Chosen by Pat
At first sight, Ove 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...
Most old people behave like Ove and learning about how he grew up and the circumstances of his childhood you can understand why he behaved like he did. What was nice was how he neighbour kept appearing at times when he was trying to kill himself, it was like fate intervening. Really enjoyed the story and how he was supported by his neighbours and then came much happier. 7/10
ReplyDeleteA beautiful book. Heart-warming, funny, emotional and deeply moving. I blubbed my way to the ending - cried with the other characters in the book at the death of the amazingly interesting and wonderfully created main character, Ove. Indeed all the characters are well described: this is not a ‘plot’ read but rather a story about people and their relationships within a changing community, centred around the ageing, old-fashioned, grumpy Ove.
ReplyDeleteWould definitely recommend. 9.5/10.
Really enjoyed reading about Ove and his life before and after Sonja. A book that made you laugh and cry all on the same page. He was dignified right to the end of his life and underneath the grumpiness was a very lonely man with a big heart. 10/10
ReplyDeleteLoved this story! Really liked the curmudgeonly character Ove and all his quirkiness, grumpiness and touching back story. The more you learnt about Ove the more you liked the cantankerous old goat! The author deals with life and the inevitability of death with empathy, sensitivity and humour, but without becoming over-sentimental. The book's characters restored your faith in human nature and showed how cross-generations could learn a lesson from each other. It left you with a real feel-good factor and the equivalent of a big warm hug. 8.5/10
ReplyDeleteWasn't sure about this book until near the end. I realised it reminded me a bit of my grandad! He could be really abrupt and angry because he didn't understand the modern world but believed in the right way and the wrong way. Yes, I cried at the end!!
ReplyDeleteTracey 6/10