Ove became Ove. I will say by the end of the book, a bunch of dust was flying around the room and some got into my eyes.

The first thing to write is this book is funny. Ove is quite the character and how he treats people is hysterical. He just doesn't care what he says or how he says it. He simply wants order in his world and has lived that way for all of his life. The way he expresses himself becomes incredibly funny.

It is also a tragic story. Backman interweaves the two (funny and tragic) quite well and doesn't make it overly heartwarming. This could have easily become a book with the sentiment that we don't know people's past, so don't judge them, but it isn't. Ove is an ass in his past too and sometimes with reason. Backman keeps it level with just enough to make the reader fall for Ove.

The great thing is this is a book that pretty much anyone and everyone can (and will) enjoy. I recommended this one for book clubs and discussion groups. Grandmas will like this as well as middle aged men. Ove is simply a good book.

I gave this one 5 stars.
In case you’re one of those few who haven’t heard about this book, here’s what it’s about in a nutshell a curmudgeonly old man is prevented from killing himself multiple times by neighbors who are needy and people to refuse to obey the sign that restricts parking in the residential area of his small neighborhood. It’s like the movie Up, only with more people that are adults, and more character. Take this paragraph for example

"For more than fifteen minutes he stood waiting for her at the station in his tight-fitting suit and his new-polished shoes. He was skeptical about people who came late. 'If you can’t depend on someone being on time, you shouldn’t trust ’em with anything more important either,' he used to mutter when people came dribbling along with their time cards three or four minutes late, as if this didn’t matter. As if the railway line would just lie there waiting for them in the morning and not have something to do."

Every sentence in this book is imbued with characterization and style; every word is a brushstroke in the painting of Ove as not only a curmudgeon, but an (spoiler alert!) orphan, a loving husband to a wife who was paralyzed and rendered infertile by a drunk driver, a principled man, a hard worker, a dedicated Saab driver, and one of those loyal-to-the-death-but-you-wouldn’t-know-it-to-talk-to-him kind of people.

And, unlike most adult-genre books, especially ones about old people, there is something interesting or amusing or soulful on almost every page. The pacing and plot weaving are impeccable. It’s truly a treasure to read.
I honestly didn't go into this book expecting to like it as much as I did. I have trouble with books where the main character is not someone I particularly like. But, I gave this one a shot. I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn't help but like the curmudgeon. It's not a deep-thinking book. It's there for entertainment, to make you 'feel' emotions, to transport you to another place and another life. Therefore, I give the book five stars for being exactly what it claims to be--a story about one man and the circle of friends that he makes despite his grouchy personality. I liked the backstory with the wife (even though I thought the author went too far with the tragedy heaped onto this always-optimistic woman). I bought the audio book to listen when I couldn't read and the narrator was flawless. I've heard some pretty bad narrators lately from best-selling books (Miss Peregrine's for example), but this audio book was very well done. I have one gigantic bone to pick with the author. 59 years old is not 89 years old. Fifty-nine years old is when most people are in the apex of careers--before retirement and also having a lot of knowledge and experience to help them in their career fields. The 50-somethings in my office know what an iPad is, how to use computers, have the latest cell phones, and are pretty up on all the new tech gadgets because they are the ones that can afford them! There was no reason why the author couldn't make this a lot more believable by making the main character 79 or older. There was nothing to prevent the backstory being set further back. The whole time I was reading, I had to make myself forget the character was supposed to be 59. For godsakes, the President of the United States is 56!! I wonder why the author chose such a relatively young main character to act like my grandfather would. But, if you can overlook that weird decision, the rest of the story is very well done and very entertaining.
My sister and I listened to this book from Audible and I am now reading his other book. Such a sweet, well written story of despair and hope.Having just lost a husband less than a year ago, I can certainly relate to his sorrow and feelings of worthlessness - being old and useless. What a blessing this book as been to me.