Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Beartown

Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

41 reviews

lizziaha's review against another edition

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Goosebumps, chills, tears. I cannot express how much this book got under my skin. It took me a little bit to get into it—I wasn’t sure I was going to like it—but before I knew it, I was deeply invested in this town and these characters. I was never quite sure what they were going to do—characters I trusted made choices that hurt me and characters I hated made choices that I was rooting for. And some characters I just hated and some characters I just loved (one of those hockey boys in particular has my whole entire heart and then some). The reading experience is really immersive. I felt like I was somewhere in that town, in the forest. And Backman has a way of writing that takes such complex topics and puts them into really simple words. It’s sort of a detour from what I usually love but there’s just something about the way that he uses repetition is just so compelling and powerful.

I also really like the way that, even though it’s the first in a series, it can also stand on its own. Even though I want to stay with these characters and see what happens next, it felt complete.

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mousmoulo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.5

this was an absolute masterpiece. every single character felt so real it was hard to believe they're plainly fictional. the book deals with very difficult topics in a manner that's both incredibly compassionate and utterly realistic. it's as infuriating as it is depressing as it is human. i'm just really glad for the hopeful ending because i would've pulled my hair out one strand at a time if it wasn't.

minus half a star for the amount of times i threw the book across the room in complete and utter frustration, it was hard to keep reading at times. way. too. realistic. which isn't the book's fault.

i'll take a little break before reading continuing the trilogy because i need time to process this lol

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stepnic's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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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emuewe's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

elise0405's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a heavy book, like…it literally made me feel heavy and the opposite of lighthearted or hopeful.
All the characters struggle deeply and alone and I could literally feel how all those unsaid worries and traumas that every one of them bottled up are slowly suffocating them.
It describes how hard we struggle in the hopes to do things right and get out and still hurt people or get hurt. How sometimes its just never enough. How it feels being stuck in toxic surroundings, how helpless it feels and what this helplessness does to you.

As i say time and time again, Fredrik Backmans writing stile polarizes; some love it, others find it overdramatic… you gotta find out for yourself

Content Warnings

kmsander4's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

Fredrik Backman's stories do something to me. They rip my heart out and slowly piece it back together but never quite put it back in the exact same place as it began. With each new chapter I read, I am changed. And Beartown was no different.

This town, these people, this story, I know it. I've lived pieces of it and some of it I've even longed for. I've loved the game of hockey for as long as I can remember and I spend days and nights and weekends in freezing cold arenas, cheering until I went hoarse as boys raced around the ice.

I've seen the incredible things sport can do for a small town, and I've seen the kind of monsters the game can hide as well. Backman does such an unbelievably phenomenal job of capturing all of the depth that needs to be shown to properly tell this story, and he does it with a deft, gentle hand.

I could gush forever but all I will say is that it is a must read. For everyone. I can almost guarantee that something inside you will shift.

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daniellekat's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

Backman is so talented at writing characters with depth, emotion, and believable motivations. Just when you think you understand a character, Backman makes you reconsider. It's the reason why I love his books, but I struggled with Beartown. The plot was so heartbreaking and tense that it took a lot out of me. After reading a few chapters, I always felt like I had to both lie down and go running. Backman covered so many interesting topics relating to sports culture that wove together seamlessly. This was not a 'fun read' and I HIGHLY recommend checking out the content warnings before reading, but Fredrik Backman writes about intersecting lives and community like no one else. My only criticism was that the ending was a little flat for me. I'm super interested to see where the series goes from here, especially since I think his writing is best suited for stand-alones.

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