Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Beartown

I love Fredrik Backman, his writing just speaks to me. He sets up the story so perfectly. When "it" happens in the book you're not expecting it. The story took a turn I wasn't expecting, but everything that happened prior effects how the rest of it plays out. Backman has the talented ability to touch on each one his characters having a unique story and a reason for the choices they make. This story is about Hockey, but goes so far beyond the rink.

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luciapoloni's review

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challenging reflective 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? N/A

3.75

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annakh16's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense

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

4.75

A masterpiece in character studies. A lot darker than I expected (please do note the trigger warnings) but handled with great empathy.

Backman brings each character to life beautifully - and there are a lot of them -, showing the many depths of their motivations and creating an ever more complex web of relationships. The writing is straightforward but stunning - philosophical at times, when discussing concepts such as loyalty, love, friendship, family, community and more, but also full of vivid descriptions and images that really help bring the stories to life. The book makes clever use of flashbacks and flashforwards, which are revealing enough for the reader to make their own guesses about what will happen, but obscure enough to allow the story to unfold at its own pace. In fact, the book is full of small plot twists along the way, which are really aided by these small hints, that are often subverted at the last minute.

The only thing I‘d say is that it‘s a little bit slow to get into, as it starts with a lot of character description before the plot gets moving. But (as Backman always manages), soon both characters and places are laced with depth, so that you can’t help but root for them (or despise them, alternatively). As the plot picks up, so does the pace and by the end of the book, tension is running thick.

This is no doubt my favourite of Backman’s books so far. I loved this and would really recommend (even if you‘re not even slightly interested in hockey).

I especially appreciated Backman‘s almost sociological study of the dynamics and events surrounding Maya‘s rape. Backman explains, without justifying, the many factors which encouraged complicity and silence surrounding the event. His descriptions of the impact of the events on Maya‘s life and that of her family are devastating and moving.

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marslotus's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

Reading this I felt as if I could feel the weight of care and consideration the author put into crafting this narrative, especially with a topic such as

sexual assault of young girls.

It's inevitable to relate to one or more characters within the story and the author makes you feel understood by his writing. I honestly sometimes felt like I was reading a quotebook the author compiled all of his favorite anecdotes on life into, and carefully assigned each opinion to certain characters.

If I were to complain about anything, I understand the purpose of so many different point of views since the book is quite literally about Beartown and how it's citizens react to drastic events but that doesn't make it less frustrating when I can't remember the name of characters that have 5 or so paragraphs total dedicated to their presence within the entire book. That and having new characters on top of those being introduced when you're already halfway through can just be a bit tiring. It also confuses me what worthiness it requires to be a named character vs being only referred to as something you do (the girlfriend, the president, etc). Maybe there's a real reason for it, but I haven't figured it out.

Regardless, this was a good read and I appreciate the way a lot of topics were handled.

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