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
I highly recommend this book. The story is engaging from the very beginning. The characters are charming and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how they developed. I especially liked that the author included characters of various ages and nationalities interacting positively with one another. It was funny, sweet and touching. I looked forward to reading the next chapter and was very sad when I finished it. It’s one of my favorite books.
A look at inter generational exchanges
I love a book with a good crumudgeon
This book was the last book that made me laugh out loud. It is a really sweet story and I missed a chance to see the movie which I know I would have enjoyed. Ove wanted to “kill” himself so badly and his neighbors kept interrupting him. His wife had died and he did not feel needed. the times when he was interrupted very always very funny and entertaining.
I am reading this one and I really like it
This book was excellent. Funny, sad. I loved it.
Book club suggested this book. Once it started I couldnt put down. Ove is the kindest person wjo is lonely. Disappointed in the ending, but wouldnt say more. Author seemed a little rush to finished but a great story.
“She leaned her head against his chest and said, ‘We can busy ourselves with living or with dying. That’s how it is, Ove. We have to move on.’”
LOVE! Characters so real they seem like part of my own memories, and I already miss them. Their story is told with insight and compassion. Made me laugh & cry & remember some special people I have known. Men and women of few words, who seemed adrift in the modern world, sometimes caused great frustration, expressed their deep, unchanging love through actions & left behind a legacy I cherish.
Some favorite quotes:
“He was a man of black and white, and she was color. All the color he had.”
“Ove had never been asked how he lived before her. But if anyone had asked him, he would have said that he didn’t.”
“‘I just wanted to know what if felt like to be someone you looked at,’ he whispered.”
“Finally he puts his hand on the big boulder and caresses it from side to side as if touching her cheek. ‘I miss you,’ he whispers.”
“Of all the imaginable things he most misses about her, the thing he really wishes he could do again is hold her hand in his. She had a way of holding her index finger in his palm, hiding it inside. And he always felt that nothing in the world was impossible when she did that.”
“‘You have to love me twice as much now,’ she said. And then Ove lied to her for the second—and last—time. He said that he would. Even though he knew it wasn’t possible for him to love her anymore than he already did.”
This book is absolutely amazing! The characters are all adorable.You will find yourself crying and laughing all at once much like Backman’s other books.
I had started to read this book a couple of years ago and evidently didn’t read it and turned it back into the library. I am guessing I couldn’t get into it or was too swamped with books at the time and it just got nixed. I tried it again, in audiobook form this time, and I did okay. It was pretty slow and Eeyore-y and anhedonic (yes, I just looked that word up but it’s the perfect definition, so I’m using it. I’ve never used that word before so don’t go thinking I’m that smart), but it was also somewhat funny, and I at times got a kick out of Ove’s thought processes and pessimism. I liked how the guy rolled with it, whatever it was, even if he was hating that he was continuing on with it or even allowing himself to get involved in the first place. I never grew to really love any of the characters, and it really was pretty slow. Someone asked if they had made a movie of it and whether it had Tom Hanks, and I looked it up and found it and put a hold on the movie via our library’s consortium. I’m a sucker for things like that, even though I didn’t love the book, and I almost always enjoy Tom Hanks’ acting. I was really glad I had the audiobook so I could stop saying Ove incorrectly. I was saying it Ove, long O, silent E, instead of Oh-vey. I’m glad I never said it aloud, so I didn’t embarrass myself, but I’m sure it happens. I liked how the beginning was tied in again near the end.
Another wonderful story by Fredrik Backman about a grumpy old man and the people who insert themselves into his life whether he likes it or not. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll come to love a man called Ove.
Not Just a Grumpy Old Man
This story seemed to drag on in places, but it touchingly reveals that Ove is not just an onery grouch one would have the misfortune to meet. It also shows how life is sweeter and hardship more bearable when we overlook others’ faults and accept the worst and the sometimes obscure best of them in friendship.
What a great story of the transformative nature of human kindness!
I requested this one from the library after finishing “Anxious People” (5 stars) and having friends tell me that this book was just as good. I’ll disagree. While not a bad story, I found it terribly depressing. Such a sad life.
Spoiler alert: One point of the story has social workers attempting to forcibly remove a neighbor from his home and institutionalize him for health reasons. Is this health care in Sweden, or science fiction aka “1984”?
I did love his neighbor Parvaneh, though!
LOVED this book !
One of the best books I’ve read. Funny, sad, tragic, heartwarming—all these things. The author’s writing style was perfect.
It’s amazing how much of a character Ove is, and how fully his character drives this story. It was a bit touchy-feely in parts, but I don’t think that will bother too many people. Lots of interesting ideas to consider in this novel, and a lovely read. This is what novels used to do, achieve a lot without striving too hard to achieve. This novel would be hard not to like.
I know most people start with this book since it’s the one that really earned Backman notoriety but I am coming to it late after already having fallen in love with so many of his other books. Now, as I sit here with tears in my eyes, I understand why this book is so beloved. It is a beautiful tale of life and love, of family meaning so much more than blood and of course, of what happens when we lose what tethered us to this world. I can’t put into words how beautifully written this book is. I loved it from start to finish.
Charming & warm this book is a great read! 4/5 stars because the characters are a little too cartoonish for my liking
Grumpy Old Man meets the Family He Never Knew he Needed
I enjoyed this story. Character development was amazing. Really enjoyed the flashbacks. The subtle way all was revealed. This book is not my typical genre but it kept me very involved. The book came full circle.
I would suggest this book for anyone that enjoys watching characters grow and learn or maybe the author is so good that it is the reader that grows?