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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman


frankie

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I don't remember how A Man Called Ove ended up on my wishlist, but when I found a copy of the novel at the library yesterday, I had to start reading it next. And it's been a real pleasure, and I've been laughing out loud a lot! :smile2: 

 

 

Here's the synopsis from Amazon: 

 

 

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In this bestselling and delightfully quirky debut novel from Sweden, a grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

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 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 and charming exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others.

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There's something very lovable in Ove the curmudgeon. The novel starts with him being in a shop, holding an iPad and waving it around in the air, asking the clerk if it's a computer. The clerk has a hard time trying to explain to him what an iPad is and how maybe he would be comfortable with some other kind of computer. 

 

Some of the chapters follow Ove's current every day life, and others tell us his background and story and how he's come up to the point in his life where he now stands. 

 

It's funny, and it's endearing and heart-warming. :smile2: I'd heartily recommend it! 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hope you like the book when you get to it, bobbly! I actually just thought about the book yesterday and thought I wanted to come back to this thread and say that after finishing the book some days ago, I still loved it as much as when I started the thread. It was a real feel good book, it made me laugh and it made me sad, too. :smile2: A book that will stand a re-read in the future, I'm sure! 

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  • 7 months later...
  • 1 year later...
12 hours ago, frankie said:

We already have a topic on the subject, you can find it here.  I know other people have read the book, too, but they've not commented on the thread so far. 

 

Topics merged :).

 

I have A Man Called Ove on my TBR (to-be-read), but I haven't read it yet. I do plan to read it some day though. I'm glad you're enjoying it, Abir :).

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