Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

54 reviews

bookswstella's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked to read Beartown, it’s such a important book I think everyone should read. It’s really emotional and some parts hurts so bad to read. 

Some of the characters I loved, and some I hated. They all felt so real it easily could have been a real story. 

Even tho I’m really excited to read the other books in this series, Beartown would have been a great standalone, but maybe my opinion on that will change after I’ve read the rest of the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Deadnaming, and Gun violence

amariela02's review

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Rape, Bullying, Classism, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexism, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child death

Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Stalking

sisulake18's review

challenging funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Bullying, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Child death, Suicide, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Grief

em_likes_books's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexism, Homophobia, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

katharina90's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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."

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Gun violence, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Transphobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Ableism, and Fatphobia

emme_faith's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Self harm, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse

jordanh's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

For absolutely no discernable reason, I have been under the impression in the last few months that Fredrik Backman would be one of my favourite authours when I eventually read his works. This is the only book of his that I've read, so one book does not yet feel like enough evidence, but this is certainly granting many points in his favour. 

This was so well-written. I don't know how to fully articulate it, but the way this was written was so real. I can't believe this was written by a man. Like. You're telling me a <i> man </i> wrote this book!?!?!?!? A man wrote these women?? A man wrote <i> that </i> scene?????? I am not the type of person that is easily triggered but this one did a little bit for the sheer realism of the rape scene. It was just so real and accurate and GOd ,,,,,,,

The first bit of the book was very slow and kind of boring, but the payoff was totally worth it. The slow development at the beginning totally immersed you in the town and connected you with all of the characters. Both the good and the bad, and all the complexities of the relationships. It wouldn't have worked near as well as it did if the beginning hadn't been what it was, with the development of the town and the many characters living in it. I find that usually this many pov's does not work and dilutes the story, but in this case it would not have worked without all of the pov's that it had. 

This was just such a phenomenal read and I am so excited to read more by Fredrik Backman. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Grief, and Domestic abuse

yulecogs's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Grief, Stalking, Homophobia, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Classism, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Drug use, Death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Addiction

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Bullying, Child death, Death, Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

adusiek's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault