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nobonesnicole's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
4.5
After school special in the best way. Nothing groundbreaking conceptually but the delivery makes it. I could see how someone could be annoyed by this author’s style but I’ve liked everything I’ve read so far
morgob's review against another edition
5.0
This book hit a little too close to home for me, but in a good way... I think. I may have to hide this entire review for spoilers, but I need to discuss some things in order to get my point across. Beartown is about a hockey town, but one of the main plot points is a girl is raped by the star hockey player. Long story short, very very few people in the town believe her, and this is mostly due to the fact that it happened right before their season final game that sort of determined the fate of that town's hockey team, so everyone assumed she was making it up for attention and to purposefully cause the team to lose the final. So, to put it lightly, I knew what the town's mindset was going to be because I have experienced this mindset before, first-hand. It is horrifying and just disgusting, but it is true.
Backman's novel hits home for several reasons, but that is the main one: sometimes a small town mindset is just not good. And it is not okay to just "go with the flow" to fit in. AND if you say you "don't want to pick a side", you already have. And it's probably the wrong one. This world--particularly small towns--will remain disgusting and ignorant if we just let these things slide and don't do anything to go against the flow and try to incite change. The other thing that absolutely made my blood boil was the blatant sexist and misogynist attitudes of the men and boys in the town and how absolutely nothing is done about it. (To be clear, I am not bashing Backman at all; I think he hit the nail right on the head.) I mean, seriously? If a whole group of male students--let alone just one--called me "sweet cheeks" there would be hell to pay. Their parents would hear from me, and their coaches.
To say this book made me angry would be a bit of an understatement. But it also terrified me. It made me not want to have kids, for all the horrible things that could happen to them. I could do everything possible and still not be able to protect them and keep them safe from harm, as displayed by several different examples in the book, from illness to crime.
The parts that I liked about the book were the sports-related aspects. I could relate to a lot of things even though it's a sport I've never played before. I want to be a coach, and it made me think about the kind of coach I want to be. I do NOT want to be a David or a Lars. I want to be more like Sune, nurturing the boys and being able to get them to their very best. I care more about the individual than the team. That may be a fault of mine. I find I always relate at least a little bit to sports books.
The other thing I liked was the look at outcasts, a glimpse into an unlikely character's life. I liked the bad parents because I got to see people with faults and I got to see them wake up and realize their mistakes. If there's one thing I like, it's justice. I liked that there were so many instances that I could relate to, most often being people's very wrong opinions. Wow. This book just got me heated. I had to finish it one night because I just had to see how it ended. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but the most prominent one is anger. And helplessness. I felt very helpless reading this book because I know, where I live and where I work, the same thing could happen and I could do very little to change the outcome. The only thing I can tell myself is that I can make a difference, that it is possible. Also, Jeannette was probably one of my favorite teachers. Let's go, female high school teachers.
Backman's novel hits home for several reasons, but that is the main one: sometimes a small town mindset is just not good. And it is not okay to just "go with the flow" to fit in. AND if you say you "don't want to pick a side", you already have. And it's probably the wrong one. This world--particularly small towns--will remain disgusting and ignorant if we just let these things slide and don't do anything to go against the flow and try to incite change. The other thing that absolutely made my blood boil was the blatant sexist and misogynist attitudes of the men and boys in the town and how absolutely nothing is done about it. (To be clear, I am not bashing Backman at all; I think he hit the nail right on the head.) I mean, seriously? If a whole group of male students--let alone just one--called me "sweet cheeks" there would be hell to pay. Their parents would hear from me, and their coaches.
To say this book made me angry would be a bit of an understatement. But it also terrified me. It made me not want to have kids, for all the horrible things that could happen to them. I could do everything possible and still not be able to protect them and keep them safe from harm, as displayed by several different examples in the book, from illness to crime.
The parts that I liked about the book were the sports-related aspects. I could relate to a lot of things even though it's a sport I've never played before. I want to be a coach, and it made me think about the kind of coach I want to be. I do NOT want to be a David or a Lars. I want to be more like Sune, nurturing the boys and being able to get them to their very best. I care more about the individual than the team. That may be a fault of mine. I find I always relate at least a little bit to sports books.
The other thing I liked was the look at outcasts, a glimpse into an unlikely character's life. I liked the bad parents because I got to see people with faults and I got to see them wake up and realize their mistakes. If there's one thing I like, it's justice. I liked that there were so many instances that I could relate to, most often being people's very wrong opinions. Wow. This book just got me heated. I had to finish it one night because I just had to see how it ended. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but the most prominent one is anger. And helplessness. I felt very helpless reading this book because I know, where I live and where I work, the same thing could happen and I could do very little to change the outcome. The only thing I can tell myself is that I can make a difference, that it is possible. Also, Jeannette was probably one of my favorite teachers. Let's go, female high school teachers.
eyroro's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
4.0
sophiebresciani's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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
5.0
katliana's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexism
rnshack's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars rounded down. I think.
Ugh, I have no idea how to rate this. 2 stars? 3? 2.5, but rounded up or should it be rounded down? 1 star? 3 stars? I don’t know!
It was just so slow, and so boring, and to be quite honest I did a lot of skimming. I’m still counting this as read cause I did get to the end but man did it take quite the effort and plenty of skimming.
I think Backman may not be the author for me. I feel the same way about this book as I did about Anxious People. Slow, boring, and what in the heck was the point?
Also, I kind of hate the people of Beartown. But of course it ended on a cliff hanger so what am I supposed to do? I almost have to read it, right? It will drive me nuts not knowing what happened to everyone. Maybe I can find the cliff notes somewhere.
I should have known better than to listen to the hype. I didn’t like Anxious People either. I will never learn.
I can’t even get the energy up to leave a proper review about the actual book. I’m just exhausted by the story and ALL the characters. But maybe that says all I need to say about this book. Now the real question is, do I do it? Do I finish the series. Maybe, but probably not anytime soon. I need to forget how much of a slog this book was first.
Ugh, I have no idea how to rate this. 2 stars? 3? 2.5, but rounded up or should it be rounded down? 1 star? 3 stars? I don’t know!
It was just so slow, and so boring, and to be quite honest I did a lot of skimming. I’m still counting this as read cause I did get to the end but man did it take quite the effort and plenty of skimming.
I think Backman may not be the author for me. I feel the same way about this book as I did about Anxious People. Slow, boring, and what in the heck was the point?
Also, I kind of hate the people of Beartown. But of course it ended on a cliff hanger so what am I supposed to do? I almost have to read it, right? It will drive me nuts not knowing what happened to everyone. Maybe I can find the cliff notes somewhere.
I should have known better than to listen to the hype. I didn’t like Anxious People either. I will never learn.
I can’t even get the energy up to leave a proper review about the actual book. I’m just exhausted by the story and ALL the characters. But maybe that says all I need to say about this book. Now the real question is, do I do it? Do I finish the series. Maybe, but probably not anytime soon. I need to forget how much of a slog this book was first.
aedmunso's review against another edition
5.0
Gave me chills multiple times. Heartbreaking, rage inducing, inspiring
lazylucid's review against another edition
5.0
perfect amazing fredrik might hate me tho tbh
he just like’s making hopeful and happy moment painful
he just like’s making hopeful and happy moment painful
chrystalo's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great book. It made me cry, gave me chills, and really felt real and true and more than I was expecting. It was, above all else, messy in a way that these kinds of contemporary novels can easily struggle with, and it was beautifully done. I can never read it again, but it was well worth the read the first time. Really amazing book club pick!