Ein Mann Namens Ove

Roman Fischer TB 19780

by F. Backman

taschenbuch, 383 pages

German language

Published March 15, 2016 by Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH.

ISBN:: 978-3-596-19780-4

(98 reviews)

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 …

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

(Previous notes): Loved this book (translation from Swedish). Quirky story of a curmudgeon which is also a film (with English subtitles) on Netflix. Backman is a successful journalist, author, and blogger. Also enjoyed ‘Britt-Marie Was Here’ and I look forward to checking out his latest new release.

14 editions

Dragna reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I cried, a lot. Ove would have been very disappointed with me.

AliCorbin reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Fluff. A pleasant, and predictable, read, in which everything turns out well in the end. Ove is a type - the strong man who doesn't want to talk about his feelings, and is more at home with a screwdriver than with people. And one that we all know, in our family or friends.

govmarley reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I truly loved this book. I thought, at the beginning, that I was going to hate it. Ove was crotchy and a real grump about everything. Very unloveable, right? But this book was such a gift. Highly recommend!

Each chapter helped you solve the mystery that is Ove. I kept thinking, Sonya was a saint to live with him for so long. But then the pieces start to fall into place. You see why she loved him. You better understand why he is the way he is. You see him through Parvaneh's eyes, and the eyes of his neighbors, and you are left with a character who is complex, yet exceeding simple at his core. A paradox? Yes, but a good one.

The ending wasn't what I expected, and it made me cry. The real star of the show was the cat annoyance, which is no surprise if you know …

Lynn reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I always sort of meant to read this, but probably would never have got round to it had a colleague not made me aware of Backman's novella, which I loved. I loved this even more. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much.

Pentapod reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This seems to be the "book everybody is reading right now" book of the moment, so I picked up the audiobook. It's a simply written, sweet little story set in a small town in Sweden, where Ove is a grouchy old "get of my lawn" type curmudgeon. Still reeling from the sudden and recent loss of his wife of many years, Ove's grouching and mourning is invaded by new neighbours moving in and backing their truck into his property, and against his will he finds himself sucked into their lives and troubles also. It's a little predictable, a little cliche, but if you can get past that and just enjoy the story it's a cozy little feel-good story that could have been set in any small town in the world.

ToadyNerd reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The first half of the book or so, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep reading. It seemed like it was basically, a grumpy old guy, getting into random situations that just made him grumpier. But I continued, and I really enjoyed the rest of the story.

Kyrylys reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Reseña completa: markapaginas.blogspot.com.es/2014/06/un-hombre-llamado-ove-fredrik-backman.html

Durante la novela hay frecuentes flashbacks que nos relatan episodios de la vida de Ove que hace que entendamos por qué es así y por qué actúa cómo actúa. Y que, incluso hacen que le cojamos simpatía y que veamos como virtudes la mayor parte de sus defectos.

Es una novela bastante divertida, aunque tiene su toque agridulce en algunas ocasiones. Y sinceramente ese toque me gustó mucho, porque "Un hombre llamado Ove" es más que su argumento y su desarrollo. Es una de esas novelas que parece que no son gran cosa (ligera, divertida, corta, etc…), pero que cuando terminas te dejan reflexionando.

unicorndeburgh reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Enjoyed the book, but it's a bit over the sentimental line for me.
The cat's behavior is so not typical of cats that it was a bit annoying.

JoeClu reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Ove is a miserable, rotten SOB. I hate him already and I just started the book. He's such a negative, self-centered, cynical, intolerant person, I am starting to think something might be wrong with his mind.

As he meets his new neighbors for the first time, I get the feeling the author is intending him to be a lovable, miserable SOB. Kind of like a Mr. Magoo [N. American cartoon character] who is always complaining and insults everyone yet people see past that and find it cute.

Now that I have finished reading this book, I sympathize with Ove and understand him a lot better. He still is, however, a cold, cynical, anal curmudgeon in my opinion. He looks down his nose at people if they don't have similar likes and opinions as he does. The author helps us to understand why, on a certain level, he is like this. And luckily the author shows this Ove character has a heart, deep, deep, deep, deep down for his very close friends.

The author did a tremendous job at telling his story, showing his personality, and sharing with us the life of this SOB. Very good job to the talented author! The author made me FEEL and for that, it was a very good book. Thank you Mr. Backman for spending the time and hard work to write this novel.

I hear a movie is coming out soon and I intend to see it.

pithypants reviewed A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Review of 'A Man Called Ove' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I really enjoyed this. Ove has nothing left to live for - so he doesn't. Each day he rises with one goal: to end it all. And yet, somehow he's always interrupted, forced to continue this miserable life of his. This book is well-written and - despite the seemingly dark premise - touching. I especially liked how cranky he was - we all know someone like that, and some of his thoughts/sentences made me laugh out loud.