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amyvl93's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.5
Maybe I need to stop believing in internet hype quite so hard. Beartown and Fredrik Backman's books generally are so beloved online that I went into this fully expecting it to be a total slamdunk. However, whilst I found Beartown undeniably engaging it didn't hit the heights that I hoped it to.
The novel follows the community of Beartown in Sweden, a small town which has been left behind by economic changes and so puts their entire belief in the future on the shoulders of the teenage hockey team whose success in their upcoming tournament, they believe, will lead to investment and success for the town. We therefore have numerous perspectives that we dive into, from the star hockey player to his coach to the owner of the team to other players and students in the town. Backman does a great job at making Beartown feel like a very vivid and populated town - the sense of place was excellent.
The plot of the novel really kicks off when there is an incident of rape (this is important to know I think going into the novel) and the town divides into those who believe the victim, and those who think the perpetrator's future is more important than the truth- and people who fall somewhere in between. Backman does a good, if infuriating, job at capturing exactly how a town like Beartown would respond to such news.
However, what worked less well for me was Backman's quite heavy-handed lesson signalling that happened within chapters, or random sentences that I think were supposed to give us a sense of group think but I found a little grating, especially as we dipped into some quite serious topics. I also disliked...most of the characters in the novel, which is fine as we don't need likeable protagonists, but having been sold this book on its 'lovable' cast of characters I found that slightly baffling.
A good read, but I won't be reading the rest of the series.
The novel follows the community of Beartown in Sweden, a small town which has been left behind by economic changes and so puts their entire belief in the future on the shoulders of the teenage hockey team whose success in their upcoming tournament, they believe, will lead to investment and success for the town. We therefore have numerous perspectives that we dive into, from the star hockey player to his coach to the owner of the team to other players and students in the town. Backman does a great job at making Beartown feel like a very vivid and populated town - the sense of place was excellent.
The plot of the novel really kicks off when there is an incident of rape (this is important to know I think going into the novel) and the town divides into those who believe the victim, and those who think the perpetrator's future is more important than the truth- and people who fall somewhere in between. Backman does a good, if infuriating, job at capturing exactly how a town like Beartown would respond to such news.
However, what worked less well for me was Backman's quite heavy-handed lesson signalling that happened within chapters, or random sentences that I think were supposed to give us a sense of group think but I found a little grating, especially as we dipped into some quite serious topics. I also disliked...most of the characters in the novel, which is fine as we don't need likeable protagonists, but having been sold this book on its 'lovable' cast of characters I found that slightly baffling.
A good read, but I won't be reading the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
millich's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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.
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.
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.
Read if you like poignant, moving, challenging stories about people and what drives them.
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