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sandrawhenreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
oyin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
caliseales's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
rebeccasarine's review against another edition
5.0
wow! what a beautifully written book. deep character studies. strong visceral emotional reaction from me. I couldn't put it down but I was left undone.
stillthinking72's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
5.0
khaleesiofthegreatwhitenorth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This had some great characters, like honestly if it weren’t for the medley of characters I know I would be rating this lower. Because when it comes to the plot, half a sentence will cover what you need to know; small hockey town reacts to a teen’s crime the exact way you’d expect.
If you’re looking for something with characters that feel real/complex, this is the book for you. I’m very impressed with how Fredrik Backman can write characters you strongly dislike as written from one character’s perspective but then make you understand them to the point of empathizing when it’s their POV, all without it ever feeling disingenuous to the character in question. My only gripe with this story that makes it not 4.5-5 stars is how many random narrative breaks there were in some chapters where all that break provided was an opportunity for him to wax philosophic. Sometimes it worked, but sometimes it got to be a bit much.
Overall, though, glad I read it. Wouldn’t have done it without it being an IRL book club read (and I definitely feel no urge to reread it ever), but now that I have I would recommend it for certain types of readers.
If you’re looking for something with characters that feel real/complex, this is the book for you. I’m very impressed with how Fredrik Backman can write characters you strongly dislike as written from one character’s perspective but then make you understand them to the point of empathizing when it’s their POV, all without it ever feeling disingenuous to the character in question. My only gripe with this story that makes it not 4.5-5 stars is how many random narrative breaks there were in some chapters where all that break provided was an opportunity for him to wax philosophic. Sometimes it worked, but sometimes it got to be a bit much.
Overall, though, glad I read it. Wouldn’t have done it without it being an IRL book club read (and I definitely feel no urge to reread it ever), but now that I have I would recommend it for certain types of readers.
treat_yo_shelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Beartown destroyed me and put me back together. I fell in love with almost all of the characters, a few will stick with me forever. When I finished this book I physically vibrated at the grief of having finished and the last message of hope.
This is a book I will forever wish I could read for the first time again.
This is a book I will forever wish I could read for the first time again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Rape, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying
na10dha's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
saraavowlerr's review against another edition
Very boring and I felt like the author was trying to over explain things and manipulate the reader into believing that it’s hard to do the right thing at times. In these situations, it is not.