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flaura_99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alexisp1026's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Hard to get into with so many characters to learn. But beautiful, heartbreaking and still beautiful
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
sarahatfrogcreek's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.5
I missed the humor of many of his other novels (Ove, Britt-Marie) that would balance the weightiness of the storyline.
bluereen's review against another edition
5.0
"So the first thing that happens in a conflict is that we choose a side. Because that's easier than trying to hold two thoughts in our heads at the same time."
***
Honestly worth all the hype it's received. I don't care much for sports, but there's just something special about the way Backman writes about hockey— he makes it come alive. There are so many characters that it was hard to keep up with all of them at first, but they're all fleshed out so well throughout the story that by the time you get to the end, you feel like you know each and every one of them by heart.
Beartown is not just about hockey. It puts a premium on community and tackles heavy themes like blind loyalty, victim blaming, and gender inequality. But really, this book is packed with so much more.
I've been putting off Book 2 because I don't feel quite ready for it yet; but it's safe to say that reading Beartown has been a pleasant experience.
***
Honestly worth all the hype it's received. I don't care much for sports, but there's just something special about the way Backman writes about hockey— he makes it come alive. There are so many characters that it was hard to keep up with all of them at first, but they're all fleshed out so well throughout the story that by the time you get to the end, you feel like you know each and every one of them by heart.
Beartown is not just about hockey. It puts a premium on community and tackles heavy themes like blind loyalty, victim blaming, and gender inequality. But really, this book is packed with so much more.
I've been putting off Book 2 because I don't feel quite ready for it yet; but it's safe to say that reading Beartown has been a pleasant experience.
_thelitlibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5.00 stars
-
TW: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child death, Alcoholism, Child abuse
-
I'm at a loss for words on how to talk about this book, I've seen Beartown around for YEARS and have been putting it off as I'm not a huge fan of sports books. This book is intimidatingly chunky - but you'll find yourself sucked into Beartown along with our vast cast of characters. I would strongly encourage readers to look into CW\TW's before picking this one up, I knew what the plot was about going into it and was prepared for it.
There's only one important thing to the people living in Beartown - Hockey. This small town lives and breathes on Hockey, all of our characters are connected to the game somehow. We have players, parents whose kids play hockey, coaches, and proud hockey fans. When something bad threatens their winning hockey team and jeopardizes their town, you see true colours starting to show. The book has an odd layout, paragraphs are broken up into different POVs, and scenes will be interrupted from another character's POVs only to bounce right back to the original. I had to pay attention to who we were following - which can be hard at times since we have a lot of characters.
Your mind will be racing while reading this. Although a dark book, you'll find yourself; laughing, crying, and wanting to scream at the top of your lungs in anger. This book shows the harsh reality of what happens when someone comes forward as a victim and shares their story - I often found myself sobbing over our characters.
-
TW: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child death, Alcoholism, Child abuse
-
I'm at a loss for words on how to talk about this book, I've seen Beartown around for YEARS and have been putting it off as I'm not a huge fan of sports books. This book is intimidatingly chunky - but you'll find yourself sucked into Beartown along with our vast cast of characters. I would strongly encourage readers to look into CW\TW's before picking this one up, I knew what the plot was about going into it and was prepared for it.
There's only one important thing to the people living in Beartown - Hockey. This small town lives and breathes on Hockey, all of our characters are connected to the game somehow. We have players, parents whose kids play hockey, coaches, and proud hockey fans. When something bad threatens their winning hockey team and jeopardizes their town, you see true colours starting to show. The book has an odd layout, paragraphs are broken up into different POVs, and scenes will be interrupted from another character's POVs only to bounce right back to the original. I had to pay attention to who we were following - which can be hard at times since we have a lot of characters.
Your mind will be racing while reading this. Although a dark book, you'll find yourself; laughing, crying, and wanting to scream at the top of your lungs in anger. This book shows the harsh reality of what happens when someone comes forward as a victim and shares their story - I often found myself sobbing over our characters.
xbyia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
cbressler80's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jayra's review against another edition
4.0
People feel pain, and it shrinks their souls
Fredrik Backman is a great story-teller especially when it comes with telling life values. Beartown is a small town with that has people who have their own big dreams, secret, sorrow etc. Ah, this book has leave you with a lot of feeling. This is my third book from Fredrik Backman and I will keep reading the next.
Fredrik Backman is a great story-teller especially when it comes with telling life values. Beartown is a small town with that has people who have their own big dreams, secret, sorrow etc. Ah, this book has leave you with a lot of feeling. This is my third book from Fredrik Backman and I will keep reading the next.