Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

142 reviews

gabrielastbr'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child death, Death, and Grief

corporatelobotomy's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

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

reeccees's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

I still have goosebumps. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, and Grief

daslibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Mental illness, and Suicide

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

sarapriz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Grief

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

be_emvi_ous's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol

quistn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

I love the pacing of this book. It’s slow, but necessary. I feel it’s a must read for anyone. It captures a real life culture in a small town well. Very sad and tense at times, deals with dark topics. The way that the author writes about the experiences and thoughts of the characters is impeccable. I think, anyone who grew up or lives in a small town will relate much more to this book. If you grew up in a larger town, you may not connect with it as much.

strong content warnings about rape, Suicide, murder, gangs, alcoholism, fighting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide