Author: Fredrik Backman
Translator: Henning Koch
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: George Newborn
Publication Date: August 27, 2012
Genre: Fiction
My Rating: 5
Goodreads Synopsis
A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary
world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.
Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who
points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his
bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse.
People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be
bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face
all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and
a sadness. So, when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty
young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is
the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected
friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will
change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very
foundations.
My Thoughts…
It’s difficult to review a book like
this. I’m constantly consulting my thesaurus and finding I’m still not
sure how to say what I want. Overall, the story is bittersweet and
beguiling, with an ending that is both satisfying and incomplete. In so
many ways, this book is a depiction of life, but the ending is almost
metaphoric.
this. I’m constantly consulting my thesaurus and finding I’m still not
sure how to say what I want. Overall, the story is bittersweet and
beguiling, with an ending that is both satisfying and incomplete. In so
many ways, this book is a depiction of life, but the ending is almost
metaphoric.
Backman very articulately displays the facts of
life and death: death is both and ending and a beginning, but never a
completion. Life is not completed in death. In some way, in some
manner, life continues on this earth after death. In the memories and
hearts of those remaining, in the things we have done, both little and small,
our mark is left and, therefore, our stories are ongoing and perpetual.
life and death: death is both and ending and a beginning, but never a
completion. Life is not completed in death. In some way, in some
manner, life continues on this earth after death. In the memories and
hearts of those remaining, in the things we have done, both little and small,
our mark is left and, therefore, our stories are ongoing and perpetual.
The Characters…
In my opinion, any review of this book requires
a discussion of the characters. To say that this book is an in-depth
character study is kind of an understatement. Curmudgeon is an apt
description of Ove; however, he also possesses an undeniable quality of
likability. Until the last third of the book, Ove doesn’t do anything
that makes the reader particularly like him. Backman slowly casts a spell
and you magically find yourself sympathizing with, rooting for, and strangely
understanding Ove. Funny enough, I kept thinking of Oscar the Grouch –
grumpy yet endearing beneath the surface in a way that even he won’t
acknowledge.
a discussion of the characters. To say that this book is an in-depth
character study is kind of an understatement. Curmudgeon is an apt
description of Ove; however, he also possesses an undeniable quality of
likability. Until the last third of the book, Ove doesn’t do anything
that makes the reader particularly like him. Backman slowly casts a spell
and you magically find yourself sympathizing with, rooting for, and strangely
understanding Ove. Funny enough, I kept thinking of Oscar the Grouch –
grumpy yet endearing beneath the surface in a way that even he won’t
acknowledge.
If I am being totally honest, the other characters
are beautifully written but not nearly as memorable as Ove. Then again,
the book is about a man called Ove, so that might be the point. I
empathized with the mother with young daughters, though I am biased as I am a
mother of young children myself. The girls were adorable and ornery in
just the right amounts. The husband was goofy and amiable without being
obnoxious. They all seemed to be
perfectly formulated to round out Ove and open his heart again.
are beautifully written but not nearly as memorable as Ove. Then again,
the book is about a man called Ove, so that might be the point. I
empathized with the mother with young daughters, though I am biased as I am a
mother of young children myself. The girls were adorable and ornery in
just the right amounts. The husband was goofy and amiable without being
obnoxious. They all seemed to be
perfectly formulated to round out Ove and open his heart again.
Audiobook
Review…
Review…
The narrator
of this book was very good. His
inflections were perfect, his speaking voice was clear, and his emotion was
evident when necessary. For me, the best compliment I can give a narrator is
that I didn’t even notice him. He became
Ove.
of this book was very good. His
inflections were perfect, his speaking voice was clear, and his emotion was
evident when necessary. For me, the best compliment I can give a narrator is
that I didn’t even notice him. He became
Ove.
Memorable
Lines…
Lines…
“We fear
it [death], yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone
other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will
pass us by. And leave us there alone.”
it [death], yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone
other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will
pass us by. And leave us there alone.”
“Ove had
never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him,
he would have answered that he didn’t.”
never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him,
he would have answered that he didn’t.”
“Death is a strange thing. People live their
whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it’s often one of the great
motivations for the living. Some of us, in time, become so conscious of it that
we live harder, more obstinately, with more fury. Some need its constant
presence to even be aware of its antithesis. Others become so preoccupied with
it that they go into the waiting room long before it has announced its arrival.
We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone
other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will
pass us by. And leave us there alone.”
whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it’s often one of the great
motivations for the living. Some of us, in time, become so conscious of it that
we live harder, more obstinately, with more fury. Some need its constant
presence to even be aware of its antithesis. Others become so preoccupied with
it that they go into the waiting room long before it has announced its arrival.
We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone
other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will
pass us by. And leave us there alone.”
This was one of my favorite listens. I even made my husband watch the movie with subtitles.
The audiobook was so good! Did you read Beartown?
One of my fav books! Love Ove ��Following hour blog. Hope to see you on mine too 🙂 it's hookedonbookzblog.wordpress.com See you there! Xoxo
It's really good, right? Have you read Beartown?