Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

414 reviews

emotional mysterious sad tense 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: Yes

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

First audiobook so took a while to get used to. The plot was quite a difficult subject matter to listen to but I really enjoyed the ay the story unfolded. It highlighted the pressure put on young people in a small town where everyone knows each other, and shone a spotlight onto victim blaming. It also brought up the topic of conversation around if people of prominence are a lot of the time dismissed from the crimes they have committed because they have money, fame, sporting prowess etc. Lots of different important topics covered in this book against the backdrop of an ice hockey town. Loved the character of Benji. Enjoyed the ending too. Probably will leave as a stand alone book although i know it is a series.  

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What can I even say about this book? I don’t even know if I can say I “enjoyed” it because that implies I had an inkling of joy. Rather, I thought it was incredibly moving and captivating and I was crying nonstop for the back half of it. Reading this book felt like watching a car crash in slow motion while wondering which party was going to survive, if any. I haven’t really read anything that was like this book, from its style of prose to the tricky way the author writes that is constantly faking you out, making you think people are one thing when they’re really another, more complex thing. The characters all felt real and complicated and unpolished, which made the events feel all the more believable and heart wrenching. This book hurt to read, but I know I will be thinking about several passages I highlighted for a long time. 

Read if you like poignant, moving, challenging stories about people and what drives them.

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional 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: Complicated

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

Fredrik Backman’s „Beartown“ is a masterfully crafted novel that at first glance is a typical sports story but is so much more that that. It depicts a rich array of human experience and community dynamics by capturing the raw essence of small-town life hopelessly needing something to root for. It’s about the bonds that hold a community together and the events that can tear it apart.

Backman’s prose is nothing short of poetic. His writing is laced with a lyrical quality that has captivated me from the start and made me easily transcend into a world that would have never captured my interest. As a person with 0 knowledge or interest in hockey or high school dynamics I was taken by surprise at how much I was invested in the story. 

The characters in this novel were truly remarkable. Their growth through their fears, dreams, moral dilemmas was exceptional to follow. I loved Maya, Benji, Bobo so much! 

I felt like the unique framing of the chapters in „Beartown“ added a layer of depth to the narrative. Each chapter often begins with a broader observation that then zooms into the intimate lives of the characters and it feels like a perfect way to intertwine philosophical musings with the unfolding drama. 
Upon reading other reviews I could not help but notice that this particular way of delivery is either loved or hated and I personally thought Backman’s use of aphorisms and metaphors nothing short of brilliant.

This story is so much more than hockey. It’s about resilience, hope, determination, family, community, self love and acceptance, shame, redemption🩵

If you’re looking for a book that will completely captivate your heart and mind, „Beartown“ is an absolute must read! It’s not just the beautiful writing that feels like poetry in motion, the extremely well developed characters that are so real and you easily feel invested in their lives, but simply because it’s just a story that stays with you 🩵

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

A fucking gut wrenching masterpiece.

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