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kelly_e 's review for:
The Winners
by Fredrik Backman
challenging
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
Title: The Winners
Author: Fredrik Backman
Series: Beartown, #3
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: September 27, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Atmospheric β’ Compassionate β’ Shattering
π S Y N O P S I S
It has been two years since Beartown was shook by events no one wants to think about. Everyone was attempted to move on, yet there's no moving on from events like those. As the Beartown locals struggle to overcome the past, changes are brewing. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.
π T H O U G H T S
For those who know me, it will come as no surprise that The Winners was hands down my most anticipated release of 2022. Despite that fact, it took me several months to be ready, and in the proper headspace to finally sink myself into this third, and final, book in the series. I'll admit I was so afraid, yet who was I kidding? It's Backman!
Picking up two years after Us Against You ended, the beginning recaps events from books one and two, allowing me to get reacquainted with the plot, the characters, and the atmospheric world of Beartown and Hed, while also introducing several new characters. And as I have said with the previous books, it's a book about so much more than hockey. And let me just say that Backman as mastered the art of foreshadowing with this one.
This is a story of identity and community, of friendship and family, of pain and hope, of triumphs and challenges, of second chances and goodbyes, of loyalty and forgiveness, of healing and growth, and above all a powerful story of love and loss. A story of what makes us human and the lengths we are willing to go for those we love. The characters are relatable because they are so flawed and simply striving to do better. The setting is hostile and unforgiving. The pacing is deliberate. Every part of this book is written with purpose and intent.
I laughed and I cried. And it was hard to say goodbye to these beloved characters, yet the ending felt honest, difficult, and satisfying. It was everything I wanted it to be - all 670 pages of it. Backman has delivered a in depth glimpse into human nature - both individual and community alike.
The Winners cements my opinion that Backman writes unlike any other author. He has an unmatched ability of telling a story. Every single sentence has its place - a reflection on what it means to win. In fact, the entire Beartown series is one of the most complicated and devastatingly beautiful stories ever written. If you're thinking about picking this one up, but haven't read Beartown and Us Against You I highly recommend starting at the beginning to the full Backman experience.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ fans of the Beartown series
β’ readers looking for beautiful prose
β’ everyone!
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"NaΓ―ve dreams are love's last line of defense, so somehow we always convince ourselves that no terrible tragedies will every afflict those we love, and that our people will succeed in escaping fate. For their sakes we dream of eternal life, we wish for superpowers and try to build time machines. We hope. Dear God, how we hope."
"People can bury so many of their loved ones during a lifetime and still get up the morning after, but something inside gets a bit heavier each time. She's had more than a few mornings when she's woken up and wondered if she can be bothered to get up once more."
"The most unbearable thing about death is that the world just goes on. Time doesn't care."
"This hurts too much to touch with words." (head stone engraving)
"Life goes on. It doesn't give us any other choice."
"It is often said that history is written by the winners, but there are no winners here."
Author: Fredrik Backman
Series: Beartown, #3
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: September 27, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Atmospheric β’ Compassionate β’ Shattering
π S Y N O P S I S
It has been two years since Beartown was shook by events no one wants to think about. Everyone was attempted to move on, yet there's no moving on from events like those. As the Beartown locals struggle to overcome the past, changes are brewing. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.
π T H O U G H T S
For those who know me, it will come as no surprise that The Winners was hands down my most anticipated release of 2022. Despite that fact, it took me several months to be ready, and in the proper headspace to finally sink myself into this third, and final, book in the series. I'll admit I was so afraid, yet who was I kidding? It's Backman!
Picking up two years after Us Against You ended, the beginning recaps events from books one and two, allowing me to get reacquainted with the plot, the characters, and the atmospheric world of Beartown and Hed, while also introducing several new characters. And as I have said with the previous books, it's a book about so much more than hockey. And let me just say that Backman as mastered the art of foreshadowing with this one.
This is a story of identity and community, of friendship and family, of pain and hope, of triumphs and challenges, of second chances and goodbyes, of loyalty and forgiveness, of healing and growth, and above all a powerful story of love and loss. A story of what makes us human and the lengths we are willing to go for those we love. The characters are relatable because they are so flawed and simply striving to do better. The setting is hostile and unforgiving. The pacing is deliberate. Every part of this book is written with purpose and intent.
I laughed and I cried. And it was hard to say goodbye to these beloved characters, yet the ending felt honest, difficult, and satisfying. It was everything I wanted it to be - all 670 pages of it. Backman has delivered a in depth glimpse into human nature - both individual and community alike.
The Winners cements my opinion that Backman writes unlike any other author. He has an unmatched ability of telling a story. Every single sentence has its place - a reflection on what it means to win. In fact, the entire Beartown series is one of the most complicated and devastatingly beautiful stories ever written. If you're thinking about picking this one up, but haven't read Beartown and Us Against You I highly recommend starting at the beginning to the full Backman experience.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ fans of the Beartown series
β’ readers looking for beautiful prose
β’ everyone!
π F A V O U R I T E β’ Q U O T E S
"NaΓ―ve dreams are love's last line of defense, so somehow we always convince ourselves that no terrible tragedies will every afflict those we love, and that our people will succeed in escaping fate. For their sakes we dream of eternal life, we wish for superpowers and try to build time machines. We hope. Dear God, how we hope."
"People can bury so many of their loved ones during a lifetime and still get up the morning after, but something inside gets a bit heavier each time. She's had more than a few mornings when she's woken up and wondered if she can be bothered to get up once more."
"The most unbearable thing about death is that the world just goes on. Time doesn't care."
"This hurts too much to touch with words." (head stone engraving)
"Life goes on. It doesn't give us any other choice."
"It is often said that history is written by the winners, but there are no winners here."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use
Minor: Homophobia, Mental illness, Medical content, Car accident, Pregnancy, Alcohol
sibling death, overdose