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.

Frederik Backman’s novel follows Ove’s story in a series of present day accounts and flashbacks. The book was incredibly well written; it made me laugh and cry. The flashbacks to Ove’s younger years were so moving and I always felt an underlying sadness within Ove’s adventures and struggles in modern society; however they were portrayed with so much humour. The story was really beautiful and touched on so many subjects. The only thing stopping me from giving this book a five star rating was its Harry-Potter-7-esque ending, which had a detailed explanation of what happens to each of the characters. The last few chapters added some unnecessary information, however were still well written. This was one of the best books I’ve read, I can highly recommend it!

This is a story about human nature. About the boundaries we set and why we set them. Its about understanding someone when it seems too hard to understand them. Its about compassion. Its about a grumpy old man and the people in his life who just wont leave him alone. Its funny at times, sad at times and overall an experience you wont forget.

A Man Called Ove is quite an endearing novel. It starts out with a chuckle seeing the type of grumpy old, know-it-all man that we have all come across at some point in our lives and even more so for the customer service people, and having an argument (low key with a LOT of impatience) with them about something you know a lot about. You can see the point of view from the customer service person and relate to them quite easily I mean how many people have had an argument with someone about the (and dont take this literally) the sky being blue and the other person telling you that its not. Its frustrating. Id pass the buck on to someone else in the end. But at the same time you can sympathise with Ove in this situation because you can come across lot of customer service people who dont know how to explain things to the average person those who dont know the right questions to get the answer they seek. Its a bit of miscommunication across the generations. And throughout this novel you see that quite a bit.

At the beginning of the book Oves seen as someone whos stuck in his ways, who just hates everything in his life and just wants to be left alone. And I can understand that. At times I just want to be left alone and having someone just turn up on my doorstep wanting to visit without prior notice will grate on my nerves quite a bit. I mean, if I want you to come over, will I not invite you? So I can understand Oves resistance to having people just pop up and start telling him what to do. But underneath it all, you see that Ove is someone that wants to be needed. Hes lost his way and just needs that little bit of a shove in the right direction, to have a reason to live.

He is an old sod. Hes portrayed quite well as one. But the more you read on, the more you understand why hes the way he is. And it makes you think about all the other people you have come across and wonder why they are that way. Did something happen in their lives to make them like that? Were they just born grumpy? And so the saying dont judge a book by its cover comes into play. Because on the outside Ove may look tattered, dark and ominous but the words and the story on the inside are beautiful. Theyre about love, loss and fighting for what is right. It just takes time, willingness and patience to get to know it. And I recommend getting to know Ove because his story is a wonderful story that helps you learn that life isnt always just black and white with a bit of grey in between. It has colour. Lots of colour. You just have to open your eyes to see it and let it all in.

Ove, a grumpy old man who sees the world in black and white, often gets worked up about things other people do, because, let's be honest, life is more shades of grey. If there's a sign there then it's there for a reason. Routines are made to be followed. There's the right way to do things. Everything should be practical. You get the idea.

So, Ove's had enough of this world and is methodically trying to leave it, but he keeps getting interrupted by an increasing cast of wonderful characters, mainly by neighbours who are poor drivers, can't read signs, have children who don't understand rules/routines, all that."And that laughter of hers which, for the rest of his life, would make him feel as if someone was running around barefoot on the inside of his breast."

All up, though, this is a book about love and family, in all its forms. A Man Called Ove is both laugh out loud funny, and beautifully moving, and will give you that 'happy-sad' feeling a long time after reading. This is right up the top of best feel-good books ever.

I started by reading the blurb on the back of this book and laughed out loud at the character, Ove, without yet having the chance to get to know him. When I began reading the story, my feelings towards Ove ranged from sympathy, admiration and horror in the way he acts and thinks. In the end, however, you cant help but love Ove for his integrity and kind-heartedness. Backman also gives us a cast of many wonderful characters to both love and loathe, including a very intuitive albeit dishevelled cat. Each of whom draw Ove out of his shell in different ways and help us get to know him better. Which is great as each interaction involving Ove is amusingly controversial, leaving the reader with a huge grin.

This story is told by intertwining present events with flashbacks. We simultaneously hear Oves tale of meeting and growing old with his wife, Sonja as well as his present-day story where he has been forced into early retirement and his resulting lack of purpose. His life was never supposed to be like this. Sometimes, when authors switch between past and present I can get annoyed if the main storyline is interrupted to hark back on an earlier (less interesting) time. In this instance, however, each flashback was very closely related to what was happening in the present. It gave the reader more insight into why Ove acts or thinks the way he does. In this way it felt like one very cohesive story which allowed my understanding, and love, of Ove to grow.

This story is full of humour, kindness and love although the latter is expertly disguised and deflected by Ove. There were many laugh-out-loud moments throughout the book, clever turns of phrase and seemingly ludicrous situations. I am sure that most people could see elements of Ove in someone they know. I was sad to reach the end of this book and I dearly hope that Ove can make it to the big screen one day!