A Man Called Ove: A Novel

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is just what I needed to read write now.

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I laughed. I cried. I've read and listened to this one at least four times and I still laugh and cry. The characters are so well developed - I feel like I know them personally. Definitely one of my all time favorite books.

This was mixed for me. I’m glad I read it, also wouldn’t purchase it. I could have done without the theme of suicide. But the story was woven in a really interesting way. I loved the last few chapters of the book. But there was a gratuitous gay couple that felt forced for no reason other than to have it there. The style of writing was different than I had read before and I did enjoy it overall, though not a page turner I’m glad I stuck with it.

🎧 I experienced A Man Called Ove as an audiobook and was pleasantly surprised to find two versions available—one narrated by J.K. Simmons and the other by George Newbern, both well-known actors in the U.S. Curious about how their performances would differ, I decided to listen to both. Despite telling the same story, each narrator brought a unique tone and feel to the book. The story itself is a bittersweet tale about a lonely, grumpy old man, and it’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure. I had previously seen A Man Called Otto, the U.S. movie adaptation starring Tom Hanks, as part of my book club’s “Year of Book Adaptations” theme. I wasn’t aware at the time that the movie was based on this book, so it was interesting to dive deeper into the original story. I listened to both audiobooks at 2x speed and particularly enjoyed J.K. Simmons’s version. His delivery captured the humor in the funny moments and brought a depth of emotion to the more serious parts of the story, which made it a standout performance for me. The book features a lot of back-and-forth between past and present, and having seen the movie beforehand helped me keep track of the timeline. I appreciated how the book provided additional details and backstory that the film couldn’t include. While the book was definitely better overall, I think the movie adaptation did a commendable job condensing a nine-hour book into a two-hour film. The movie focused primarily on the present, while the book used flashbacks to explain Ove’s behavior and motivations. After finishing the book, I watched the international movie adaptation in Swedish with English subtitles, which is available on Amazon Prime. Comparing the U.S. movie to the international version was fascinating; while cultural differences were evident, the screenwriting was almost identical. The Swedish film had its moments of humor, but since I wasn’t familiar with the actors and the language barrier made it harder to fully catch the witty one-liners, some of the humor didn’t land as strongly for me. That said, I still very much enjoyed the film. However, the U.S. version felt funnier to me overall, and Tom Hanks did an excellent job bringing the character to life. The U.S. adaptation can be found on Netflix. Fun fact: Ove is actually pronounced "Uva," which, in Spanish, means "grape." I recommend watching both movies, especially if you enjoy international films—they each offer a unique perspective on the story.