We read another good book club.

A Man Called Ove.

And it was kind of weird that I would fall for it, because it was sweet and almost “cute” in a way, and I don’t usually like books like that.

But I loved this one.

I just liked how it was written.

The descriptions were just so good…this is how it described Ove’s mother…if you can read it:

I love how he describes the neighbors, his wife, the cat…there were things that made me laugh out loud and things that made me tear up too.

The stories were so well-written too.  I loved this one about how he learned from his quiet, humble father:

But you have to read the whole thing for that story to come alive, because believe me, it is beautiful.  Good dads make the world go around I tell you, and I loved how much that dad did for his son with no preaching or yelling or guilt-tripping.

I loved how it introduced his wife, a story in and of itself that I don’t want to give away, but that made me tear up.
I loved how Ove became himself through hard work and honesty.
I loved how this older man who was grumpy and crotchety found such beautiful purpose in life through the people around him.  
And I just loved how it was all put together.
My favorite quote was about marriage (Sonja is his wife):  
“To love someone is like moving into a house,” Sonja used to say. “At first you fall in love in everything new, you wonder every morning that this is one’s own, as if they are afraid that someone will suddenly come tumbling through the door and say that there has been a serious mistake and that it simply was not meant to would live so fine. But as the years go by, the facade worn, the wood cracks here and there, and you start to love this house not so much for all the ways it is perfect in that for all the ways it is not. You become familiar with all its nooks and crannies. How to avoid that the key gets stuck in the lock if it is cold outside. Which floorboards have some give when you step on them, and exactly how to open the doors for them not to creak. That’s it, all the little secrets that make it your home. ” 
– Fredrik Backman , A Man Called Ove” 
I just liked that it was different.  And made me think.  My mom says there’s an excellent movie, and I think that might need to be Dave and my next movie night.

13 Comments

  1. i was just going through netflix and saw this movie was recently added! thank you for being such a beautiful inspiration, shawni. your blog is at the top of my favorites list.

  2. This one's on my "to read" list already. I read another book by this author that was wonderful…well crafted. I love the language of the stories. It's called My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Add it to your "to read" list…I think you'll love it too!

  3. There is also an audiobook version on Audible. One of my all-time favorites. The narrator is superb and brings an already wonderful book to life. He has such a great way of expressing Ove's personality. I loved it and I loved the movie too. Swedish with English subtitles.

  4. I just finished Nothing To Envy based on your recommendation. It was a book I don't believe I would have picked it up on my own. I'll go ahead and reserve this one too!

    That part about good dads make the world go around? That's just so true.

  5. The film was nominated for best foreign film and even though it didn't win, it was so deserving! It was one of our favorites of the year. Even though we English speakers can't get everything through the subtitles, the message comes through loud and clear. We loved it!

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