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novelbabe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beartown is about teenagers, their parents, life in the city revolving around hockey, social circles, friendship, courage, crimes, bullying, and the modern-day phenomenon of victim blaming. A realistic, strong, provocative story. After reading one chapter before bed, I had a difficult night sleep. But even though it's a pretty dark book, there was something in every chapter that touched me and made me tear up.
Don't let yourself be hesitant about reading this book just because of the hockey theme - I know nothing about it and have no interest in it, but I loved every minute of the book.
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Grief, Homophobia, and Child death
_masha's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Misogyny, and Bullying
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail
cabeswaren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Bullying
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
idajoh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Blood, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Bullying, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Child abuse, Vomit, Stalking, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
clarrotttt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Vomit, and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Self harm
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent
lovis_erics's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Cursing, and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Vomit
Minor: Child death and Eating disorder
sarahaf712's review against another edition
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, and Vomit
cryptoid1283's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexism, and Racial slurs
oliverlang's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, and Vomit
znvisser's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Drug use, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit