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boba_n_books's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. This book. I knew I'd love it before I even started it, but I didn't know exactly how much.
Beartown is a hockey town at its core, but the entire place will be shaken when one of their hockey stars commits a violent act. It is both unsurprising and shocking how far people go to protect a 17-year-old "boy" from the consequences of his own actions while placing the blame on a 15-year-old "young woman." How each person responds to the incident shows who they are, how they operate, and where their priorities truly lie.
Backman has a way of pulling you into a story, and Beartown is no different. Written in third person with multiple POVs, Backman weaves a narrative that flows effortlessly between characters without missing a beat. His writing is one of my favorites, and I will definitely be picking up book #2 sooner rather than later.
This novel is about so much more than a hockey town. It's about community, loyalty, and love. Between these pages are life lessons you will carry with you forever.
--------------------------------
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Why does anyone care about hockey? Because it tells stories."
"That's both a big and small thing. Knowing that there are people who will never abandon you."
"All adults have days when we feel completely drained. When we no longer know quite what we spend so much time fighting for, when reality and everyday worries overwhelm us and we wonder how much longer we're going to be able to carry on. The wonderful thing is that we can all live through far more days like this without breaking than we think. The terrible thing is that we never know exactly how many."
"We become what we are told."
"'And what do we want, Ramona? What can this sport give us? We devote our whole lives to it, and what can we hope to get, at best? A few moments . . . a few victories, a few seconds when we feel bigger than we really are, a few isolated opportunities to imagine that we're . . . immortal. And it's a lie. It isn't really important.' ... 'The only thing sport gives us are moments. But what the hell is life, Peter, apart from moments?'"
"Hockey is just a silly little game. We devote year after year to it without ever really hoping to get anything in return. We burn and bleed and cry, fully aware that the most the sport can give us, in the very best scenario, is incomprehensibly meager and worthless: just a few isolated moments of transcendence. That's all. But what the hell else is life made of?"
"It's just as easy to be exclusive as it is to be inclusive, just as easy to create an Us as a Them."
"Words are not small things."
"Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes much easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn't through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple."
"What is a community? It is the sum total of our choices."
"'You have to switch off your brain in order to play it. Music is like taking a break from yourself.'"
"'It's never your fault, is it? When are you going to admit that it isn't "hockey" that raises these boys, it's YOU LOT? In every time and every place, I've come across men who blame their own stupidity on the crap they themselves have invented. "Religion causes wars," "guns kill people," it's all the same old bullshit! ... Fucking men! YOU'RE the problem. Religion doesn't fight, guns don't kill, and you need to be very fucking clear that hockey has never raped anyone! But do you know who do? Fight and kill and rape? ... MEN! It's always fucking men.'"
"'You've never been alone. You just need to be better at choosing the company you keep.'"
"It's easy for them to judge him--it's always easier to lecture people about morality when you've never had to answer for anything yourself."
Beartown is a hockey town at its core, but the entire place will be shaken when one of their hockey stars commits a violent act. It is both unsurprising and shocking how far people go to protect a 17-year-old "boy" from the consequences of his own actions while placing the blame on a 15-year-old "young woman." How each person responds to the incident shows who they are, how they operate, and where their priorities truly lie.
Backman has a way of pulling you into a story, and Beartown is no different. Written in third person with multiple POVs, Backman weaves a narrative that flows effortlessly between characters without missing a beat. His writing is one of my favorites, and I will definitely be picking up book #2 sooner rather than later.
This novel is about so much more than a hockey town. It's about community, loyalty, and love. Between these pages are life lessons you will carry with you forever.
--------------------------------
FAVORITE QUOTES:
"Why does anyone care about hockey? Because it tells stories."
"That's both a big and small thing. Knowing that there are people who will never abandon you."
"All adults have days when we feel completely drained. When we no longer know quite what we spend so much time fighting for, when reality and everyday worries overwhelm us and we wonder how much longer we're going to be able to carry on. The wonderful thing is that we can all live through far more days like this without breaking than we think. The terrible thing is that we never know exactly how many."
"We become what we are told."
"'And what do we want, Ramona? What can this sport give us? We devote our whole lives to it, and what can we hope to get, at best? A few moments . . . a few victories, a few seconds when we feel bigger than we really are, a few isolated opportunities to imagine that we're . . . immortal. And it's a lie. It isn't really important.' ... 'The only thing sport gives us are moments. But what the hell is life, Peter, apart from moments?'"
"Hockey is just a silly little game. We devote year after year to it without ever really hoping to get anything in return. We burn and bleed and cry, fully aware that the most the sport can give us, in the very best scenario, is incomprehensibly meager and worthless: just a few isolated moments of transcendence. That's all. But what the hell else is life made of?"
"It's just as easy to be exclusive as it is to be inclusive, just as easy to create an Us as a Them."
"Words are not small things."
"Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes much easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn't through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple."
"What is a community? It is the sum total of our choices."
"'You have to switch off your brain in order to play it. Music is like taking a break from yourself.'"
"'It's never your fault, is it? When are you going to admit that it isn't "hockey" that raises these boys, it's YOU LOT? In every time and every place, I've come across men who blame their own stupidity on the crap they themselves have invented. "Religion causes wars," "guns kill people," it's all the same old bullshit! ... Fucking men! YOU'RE the problem. Religion doesn't fight, guns don't kill, and you need to be very fucking clear that hockey has never raped anyone! But do you know who do? Fight and kill and rape? ... MEN! It's always fucking men.'"
"'You've never been alone. You just need to be better at choosing the company you keep.'"
"It's easy for them to judge him--it's always easier to lecture people about morality when you've never had to answer for anything yourself."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying
Minor: Child death
nina83's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: Grief, Child death, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
aquakirst's review against another edition
dark
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this is genuinely a perfect book. i want to go back and bring down the ratings of every other book i've rated 5 stars because nothing can live up to beartown
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Bullying
Moderate: Drug use, Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Child death, Animal death, Classism, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
itsme_lori's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I am not of fan of the writing style in this book. Also, I thought from comments and reviews that this was a heartwarming story of an underdog hockey team from a small town. That is not what this book is about. It's a difficult read and I was not prepare for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Classism, Child death, Violence, Bullying, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts
lindsay_kay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
I love Fredrik Backman, his writing just speaks to me. He sets up the story so perfectly. When "it" happens in the book you're not expecting it. The story took a turn I wasn't expecting, but everything that happened prior effects how the rest of it plays out. Backman has the talented ability to touch on each one his characters having a unique story and a reason for the choices they make. This story is about Hockey, but goes so far beyond the rink.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Bullying, Sexual assault, Child death, and Physical abuse
lbsalas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Drug use, Addiction, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
eljarvo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Mental illness, and Blood
Minor: Suicide
annakh16's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
- 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
4.75
A masterpiece in character studies. A lot darker than I expected (please do note the trigger warnings) but handled with great empathy.
Backman brings each character to life beautifully - and there are a lot of them -, showing the many depths of their motivations and creating an ever more complex web of relationships. The writing is straightforward but stunning - philosophical at times, when discussing concepts such as loyalty, love, friendship, family, community and more, but also full of vivid descriptions and images that really help bring the stories to life. The book makes clever use of flashbacks and flashforwards, which are revealing enough for the reader to make their own guesses about what will happen, but obscure enough to allow the story to unfold at its own pace. In fact, the book is full of small plot twists along the way, which are really aided by these small hints, that are often subverted at the last minute.
The only thing I‘d say is that it‘s a little bit slow to get into, as it starts with a lot of character description before the plot gets moving. But (as Backman always manages), soon both characters and places are laced with depth, so that you can’t help but root for them (or despise them, alternatively). As the plot picks up, so does the pace and by the end of the book, tension is running thick.
This is no doubt my favourite of Backman’s books so far. I loved this and would really recommend (even if you‘re not even slightly interested in hockey).
I especially appreciated Backman‘s almost sociological study of the dynamics and events surrounding Maya‘s rape. Backman explains, without justifying, the many factors which encouraged complicity and silence surrounding the event. His descriptions of the impact of the events on Maya‘s life and that of her family are devastating and moving.
Backman brings each character to life beautifully - and there are a lot of them -, showing the many depths of their motivations and creating an ever more complex web of relationships. The writing is straightforward but stunning - philosophical at times, when discussing concepts such as loyalty, love, friendship, family, community and more, but also full of vivid descriptions and images that really help bring the stories to life. The book makes clever use of flashbacks and flashforwards, which are revealing enough for the reader to make their own guesses about what will happen, but obscure enough to allow the story to unfold at its own pace. In fact, the book is full of small plot twists along the way, which are really aided by these small hints, that are often subverted at the last minute.
The only thing I‘d say is that it‘s a little bit slow to get into, as it starts with a lot of character description before the plot gets moving. But (as Backman always manages), soon both characters and places are laced with depth, so that you can’t help but root for them (or despise them, alternatively). As the plot picks up, so does the pace and by the end of the book, tension is running thick.
This is no doubt my favourite of Backman’s books so far. I loved this and would really recommend (even if you‘re not even slightly interested in hockey).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Minor: Gun violence, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Classism, Drug use, Child death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
krimor's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, and Homophobia
devowynn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, and Gun violence