Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Kleine Stadt der großen Träume

It's been 3.5 years since I first read this book. I was a bit scared rereading this; scared it would not hold up to how utterly magical it felt to read this for the first time. But the truth is that it was even better than I remembered. The writing is sublime; the characters are complex; the story is so well-interwoven. I've never read anything like this book and I will sing its praises until everyone around me has read this.

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soozn's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Right from the beginning this book feels ominous. Ominous and quiet and foreboding and profound. In a way, it reminds me of Twin Peaks or the movie Fargo in that it tells a big story woven together by little slice-of-life insights into being human with a lot darkness hanging over the whole thing.

It’s chock full of thoughtful and insightful commentary on the difficulties of being a person. What life does to us and what we do to each other. It’s cautionary tale after cautionary tale about all the ways we fail ourselves and one another. Backman uses his characters to point out our own foibles and blind spots. And I love how often he uses metaphors and similes to get across ideas and themes. There are so many and they’re so well done. They’re my favorite aspect of the book. [“Being a parent makes you feel like a blanket that’s always too small. No matter how hard you try to cover everyone, there’s always someone who’s freezing.”]

I love how unabashedly feminist the book is. It has a lot to say about the perils and insidiousness of misogyny without really having to SAY anything at all. I think Backman does an amazing job of showing how often women are casually disrespected, how often their talents are written off, their opinions dismissed, how they’re subject to the whims of violence and power of the men around them, how few people are willing to stand up for them. He also shows different ways they can take back the power that’s been taken from them and how hard it is to do so. Kira, Maya, Fatima, Adri, Jeanette, Kevin’s mom (who, rather appropriately due to her lack of agency, is never given a name) among others, all give us examples. Misogyny makes for a sinister background presence in this book.

I found it a little slow at times but Beartown is an extremely well written, powerful and thought-provoking work with important messages, great storytelling and excellent characters.

4 stars out of 5

⚠️ I honestly had no idea this was basically a story about Brock Turner. If I’d have known that, I probably wouldn’t have read it. This book was probably not one I should have picked up and I had a hard time getting through it. Heed the TW/CWs on this one, folks. 👇🏼

https://booktriggerwarnings.com/index.php?title=Beartown_by_Fredrik_Backman

Content Warnings

abitofapoet's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The thing holding me back from a 5 star review is the fact that I would never read this books again. That doesn’t make it less of a masterpiece, because it is. But damn did it hit close to home. Please check trigger warnings before you read, especially if you’ve been a victim of or have had a family member or friend experience SA.

Fredrik Backman has a way of throwing you into a community and really, really making you understand it. Almost as if you’ve lived there your entire life. I find that fascinating about his writing. There’s a LOT of characters, but you feel like you understand all of them. (even if you hate them)

This story follows a team of hockey players, their families, friends, and the people who’s lives revolve around them in one way or another. It’s really, really honest.

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