Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book!
I loved the many characters, both likeable and not!
I loved the location and the description of living in very few hours of daylight.
I loved the whole hockey team and their very talented players. I don't even watch or like hockey, but this made me a fan!
There was nothing I didn't like about this dark, humorless and grave story.
I couldn't take my eyes from this novel until finished.
There is a "Beartown #2 coming! Can't wait!
I loved the many characters, both likeable and not!
I loved the location and the description of living in very few hours of daylight.
I loved the whole hockey team and their very talented players. I don't even watch or like hockey, but this made me a fan!
There was nothing I didn't like about this dark, humorless and grave story.
I couldn't take my eyes from this novel until finished.
There is a "Beartown #2 coming! Can't wait!
Helpful Score: 3
Beartown is a small hockey town in Sweden that rests all its hopes and dreams on the junior hockey team winning the national semi-finals. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil.
Backman is a masterful writer and this one will leave you reeling. His characters are well-drawn and the story is well-told. What amazes me about Backman is his knowledge of human behavior and how humans generally will react in certain situations. This story could have happened in any small town and would probably have the same repercussions. It is a highly emotional read and you don't have to like hockey in order to enjoy it. I have read one other novel by Backman, A Man Called Ove and enjoyed that one too. This book is a bit darker than that one but one that you should not miss reading. I look forward to reading the next book by Backman and I highly recommend this one to those who like to read about human behavior.
Backman is a masterful writer and this one will leave you reeling. His characters are well-drawn and the story is well-told. What amazes me about Backman is his knowledge of human behavior and how humans generally will react in certain situations. This story could have happened in any small town and would probably have the same repercussions. It is a highly emotional read and you don't have to like hockey in order to enjoy it. I have read one other novel by Backman, A Man Called Ove and enjoyed that one too. This book is a bit darker than that one but one that you should not miss reading. I look forward to reading the next book by Backman and I highly recommend this one to those who like to read about human behavior.
Helpful Score: 1
I was excited to read this one, since it was getting such high star ratings, and I loved Backman's Ove book. So did I love Beartown? Not really.
The book is about a struggling town that is filled with hockey fanatics. Their junior league team is gearing up for the semi-finals, and the boys of the team can do no wrong... until one of them does.
I struggled with getting into the book- the tone is very dark. I never really became overly attached to any of the characters, maybe due to the sheer number of them. They just weren't very likable. I was also very frustrated with Backman's choice of writing style here. He would drop these little "hints" about future events, and the writing seemed somewhat choppy and repetitive. The ending was also frustrating, because Backman simply dropped more hints as to the futures of some of the characters. I had to go back and re-read a few times to make sure I hadn't missed anything, and even then I'm not 100% sure I got it right.
This one felt like Backman was simply trying too hard to be profound, and I think he missed the mark.
Trigger warnings: Rape, bullying
The book is about a struggling town that is filled with hockey fanatics. Their junior league team is gearing up for the semi-finals, and the boys of the team can do no wrong... until one of them does.
I struggled with getting into the book- the tone is very dark. I never really became overly attached to any of the characters, maybe due to the sheer number of them. They just weren't very likable. I was also very frustrated with Backman's choice of writing style here. He would drop these little "hints" about future events, and the writing seemed somewhat choppy and repetitive. The ending was also frustrating, because Backman simply dropped more hints as to the futures of some of the characters. I had to go back and re-read a few times to make sure I hadn't missed anything, and even then I'm not 100% sure I got it right.
This one felt like Backman was simply trying too hard to be profound, and I think he missed the mark.
Trigger warnings: Rape, bullying
Helpful Score: 1
This is a good read as all Backman's books seem to be. The characters are sometimes larger than life but there is so much about hockey that I can't say I enjoyed this one as much as some of the others. Still, it is very well written and I liked the ending. I will be reading the next book with these characters, too.
