Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

130 reviews

mmccombs's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

So this book was basically exactly the same as the other two, so I should have loved it, but mostly I felt over it by the time I was only halfway through. It had the usual good writing, good characters, and bonkers domino effect of a plot, but this one felt especially over-the-top, repetitive, and long. Every bad thing that hadn’t already happened in the first two books happened in this one, and it wasn’t exactly compelling. When I finished Us Against You, I was like “ah ha! These towns have finally remembered the power of hockey and friendship!” And then this book was like, “hm, no, let’s make it much worse but in a way that doesn’t feel as natural as it did before!” There were quite a few bits where I was hit with a feeling of Deja-vu, where it seemed I was reading the same exact scene/inner character thought I had earlier in the book. I just couldn’t stay as interested and the drama was just too much, so for that reason the simpler, more down-to-earth (if still cheesy) character work I loved so much in the first two books felt a bit lost.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Fatphobia, Child death, and Racism

lavendcr's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

We try to just live our lives, live with each other, live with ourselves. Accepting joy when we find it, bearing grief when it finds us, and being amazed at our children's happiness without falling apart when we think that we can never really protect them.

i have been emotional asf recently, so when i opened to the first page of the book, I STARTED SOBBING! i was intimidated by the page count but i feel like it was an appropriate length for everything that happened here. it was steady for most of the book, and then during the final quarter it just started getting really tense.

i don't think i've experienced this much anxiety and chest pain while reading a book. it was intense and even as im writing this i feel so uneasy. numb.
i am completely gutted.

benjamin ovich i love you so much. you deserved everything and more in the world and i hope with my entire heart that you are safe and happy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Grief, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence

bealittlebrave's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

This one hurts too much to touch with words.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Grief, Bullying, Child death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Car accident, Rape, Addiction, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

karenperry93's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Bullying

superciliary's review

emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Animal death

jenifer623's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Death, and Animal death

sbookreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Murder, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Gun violence

Moderate: Addiction, Pregnancy, Classism, Cursing, Vomit, Blood, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Child death, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

kassidyreads's review

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Gun violence, Rape, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Misogyny, Drug use, Child death, Animal death, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicide, Bullying, Homophobia, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

hmcbog's review

challenging dark emotional funny 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: Rape, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual assault, and Animal death

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

sandysmith's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

What a ride of a book. It was a tad long at nearly 700 pages, but this I overlooked to reunite with my favourite characters and some new ones. The author writes them so beautifully, and in such a way that the ending is heartbreaking. "This hurts too much to touch with words", you do need to have read the previous 2 books in the trilogy, but the investment is so worth it. Friendships, politics, town rivalry, family relationships, religion, kindness, happiness, love, and so much more than ice hockey teams. It is an emotional, big-hearted, clever, and simply delightful. I absolutely loved it. Go Beartown.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Gun violence, and Rape