Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

211 reviews

lizschultz24's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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emiliegrace's review

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challenging emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

We have finally come to the closing of this series and the dread death of Benji that we knew was coming since the first book. It was still somehow more devastating than I had prepared myself for. This series has truly shattered me, but I have a feeling I will come back to it time and again as it is such a beautifully interwoven series of stories that reflects upon the complexities of a community and its extremely human experience.

Winners in particular posed the question of how we can come to forgive and understand people and what they have done to us or those we love. The story of Matteo and his sister Ruth is one of anguish and failure at the hands of their parents and those around them that did not do what they could to save them. 

Amat’s story is extremely satisfying in its exploration of how we deal with success and what feels like the weight of the world on our shoulders. Bobo’s little love story was a breath of fresh air throughout all the violence and turmoil and I could not be happier for a fictional character quite honestly.

And we come to Benji’s story. While the ending is devastating, I am so incredibly grateful to have known this character and to experience his coming home to a town that loves him despite what he thinks. He truly dies as he lived - a hero, putting himself in front of others to save and protect them.

So so beautifully written and so so beautifully devastating. 
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lavendcr's review

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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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saatkinson's review

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emotional sad

3.0

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bealittlebrave's review against another edition

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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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feministy's review

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emotional 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

Well, we all knew what were getting into before opening this one. I cried at the end, and this story (the entire Beartown trilogy) will stay with me. 
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theredheadbaker's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

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elainarkk's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

While I enjoyed reading this series as a whole, this book was such a drag for me. Half of the plot points and new characters don’t have any significance in the end, which makes it hard to appreciate how long it took to read. The underlying messages and conversations had in this book about sexism, violent masculinity, class structures, and family (whether chosen or biological) are super great, so—again—I’m glad I read it, but I just think Backman’s writing style is not my cup of tea.
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firststreetbethreads's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

5.0

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mosshroomish's review

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dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

i will never be able to forget benji ovich for as long as i live.
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