Reviews with content warning for Racism - Beartown

I adore the Beartown series.

This story captures so beautifully what it means to be human and all that we're capable of... the best, the worst, and everything in between. It is emotional and captivating, at times heartbreaking, funny, tense and hopeful.

Backman's characters are wonderfully complex, imperfect like the rest of us, and utterly lovable (or at least most of them...).

The writing style is simple, succinct and fairly blunt, and there's a lot of foreshadowing.

I was hooked immediately and will definitely be rereading this in the years to come.

Quotes:

"Words are not small things."

"Difficult questions, simple answers. What is a community? It is the sum total of our choices."

[I listened to the audiobook this time. It is well narrated and I enjoyed it a lot, but definitely prefer reading this story myself so I can reread sentences and paragraphs to my heart's content.]

Content Warnings

kmsander4's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Fredrik Backman's stories do something to me. They rip my heart out and slowly piece it back together but never quite put it back in the exact same place as it began. With each new chapter I read, I am changed. And Beartown was no different.

This town, these people, this story, I know it. I've lived pieces of it and some of it I've even longed for. I've loved the game of hockey for as long as I can remember and I spend days and nights and weekends in freezing cold arenas, cheering until I went hoarse as boys raced around the ice.

I've seen the incredible things sport can do for a small town, and I've seen the kind of monsters the game can hide as well. Backman does such an unbelievably phenomenal job of capturing all of the depth that needs to be shown to properly tell this story, and he does it with a deft, gentle hand.

I could gush forever but all I will say is that it is a must read. For everyone. I can almost guarantee that something inside you will shift.

Content Warnings

daniellekat's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

Backman is so talented at writing characters with depth, emotion, and believable motivations. Just when you think you understand a character, Backman makes you reconsider. It's the reason why I love his books, but I struggled with Beartown. The plot was so heartbreaking and tense that it took a lot out of me. After reading a few chapters, I always felt like I had to both lie down and go running. Backman covered so many interesting topics relating to sports culture that wove together seamlessly. This was not a 'fun read' and I HIGHLY recommend checking out the content warnings before reading, but Fredrik Backman writes about intersecting lives and community like no one else. My only criticism was that the ending was a little flat for me. I'm super interested to see where the series goes from here, especially since I think his writing is best suited for stand-alones.

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laurengent's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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persnickery's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Brutally honest look at a how tragedy (violence) can tear apart a small town. Characters were so complicated and well explored. I cried a bit, I got angry. Unfortunately, the pacing was too slow for me.

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singalana's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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

4.5

A dwindling town, passion for hockey and a crime that divides the town. What price are the people willing to pay for hockey?

During the course of the story we get to know a cast of characters whose lives revolve around hockey in one way or another. Each of the characters have their own struggles in life, but when one of the players is accused of rape, people will have to decide who to believe and what hockey really means to them.

The story paints a vivid picture of Beartown and all its inhabitants. It does a good job shedding light to the complex motivations people have behind their actions, and also allows the reader to read between the lines when necessary.

At first, the book allows us to get to know the characters and their circumstances. Then a hockey player rapes a girl. The scene isn't described in needless detail, but is impactful nonetheless. When the events are made public, the people of Beartown react.

This book deals with shame, rape culture and culture of silence. It touches on many important topics with gentleness and respect.

The ending surprised me, and I thought it was as satisfying as it could be, considering the circumstances. I think everyone who spends time in testosterone filled environments such as a hockey team would benefit from reading this book.

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suzydunk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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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