ShelfLook
Tools About
Cover of A Man Called Ove

How long does it take to read A Man Called Ove?

Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman takes about 6 hours 21 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

About 6 hours 21 minutes

A weekend read

First published 2012. 346 pages, about 95,150 words.

13 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 10 hours 34 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 6 hours 21 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 3 hours 58 minutes

The page count is the median across 40 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door. Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations. (Previous notes): Loved this book (translation from Swedish). Quirky story of a curmudgeon which is also a film (with English subtitles) on Netflix. Backman is a successful journalist, author, and blogger. Also enjoyed ‘Britt-Marie Was Here’ and I look forward to checking out his latest new release.

Content warnings (AI-checked, may be incomplete)
  • suicide

How these are chosen

Subjects: Novel, Neighbors, Older men, Neighborhoods, Fiction, Love

More by Fredrik Backman

Books like this

Popular books of similar length