Beartown
Ratings341
Average rating4.4
2.5/5 stars
Dnfed around chapter 24. I was frustrated at the character development of some of the characters.
Bit of a slow start but once it got going I had to keep reading to find out how it ended. The characters were likeable - except for a handful of them. Learned a bit about ice hockey too!
You'll truly understand two things from the get-go: the dire nature of the situation in Beartown and what appears to be the author's love for the game of hockey. Though references like ‘those who score more points' (rather than goals) and the fact A-level is the top tier or what appears to be Mites being called little league like its baseball, was a bit odd to my hockey mind. [I later realized that this is probably because of the Swedish-to-English translation]. Enjoyed the writing style/clarity and descriptives while there were also very clear, relatable motivations and values for each character. It was interesting from the beginning to see how the sports drama was going to unfold, and certainly how things end up at the moment teased in Chapter 1 (the equivalent of a Prologue). There were some turns and surprises along the way and the hockey action was well laid out. When the events after the semifinal finally start on the darker path of the book, it does turn into more of a page-turner with a cinematic feel to it - especially with the way it effectively cuts from one character to another living through the same or adjacent moments. The main drama that unfolds after the buildup to the games did seem to be a bit of a standard tale but with a little different and layered spin on it ...at least just enough for it to not feel overwhelmingly familiar.
So impactful that I can pardon the odd overwrought moment and the occasional overly-blunt line - if anything is the major flaw here I'd wager that a few moments seem too... simple, I suppose? As if they're being spoon-fed? But that's a pretty small complaint considering that this had me holding back tears a few times
A few other notes:
-A whole lot less about hockey itself than the town's mentality surrounding the sport, which made for a truly interesting read
-Love the characters! Benji, Maya, Amat, and Ana have a very special place in my heart
-Looking forward to books 2 and 3, though I don't enjoy a certain implication...
-The ending is incredible, simply
Apesar de ser uma história inerentemente interessante, sobre um assunto de extrema importância e que explora de forma visceral a cultura desportiva e a sua relação com abso seual, este livro deixou-me com a mesma sensação que um chili mexicano sem picante: os elementos estão lá todos, e lê-se bem, mas falta o tempero.
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Eu diria que 70% do livro é a apresentação dos personagens, do seu contexto sociocultural, da vila em que a história se apresenta, de tudo o que eles carregam nas suas costas. E apenas 30% é efetivamente sobre o evento que motiva este livro. E isso, não vou mentir, desiludiu-me um pouco.
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Eu definitivamente não queria mais descrições sobre o QUE aconteceu, mas absolutamente queria mais sobre o que aconteceu DEPOIS. E pelo que compreendi sobre a sequela, apesar de ela se passar na mesma cidade e ter muitos personagens em comum, parecer girar em redor de um incidente diferente. Por isso, acho que há muitas perguntas que ficam por resolver apesar de tudo - o que é uma pena.
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Resumindo: livro interessante, mas com pouca história para contar. Em contrapartida, os personagens são extremamente humanos e tridimensionais, e conhecemos vários lados deles. Não estão estereotipados em papéis defenidos e o impacto de cada um deles vai variando ao longo da história.
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Boa leitura, bom livro, apenas não o terminei a sentir grandes emoções.
I loved this book. It's beautifully written and I loved the insight that the narrator interjected between the parts that moved the story along. The audio version is stellar, I may have found a new favorite voice actor.
This is one of the best books about sports I've ever read. Of course, it's about far more than sports. The justifications we make for them. The toxicity of fans. It's a dark book in many ways. But it's very worth reading.
einfach nur ein geniales Buch.
Ich musste zuerst in den Schreibstil reinkommen, am ende habe ich es dann geliebt und kann nicht erwarten mehr von ihm zu lesen
“Everyone has a thousand wishes before a tragedy, but just one afterward.”
“Never trust people who don't have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason.”
I liked this more than “Man called Ove”. Loved the depth of the characters and the insights into different people's and community's behavior. Backman's writing ultimately draws you in. I could feel what each character was going through and was heavily invested in them. You can feel the pain every character undergoes, you can see every tree, every road, and every scar on everyone.
This book is dark and emotionally compelling. Being a parent, this book hit me harder in multiple places.
“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.”
backman has mastered the art of seamlessly blending the lives of 50 million characters in one book. I don't know how he does it. I think he did an amazing job at depicting rape culture and what being in a small town where the same ideas are recycled through generations without anyone questioning them, does to people. there were times where I felt like he let the bubble of this being a fiction book pop and poured his feelings of anger and disgust of how the rapist is coddled and victimized while the victim themselves, is villainized. It read like a condemnation of rape culture and groupthink.
choosing to write about a small, financially insecure town whose only form of light and hope is not just hockey, but whoever the star player is, was a brilliant backdrop to condemn these faults in our society because its more explicit with less distractions to shy away from the faults with influences of a larger society. the star player is supposed to be their way out, a way to their make their lives better and worth living. so they choose blissful ignorance. their money makers can do no wrong, because their money makers are their beacons of hope.
this way of thinking is fucked up and unhealthy and breeds young boys into young men into fully grown men who were never allowed and taught to be human. only to be winners. and if they're not treated as such, they lash out in anger and throw temper tantrums because you won't treat them as immortal and give them what they want. and this extends beyond sports, as we all already know.
thank you sm if you read all of this, I know its a lot to read and digest, but this is what “beartown” is. when I talk to my friends about SA, we always say “when” it will happen to us instead of “if”, and it shouldn't be like that at all.
Never have I ever read a book where so many aspects can be considered a protagonist. Hockey and Beartown are just as much characters as the people in the story.
The Washington Times is quoted on the cover stating “Packed with wise insights into the human experience,” and this could not be more true. Every single character is deeply examined despite their role in the events that occur throughout the story. For this reason, the book may feel slightly slow in the beginning as we jump from perspec
4.5 stars. I love the way this author write his characters. They seem so real and relatable.
5 stars for writing
4 stars for the story
There are some very disturbing events which include a sexual assault and there is a lot of very strong language. The behaviors are certainly not condoned but they are present and quite graphic at times
When a town's entire culture is based on hockey, and something threatens to destroy that, how does the town react? Painful to read at so many moments, but kindness comes from unexpected places and maybe everything will all work out in the end. Beartown hits hard emotionally and isn't the best Backman story to start with,but is so worth it in the end. (Read trigger warnings before starting)
4.25
The writing is soo good and I really enjoyed this book. I love how it comments on society through hockey. The only thing I didn't like about this book are the insults and jokes - they made me too uncomfortable.
This was my first Backman book and I've heard people say that his prose are something to behold. I would wholeheartedly agree that his writing style is beautiful. So credit for him and for the translator as well.
When I started reading this book, I thought it was just going to be a book about hockey. But that's not quite right at all. Hockey is just the backdrop to a much larger story that asks questions about loyalty, tribalism, community, passion, morality, idolization and so on. It's a heart breaking tale in part because of how well written it is, but also because we've all heard this story in similar contexts in real life and I know it will be told countless times in my lifetime.
I can't do justice to the emotional roller coaster I felt during this novel. I was legitimately angry with characters and/or circumstances at points, incredibly frustrated to see how some things unfolded, disappointed in some of the action's characters took, saddened over what some have to overcome, heartbroken over what others have to carry, and laughed along with some jokers.
I have always cherished books that illicit a strong emotional response from me and this novel is the epitome of that. That being said because it deals with rather serious topics, it can be uncomfortable to read at times, so it's hard to throw a blanket recommendation out there. Something each individual will have to investigate on their own.
This is a difficult book to rate. There are many positive and negatives. On the negative side, like in The man called Ove, the book is full of cliches and the characters all do dumb things, so the reader can see from a mile away where the things are going. This aspect makes the plot almost amateurish. On the positive side, I have to be honest with myself and admit that I could not put the book down and I wanted to know how it ended...
Actual rating: 4/5 stars
Read for Winterween 2022: book with a winter setting & book with snow on the cover
I really did love the themes in this book. This book is very important and this made me understand why people really love team sports which is a weird thing to get from this book. I have never really been a sports person even tho I played them when I was younger but I never understand why people are always so committed to them. This made me understand that. Besides that I really like how all the perspectives mattered to tell a story of how sexual assault can impact so many people especially when sports players are involved. The writing wasn't my favorite and it was a bit too slow for me but besides that I adored this.
update: 24 hours after I declared I could not finish the book and that I give up trying to - I did just that :3 turns out, the key event happens just after I quit the book. and this cold gloomy town became even worse. I won't rate this because of how stressful and infuriating the central theme was. The aftermath felt so real, ugh, I can't even. Toxic masculinity and bad behaviour from “winners” are enabled by a society, we know. this book breaks that down so bloody well. I liked the weird ending, now I'm done with this book.
22nd September:
that's it. I am DNF-ing this. I cannot go through this book anymore.
This is the first DNF of this year. I am almost 40% through, and there is not a single character I give a damn about. The setting feels so grey and sad. I am sure it's intentional, but I don't like this book's energy.
This is not a criticism of the writing or the story (or the narration). I am sure they are all great; I love Backman's work. But I feel like this book, right now, is not for me. It's a classic case of it's not you, it's me . Maybe another time, another place, I would enjoy this. Returned this book to get Secret History, lol.
This story was very engaging. I felt the characters were very well formed. I can't take away from the rating for this, but I did not personally like the people in this town very much. I wish there were more good people, instead of all the ones who are ready to stab others in the back. Even “the girl” wasn't who I hoped she could have been. But still a great story.
Frederik Backman is a master of storytelling and is currently one of my favourite authors.
In this book we are introduced to Beartown, a small town in the forest with a passion for hockey. The junior ice hockey team is competing in the national semi-finals and have an opportunity to win, which brings hope of a brighter future to the community.
We are introduced to a different set of characters, each one of them facing their fears and demons. Through their eyes we also learn about the community and, ultimately, humanity.
This book includes difficult topics and felt heavier than other Frederik's books but I loved it.
Kannte ich Backman vorher nur als FeelGood Autor, hat mich dieses Buch echt überrascht. Irgendwie düster und nüchtern, mit einen Funken Hoffnung. Klasse.
Nicht vom deutschen Titel abschrecken lassen. Hört sich an wie Rosamunde Pilcher ist aber eher “13 Reasons why” oder ein Kleinstadt “The Wire”