A man called Ove

[Curlybrunette]

Hi,
Our book club choice this month is 'A man called Ove' and I'm really struggling with it. There's nothing wrong with it, I'm just completely bored by it.

I'm about a third of the way through, have any of you read it and can convince me to stick with it?

I've never not read a book club book but am finding this one difficult.

Thanks

I really enjoyed it. I listened to it on audio book, so perhaps that made a difference keeping the pace going with a good narrator.

Maybe so Quogwinkle, I really enjoy audiobooks, hadn't thought of it with this one.

Could you give me a plot summary. Book club is tonight and I aren't going to get it read in time. I shall confess that I haven't read it.

It's so strange the reviews are all really good but I can't get into it at all. It;s the first book in nearly 3 years of our book club that I haven't read.

I loved it, but I think it is a bit marmite- I wonder if a little of the style is lost in translation. I would stick with it!

I loved it too. It's just the type of book I like so I really enjoyed it

Same here I adored it! My best read so far this year.

I loved it - you sort of slowly learn to love him utterly. Cried buckets.

I loved it too, although a slightly depressing choice for a honeymoon read. Better than the 2 others that contained a load of domestic violence!

I just finished it. It kept being recommended to me, so thought I'd give it a go. (I fancied a short book as I had just ploughed through an 800 pager

I felt like you about a 1/3 way in, and nearly gave up. It just wasn't doing it for me, I could see what the author was trying to do, and it was mildly interesting but nowhere near the "best book I've ever read" heights that everyone was claiming.
I did pick up a bit for me, and I did finish it, but def won't make it to my "favourites" shelf.

Interesting about audio books, I listen to them a lot, but read Ove on Kindle. Maybe I'd have enjoyed it more if I'd had it on Audible.

Maybe.

It didn't really work for me either, OP. It was okay but a bit overly sentimental.

Stick with it - some of the bits that felt a bit dull and moany to start with actually become very touching as more is revealed. It's a slow burner. My friend read it on our holiday and she raved about it so I was determined to find it rubbish! But I liked it and bought it as part of my mum's Christmas bundle of novels. I like the whole Scandinavian thing - reminds me of The Bridge. And Ikea. Both of which I love! Haha.

this is 99p on kindle at the moment

It gets better.

I really enjoyed it and found it got better later on in the book when you learn more about how Ove is the way he is, although possibly the ending was a bit sentimental.

I'm about 3/4 off the way through and I love Ove!

I love it too. I like the dry tone and the cat. I found it the opposite of sentimental; it's so sort of 'cool' and detached in tone that it really hit me when things happened to make me realise how much I'd invested in the characters.

That's not really useful advice though, sorry! All I can say is stick with it.

I almost put it down about 1/3 way through it but am glad that I persevered. Definitely gets better as the story progresses.

I finished Ove on Sunday and sobbed more than once in the last few chapters! As a pp said, I just ended up loving him utterly.

I think this must really be a marmite book as this thread is pretty split - for me, he's firmly on the favourites shelf and I'll be buying my best friend a copy cos I'm not giving her mine!

I loved it but I think you do need to be able to relate to the character in some way and find him interesting/funny.

Like so many other readers l found it difficult to get into it but as l was asked to review it l decided to stick with it and suddenly l just cuoldn't put it down.My husband read it afterwards and loved it too.We have recommended it to so many of our friends warning them that the first few chapters are a bit hard going but it gets better.and it is certainly worth sticking with it.

I loved it and have just read 'My Grandmother Sends her Regards and Apologises' by the same author. Read it in a day (I have got bronchitis atm so am basically reading and sleeping). Absolutely loved this, possibly more than Ove.

I am reading this for a book club too and am thinking of giving up. Interesting to read everyone's comments. I will give it another 50 pages or so after reading this thread.

I hope it's ok to bump this, but I also feel the same as OP. I'm a few chapters in and I know the way it's going to go: secret reason for inner sadness and then redemption via new neighbours.

I'm not sure I feel like sticking with it. I wonder if OP did?

I didn't IPity, life is short and I wasn't enjoying it at all, hopefully whoever bought it at the charity shop enjoyed it.

Pout - indeed. Particularly as my TBR pile is sizable and I feel like I have read a very similar story already: www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Sorts-Aur%C3%A9lie-Valognes-ebook/dp/B00YXZI2H6?tag=mumsnetforum-21

I enjoyed it but then I've read a few books which follow the same formula of grumpy old man is grumpy, circumstances force him into new experiences and to meet new people, grumpy old man now not grumpy all of which I've enjoyed: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Hundred Year Old Man, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, A Spot of Bother.