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ciuli's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
Give this author all the stars in the sky because he deserves every single one of them.
CW: mentions of depression and of suicide; jokes about being raped and being lesbian; rape; homophobic slurs; homophobia; slut-shaming; bullying; there are some jokes about being raped and being lesbian 1/4 of the way in, it's locker room talk and it's bullshit but I get that it's part of the plot.
Fredrik Backman strikes again with another masterpiece. I don't think I'll ever find the appropriate words to describe my unconditional love for this author, his books and his writing style. I started this book already knowing that I would have love the style since I'm a huge fan of 'A Man Called Ove', but the story in this one swept me off my feet and had me fall in a puddle of my own tears.
I listened to it on audiobook and I have to admit that it was a bit difficult to follow at the beginning since there are so many characters, and the omniscient narrator tended to change perspectives quite often. However, once you get to know the characters, you just needed to hear the first line of a paragraph and you already knew who he was talking about. These characters are so diverse and they each have their own unique voice that it's impossible to confuse them.
Beartown is a small town in the middle of a forest and the only thing that keeps its community's hope of a better future alive is the hockey junior team, who is about to compete in the Nationals. This could be a great opportunity for the town, because a win in the Nationals means more sponsors and more sponsors equal more money to support Beartown, its people and its activities.
That's why, when the star boy of the hockey team rapes the daughter of the GM of said team, the community is split in two: those who believe the girl and those who don't.
I think I already mentioned this enough, but the cast of characters is amazing. What stood out the most for me was the representation of these strong women who stand for their rights and are not afraid to give men a piece of their mind. There is Maya, who after what happened to her goes through with the police investigation, even though she knows how the community will react. Maya's mother, who will probably fight everyone with her bare hands to keep her family safe. Benji's sisters and mother, who raised him and took care of him on their own after his father committed suicide. Ramona, who wasn't scared by the threats and blackmail of a stupid man and put him in his place. Amat's mother, who built a new life for her and her son after fleeing from the war in their country, and who would rather have her back broken in two by the hard labour than have her son lie for her sake.
Let's talk about the other protagonists of this story now.
There was exactly one problem child and I managed to spot him and take him under my wing in exactly twenty pages. I loved Benji. I even loved his friendship with Kevin, at least until we find out how screwed Kevin is. Benji has always been loyal to Kevin, he had always been there for him when his parents weren't home or when he needed someone to protect him. And I loved that even though everyone saw them as a package deal, you can't get one without the other kind of situation, Benji showed that he was his own person and the moment Kevin did something as unforgivable as raping someone, he dropped him without a second thought. This boy is precious and needs to be protected at all costs because he is definitely shit at taking care of himself. He literally played with a broken foot for a team that let him down every single time they made a joke about being gay. He trashed a school bathroom because he didn't want people to find out that Maya had punched a mirror. He deserves happiness and love and I hope to see that in the sequel.
Bobo is definitely the one who grew up the most during this book. He started out being the bully, unable to think for himself outside of the pack and by the end of the book he was finally able to stand up for himself and realized that he is his own person even when he's not part of a group.
I would like to make a special mention for Leo, because I think he is one of the most underrated characters but he is definitely the one that made me cry the most. He is what? 11?12? And he managed to understand on his own that something terrible had happened to his big sister and that she needed him to be there for her, even if she wouldn't ever ask that of him, because she didn't want him to be a pariah as herself.
The truly outstanding character is definitely Maya. What she went through and how she reacted to it is no small feat. She is selfless, she went to the police not because she wanted justice for herself but because she didn't want Kevin to be able to do that to someone else. She comforted her mother, she worried about Leo when she was the one in the hospital, she tried to protect her best friend from being a social reject even though that'd want she'd be alone. And the final was breathtaking. Her confronting Kevin the way she did took balls and I was honestly cheering and whooping for her the whole time.
Fredrik Backman is one of a kind. The emotions that he managed to communicate through his words are just incomparable to any other author I've ever read. The joy, the sadness, the rage (holy crap, was I angry while reading this book), they all make you feel like you're part of the story.
I am excited for the sequel, but the ending of this book had me thinking that there wasn't supposed to be one. I mean, we pretty much already know who is going to die, or at least we can assume, and the way their futures got laid out and explained doesn't leave much out for imagination. Anyway, I'm still excited about it and can't wait to dive in!
Give this author all the stars in the sky because he deserves every single one of them.
CW: mentions of depression and of suicide; jokes about being raped and being lesbian; rape; homophobic slurs; homophobia; slut-shaming; bullying; there are some jokes about being raped and being lesbian 1/4 of the way in, it's locker room talk and it's bullshit but I get that it's part of the plot.
Fredrik Backman strikes again with another masterpiece. I don't think I'll ever find the appropriate words to describe my unconditional love for this author, his books and his writing style. I started this book already knowing that I would have love the style since I'm a huge fan of 'A Man Called Ove', but the story in this one swept me off my feet and had me fall in a puddle of my own tears.
I listened to it on audiobook and I have to admit that it was a bit difficult to follow at the beginning since there are so many characters, and the omniscient narrator tended to change perspectives quite often. However, once you get to know the characters, you just needed to hear the first line of a paragraph and you already knew who he was talking about. These characters are so diverse and they each have their own unique voice that it's impossible to confuse them.
Beartown is a small town in the middle of a forest and the only thing that keeps its community's hope of a better future alive is the hockey junior team, who is about to compete in the Nationals. This could be a great opportunity for the town, because a win in the Nationals means more sponsors and more sponsors equal more money to support Beartown, its people and its activities.
That's why, when the star boy of the hockey team rapes the daughter of the GM of said team, the community is split in two: those who believe the girl and those who don't.
I think I already mentioned this enough, but the cast of characters is amazing. What stood out the most for me was the representation of these strong women who stand for their rights and are not afraid to give men a piece of their mind. There is Maya, who after what happened to her goes through with the police investigation, even though she knows how the community will react. Maya's mother, who will probably fight everyone with her bare hands to keep her family safe. Benji's sisters and mother, who raised him and took care of him on their own after his father committed suicide. Ramona, who wasn't scared by the threats and blackmail of a stupid man and put him in his place. Amat's mother, who built a new life for her and her son after fleeing from the war in their country, and who would rather have her back broken in two by the hard labour than have her son lie for her sake.
Let's talk about the other protagonists of this story now.
There was exactly one problem child and I managed to spot him and take him under my wing in exactly twenty pages. I loved Benji. I even loved his friendship with Kevin, at least until we find out how screwed Kevin is. Benji has always been loyal to Kevin, he had always been there for him when his parents weren't home or when he needed someone to protect him. And I loved that even though everyone saw them as a package deal, you can't get one without the other kind of situation, Benji showed that he was his own person and the moment Kevin did something as unforgivable as raping someone, he dropped him without a second thought. This boy is precious and needs to be protected at all costs because he is definitely shit at taking care of himself. He literally played with a broken foot for a team that let him down every single time they made a joke about being gay. He trashed a school bathroom because he didn't want people to find out that Maya had punched a mirror. He deserves happiness and love and I hope to see that in the sequel.
Bobo is definitely the one who grew up the most during this book. He started out being the bully, unable to think for himself outside of the pack and by the end of the book he was finally able to stand up for himself and realized that he is his own person even when he's not part of a group.
I would like to make a special mention for Leo, because I think he is one of the most underrated characters but he is definitely the one that made me cry the most. He is what? 11?12? And he managed to understand on his own that something terrible had happened to his big sister and that she needed him to be there for her, even if she wouldn't ever ask that of him, because she didn't want him to be a pariah as herself.
The truly outstanding character is definitely Maya. What she went through and how she reacted to it is no small feat. She is selfless, she went to the police not because she wanted justice for herself but because she didn't want Kevin to be able to do that to someone else. She comforted her mother, she worried about Leo when she was the one in the hospital, she tried to protect her best friend from being a social reject even though that'd want she'd be alone. And the final was breathtaking. Her confronting Kevin the way she did took balls and I was honestly cheering and whooping for her the whole time.
Fredrik Backman is one of a kind. The emotions that he managed to communicate through his words are just incomparable to any other author I've ever read. The joy, the sadness, the rage (holy crap, was I angry while reading this book), they all make you feel like you're part of the story.
I am excited for the sequel, but the ending of this book had me thinking that there wasn't supposed to be one. I mean, we pretty much already know who is going to die, or at least we can assume, and the way their futures got laid out and explained doesn't leave much out for imagination. Anyway, I'm still excited about it and can't wait to dive in!
basianat's review against another edition
4.0
En vicktig bok!
Det händer inte så mycket på de första 200 sidorna. De är inte tråkiga men inte fascinerande heller. Men det är värt att vänta. Och då börjar man hata några av karaktärerna i boken så mycket att man vill skrika. Men jag är inte säker på att jag har gillat de andra karaktärerna tillräckligt för att fortsätta med serien.
Det händer inte så mycket på de första 200 sidorna. De är inte tråkiga men inte fascinerande heller. Men det är värt att vänta. Och då börjar man hata några av karaktärerna i boken så mycket att man vill skrika. Men jag är inte säker på att jag har gillat de andra karaktärerna tillräckligt för att fortsätta med serien.
kerry_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
chanelchapters's review against another edition
DNF
I gave it 100 pages but I couldn’t take any more mentions of hockey.
I gave it 100 pages but I couldn’t take any more mentions of hockey.
bexdubyah's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
dawnurse's review against another edition
5.0
The different types of silence in this book were maddening. I think that is what the author intended. I hated it and loved it at the same time.
lindy1259's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t write a lot of reviews, and I hate the phrase “trigger warning” but there is some rough going here for sexual abuse survivors. And having said that, there is incredible beauty and healing. It’s a very good book.
kasvi_mavani's review against another edition
4.0
I’ll start off by saying how dare you Fredrick Bachman make me tear up multiple times on public transit in the wee hours of the morning, when I’ve already got my definitely not waterproof mascara on for the day.
I’ve heard soooo many great things about Beartown, and I was so skeptical after not really liking A Man Called Ove as much as the hype promised. I actually wasn’t even going to read this book until I found a copy at a little free library, and decided many the universe just wants me to read it, and so I did.
It did not disappoint.
The cast of characters in this book basically encompasses the entire community, and were written with such depth that every character felt so real and human. I’ve never really read anything where I can completely understand where everyone’s coming from, and each perspective makes sense to me in their own ways.
I thought Maya was so strong, and her relationship with her brother had me in the feels over and over again. I haven’t heard anyone talk about the sibling relationship, but it was one of the most quietly tender I’ve read, and it really stuck with me.
I also don’t really know much about hockey, and the “action” scenes still felt very impactful and dynamic, even though I don’t know the technicalities of the sport.
I don’t know what else to say except that you should definitely read this book if you’re reading this review, and to also check out the trigger warnings to say safe.
I don’t know if I’ll continue on with this series, I feel like I’m satisfied with the span of this book, and I don’t want to ruin this experience by continuing on. If you think I should continue let me know please! I’m easily convinced haha.
I’ve heard soooo many great things about Beartown, and I was so skeptical after not really liking A Man Called Ove as much as the hype promised. I actually wasn’t even going to read this book until I found a copy at a little free library, and decided many the universe just wants me to read it, and so I did.
It did not disappoint.
The cast of characters in this book basically encompasses the entire community, and were written with such depth that every character felt so real and human. I’ve never really read anything where I can completely understand where everyone’s coming from, and each perspective makes sense to me in their own ways.
I thought Maya was so strong, and her relationship with her brother had me in the feels over and over again. I haven’t heard anyone talk about the sibling relationship, but it was one of the most quietly tender I’ve read, and it really stuck with me.
I also don’t really know much about hockey, and the “action” scenes still felt very impactful and dynamic, even though I don’t know the technicalities of the sport.
I don’t know what else to say except that you should definitely read this book if you’re reading this review, and to also check out the trigger warnings to say safe.
I don’t know if I’ll continue on with this series, I feel like I’m satisfied with the span of this book, and I don’t want to ruin this experience by continuing on. If you think I should continue let me know please! I’m easily convinced haha.