What readers think of A Man Called Ove, plus links to write your own review.

I hate to admit it, but I had never heard of this author or this best selling book ( A Man Called Ove) until I received the author's latest book through BookBrowse. I am really glad that I bought and read "Ove" and plan to tell several friends about it. The main character (need I say it is Ove) really came to life in my mind, as did his entire community. At times I laughed out loud with this book and other times it was simply poignant. The story's unique curmudgeon is a believable character whose tough exterior leads to some funny comments. It is difficult to say much about the plot without major spoiler alerts. This is definitely a good choice for book clubs; everyone will find something to like and/or dislike and talk about.

I loved everything about this book, so heartwarming and quirky and funny. One of my new favorites along with Water for Elephants...

A Man Called Ove is the first novel by Swedish blogger and columnist, Fredrik Backman. At fifty-nine, Ove has definite ideas on how things should be done, on the best car to drive (obviously a Saab), and no patience for those who cannot follow the rules. The son of a hard-working, poor but principled man, Ove, too is hard-working and sticks rigidly to his principles. But now, six months since the death of his beloved wife, Sonja, he is “not dead, but not really living”, and he is no longer hard-working: he has been retrenched. His life without any purpose whatsoever, he matter-of-factly sets out to commit suicide.

His meticulous plans are derailed, time and again: inferior-quality rope; the Cat Annoyance; the Pregnant Foreign Woman who needs a ladder, a lift, a lesson; radiators that need to be properly bled; a bicycle that needs repair; a fainting Suit needing rescue from certain death; a gay man in need of accommodation. Time and again, he finds himself at Sonja’s grave, apologising once more for failing to join her as promised.

The narrative alternates between a three-week period in the present day, and Ove’s life from the age of seven, when his mother died. With his cranky main character, Backman gives the reader social commentary with plenty of chuckles, snickers and laugh-out-loud moments: “In the parking area, Ove sees that imbecile Anders reversing his Audi out of his garage. It has those new, wave-shaped headlights, Ove notes, presumably designed so that no one at night will be able to avoid the insight that here comes a car driven by an utter shit” and “’I almost smashed into that car!’ pants Parvaneh. Ove peers over the edge of the bonnet. And then, suddenly, a sort of calm comes over his face. He turns and nods at her, very matter-of-fact. ‘Doesn’t matter. It’s a Volvo’” exemplify his opinion about non-Saab vehicles. His insults are similarly hilarious: “You shouldn’t even be allowed to rewind a cassette”, he tells The Lanky One.

But Backman gives his characters plenty of words of wisdom too: “Men are what they are because of what they do. Not what they say” and “We can busy ourselves with living or with dying, Ove. We have to move on” are two examples. There is much humour in this novel, some of it quite black, but there are also moments that will produce a lump in the throat and even tears. Flawlessly translated from Swedish by Henning Koch, this “requested-by-readers” novel is a stunning debut: moving, uplifting and very funny.

If you loved “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” you will love “A Man Called Ove”. This book was thoroughly delightful. I did not want it to end. Ove is a cantankerous old man who is rigidly set in his ways. “Rules are rules” is his mantra. But one day a young couple moves in next door. The husband Patrick is portrayed as a bumbling IT consultant. He does not know how to do any of the maintenance on the house or the car. His wife Parvaneh (Persian) is VERY pregnant. And to really top it off, there is a 7-year-old girl and a three-year-old girl. To Ove’s displeasure he finds that this new family just will not leave him alone. He complains about this continually to his wife, the only person in his life who ever came close to understanding him. The characters in this book are so real. The emotions and actions are totally believable. There’s lots of laughter, quite a bit of heart-break, and lots of grumbling. Life just does not go the way Ove had it planned out. Definitely one of my favorite books!

I fell in love with the characters. I enjoyed the book. It draws you in and it's easy read.

Although well written, I closed the book for good halfway through. I don't want to spend my evenings with a pessimistic and grumpy man who can only find enjoyment in his tools, his SAAB and his own rules. Not a story to include in your dreamworld.