Two Stars **If a grumpy old man and a crank is the protagonist for you, then along with a couple of million Swedes, you will enjoy this bestselling book by Backman.  Downloading the book based on the reviews was perhaps not a great idea and for me at least, they did not reflect the experience of reading the book. The start of the book was heavy going and boring. There were some funny parts I will admit but it was a chore more than enjoyable. I was hoping this was going to be another The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. Sadly Ove and his grumpy antics don't come near it. The structure of the book appeared formulaic and I started reading it as a treat for the Christmas period but the start was heavy. As I decided to read through it I had to soldier on when I decided to review it. Some parts were predictable. Leaving me more and more with the feeling that the writer first sat down and jotted down a summary and then set off to beef out the text for a finished novel. These novels about grumpy old men have a big market it seems so I am now thinking that I might write one myself. I felt one of the themes - suicide - could have been handled better. This is also a relevant subject. Widowers don't last long after their wives die and die soon after from natural causes. Loneliness and being lonely was not spelt out but could have been. Old people suffer terrible from loneliness and recent studies during COVID on pensioners showed that seeing your grandchildren effected your life better. Homophobic slurs used in the book were not funny not matter how redeeming Ove's behaviour was in the end. Halfway's through an immigrant family arrives with two daughters and I thought that was handled well. As immigration is now a hot topic in an otherwise tolerant Swedish society. I wholeheartedly agree with the author that immigration can bring positive benefits to society. The book was produced well and edited but Ove would not be a character I would want to associate with as he was just too cantankerous. The ending was warming and probably was the basis for all the other reviews but the the protagonist was not one for me. There is now a movie of the book soon to be released under the same title. The movie looks better as it misses out the start of the book. Mindful Beauty Chillax Box
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AuthorBestselling author Ralph Quinlan Forde BSc (Hons) MA is the writer and editor of the Mindful Beauty blog. His first book The Book of Tibetan Medicine went into 11 languages. His second Nutriwine has Archives
February 2024
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