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elisabethspidle's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Outing
leonormsousa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Violence, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Classism, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
mcoleman1250's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Rape, Violence, Homophobia, Bullying, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, and Outing
bridget_t's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Car accident, Bullying, Death of parent, Rape, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
katsnow14'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
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Homophobia, Outing, Alcoholism, Violence, and Cancer
lauren_shilling's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Car accident, Homophobia, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child death
franklola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Death of parent, Outing, Cancer, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Addiction, and Alcohol
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Stalking, Child abuse, Outing, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Violence, Alcohol, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
laura_berger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Minor: Child death, Outing, Car accident, Grief, Self harm, Drug use, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Homophobia, Bullying, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Violence
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
I read Beartown almost a year ago, and I wasn't sure I'd remember a lot of the detail or character specifics. But it turns out this town and its glorious inhabitants live rent-free in my brain, and combined with Backman brilliantly spinning plot and recap together, I was soon immersed again; possibly more than last time. Now I knew history, I knew conflict, and I knew just how much there is to love in all of these beautiful, broken people.
The first half of the book is very contemplative and deals with some heavy emotion as the town comes to terms with the events of the first book. Upheaval and scandal threaten the future of the hockey club, and everyone is affected. We learn more about The Pack and its history with hockey (my goodness, I love Teemu!) as the club begins to rebuild itself.
The conflict between the teams in Hed and Beartown is incredibly tense at times, which builds throughout the book. The events that lead to the climax at the end are so clever, so intricate and often devastating. But there is genuine kindness littered throughout the town (as well as real moments of humour), and I finished so many chapters weeping at the beauty of it all.
This is such a human story, filled with survival, love and tragedy (often all hand in hand), and I completely adored it.
Graphic: Violence, Homophobia, and Rape
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Death