Wednesday, May 31, 2017

A Man Called Ove Book Review

a man called ove  book cover
Fredrik Backman's novel, A Man Called Ove, is a story about the grumpiest man ever. I really, really had to struggle to put Ken Follett's enthralling Fall of Giants down in order to read Ove for my next book club meeting. This problem seems to keep happening to me; that is, having to put one book down for a book club book. That's okay though. Part of the reason for joining a book club is to read books you might not have chosen on your own.

My husband, as always, was good at pushing me to the book I needed to be reading. Whenever Chris saw me with the wrong book in hand, he’d raise an eyebrow and I would reluctantly put Fall of Giants down in trade for Ove. My heart, however, was not in it. At least, not at first...

In the end, I cared. I cared about Ove and how he had come to be such a grumpy old curmudgeon. The cover suggests that reading this book will cause you to feel sympathy for the curmudgeons in your life, which might well be true but I am so very glad to say that I do not know anyone even a little bit as grumpy as Ove. He is, as Amazon says, "the bitter neighbor from hell."

Ove complains about everything. He is a strict believer that rules are meant to be followed, signs obeyed, things put in their place. If you do not feel the same way, be prepared to hear about it. He rejects most of modern technology believing computers, mobile gadgets and even modern vehicles to be bad news. He has strict routines and principles to be adhered to.

Despite Ove, or perhaps I should say because of Ove, A Man Called Ove is an entertaining book. It tells his life story and the story of the people who become his friends despite his off-putting personality. It does a good job of illustrating how one life affects the next and then the next.

Believe it or not, I would RECOMMEND this grumpy old man’s story. You will laugh and you will cry though I do remember laughing more than crying.

There were a number of surprises in this book. The one that bothered me is the age of this grumpy old man. I was jaw smacked when I finally found out how old he was and I see from other reviews online that I am not the only one who takes exception to the age that author Backman set for a grumpy old man.

If you pick up and read A Man Called Ove, be sure to come back and let us know what YOU think about Ove’s story (and about his age.) You can find it quickly and affordably priced on Amazon by clicking right here.

If you are looking for more books by Fredrik Backman, you might like to check out this review of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by another contributor here on Review This.

Stay tuned for more book reviews!

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

More Book Reviews:

Steve Berry's Amber Room.
John Sandford's Extreme Prey.
The One Man by Andrew Gross.


Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


13 comments:

  1. This is not a book I would have picked up on my own. However, now that you have reviewed and recommended "A Man Called Ove", I find my self intrigued. I have known a few grumblers before and I definitely know people who live strictly by rules. I couldn't help but wonder whose face I would see in my mind while reading. Plus, now I want to know how old he is!

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  2. Brenda, thanks so much for your excellent book review of 'A Man Called Ove'. It's been on my 'to-read' list ever since I read "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" - author Fredrik Backman's second book, which I loved. (Thanks for referencing my review here). I have a feeling before I even read the book that I will find 'Ove' as surprising a character as I did the characters in his second book. A most interesting writer and writing style indeed is Fredrik Backman!

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    1. Brenda, I DID finally read 'A Man Called Ove' and, as with all of Backman's books, I loved it. I have become a huge fan of Fredrik Backman's writings. He has a unique and special way of telling any story, and Ove's story definitely needed to be told.

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  3. Brenda I too read this book for book club and although it was not one I would have chosen I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Ove sure was an interesting character and it was great to get a behind the scenes look at a grumpy old man. I too would recommend this book. By the way I can see why you had a hard time putting down Fall of Giants (great book)!

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  4. Thanks, ladies for your visits. For those who have not read the book I hope you enjoy it if you do. Pat, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, is on my list now. Thanks for your review.

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  5. I'm going to have to put this book on my "to be read" list, also. I did read the "My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry" and loved it. Thanks for the great review!

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  6. Ove sounds like a character I could really get into. Not sure what that says about me, but I guess I'll have to read the book to find out if I'm right. Excellent book review as always, Brenda!

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  7. Brenda, thank you so much for this review. I have been considering reading this book - off and on. But now I'm convinced that I should add it to my Kindle. Thank you.

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  8. Well, your review is excellent because this Old Man already annoys me based on your description - Not sure I could read this - I've known a few grumps in life, but not too many, and reading an entire book about one, well that takes some writing! For that reason I'm intrigued about this

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  9. Great review! This is going on my reading list. I actually like characters such as the ones you describe in Ove. Fortunately I don't often encounter grumpy people, but maybe because that's because I don't encounter very many people anymore.

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  10. I absolutely loved this book! If you read the book, you will find that Ove is grumpy with good reason. I guess I"he known and been fond of enough curmudgeons in my life to realize that there is usually something deeper..and often sweeter...going on. I hope you read and enjoy this one!

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  11. Thanks again everyone for visiting and commenting! If you haven't already and you do read the book, I hope you enjoy it!

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  12. Brenda, thank goodness I don't have too many grumpy men in my life. Having said that, I'm sure they have their stories too and that you can relive or learn what makes them tick. Thanks for this review. I look forward to reading it.

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