Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Kleine Stadt der großen Träume by Fredrik Backman

208 reviews

emmasafford725's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Islamophobia, and Toxic friendship

foxmulders's review against another edition

reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Classism

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

 

Context:
I borrowed Beartown from my library through the Libby app. It is the first Fredrik Backman book that I have read.

 

Review:

Beartown is a long book, but I read it in a couple of days. Backman’s writing is compelling and easy to digest. The book’s strength lies in its ability to capture the small-town, hockey-obsessed culture of Beartown convincingly and quickly in the reader’s imagination. Despite the book’s large cast of characters, each person feels believable, and it is easy to keep track of everyone. Backman then uses this setting and this cast of characters to tell a heartbreaking but powerful story about the double-edged nature of a town that fosters a close-knit sports culture of ferocious loyalty, spirited work ethic, and conspicuous silence. He manages to capture the complexity of moral situations and sheds light on why certain people make certain choices, but nevertheless asserts the necessity of morally correct actions rooted in integrity and empathy.

 

My one issue with the book is Backman’s writing style. Although he appears capable of “showing instead of telling,” he often opts to “show” the reader something through a scene and follow it up with him “telling” them what it meant. He’s a huge fan of punchy concluding sentences that hammer in a point about morality or human nature, which can be effective if used sparingly. Unfortunately, Backman uses this device constantly, which dilutes the effectiveness of these lines considerably. If he cut them down by about 75-80% and kept only the best ones, he would be left with some pretty devastating lines that feel like a punch in the gut. More bizarrely, he sometimes repeats these lines within a chapter, with an effect similar to someone repeating a punchline of a semi-decent joke over again in the hopes of generating more laughs. 

 

Fortunately, I appreciated the other elements of the book enough for me to ignore his annoying writing quirks. That being said, I feel no desire to continue with the Beartown series. I devoured this book like it was a decadently sweet dessert and decided to quit when satiated instead of making myself sick by eating further. 

 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Beartown if . . . 

·      You want to read a book that captures the small-town feel

·      You like well-developed and damaged characters who must choose between doing what is right and what is easy

·      You appreciate a story that has something to say and understands the complexties of human nature

·      You are interested in the impact that masculinized sports culture has on wider society

 

You might not like Beartown if . . . 

·      You dislike shifting POVs or a large cast of characters

·      You can’t stand didacticism or a heavy-handed writing style

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

raisinreads's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Well done as always Mr.Backman

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia

jessicarosehutchings's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, and Islamophobia

kcarney86's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Grief, and Gaslighting

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

h_amaya_s's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Homophobia

sofiam19's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

Wasn’t really for me. Read this for a book club knowing there would be heavy subject matter. I found myself very bored and didn’t care for most of it, the writing felt forced in some spots and there was a lot of filler imo. I can see how others may have loved it, but there was something missing for me to be able to emotionally connect to any of the characters. The second half of the book made me mad but it was very realistic, I’ll give it that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

obx_mt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

audreylee's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Racism