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tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Violence, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Homophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Vomit, Addiction, Sexism, Animal death, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
nikimorr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I will say, I had a harder time with Winners versus the first two books in the Beartown series. Fredrik Bachman has so many deep, powerful, and thought-provoking messages to relay; however, sometimes it can feel like these deeper messages bog down the story and slow the development of plot. The ending, despite the length of the book, felt like a rush - as if most of the book was asking the reader to contemplate these deeper messages that the plot had to all be thrown in at once at the end. The ending was foreshadowed throughout, almost like you knew the ending before it happened, but it took about 600 pages to get there. Overall, I was not entranced by the storyline.
All this to say, I still love the Beartown series. I always leave these books with a feeling of understanding and appreciation of community. The good, the bad, and the ugly in us and within our communities. Nothing is ever black and white, and I appreciate that recognition in this fictional town and within their relationships. As is said frequently by Lev - good people can do very bad things, and bad people can do very good things.
A question Frederik Backman always takes us back to: why don’t we believe and support our women victims? It’s a real issue in today’s society, and I appreciate a male voice recognizing and questioning it.
SPOILERS. My favorite addition to this final book was the introduction of Hannah and Johnny. I found them to be far more relatable than most characters and both sweet and heartwarming to read about - a couple very much in love, with wildly important and time consuming careers testing which often test the balance of their family.
SPOILERS. Another addition I both appreciated and hated was Bang, Sune’s dog. As an avid animal lover, I felt every word about the love a person can have for a pet. Sune puts it best - was he my dog, or was I really his human? The animal abuse and death of Bang had me also hating this chapter - nothing gets to me more.
SPOILERS. The evolution of Matteo was both terrifying and fascinating. Well done by Fredrik Backman for creating an “enemy” that made the reader, at least sort of, understand how he got to a place of doing something so horrifying and to get you questioning the role that everyone played in shaping the events that led to the horrible gun violence ending the series.
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Classism, Death, Stalking, and Murder
in_dire_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Violence, Sexism, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, Stalking, and Rape
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Animal death, and Suicide
thehmkane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Addiction, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Drug use, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Suicide, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Abandonment, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Ableism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Miscarriage
chamaeleontis's review
- 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
It’s delightful. It’s painful. It’s so very very human. It took my heart and stomped on it and gently pieced it back together.
I rate all the books I read too high and I don’t have the patience to fix that. So just know that this one is one of the best I’ve ever read, even if my rating doesn’t reflect that.
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Violence, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Addiction, Body shaming, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Cursing, Drug use, and Gaslighting
courtsport's review
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Gun violence, and Rape
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Stalking, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
j3ss1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It speaks to how beautifully written it is and how well the characters are brought to life that I didn't get tired of the slow pace, I was hooked. I was also completely sobbing by the end. I really enjoyed having Hed characters who allowed us to see Beartown and the events of the last two books through a different perspective both in terms of how these new characters experienced those events and showing a comparison to other people's similar but different stories.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Mass/school shootings, Rape, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Sexual violence
Minor: Drug abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug use, Car accident, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, and Suicide
kananineko's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Grief, Animal death, Death, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual violence, Murder, Rape, Drug use, and Cursing
Moderate: Child death, Religious bigotry, Blood, Sexism, Misogyny, Abandonment, Stalking, Pregnancy, Classism, and Fatphobia
Minor: Xenophobia, Racism, Excrement, Homophobia, Suicide, Physical abuse, Car accident, Cancer, Miscarriage, and Child abuse
saramoser's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Stalking, Sexual assault, Suicide, Drug use, Murder, Drug abuse, Death, Blood, Gun violence, and Sexual harassment
ljmilman's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Stalking, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, and Grief