A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

 

Title:  A Man Called Ove

Author: Fredrik Backman

Read by:  J.K. Simmons

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 13 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio.  Thank-you! 

 A Man Called Ove has been on my radar for a few years now with so many good reviews posted everywhere.  I have read My Grandmother Tells Me to Tell You She’s Sorry and Anxious People also by Fredrik Backman and have really enjoyed them.  I was happy that A Man Called Ove was selected as the January book for the Rogue (FLICKS) Book club.  I chose to listen to it on a review audiobook copy I had received from Simon & Schuster.  I finished it just in the time – the morning of our meeting!  It was a great book to discuss.

 Ove is a grumpy old man living in Sweden.  Everything seems to make him grumpy, especially if it’s someone breaking the rules.  He has recently been let go from his job and his beloved wife has died.  He thinks he has nothing to live for, but after new neighbors move in, he finds himself constantly busy helping them out with their problems.  Will he find he has something to live for after all?

 A Man Called Ove starts out in a dark place and Ove does seem rather grumpy, but as his story unfolds, you learn there is much more to Ove than meets the eye.  He learns that there is still a lot of good he can do in the world, and he learns to love people that are different than him.  It is a unique story, and the ending brought a tear to my eye.  I enjoyed this book immensely. I watched the Swedish movie on Amazon Prime with my family and we all loved it.  It followed the novel rather well.  The humor was fun as well as the story of not judging someone before you get to know them.  My family also really loved Ove’s cat.

 J.K. Simmons is the narrator of this audiobook and he did an excellent job.  He was the voice of Ove to me.

 Favorite Quote:

“Death is a strange thing.  People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it’s one of the great motivations for living.”

 Overall, A Man Called Ove is a moving and unique story.  I loved it.