Scan barcode
ephalent's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Cursing
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
4.5
Overall this book was so so good. I always recommend people who want to read Fredrik Backman’s books to go in blind. His books always have secondary plot points that make the book so much more interesting and develop the characters so much. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars was I wished there was a little less detail on hockey (I know that’s one of the biggest parts of the book but at some points it seemed a little excessive) and the ending was not as satisfying as I would’ve wished but I think that was kind of the point, it was realistic I guess. Please check the content warnings!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Stalking, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Classism, Rape, and Sexual violence
mysterymom40's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Violence
Minor: Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, and Racial slurs
roemfr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Hate crime, Self harm, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
THIS BOOK??? I'm so glad I finally read this on Jaz's recommendation because this book was fantastic and like nothing I've ever read before. The writing is emotional, poignant and thoughtful, making us really invest in the protagonists. The slow start works perfectly to introduce us to the big cast of characters and, as the story progresses, we see how interconnected everyone and everything is, making the ending even more powerful and resounding. A truly excellent book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Sexual assault, Classism, Gaslighting, Child death, Cursing, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Drug use
denisecam's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Oh. Wow. 5 Stars all around! The story was fantastic. Slightly suspenseful, and humorous at times. Very serious and thought-provoking topics. Well-written. And to top it off, the narration was incredible ( listened with Audible.) I recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts
__olivia__'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
I- woah. Who knew a book about hockey could hurt me this much. Some of the book was so upsetting that I wanted to stop reading, but I just couldn't; I was captivated. Even if you're like me (uninterested in hockey, small towns, contemporary setting), you'll somehow like this book. I don't know what type of magic white powder Fredrik Backman is lacing his books with, but I'm here for it. I'm still trying to process everything that happened, and how I feel about it, but I'll try my best to put my sentiments into coherent sentences.
The small town setting makes it possible for every single character to be linked in some way, and somehow every single character is so flawed, and so real. I truly felt like I knew these characters personally because of details revealing their character and history that Backman chose to include. Every single one of them is their own, unique being, with their own motivations, hopes, and dreams. Also, his writing style is unlike anything I've ever seen - it somehow uses extensive analogies to create an idea while still being very blunt and very straightforward.
It just feels so weird to adore something that wouldn't appeal to you at all on paper. I feels even more strange to rate a book five stars that made me feel so angry and disgusted, but here we are.
The small town setting makes it possible for every single character to be linked in some way, and somehow every single character is so flawed, and so real. I truly felt like I knew these characters personally because of details revealing their character and history that Backman chose to include. Every single one of them is their own, unique being, with their own motivations, hopes, and dreams. Also, his writing style is unlike anything I've ever seen - it somehow uses extensive analogies to create an idea while still being very blunt and very straightforward.
It just feels so weird to adore something that wouldn't appeal to you at all on paper. I feels even more strange to rate a book five stars that made me feel so angry and disgusted, but here we are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
averagemark's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.0
This isn't a book I would have normally picked up, but I had to read it for a book club. I didn't have high expectations for it, but let's just say it could have been worse.
As a person who normaly reads classics, the first thing that caught my eye was the writing style. From the very beginning, the author not only kept introducing more and more characters, but also kept switching between them, and between different time frames. Just in one chaper you could visit 5 households and learn about each person's childhood and teenage years. That was quite confusing for me, I often had to go back and try to figure out who exactly are we talking about, but other people that I duscussed this book with didn't seem to mind that style of writing.
This books starts off as story about a hockey town, but insted of telling us about hockey games and preparations for them, it tells us about the players of the hockey team, the residents of the town, the parents, the teens. The focus of the book slowly shifts from hockey problems to a much bigger social problem in the community. Pause on the word slowly, because 40% of the book was just the author setting the scenery. The actual "main event" in the book didn't happen until we were about 200 pages in.
Why did i give this book 3 stars? Well in my oppinion, the author took more than he could chew. He introduced a lot of characters, presented us with a lot of social problems, and left a lot of them unresolved. The other problem was the writing, at some parts I felt like the story was being dragged on with tons of unnecessary information. And in the end, the book really wasn't for me. I never really liked social novels. What, in my oppinion, the author managed to do well was convеing the tention of a hockey game. Some parts might have been dragged on, but in other, I felt the cold Beartown air on my face. You can never tell with this book.
To sum this review up, I can't say that I loved this novel. It didn't stick with me, but it's not bad either. Just not something I would usually read ))
As a person who normaly reads classics, the first thing that caught my eye was the writing style. From the very beginning, the author not only kept introducing more and more characters, but also kept switching between them, and between different time frames. Just in one chaper you could visit 5 households and learn about each person's childhood and teenage years. That was quite confusing for me, I often had to go back and try to figure out who exactly are we talking about, but other people that I duscussed this book with didn't seem to mind that style of writing.
This books starts off as story about a hockey town, but insted of telling us about hockey games and preparations for them, it tells us about the players of the hockey team, the residents of the town, the parents, the teens. The focus of the book slowly shifts from hockey problems to a much bigger social problem in the community. Pause on the word slowly, because 40% of the book was just the author setting the scenery. The actual "main event" in the book didn't happen until we were about 200 pages in.
Why did i give this book 3 stars? Well in my oppinion, the author took more than he could chew. He introduced a lot of characters, presented us with a lot of social problems, and left a lot of them unresolved. The other problem was the writing, at some parts I felt like the story was being dragged on with tons of unnecessary information. And in the end, the book really wasn't for me. I never really liked social novels. What, in my oppinion, the author managed to do well was convеing the tention of a hockey game. Some parts might have been dragged on, but in other, I felt the cold Beartown air on my face. You can never tell with this book.
To sum this review up, I can't say that I loved this novel. It didn't stick with me, but it's not bad either. Just not something I would usually read ))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Cursing, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Alcohol, and Bullying
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
ecamaselli's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I honestly don't know that I could ever write a fully comprehensive review for a book like this. This is the kind of book that leaves you thinking and feeling a thousand different things As Murphy Napier said in her review, "[Backman] will make you cry, he will change your worldview (or confirm it)."
I can, however, say a few things about this book.
1) I don't think I've ever seen such brilliant character work or descriptions in my life. Not all of the characters are likable, or even flat-out detestable. In fact, many of the characters are morally-gray.
In addition, though we follow at least 20 different perspectives throughout this book, the individuality of each character makes them easy to keep track of. Every character is unique, and true to themselves, whether their choices are morally right or not.
2) This is a very slow-moving book. Because of this, it leaves you with a lot of time to think, to grow familiar with the novel itself, and to develop any emotion or opinions that you may have regarding the events of the plot. It's brilliantly paced. I don't think it could have possibly been executed more perfectly.
3) This entire book is a perfect blend of social commentary and character study. The writing lends a deeper look into the psych of the human race, and what motivates, completes, and breaks us. I believe an in-depth essay could be written on each character, for even the minor ones, such as Robbie Holts, had drive, flaws, and distinct backstories.
CONCLUSION
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is perhaps one of the most difficult and rewarding novels I've read to date. And I'm not sure that I see a lot of potential for other books to top it in this regard. It is not an enjoyable read, by any means (though there are some hopeful moments sprinkled throughout the story), but it is incredible.
This is one of those novels that I truly believe everyone (who can handle the explored topics) should read at some point in their lifetime. I will never cease to recommend this book to those who can read these subjects.
Thank you, Backman, for confirming (and changing) my worldview.
-Elliana Maselli
Thursday, February 3, 2022
1:14 PM
I can, however, say a few things about this book.
1) I don't think I've ever seen such brilliant character work or descriptions in my life. Not all of the characters are likable, or even flat-out detestable. In fact, many of the characters are morally-gray.
In addition, though we follow at least 20 different perspectives throughout this book, the individuality of each character makes them easy to keep track of. Every character is unique, and true to themselves, whether their choices are morally right or not.
2) This is a very slow-moving book. Because of this, it leaves you with a lot of time to think, to grow familiar with the novel itself, and to develop any emotion or opinions that you may have regarding the events of the plot. It's brilliantly paced. I don't think it could have possibly been executed more perfectly.
3) This entire book is a perfect blend of social commentary and character study. The writing lends a deeper look into the psych of the human race, and what motivates, completes, and breaks us. I believe an in-depth essay could be written on each character, for even the minor ones, such as Robbie Holts, had drive, flaws, and distinct backstories.
CONCLUSION
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is perhaps one of the most difficult and rewarding novels I've read to date. And I'm not sure that I see a lot of potential for other books to top it in this regard. It is not an enjoyable read, by any means (though there are some hopeful moments sprinkled throughout the story), but it is incredible.
This is one of those novels that I truly believe everyone (who can handle the explored topics) should read at some point in their lifetime. I will never cease to recommend this book to those who can read these subjects.
Thank you, Backman, for confirming (and changing) my worldview.
-Elliana Maselli
Thursday, February 3, 2022
1:14 PM
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Self harm, Sexism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Toxic friendship
atalea's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Cursing, and Bullying
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse