Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Björnstad

don't think my heart will ever fully recover from reading this. i had no idea what the book was about when i started, and i have finished it as a changed person. backman's prose is stunning; i will be thinking about beartown and its sad, tough, strong people for the rest of my life.

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was emotionally heartbreaking but also heartwarming. Many tears were shed, both joyful and devastated. It’s mostly a story about hockey and how the members of a small rural community put hockey above all else, even morals (sometimes). It was hard to understand who was who are the beginning of this book because the cast of characters is huge and the backstories blend together, but the characters became more distinct over time. This writing is very different than Backman’s more lighthearted, fun writing. Lots of really good one-liners about moral implications of people’s thoughts and actions. This book felt very human, but was a bit difficult to read sometimes. Read when you are in a good place personally! Also winter vibes because of hock eye and the setting.

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haaaleybeee's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book is filled with juicy small town drama, but big TW for a sexual assault being a huge part of the rising and falling action.
I am hypercritical of fiction that is going to make SA a major or minor plot point, this book doesn’t receive any less criticism.

While I thought the flaws of Beartown and its inhabitants were enthralling and kept me hooked, I couldn’t help but feel like the SA lack of resolve seemed weak. However maybe that’s the point? Overall was a decent book but a little hard to push through at times. If you like insight into many characters lives, a morally gray environment, and, lest we forget, hockey; this book may be for you. Definitely an out of my comfort zone read.

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reddeddy's review against another edition

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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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