Take a photo of a barcode or cover
dark
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Child death, Rape
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol
informative
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Minor: Body shaming, Child death
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
"People sometimes say that sorrow is mental but longing is physical. One is a wound, the other an amputated limb. Anything that grows closely enough to what it loves will eventually share the same roots. We can talk about loss, we can treat it and give it time, but biology still forces us to live according to certain rules: plants that are split down the middle don’t heal, they die."
What do you say about a book that makes you chuckle amidst tears and makes you cry between huffs of laughter? A book that both breaks and mends your heart over and over again? What do you say about a town that takes your breath away in a single second? A town you can’t live in but can only survive? What do you say about the Bears from Beartown, loyal to a fault? What do you say about parents who feel like a blanket that is always too small, that no matter how much they try to cover everyone, there’s always someone who’s freezing? About a fierce wolf-mother who counts her children every night - two in their beds, one in heaven - and is ready to kill for them? About a father who loves immensely but doesn’t have any violence inside him? What do you say about a girl who’s been through so much that she's afraid of the dark in the day, and yet remains a courageous wolf like her mother? What do you say about a boy with the most handsome face, the saddest eyes and the wildest heart one could ever find? About another young boy who is a lion among bears? And last, but definitely not the least, what do you say about an author who is brilliance personified? A translator who knows that words are not small things?
You say nothing. Not because you don’t want to, but because you can’t. And that is the beauty of Beartown. A book that made a girl, who has never been interested in any team sport, fall in love with a hockey town.
Somewhere in the book Mr Backman beautifully describes what freezing water does to a structure. In the summer the rain seeps into the cracks in the bricks, then when the temperature slips below zero the moisture freezes to ice, and the bricks break. That is exactly what his book does. It slowly seeps into your heart and once the story expands, your heart breaks.
What do you say about a book that makes you chuckle amidst tears and makes you cry between huffs of laughter? A book that both breaks and mends your heart over and over again? What do you say about a town that takes your breath away in a single second? A town you can’t live in but can only survive? What do you say about the Bears from Beartown, loyal to a fault? What do you say about parents who feel like a blanket that is always too small, that no matter how much they try to cover everyone, there’s always someone who’s freezing? About a fierce wolf-mother who counts her children every night - two in their beds, one in heaven - and is ready to kill for them? About a father who loves immensely but doesn’t have any violence inside him? What do you say about a girl who’s been through so much that she's afraid of the dark in the day, and yet remains a courageous wolf like her mother? What do you say about a boy with the most handsome face, the saddest eyes and the wildest heart one could ever find? About another young boy who is a lion among bears? And last, but definitely not the least, what do you say about an author who is brilliance personified? A translator who knows that words are not small things?
You say nothing. Not because you don’t want to, but because you can’t. And that is the beauty of Beartown. A book that made a girl, who has never been interested in any team sport, fall in love with a hockey town.
Somewhere in the book Mr Backman beautifully describes what freezing water does to a structure. In the summer the rain seeps into the cracks in the bricks, then when the temperature slips below zero the moisture freezes to ice, and the bricks break. That is exactly what his book does. It slowly seeps into your heart and once the story expands, your heart breaks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Child death
Minor: Body shaming
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I found this really difficult to read at first as it jumps from different characters very quickly trying to introduce everyone but it got easier as the book went on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
GoodReads really wanted me to read this, and after putting it off for a while - not being all too passionate about competitive sports and not being too thrilled either about the "conservative small town" vibe coming of of this - I was intrigued by the high ratings so finally decided to give it a go.
Turns out you can become immersed in a hockey game, and then a club, without actually really caring about hockey. Or games. And although this book seems to be about hockey, it made me sob halfway through already and then there was so much time left to just become very angry. Because of all the things you know people will say, and you see people say those things, and you still can't get over how stupid they are. But then there are also people who make the analyses and say the things you want and need to hear and even though the people that are supposed to listen to it won't, it does make you remember that they are the ones wiser and stronger than everyone else.
Culture is a recurring theme and Backman skilfully builds a story that reflects the ways in which culture and community grow and shape each other; and especially what happens if a flawed culture is protected by the community in which it is embedded, by which it keeps being nourished.
Above all, this story is about community: not just about club members finding each other in a sport, but about all the smaller bonds that exist. Because if you've shared a small town with the same people for generations, a big part of who you are is how you relate to others. So we learn about parents, children, siblings, coaches, crushes, friends, colleagues, idols and rivals. You will feel parents hurting because their child is in pain, the power of a friendship between fifteen year olds, and the loneliness of those who have lost the things most valuable to them so they can no longer bother to become a part of anything else anymore.
I loved the story and many of its characters so much that I don't even blame the author that much for very obviously manipulating my expectations and feelings. Not even for the fact that he succeeded.
Turns out you can become immersed in a hockey game, and then a club, without actually really caring about hockey. Or games. And although this book seems to be about hockey, it made me sob halfway through already and then there was so much time left to just become very angry. Because of all the things you know people will say, and you see people say those things, and you still can't get over how stupid they are. But then there are also people who make the analyses and say the things you want and need to hear and even though the people that are supposed to listen to it won't, it does make you remember that they are the ones wiser and stronger than everyone else.
Culture is a recurring theme and Backman skilfully builds a story that reflects the ways in which culture and community grow and shape each other; and especially what happens if a flawed culture is protected by the community in which it is embedded, by which it keeps being nourished.
Above all, this story is about community: not just about club members finding each other in a sport, but about all the smaller bonds that exist. Because if you've shared a small town with the same people for generations, a big part of who you are is how you relate to others. So we learn about parents, children, siblings, coaches, crushes, friends, colleagues, idols and rivals. You will feel parents hurting because their child is in pain, the power of a friendship between fifteen year olds, and the loneliness of those who have lost the things most valuable to them so they can no longer bother to become a part of anything else anymore.
I loved the story and many of its characters so much that I don't even blame the author that much for very obviously manipulating my expectations and feelings. Not even for the fact that he succeeded.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
dark
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief