Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

415 reviews

euphvrian's review against another edition

5.0

emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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the writing was so beautiful to me without being super flowery, Backman really honed in on the human experience

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Child death

kallsypage's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Rape

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence

Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

kananineko's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia

carolynbruce's review against another edition

3.5

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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It took a while for me to get really interested, but once the first match begins, I was drawn into the story. I liked the narration style, constantly shifting to focus on different characters. One particular moment in the first act—a tasteless joke made in a locker room—told me everything I needed to know about the big reveal (the incident) halfway through the story, and tipped me off on the rest of the book. While the story was compelling, I was constantly taken out of it by the dialogue. So many lines were too…scripted. They didn’t speak like real people, too polished and sage and poetic. That style works beautifully for in Backman’s prose describing the town, but it felt unrealistic and stilted in the dialogue. The ending also felt a little too corny—not everyone has a happy ending, but they all have grand, symbolic moments or conversations that wrap up their story in a kind of clumsy bow. The flowery writing style didn’t help matters here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders

The entire second half of the book hinges on the rape of a main character. The town devolves into he-said, she-said nastiness and she is frequently discredited and further traumatized.

caoxtina's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief

nattybumpo's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence

Minor: Child death, Suicide

bookswithlauren's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

catorureads's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Blood

hannasandmann's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism

kassidyreads's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Grief

Minor: Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Death of parent