A Man Called Ove: A Novel
In this New York Times bestselling “charming debut” (People)—soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks—from one of Sweden’s most successful authors, a grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
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Readers say *A Man Called Ove* is a charming and heartfelt novel blending themes of loss, kindness, and human connection, with complex characters and ...
I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected to! I read this in bookclub with a friend of mine, and I’ll admit I approached with caution as I knew this book was “trendy” at the time and was seeing a lot of hype around it with the movie being just released as well. (I tend to avoid trendy books as rule of thumb that they succeed in this day and age because they are heavily laden with political correctness and “something for everyone”. Therefore not really having an audience at all.)
But I was so pleasantly surprised and impressed by this book!
Ove, as opposed to Otto in the film, was a very well developed, interesting, and well articulated character. I was scared for him in the beginning as he was painted to be any old crotchety old man preying on the current generation…but this ended up being a well placed assumption as by the same chapter nearer to the end after getting context to his history, readers had a whole new view.
I thought the plot line was beautiful and I so enjoyed his interactions with those around him, and the gradual community they built. Ove unwittingly adopted himself into a new family to give him purpose after his wife’s death, and they tackled many issues he had with that to help cope with his grief. I loved Panerva and “Cat Annoyance” and all the other supporting characters Ove touched while on his mission to end his own life.
I was brought to tears reading how he loved his wife, worked hard, and chose moral integrity in many instances when the latter would have been justified. Ove was truly a protagonist in every way of the word, and I loved him so much by the books end.
The ending was beautifully executed and just right, and the whole book just felt full circle in the best way. There were sprinklings of the political correctness I expected, and some of the secondary character’s relationships (literally) felt stretched and unnecessary, as kind of a way to tie up loose ends at the last minute. But all in all it was minor and overshadowed by the grand message of the book.
Ove made a new life while trying to end his own, and gained so much love and family in the process that you couldn’t even tell it was happening. The writing was well done, the storyline was emotive, and this book was well deserving of the hype it received!
But I was so pleasantly surprised and impressed by this book!
Ove, as opposed to Otto in the film, was a very well developed, interesting, and well articulated character. I was scared for him in the beginning as he was painted to be any old crotchety old man preying on the current generation…but this ended up being a well placed assumption as by the same chapter nearer to the end after getting context to his history, readers had a whole new view.
I thought the plot line was beautiful and I so enjoyed his interactions with those around him, and the gradual community they built. Ove unwittingly adopted himself into a new family to give him purpose after his wife’s death, and they tackled many issues he had with that to help cope with his grief. I loved Panerva and “Cat Annoyance” and all the other supporting characters Ove touched while on his mission to end his own life.
I was brought to tears reading how he loved his wife, worked hard, and chose moral integrity in many instances when the latter would have been justified. Ove was truly a protagonist in every way of the word, and I loved him so much by the books end.
The ending was beautifully executed and just right, and the whole book just felt full circle in the best way. There were sprinklings of the political correctness I expected, and some of the secondary character’s relationships (literally) felt stretched and unnecessary, as kind of a way to tie up loose ends at the last minute. But all in all it was minor and overshadowed by the grand message of the book.
Ove made a new life while trying to end his own, and gained so much love and family in the process that you couldn’t even tell it was happening. The writing was well done, the storyline was emotive, and this book was well deserving of the hype it received!
I absolutely loved this book!
I'm still left wondering how much my enjoyment was having it read to me via Audible; what a great job George Newbern did as the narrator! While I thoroughly enjoyed listening, I'm mildly torn not to have been able to hold the book to my chest while sobbing when I came to the end. I still feel unable to let my book friends go and will miss both Ove (oo-va) and Parniva as the endearing beings they came to be for me.
I'm still left wondering how much my enjoyment was having it read to me via Audible; what a great job George Newbern did as the narrator! While I thoroughly enjoyed listening, I'm mildly torn not to have been able to hold the book to my chest while sobbing when I came to the end. I still feel unable to let my book friends go and will miss both Ove (oo-va) and Parniva as the endearing beings they came to be for me.
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