'THE PERFECT HOLIDAY READ' Evening Standard
'A JOY FROM START TO FINISH' - Gavin Extence, author of THE UNIVERSE VERSUS ALEX WOODS
There is something about Ove.
At first sight, he 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...
The word-of-mouth bestseller causing a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman's heartwarming debut is a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step - and less ready to judge on first impressions a man you might one day wish to have as your dearest friend.
The international phenomenon, now in paperback. Quirky and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet outrageously funny,
A Man Called Ove is a life-affirming fable for our times.
Delightful ... the perfect holiday read.It's the most
enchanting, beautiful tale.A
warm and
tender story about love, loss and second chances, peppered with memorable characters, wonderful set pieces and some beautifully black humour.
Ove is a joy from start to finish.
An uplifting, life-affirming and often comic tale of how kindness, love and happiness can be found in the most unlikely places.
A charming debut.
A Man Called Ove is
a wonderful novel that will stay with you . . . Ove's story has an underlying sadness which the author tackles with great warmth and humour . . . It's a bittersweet,
heart-warming tale which will leave listeners with a restored faith in the power of friendship and perhaps even a love for cats.
Hilarious and heart-breaking.It's
warm,
funny, and ultimately almost unbearably
moving.
The most charming book you'll read this year ... This
charming debut novel by Backman should find a ready audience with English-language readers . . .
hysterically funny . . . wry descriptions, excellent pacing . . . In the contest of Most Winning Combination, it would be hard to beat grumpy Ove and his hidden, generous heart.My absolute summer-reading must is
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman:
perfect beach reading for a grumpy old man. It has all the minimalist delicacy of
Stoner, but with a delicious wry wit. The book works on a very small scale, yet it sweeps through intense life dramas, all the while remaining
funny, moving, uplifting...and a cracking good tale.There is a method to the madness - by the end of this
funny and
touching book, you'll come round to Ove's way of thinking.
A Man Called Ove finally rescued all those men who constantly mean to read novels but never get round to it. Crotchety old git Ove argues with neighbours, reluctantly inherits a cat, punches a clown and
, by the end of the book, has you wanting to hug him.
Ove will upset us, cause us to be upset on his behalf and make us laugh till we daren't drink fluids and read simultaneously but by the end we're uplifted and don't want to go.
A Man Called Ove is
exquisite. The lyrical language is the confetti thrown liberally throughout this
celebration-of-life story, adding sparkle and colour to an already spectacular party. Backman's characters feel so authentic that readers will likely find analogues living in their own neighbourhoods.
A funny crowd-pleaser that serves up laughs to accompany a thoughtful reflection on loss and love... The author writes with winning charm.
Readers seeking feel-good tales with a message will rave about the rantings of this solitary old man with a singular outlook. If there was an award for
'Most Charming Book of the Year,' this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down.
