Reviews

Beartown, by Fredrik Backman

zoemsiepert's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful 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

joyce_porter's review

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • 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

3.0

naomiward's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

jshenry's review

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challenging emotional funny fast-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

5.0

I loved the plot of this book and the characters. The style of writing kept me on my toes. I couldn’t put it down! 

hannahbroadwell's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

lola425's review against another edition

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4.0

Liked this much more than I expected to. The book provoked a very spirited discussion in our book group. If you are hesitant to read this because you think it is a "sports book", reconsider because Backman takes a number of complex social issues and presents them with near-perfect characterization through the residents of this "hockey town". Recommend for all book groups, but it is very different than A Man Called Ove, so make sure that is clear to participants.

jessicaculver's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

leonorcenas's review against another edition

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3.0

I was going through the reviews to try and find opinions similar to mine and it wasn't easy as the book seems to be widely loved. Which is fine. I just didn´t do it for me.

It was really hard to get into in the beginning and I didn´t enjoy the writing style and pace. At times it seemed fairly repetitive regarding the characters and town depictions. Also some bits didn´t seem to add to the story.

That said, towards the third part, the story picked up and I was keen of figuring out the fate of this town and its people. I still look forward to Backman's next book, which I hope can be as fun as A Man Called Ove.

sarahlw's review

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emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

wheelerdavid44's review against another edition

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5.0

I really enjoyed this book, and was not expecting to like it as much as I did. I love hockey, and a compelling story, and this combined them both. What happens when the star player does something horrible? There were some great side characters as well. Really enjoyed this one.