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A Man Called Ove: Now a major film starring Tom Hanks Paperback – January 1, 2015
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSceptre
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2015
- Dimensions0.95 x 5.04 x 7.71 inches
- ISBN-109781444775815
- ISBN-13978-1444775815
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Product details
- ASIN : 1444775812
- Publisher : Sceptre; 0 edition (January 1, 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9781444775815
- ISBN-13 : 978-1444775815
- Item Weight : 3.53 ounces
- Dimensions : 0.95 x 5.04 x 7.71 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,332,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Henning Koch was born in Sweden but at an early age moved to England. After studying English Literature at London University, he spent a decade traveling and working in Asia, the United States, Spain and South America. He has a strong interest in literary translation and he has introduced a number of Swedish writers on the international stage. His love for Mediterranean and Hispanic culture has been a strong influence in his writing. His short story collection "Love Doesn't Work" and his novel "The Maggot People" are both published by US independent publisher Dzanc, and his novel "A Bit of Black" is available on Kindle.
Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, and two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime, as well as one work of nonfiction, Things My Son Needs to Know About the World. His books are published in more than forty countries. His next novel, Anxious People, will be published in September 2020. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter @BackmanLand or on Instagram @Backmansk.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They describe the story as heartwarming, beautiful, and profound. The humor is amusing and poignant, making readers laugh and cry. Readers praise the writing style as clever, well-written, and respectful. They develop an emotional connection with the characters and consider them likable and sympathetic. The book brings up thought-provoking topics like human nature, family, and intercultural relationships.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book enjoyable and touching. They describe it as a casual read that reads like a foreign film, emphasizing different aspects of human life. The story is described as feel-good with unexpected twists.
"This book is one of my favorite books that I’ve read in a long time. It’s heart wrenching at times, heartwarming at others...." Read more
"...it is funny, sad and real. Even loved the cat. Easy, casual reading. I will look for other books by this auther" Read more
"...I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the story moved and by how charming the book was...." Read more
"...This is a sunny and hopeful book. It was a wonderful choice for my Thanksgiving week reading. Is it great literature? Probably not, but I loved it!..." Read more
Customers enjoy the heartwarming story. They find the book touching and hopeful, with profound moments of humanity. The story is about finding love and friendship despite life's challenges. Readers appreciate the backstory with the wife. Overall, it's described as a beautiful tale of a wounded soul finding his place among new friends.
"...It’s heart wrenching at times, heartwarming at others. The writing was beautiful and easily digestible...." Read more
"Characters are the neighbors next door. it is funny, sad and real. Even loved the cat. Easy, casual reading...." Read more
"...This is a book about finding love and friendships despite the curveballs that life throws your way...." Read more
"...This is a sunny and hopeful book. It was a wonderful choice for my Thanksgiving week reading. Is it great literature? Probably not, but I loved it!..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find some passages amusing and insightful, while others ramble on. The book is well-balanced between humor and drama, exploring how lives interact and mesh.
"...It’s heart wrenching at times, heartwarming at others. The writing was beautiful and easily digestible...." Read more
"Characters are the neighbors next door. it is funny, sad and real. Even loved the cat. Easy, casual reading...." Read more
"...blew life into each character in the neighborhood and their interactions were amusing and heartwarming...." Read more
"...It combines hilarity and poignancy in a marvelous cocktail of emotional reading...." Read more
Customers find the writing style clever and humorous. They describe it as simple yet engaging, with a respectful tone. The English idiom is perfect, making it easy to read and relatable.
"...It’s heart wrenching at times, heartwarming at others. The writing was beautiful and easily digestible...." Read more
"...it is funny, sad and real. Even loved the cat. Easy, casual reading. I will look for other books by this auther" Read more
"...but it became a sleeper hit, and since then it has been translated into 38 languages (one of which, fortunately, was English) and it has become..." Read more
"...All these are explored in an equally compelling, funny, but respectful way by the author...." Read more
Customers enjoy the character development. They find the characters likable, sympathetic, and colorful. The book is described as an enjoyable companionship with Ove's grumpy love.
"...The writing was beautiful and easily digestible. The characters all started to feel like family, and I laughed and cried alongside them...." Read more
"Characters are the neighbors next door. it is funny, sad and real. Even loved the cat. Easy, casual reading...." Read more
"...This was the Fredrik Backman book that I read and I was impressed by his character development...." Read more
"...on the laughter and the tears and the love for it and the characters is just as strong. Gonna rewatch the movie 🎬 soon..." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and funny. They appreciate the author's insight into human nature, family, and intercultural relationships. The book uses wonderful descriptive analogies and characterization. It is perfectly suited to the topic and makes readers learn to love Ove.
"...of the story, as so much of the charm of this novel is the cultural specificity. It made me laugh, it made me cry...." Read more
"...More important than anything though, is that the book brings up subject matter that affects many individuals...." Read more
"I liked this book overall. It has passages that are amusing and insightful, but also others that ramble on a bit." Read more
"...Ove, a man of few words but great natural abilities, so alone after his wife passes away that he doesn't know he's lonely, wants to die...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's message about human nature. They find it a lesson in empathy, believing in people, and accepting differences. The author is described as caring and compassionate, with an extraordinary commitment to ordinary decency. The book is a compelling testament to the power of simple kindness and seeing the light shining. Readers say the book reminds them that all people are special when you take the time to know them.
"...Illness at old age, the bureaucracy of medical care, the kindness and heart of foreigners, and the benefits gained when people choose not to judge..." Read more
"I liked the humanness of Ove! He became a real person to me that I could understand and care about what happened to him!..." Read more
"...“A Man Called Ove” has many amusing incidents, as well as many sweet moments of kindness as Ove is dragged into helping his neighbors, mostly..." Read more
"...It is about love, grief, and HUMANITY. The humanity of people and the lack of it in government officials...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the story. Some find it believable and inventive, with little surprises. Others feel the story is predictable and hard to believe at times. The book is described as odd and not an action-packed thriller.
"...There are many lessons, both hilarious and cogent ones, to be learned from 'A Man Called Ove'...." Read more
"...The writing, although unconventional as mentioned, captures the reader in its simplicity as it creates a world of complexity that creates havoc to..." Read more
"It’s witty, it’s character driven and what happens next is never predictable. Worth rereading. I can’t get enough." Read more
"...I felt the story was drab and irritating but by far the most irritating aspect was the audio actor's voice and cadence...." Read more
Reviews with images
4.25 Stars: Swedish Mr. Roper with Several Swedish Jack Trippers
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2024This book is one of my favorite books that I’ve read in a long time. It’s heart wrenching at times, heartwarming at others. The writing was beautiful and easily digestible. The characters all started to feel like family, and I laughed and cried alongside them. A Man Called Ove allowed me to reminisce about days gone by with that bittersweet ache, all while reminding me that I’m not alone. I can’t recommend this book enough.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024Characters are the neighbors next door. it is funny, sad and real. Even loved the cat. Easy, casual reading. I will look for other books by this auther
- Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2023Ove is the grumpy old neighbor you don't want in your neighborhood. He complains about everything, insists on people following strict rules, and has no interest in befriending others. When a new family moves in next door, Ove makes it known that he is annoyed by their presence. Little by little, the family and other neighbors worm their way into his life.
When I first read this book, I didn't think I would like it. It was a book club pick and I went into it thinking I was going to be bored. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the story moved and by how charming the book was. This was the Fredrik Backman book that I read and I was impressed by his character development. He blew life into each character in the neighborhood and their interactions were amusing and heartwarming. As I re-read this book via audiobook, I was reminded by how special this story was.
My favorite parts of the book was when it went back in time to scenes with Ove and his wife. His love for her was tremendous and I thought it was sweet that such a cranky man could have such a big love in his life. Ove had some personal challenges early in his life and it seemed with he met his wife, it was his chance to find happiness. Their life together wasn't a happily ever after in a traditional sense, but their love transcended the struggles that life put them through.
This is a book about finding love and friendships despite the curveballs that life throws your way. Although there are tragic elements to it, it will warm your heart.
⚠️: death of a loved one, grief, suicidal thoughts & attempts, paralyzing accident, miscarriage, cancer, homophobia
- Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2017The man called Ove is fifty-nine years old and all he wants in life is to die. His sole purpose for living, the only thing he truly loved, left his world six months before when his wife of almost forty years, Sonja, died.
Ove is a man for whom life is black or white. There is a right way and a wrong way of doing things. Ove adheres to the right way, the way his father taught him. His ambition is to be as little different from his father as is possible. Most of the rest of the world does things the wrong way and this makes Ove the irascible man that people see him to be.
Sonja saw the world in bright hues. She was interested in the people around her and lived to make their lives better. She was a teacher who was assigned to teach ADHD children "before ADHD was invented." She took to her job with passion and belief in the children's ability to learn. She got them to read Shakespeare.
Sonja loved cats. Ove didn't.
Ove and Sonja had lived in the same neighborhood, the same house, since their marriage. Ove was known as the curmudgeonly neighbor who everyone saw as a bitter man. Sonja was the loving woman who everyone loved in return. And Ove loved her, too. He lived for her.
And then she died.
We get to know Ove in a series of vignettes from his life. Each chapter of the book is a separate vignette. They might almost be a series of short stories, but, taken together, they give us the full picture of a man called Ove. We learn that tragedies in his and Sonja's lives gave him every excuse for being bitter.
As we meet him, Ove has made the decision to end it all and join his beloved Sonja underground. He makes repeated attempts to fulfill his aim, but inconvenient life keeps interrupting him.
His most inconvenient interruption comes when a new family moves in next door; the "Lanky One," a Swedish man, and his very pregnant Iranian wife and their two young daughters. They accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox in the process of moving in and, from then on, their lives are inextricably intertwined as Ove grudgingly shows the Lanky One the right way to back up a trailer and the right way to do other things around the house. Even as he struggles to evade their clutches, the wife, Parvaneh, continues to seek him out and treat him as a friend and the children see him, and draw him, as a man of many bright colors.
This quirky novel, the debut of Fredrik Backman, was first published in Sweden in 2012, to very little notice, but it became a sleeper hit, and since then it has been translated into 38 languages (one of which, fortunately, was English) and it has become something of an international sensation. The New York Times called it one of the most popular literary exports since Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It could not be more different from than dark thriller.
This is a sunny and hopeful book. It was a wonderful choice for my Thanksgiving week reading. Is it great literature? Probably not, but I loved it! I often found myself laughing out loud and then a few minutes later my cheeks would be wet with tears. It combines hilarity and poignancy in a marvelous cocktail of emotional reading.
Of many favorite moments in the book, one that resonated deeply with me was Sonja's explanation of the evolution of a long relationship.
"Loving someone is like moving into a house," Sonja used to say. "At first you fall in love with all the new things, amazed every morning that all this belongs to you, as if fearing that someone would suddenly come rushing in through the door to explain that a terrible mistake had been made, you weren't actually supposed to live in a wonderful place like this. Then over the years the walls become weathered, the wood splinters here and there, and you start to love that house not so much because of all its perfection, but rather for its imperfections. You get to know all the nooks and crannies. How to avoid getting the key caught in the lock when it's cold outside. Which of the floorboards flex slightly when one steps on them or exactly how to open the wardrobe doors without them creaking. These are the little secrets that make it your home."
Yes, exactly. How could I not love this book?
Top reviews from other countries
- Matt D JamiesonReviewed in Canada on December 16, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece of Humanity and Humor – 6/5 Stars for A Man Called Ove
If there were a scale that allowed for more than perfection, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman would transcend it. This book is a profound, heartwarming, and unexpectedly hilarious tale that takes the seemingly mundane life of a curmudgeonly man and turns it into a symphony of laughter, tears, and triumphs.
Ove, the titular character, is the grump we all recognize—the kind of man who yells at stray cats and meticulously measures parking spaces. But as Backman peels back the layers of his life, we discover a man of profound love, loss, and resilience. It's in these small, intricately woven moments that the story truly shines.
Backman’s genius lies in his ability to mix dry wit with deeply emotional storytelling. One minute you're laughing out loud at Ove's cantankerous antics; the next, you're wiping tears as his past is revealed. Every character is wonderfully drawn, from Ove's persistent neighbors to the stray cat that becomes his reluctant companion.
This book isn’t just about one man—it’s about life itself, in all its messy, beautiful complexity. It’s a celebration of community, compassion, and the connections we make when we least expect them.
Backman’s prose is deceptively simple, yet every word carries weight, resonating with a truth that hits home. Few authors can make you feel as though you've lived an entire life within the span of a few hundred pages, but Backman does it effortlessly.
A Man Called Ove is more than a book—it’s an experience. It will break your heart and put it back together in a way that makes you see the world a little brighter. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out on one of the greatest literary gifts of our time.
Final Verdict: 6/5 stars. A must-read for anyone with a pulse.
-
Marta RiveraReviewed in Mexico on August 14, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy entretenido
Muy simpático, muy humano, me hace reír y pensar. Es interesante ver cómo cambian los lugares con el tiempo a través de la historia. Voy a la mitad y lo disfruto mucho.
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Pry SalomaoReviewed in Brazil on June 21, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars O Primeiro Favorito do Ano
Esse não é um livro triste, não é um livro feliz, não é mais uma historia de vida de uma pessoa.
Aqui iremos conhecer o velho e rabugento Ove, sua vida toda, os acontecimentos, os motivos de alegria e os motivos de tristeza. O que fez com que hoje ele chegasse a ser quem é. Com toda certeza ou você vai se identificar 100% com sua rabugice ou vai simplesmente ter vontade de desistir porque Ove com toda certeza é um baita de um velho rabugento, mas eu te peço dê uma chance a esse senhor, conheça ele, tente entender quem ele é, porque ele é assim. E só depois tire sua conclusão.
Um livro que todo inicio de capitulo você começa rindo, porém após cada final de capitulo você leva um soco no estomago, depois que ver tudo o que ele passou e todo aprendizado que ele nos trás.
Com toda certeza um livro incrível, um daqueles que deveria se tornar um clássico e deveria com toda certeza ser lido por todos, ao menos uma vez na vida.
"He was a man of black and white. And she was colour. All the colour he had."
- Manesh KumarReviewed in the Netherlands on December 9, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Good book
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YvoneReviewed in Spain on September 6, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars el libro me conmovió profundamente. De vez en cuando muy comico y también un poco triste
Se trata de un cascarrabias poco sociable que se enfada por cualquier cosa.Es también comico a la vez. Más avanza el libro mas te das cuenta que este hombre tiene un buén corazón. Me encantó el libro y voy a leer mas libros de este escritor.