Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

59 reviews

elizzabethanne's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

I wish all men would read this book. While this was very difficult to read at times because of the content, it was so beautifully written and handled so sensitively that I don’t feel emotionally destroyed or despondent about the state of the world but rather reminded that there are people out there that stand up for what’s right. We don’t need a culture of silence. We need a culture where we can talk about the difficult things with those we love and raise the next generation to not make the same mistakes over and over again. If you have a son, a brother, a father, a boyfriend, a husband, etc. please put this book in his hand and talk about it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

12hannah12's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Alcohol

nndang's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The plot/ premise sounded like the most boring, unintriguing thing in the world. SO HOW DID I GET SO EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED IN THIS BOOK AND THIS FICTIONAL SMALL TOWN?? I logically wanted to hate all the characters in this book and theyve all done things that would make it easy for anyone to hate them (or at the very least be annoyed with them) but the way Backman writes and develops all of his characters with such complexity and care is heartwrenching. Looooovvveeee this book.

So many trigger warnings tho*

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol

prairiefairie's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Classism

sonjaelisee's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Rape

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Xenophobia, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

kirstensbabel's review against another edition

5.0

This is one of the best books I have ever read that is just about people. It flits through so many different povs from people in Beartown, yet somehow makes them each a complete and whole character, by showing them through the angles of themselves and everyone they know. It is really masterful. 
This book is also insanely sad. It is heart-wrenchingly devastating in a way that makes you feel this old, deep misery in your stomach. I felt genuine pain reading this and also thinking about it. I had to put it down sometimes not just because it's heavy (I've read much heavier books), but because every character is going through so much pain. Every person in the community whether you like them or not, is going through their own story and their own pain. 
It's a book about hockey. 
But it is not about hockey. 
I don't play hockey. I have never seen a hockey game. But it doesn't matter, because the characters love hockey. It is what brings them together and that is what you can connect to. 
This book is filled with so much love and sadness and hope and grief and pain, generally just so much emotion that it's hard to read sometimes from all the feeling Backman makes you do. 
My favorite characters are Benji (boy with the sad eyes and the wild heart), Kira (the mother wolf), Peter, Maya, Ana, Romona and Amat. I don't know if David is the best character or the worst one. 
The biggest tragedy is that in the first act Backman builds up all the pride and hope the town has for Kevin, that you start to feel that he's your hero too. So when the

rape

is committed, thats when you feel all of it fall away as if you are another person in Beartown. And then the rage comes, the rage at the fact that such an act can be committed and people will still say that the boy is innocent because they would rather

label a girl as a slut

than look in the mirror and see what their community as done to themselves. 
Last of all the writing is insanely gorgeous, simple at times but with lines that take your breath away. 
I did cry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

samanthasshelf_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

a beautifully written story that handles a lot of heavy topics with an incredible amount of nuance and care. the characters were incredibly well developed, and the multiple POVs really aided in the complex portrayal of the human experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism and Self harm

m0dp0dge's review against another edition

hopeful reflective

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Eating disorder, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

noelleingway's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I loved this book until the

rape happens halfway through the book - it's hard to explain, but the town's reaction and her emotions felt too real and clinical. I know fiction isn't always intended to uplift when exploring serious topics, I didn't feel like it added anything to my own artistic explorations and knowledge. I know how badly rape cases go when the perpetrator is well loved in a small community. It only drove the knife in further and made me sad.

This put me off of the otherwise heartwarming exploration of a town and its messy dynamics and relationship with hockey, which I greatly enjoyed! the character writing was superb.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual assault

Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Xenophobia

reddeddy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail