Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

76 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

charlievsmith's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Self harm, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

jsprenk's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-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 masterful character study of a hockey town. Backman writes characters with so much depth and texture. He builds the story slowly, vignette by vignette, creating an ominous feeling of dread over what’s to come. He explores what it means to be part of a team, a community, to be a leader, to be loyal, to be driven by morality and to wrestle with it. I loved this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use and Homophobia

Minor: Self harm

deelightfulreads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

this was such a beautifully written novel. all these characters were so well developed, i had a hard time believing they weren’t real 😭 it was so devastating, tragic and traumatic but hopeful the way the good triumphs the evil in the end. i can’t recommend enough, but please check the trigger warnings! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Domestic abuse

noble_editorial's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism

elevent11's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

ohnoohkei's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Classism

m_harbaugh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Self harm, Xenophobia, Blood, and Outing

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

mbrogs2024's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol