tgt reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
I absolutely loved the first half of the book. I was continuously amazed at how the author could have me laughing and crying within a single paragraph. Ove's recounting of his early life and falling in love with Sonja was especially moving. Ove strongly reminded me of several older people I've known, although they were typically closer to 70. I really think the author should've made the character older as I don't know anyone quite so curmudgeonly in their 50s.
The second half worked less well for me. I began to find the similes grating and things felt a touch repetitive. The overly neat tying up in the last two chapters was especially bad, although I suppose a happy ending is nice. I'd have preferred the author to end the book just after Ove's heart attack, which was a beautifully sad moment lightened by Ove's last thought about the ambulance …
I absolutely loved the first half of the book. I was continuously amazed at how the author could have me laughing and crying within a single paragraph. Ove's recounting of his early life and falling in love with Sonja was especially moving. Ove strongly reminded me of several older people I've known, although they were typically closer to 70. I really think the author should've made the character older as I don't know anyone quite so curmudgeonly in their 50s.
The second half worked less well for me. I began to find the similes grating and things felt a touch repetitive. The overly neat tying up in the last two chapters was especially bad, although I suppose a happy ending is nice. I'd have preferred the author to end the book just after Ove's heart attack, which was a beautifully sad moment lightened by Ove's last thought about the ambulance being prohibited from driving down his street.
