Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

209 reviews

victoriakerr131's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

Beartown covers some heavy topics with incredibly well written and thought provoking prose. I loved how well Fredrik captured the diverse thoughts, feelings and conflicting emotions of the citizens of Beartown - multiple povs can sometimes get confusing but in this case it painted a complex and beautiful image of a small town and how everyone sees and experiences events differently. I'll definitely be continuing the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence

Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Self harm

kayleejanes's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

11rose25's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Rape

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Suicide

brebeingwell's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

3.25

Beartown follows a host of residents in a small town where both the pride and economy rests soley on the backs of a 17 year old hockey team. However, one of the hockey players commits a heinous act that throws the players into choosing sides. 

This book was not at all what I thought it was going to be. I expected small hockey town with a mystery and received heart wrenching dark secrets of a small town covered in snow. I think the diverse cast was interesting but sometimes I was unable to determine whose POV I was in, which I do believe was purposeful. 

Benji is by far one of my favorite characters. For someone who has such major issues and was at such a home disadvantage, he made decisions over and over that surprised me and made me proud.

Some characters in this book are truly dislikable. Which I think is common in litfic, but it does make it hard to connect with them.

I look forward to seeing what the rest of the trilogy holds and how the hockey team is molded and recovers from the happenings of book one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Gun violence and Violence

bookhead420's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

Not a fun or easy read, as one would expect based on the subject matter. But a very compelling look into community culture and ripple effects - the effects of pervasive silence and what we allow/encourage because of it, the effects of one person speaking a harsh truth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment

millich's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

emilywemily6's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Violence, Medical content, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence

haaaleybeee's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

erinreadsbooks'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What can I even say about this book? I don’t even know if I can say I “enjoyed” it because that implies I had an inkling of joy. Rather, I thought it was incredibly moving and captivating and I was crying nonstop for the back half of it. Reading this book felt like watching a car crash in slow motion while wondering which party was going to survive, if any. I haven’t really read anything that was like this book, from its style of prose to the tricky way the author writes that is constantly faking you out, making you think people are one thing when they’re really another, more complex thing. The characters all felt real and complicated and unpolished, which made the events feel all the more believable and heart wrenching. This book hurt to read, but I know I will be thinking about several passages I highlighted for a long time. 

Read if you like poignant, moving, challenging stories about people and what drives them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Racism, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

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