This is going to be a very special post. After having heard a lot about this book and having kept the paperback in my cupboard for god-knows-why-reason, I finally decided to read this book. Something about ending the year with a bang, perhaps?
This book is very special and those who have already read this book would agree with me. I have always believed (and said) that Scandinavian authors have a unique way of writing stories. Something that cannot be compared with other writings.
Ove (pronounced as oo-veh) makes you laugh. He makes you smile. He also makes you cry. He’s such a sweetheart that by the time the story ends, you just feel like going into the book and giving him a long hug.
I liked Ove from the very first chapter. Though a bit eccentric and weird, he’s unique. I mean, I don’t believe in those who say they lead a normal life. Normal is boring! Ove’s routines are funny and quirky.
People don’t have useful things anymore. People just have shit.
The characters are marvelous. There’s Sonja, Ove’s wife. She passed away on a Sunday and Ove returned to work on Monday only to see that he’s fired from his job. Sonja had been a pillar of support to Ove. The man might be as hard as steel from the outside, but on the inside, he’s like molten chocolate.
He never understood why she chose him. She only lived abstract things like music and books and strange words. Ove was a man entirely filled with tangible things. He liked screwdrivers and oil filters, He went through his life with his hands firmly shoved into his pockets. She danced.
Sonja was the only one who understood him. Loved him the way he could never even imagine. She meant the whole world to him. And when she passed away, he was left with a void that nobody or nothing could fill.
You miss the strangest things when you lose someone. Little things. Smiles.
Then there is Parvaneh – I loved her! She brought out the best in Ove. Parvaneh’s husband – Patrick, and their two daughters who ended up sharing a warm and loving bond with Ove. Rune and his wife Anita, Ove and Sonja’s neighbors for the past forty years. Jimmy, the computer guy who is allergic to cats. And speaking of cats, how can I not mention Cat Annoyance! Each one of these people (and the cat) play an equally important role in the story.
Men are what they are because of what they do. Not what they say.
Call it destiny or Life having plans for him, Ove never thought that though Sonja is no longer with him, there are people out there who still love him.
The story also gives a peek into Ove’s childhood and his emotional roller-coaster ride – from his parents’ death to losing the house, Ove had been through a lot. But Sonja… she was with him through his grief and her illness.
I highly recommend you to read A Man Called Ove if you haven’t read it already. The story is absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed reading this book.
Because a time comes in all men’s lives when they decide what sort of men they’re going to be: the kind that lets other people walk all over them, or not.
Language/Writing: 5/5
Plot/Story: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
Title: A Man Called Ove
Author: Fredrik Backman; Henning Koch (translator)
Published on: First published on 27th August 2012
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
I forgot to add this book to my Untouched Bookshelf List. Old *coughs* age *cough coughs* you see *cough cough*. I think it’s time I do something about that cough! *coughs*
I received two more books yesterday both are from Martin Beck series! So, I have updated the list. If you missed my sign-up post on Untouched Bookshelf challenge, click here.
Purchase Links: Book Depository | Amazon.com
Fiction
Beautiful……cough cough!
Cough 😂😂 time to take benedryl 😉
I prefer to take HALDI with HONEY.
😀 😀
Love this book
🙂 🙂
Lovely review… Happy holidays. Have a great time
Thanks, Shalini. Happy holidays to you too. 🙂
I love the book…and especially – movie :))
I haven’t watched the movie yet. 🙂 I loved the book. 🙂 This is the second book by a Swedish author that I have read, the first one being books by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall. 🙂
U should watch a movie, great actors :))
This is great read! MZ
Yes it is. 🙂 Happy holidays to both of you. 🙂
Happy Holidays to you and your family too! Happy reading as well!
Thank you 🙂
Great review! 😊 I haven’t read this book but it’s been on my tbr for ages… Unfortunately I don’t yet own it, and as you know, with my challenge going on, I can’t exactly buy it for myself for some time yet, either 😅 I will read it one day, though.
Thanks, Dora. If you were living close by, I could have given you the book. You buying it is better than me shipping it to Hungary. 😂😂
I could probably buy it of just the amount of the shipping fee 😂 I don’t know anyone in person who have it, so I have to wait until I read all the 66 physical books I own that are left 😂 so, not soon 😂
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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
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