'THE PERFECT HOLIDAY READ' Evening Standard 'A JOY FROM START TO FINISH' - Gavin Extence, author of THE UNIVERSE VERSUS ALEX WOODS
There is something about Ove. At first sight, he is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d'etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents' Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets. But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so? In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible...The word-of-mouth bestseller causing a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman's heartwarming debut is a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step - and less ready to judge on first impressions a man you might one day wish to have as your dearest friend.
- ISBN:
- 9781444775808
- 9781444775808
- Category:
- Contemporary fiction
- Publication Date:
- 08-07-2014
- Publisher:
- Hodder & Stoughton General Division
- Country of origin:
- United Kingdom
- Pages:
- 304
- Dimensions (mm):
- 215x136x23mm
- Weight:
- 0.32kg
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Reviews
7 Reviews
I'm sure we have all come across a man like Ove in our lifetime, those grumpy, set in their ways, always right kind of old blokes. The kind who knew how to fix things rather than just throwing them out and has an opinion on everything.
Ove has had a hard life (although not mentioned in the book it's quite likely he suffers from Asperger's Syndrome) until one day 'colour' comes into his life in the form of a lovely woman called Sonja, who he goes on to have a happy, but not always easy life with for 40 years. But for hard working Ove he suddenly finds himself almost 60, alone in the world and with no purpose in life after being made redundant from his lifelong job, so in his organised manner he decides its time to 'join' his wife. But life has other plans in the form of new neighbours in his neat organised neighbourhood who keeps interrupting his plans with hilarious scenarios which only Ove can rescue them from.
Ove's story will break your heart and then heal it back together again with faith in humanity - and next time you have a grumpy old neighbour you might just smile and say hello and realise that even if your a bit old, doesn't mean your no longer useful.
Ove, where do you begin with a man like Ove or a book like A Man Called Ove?
Ove is a man where right is right, you follow rules and signs and you dont question them. Why would you?
After his wife dies and he loses his job he decides that that he has had enough time in this world. However, every time he tries to leave he is interrupted, usually by his neighbours or the neighbourhood cat that Ove refers to as the Cat Annoyance. As Ove moves through each attempt and day he finds that these people are weaving into his life bringing with them a new reason for Ove to stick around for a bit longer.
I could talk about this book and how wonderful it is forever! But I wont because I think everyone should experience the joy that Backmans debut brings.
Ove is that awful neighbour, cranky fusspot, belligerent old man that we all know – but with the biggest heart and a soft centre. Truly a book to make your heart sing.
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