Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

127 reviews

scharah's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I love Fredrik Backman and I thought this book was great, however it is not as good as Ove or Britt-Marie. Backman’s biggest strength I think is his character creation and development. This book has a lot of characters, and I really enjoyed getting to know them all. While it doesn’t weaken his storytelling at all to talk about so many characters, I just think it’s a lot for the reader to give sympathy to. It’s a really well done book but because it’s asking you to care about so many people I think the emotional impact is lessened. This book tackles an issue that is not easy to approach in any way but is a really important issue to be addressed; the main event and plot gets a little muddled because there are many other important issues he addresses. This is a book about a town more than it is about a plot or one character, but he picked such a specific event with so many compelling characters that I found it an overwhelming story. I did really like the book though, would definitely recommend. Still made me cry. Didn’t make me weep. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Grief, and Bullying

Moderate: Violence

kaylasbewks's review

emotional reflective sad 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: Bullying, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Gun violence, and Drug use

Minor: Child death

liv_burrow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Classism, Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Grief, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm

Moderate: Cursing, Child death, and Sexism

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Racism, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Classism, Vomit, Gun violence, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Pregnancy

sabrinaaa720's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

Tough themes, difficult to read. Very human. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Sexism, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Rape, and Violence

coybean's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Hate crime, Bullying, Grief, Homophobia, Child death, Cursing, Rape, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Stalking, Murder, Self harm, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

julessssss's review

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I really do think the published description of this book does not do it justice in the slightest and that it is misleading.  If I had been aware that a detailed rape would be the main conflict of this whole slow-paced novel, I would not have wanted to read it.

I cannot say that it is badly written, which is part of why I gave it two stars as opposed to one, but I also have no idea what the point of this book was.  Backman's ability to bounce between characters while also making them real in some ways should be recognized at the very least.

With that said though, I could not care about most of the characters, and even though they felt like they could be real people, everything they gave to me felt like it was being filtered through Backman as the author, to the point of it feeling ingenuine.  I also really hated the Facebook-status-like altruisms that seemed to follow every emotional or important scene.  Honestly, in some ways, it felt like I was being talked down to, as if I couldn't just take what was being given to me and understand it.

Overall though, it seemed like a lot of nothing and too much of a rape story I have heard too often, and one that seemed to have no discourse in the text about it other than the same feminist notions I hear all the time. The book is fine, read it if you'd like, but I would not recommend it.

If you are going to make me read a detailed rape scene, make it worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Bullying, and Child death

Minor: Grief, Self harm, and Addiction

lizziaha's review against another edition

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Goosebumps, chills, tears. I cannot express how much this book got under my skin. It took me a little bit to get into it—I wasn’t sure I was going to like it—but before I knew it, I was deeply invested in this town and these characters. I was never quite sure what they were going to do—characters I trusted made choices that hurt me and characters I hated made choices that I was rooting for. And some characters I just hated and some characters I just loved (one of those hockey boys in particular has my whole entire heart and then some). The reading experience is really immersive. I felt like I was somewhere in that town, in the forest. And Backman has a way of writing that takes such complex topics and puts them into really simple words. It’s sort of a detour from what I usually love but there’s just something about the way that he uses repetition is just so compelling and powerful. 

I also really like the way that, even though it’s the first in a series, it can also stand on its own. Even though I want to stay with these characters and see what happens next, it felt complete. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Bullying, Sexual assault, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Classism, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Misogyny

Minor: Transphobia, Animal death, Dysphoria, and Panic attacks/disorders

samiamiam's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

My grandmother had bought me this book years ago after I read "My Grandmother Wants Me To Tell You She's Sorry" and despite devouring that book I thought Beartown wouldn't appeal to me. 

Boy was I wrong. I picked this book up because I needed a book with snow on the cover for a January prompt and I've never been so glad I did. This book was ohenominal and heart wrenching. I've already rush ordered the next two and I'm sure they'll be just as good. If you can stomach the darker themes of this book I can not recommend it more highly. 

the scene where Maya puts a gun to Kevins head and pulls the trigger is soemthinf we are told from the start will happen but i became so immersed in the story i forgot it was coming. When she dtarts talking ahout killing him or herself i remembered and i was in the edge of my seat. The fact that you dont kniw the gun is unloaded until the deed is done just adds ro it. The flashing back and forth to what you at first think is Maya and her future husband and what you learn after finding out the gun is unloadiled is Kevin and his future wife still gives me chills. This was one of the best written scenes i have ever read and i can not praise it enough

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol, Grief, Drug use, Blood, Classism, and Death

stepnic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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: Bullying, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, and Hate crime

Moderate: Fatphobia, Child death, Classism, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, and Homophobia

Minor: Vomit and Murder