Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

121 reviews

lizschultz24's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Gun violence

Minor: Homophobia

emiliegrace's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Animal death, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

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

mosshroomish's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, and Sexual assault

pgreen0309's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Gun violence

emilyjcoic's review against another edition

emotional 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

A horribly perfect ending to this trilogy. We are the bears, the bears from beartown 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

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

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