Read the New York Times bestseller that has taken the world by storm Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon–the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile … around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.
A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Fredrik Backman’s novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others. “If there was an award for ‘Most Charming Book of the Year, ’ this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down” (Booklist, starred review).more
The first half of the book was hard to stay involved in-there is not a strong plot-but the characters were original and endearing and the last half of the book was wonderful. A very original book!
Even though it is somewhat of a slow read, I knew it was to be good by the end and I’m sure glad I stuck it out. Similar to Eleanor Oliphant, you aren’t really sure what to think of Ove and then by then of the novel, you see what a wonderful man he is and why he is who he is. Days after reading this book, the thoughts of Ove and his heart, brings a smile to my face.
Oh, Ove! I laughed (really!) and cried my way through Ove’s story. The writing and character building were superb …going between Ove’s past and present was seamless for me. My favorite fiction of this year without a doubt.
This was a wonderful story of normal life. A lonely man, who has a hard shell around himself, who is basically a grump to those that do not know him, has a family built around him as the story progresses. People that break his shell, find out that he is a lovable, caring person. It was a joy to be in this world while reading the story.
This is a book everyone should read. It was serious, laugh out loud funny, yet realistic all at the same time. A very fresh writing style. I will be looking for more books by this author!
This might be my favorite book of 2017 so far! The characters in this book are so well developed and loveable and totally entertaining in all their individual ways. It’s a story that’s hilarious, heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time….but most heart warming. I hope this gets made into a movie one day!
Curmudgeon who just wants to be left alone. Ove doesn’t like this new world where people have no values, and can’t even fix things. He patrols his neighborhood, and yells at rule breakers. New neighbors, who can’t back-up, knock over his mailbox, and start interfering with his well-ordered life and plans………..
If you are of a certain age, you will recognize yourself in Ove.
I had trouble starting it as he was such a dark cloud, but once the neighbors show up, you start smiling. Then I had to put the book down occasionally because I was laughing so hard, I started coughing. It was different, funny, and nice.
A friend – someone who hardly ever reads a book – told me how much he loved this book. I was so surprised – and he was so enthusiastic – I had to read this story for myself. Now I know why he loved it! This is one of the most heartwarming stories I’ve read in a long while. When I first started reading it I was a bit puzzled. Ove comes across as a bad-tempered old grump with not much likeable about him. But that’s the cleverness of the writing. The author gradually reveals just what a decent, unselfish, affectionate and caring character Ove is. It’s obvious why his wife fell in love with him.
This book has its very sad moments, but those times of tragedy are part of life for most of us, and I totally empathised with Ove’s struggle to deal with the events life has thrown at him. This is one of those books I’ll keep to read and re-read. Highly recommended.
I LOVED this book. Read the next two by Fredik Backman and loved them as well. Every one of us knows an Ove.
Read for our book club and loved it. I’d highly suggest it.
This book has it all; laugh out loud humor, great characterizations, sadness, death, friendship, love, cynicism, understanding another culture. I highly recommend it!
Really enjoyed this book about a curmudgeon you can’t help but love.
This book started out slowly for me, but picked up about halfway through. I think most of us know someone like Ove. I thought it was interesting how he brought the community together as he was trying to push everyone away. Overall a good story.
I got the audible of this book. A heartwarming and at times funny book. Well written and loved the narrator.
I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the story. I loved how well it is written.
Ove is a cranky old man. The only person in his life he actually likes is his wife. “People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.” Ove gets really annoyed by the young family that moves in across the street from him. Ove likes routine & the family tends to get in the way of that.
We learn the story of Ove. How he met his wife & why he is the way he is. Ove’s story is told through flashbacks to his younger days & back to events in present day. The story never loses its pacing & was a fast read. I couldn’t put it down.
Ove made me literally laugh out loud & even made me cry a bit. This was my first Backman novel, & I’ve added a few of his other novels because of how much I enjoyed this story.
Fredrick Backman creates the most phenomenal character of Ove. As a reader, I found the time I spent with Ove absolutely delightful. He was a new friend, one I was quite sad to say goodbye to him and his world as the book ended. As a writer, I ate up the wonderful and brilliant character development. I learned ways to improve my craft while also being thoroughly entertained. I loved the ways I laughed. I loved the ways I cried. I loved the time I spent listening to this great book (Audiobook: Narrated by George Newbern – who also did a fabulous job!)
This is the story of Ove, an older man who believes in both order and self-reliance, and of his interactions with his (mostly younger) neighbors who, from Ove’s perspective, seem capricious and far less capable.
That’s not the best book summary I’ve written, but the characters are delightful and the light-hearted story was both serious and yet funny at the same time.
The oddness of this book, from my viewpoint, was that Ove, the “set in his ways” old man, was described as 59 years old. I’m 71, but don’t feel I’m anywhere close to having Ove’s somewhat stubborn personality (though my wife might disagree).
Still, entertaining and heart-warming. Highly recommended.
One of my favorite books ever!!!! Cannot recommend it enough
I loved this book!! You can almost put yourself right in the story…great character development!!
I’m not finished with it yet. It is sad but is also very funny. I have laughed out loud several times.