My Review
I absolutely loved A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. It was one of the most touching, important books that I have read, probably in my lifetime. It had a wonderful message and it was such a touching story that I’m not sure if any other books could ever come close to it for me.
This book was on my list of highly anticipated books of 2015. I was so excited to read it and get drawn into the story like I did with A Man Called Ove, and that definitely happened. I enjoyed the story and the characters, for the most part. I loved how mature Elsa seemed for her age (although I’m not sure it was completely believable all the time), and how close she was to her grandmother.
I thoroughly enjoyed the fairy tale theme that went on in this story, about the Land-of-Almost-Awake (Elsa’s grandmother told her tons of fairy tales, and they are all incredibly important to the story line, so don’t be tempted to skim these) and all the kingdoms and characters (that eventually tie in to Elsa’s real life).
While I didn’t find myself as drawn to this book as I was drawn into A Man Called Ove, mostly because it seemed a bit drawn out, and some of the characters (like Elsa’s parents) really irritated me, it was a book that I can truthfully recommend to fans of Fredrik Backman’s debut novel, or anyone who enjoys a good story that has the ability to transport you into a whole other world. It was funny, it was happy, it was sad, and sometimes it was all three at the same time, but no matter what it was, it was a great story of how love can last, and how people you love will always be with you, even when it doesn’t seem like it.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.