Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

81 reviews

audreads100's review against another edition

dark funny 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

4.0

I enjoy Frederik Backman’s ensemble casts and how he uses each of their POVs to move the story along. This book handles some pretty tough topics though so check the trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, and Bullying

Moderate: Violence and Homophobia

paperbacksandsnacks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Medical content

mylazybones's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Classism and Racism

devowynn's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, and Gun violence

frenandjen's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Rape, Homophobia, Violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Suicidal thoughts

piperashley21's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.25

Backman is one of the only authors I know who can tackle such dark topics with such care and some levity. I didn’t realize how dark a turn this one would take to talk about sexual assault. However by the end I had a feeling of hope in my chest, hope for people who can change after reading a book and making a choice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Sexism

Minor: Alcoholism

singalana's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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

A dwindling town, passion for hockey and a crime that divides the town. What price are the people willing to pay for hockey? 

During the course of the story we get to know a cast of characters whose lives revolve around hockey in one way or another. Each of the characters have their own struggles in life, but when one of the players is accused of rape, people will have to decide who to believe and what hockey really means to them. 

The story paints a vivid picture of Beartown and all its inhabitants. It does a good job shedding light to the complex motivations people have behind their actions, and also allows the reader to read between the lines when necessary. 

At first, the book allows us to get to know the characters and their circumstances. Then a hockey player rapes a girl. The scene isn't described in needless detail, but is impactful nonetheless. When the events are made public, the people of Beartown react. 

This book deals with shame, rape culture and culture of silence. It touches on many important topics with gentleness and respect. 

The ending surprised me, and I thought it was as satisfying as it could be, considering the circumstances. I think everyone who spends time in testosterone filled environments such as a hockey team would benefit from reading this book. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

liakatherine's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

quetzel90's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

This book fundamentally changed me as a person.  I read it a while back, but didn't write a review.  My mind drifts back to it so often.  I still can't bring myself to read the rest of the series because I'm to emotionally invested. I think

reading about Benji's death

would actually kill me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

lindseyas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

This is truly one of the more emotional books that I've read in recent memory. The story of a small town, its hockey team and its supporters started with a bang (figuratively and literally), keeping you on your toes and waiting for the moment that Backman reflects on in the early pages. This was just emotionally devastating, some of the characters so morally stunted that you couldn't help but despise them, some of them so forlorn and lost that you couldn't help but want to help them. In this town where hockey is larger than life and the boys that lead the team to victory are worshipped like gods, the epidemic of toxic masculinity is alive and well — boys and men are given a platform to be, well, boys and men, all without the need to face the consequences. It is the burden of women, whether they be sisters or daughters, mothers or bartenders, friends or teachers, to beat them at their own game, to speak out against injustice and support one another in times of needs — be a shoulder to lean on, but also the person to provide the shotgun (or shot). A tale of female friendship, fatherhood, masculinity, team spirit, the smallnesses of the "small town" and what it takes to do the right thing, this book equally made me cry (a big effort for me) and made me feel hopeful. It wasn't a happy ending for everyone — justice wasn't served —, but that's what made it so realistic. That's the effect of the patriarchy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, and Sexual assault