As the year winds up to a close, the book also got over. A man called Ove was such a pleasant experience that it would definitely be one of the best things that happened in 2016. When I was mid way into the book, I was almost certain that this is the best book ever. Hard to say the same emotion is retained towards the end. If one could mercilessly chop off say 20% of the chapters from 60th till 80th percentile, may be it can reclaim the masterclass status.
To sum up, the book is about Ove, an elderly widower, who unable to bear the death of his wife, wants to commit suicide. The book illustrates how his repeated attempts on his own life fails miserably and how the interruptions make him the darling of the very neighborhood, he despises. From an uncompromising person, he is made to change so much and is forced to accommodate all those changes/people in to his life and house, right from an adamant cat to LGBT guy. Even though he doesn’t want to involve others in his life and wants to live an “uncomplicated” life, the turn of events lead to the contrary. In Ove’s view point, he was never allowed to live a life he wanted and not even was he allowed to die when he wanted to. To top it all even his death wasn’t the way he had planned with so many people taking part and sharing their memories about Ove.
Ove will remain one of the most memorable characters I’ve ever read in whatever little number of books I’ve come across for a variety of reasons. He reminds me of my dad in so many ways. His love for his wife over rides every single quirk or thought process of him and to keep her happy he goes to any extent to accommodate. His true feelings for her continues even after her death. The sections dealing with his love for her are heartwarming and his futile fight for justice against a heartless system again makes one feel more closer to his character. There are numerous incidents included to portray Ove as the superman of good Samaritans who can fix anything with a proper tool box. Had most of those been chopped off, Ove would still come out as the darling that he is made out to be. Beyond a point, it felt a over kill of glorifying which even Ove would’ve resented, right from start. But for this extended portions, the book still deserves its adulation and is worth a long, leisure, casual read.
Gils verdict- A man called Ove is like those dishes, that take a really long while to cook and whose taste take forever to leave your senses. You would long for the dish to get ready and wouldn’t want to finish it fast, relishing its essence right from the tip of your tongue all the way to the tummy and would even lick the plate clean. Get your copy and settle with the book for a week-long vacation. Enjoy your outings and settle into Ove’s story for a leisurely break as you wind up for the day. It was a pleasure reading this book and getting to know Ove.
To sum up, the book is about Ove, an elderly widower, who unable to bear the death of his wife, wants to commit suicide. The book illustrates how his repeated attempts on his own life fails miserably and how the interruptions make him the darling of the very neighborhood, he despises. From an uncompromising person, he is made to change so much and is forced to accommodate all those changes/people in to his life and house, right from an adamant cat to LGBT guy. Even though he doesn’t want to involve others in his life and wants to live an “uncomplicated” life, the turn of events lead to the contrary. In Ove’s view point, he was never allowed to live a life he wanted and not even was he allowed to die when he wanted to. To top it all even his death wasn’t the way he had planned with so many people taking part and sharing their memories about Ove.
Ove will remain one of the most memorable characters I’ve ever read in whatever little number of books I’ve come across for a variety of reasons. He reminds me of my dad in so many ways. His love for his wife over rides every single quirk or thought process of him and to keep her happy he goes to any extent to accommodate. His true feelings for her continues even after her death. The sections dealing with his love for her are heartwarming and his futile fight for justice against a heartless system again makes one feel more closer to his character. There are numerous incidents included to portray Ove as the superman of good Samaritans who can fix anything with a proper tool box. Had most of those been chopped off, Ove would still come out as the darling that he is made out to be. Beyond a point, it felt a over kill of glorifying which even Ove would’ve resented, right from start. But for this extended portions, the book still deserves its adulation and is worth a long, leisure, casual read.
Gils verdict- A man called Ove is like those dishes, that take a really long while to cook and whose taste take forever to leave your senses. You would long for the dish to get ready and wouldn’t want to finish it fast, relishing its essence right from the tip of your tongue all the way to the tummy and would even lick the plate clean. Get your copy and settle with the book for a week-long vacation. Enjoy your outings and settle into Ove’s story for a leisurely break as you wind up for the day. It was a pleasure reading this book and getting to know Ove.
Comments
Your verdict reminded me of the Prawn curry that I make - takes hours to complete the process of cooking, but the taste lingers on for a long time.