Scan barcode
reddeddy's review against another edition
- 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
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
jartone93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
theelliad's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
lizziaha's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Islamophobia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
amariela02's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Stalking
soozn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s chock full of thoughtful and insightful commentary on the difficulties of being a person. What life does to us and what we do to each other. It’s cautionary tale after cautionary tale about all the ways we fail ourselves and one another. Backman uses his characters to point out our own foibles and blind spots. And I love how often he uses metaphors and similes to get across ideas and themes. There are so many and they’re so well done. They’re my favorite aspect of the book. [“Being a parent makes you feel like a blanket that’s always too small. No matter how hard you try to cover everyone, there’s always someone who’s freezing.”]
I love how unabashedly feminist the book is. It has a lot to say about the perils and insidiousness of misogyny without really having to SAY anything at all. I think Backman does an amazing job of showing how often women are casually disrespected, how often their talents are written off, their opinions dismissed, how they’re subject to the whims of violence and power of the men around them, how few people are willing to stand up for them. He also shows different ways they can take back the power that’s been taken from them and how hard it is to do so. Kira, Maya, Fatima, Adri, Jeanette, Kevin’s mom (who, rather appropriately due to her lack of agency, is never given a name) among others, all give us examples. Misogyny makes for a sinister background presence in this book.
I found it a little slow at times but Beartown is an extremely well written, powerful and thought-provoking work with important messages, great storytelling and excellent characters.
4 stars out of 5
⚠️ I honestly had no idea this was basically a story about Brock Turner. If I’d have known that, I probably wouldn’t have read it. This book was probably not one I should have picked up and I had a hard time getting through it. Heed the TW/CWs on this one, folks. 👇🏼
https://booktriggerwarnings.com/index.php?title=Beartown_by_Fredrik_Backman
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism