Beartown (Beartown, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Mar 20, 2019 Kate McCartney rated it it was amazing

Shelves: friendship, audiobook, adult-fiction, lgbtq, 2019

Wow! So I read these out or order but that didn’t really ruin either book for me, they kind of stand alone ok. This book captured me just as much as it sequel! It is slow paced, not a lot of action but the characters grab me, they are all so complete. I don’t want to stop listening to the story, I need to know what is going to happen even though I KNOW what happens. What Kevin does, what he gets away with and what he loses. What happens to Maya, what she does and what she doesn’t. Who stands up ...more

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Oct 28, 2018 Kate (kate_reads_) marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf-2018

DNF 50p

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Dec 09, 2020 Lacey Louwagie rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club, literary-fiction, 2020-year-of-expanded-reading

I guess I'm in the minority in not loving this book. The fact that sports books never totally do it for me probably factored in, although I know sports books aren't really about sports, blah blah blah. Still, for someone who couldn't care less about sports, there ARE a lot of descriptions of games and gear and practices and what not that need to be slogged through to get to the heart of a story that's "not really about sports."

What sticks with me about this book is its sense of place. I read it I guess I'm in the minority in not loving this book. The fact that sports books never totally do it for me probably factored in, although I know sports books aren't really about sports, blah blah blah. Still, for someone who couldn't care less about sports, there ARE a lot of descriptions of games and gear and practices and what not that need to be slogged through to get to the heart of a story that's "not really about sports."

What sticks with me about this book is its sense of place. I read it months ago, but thinking of it I find myself back in that dark, bleak forest that Backman's writing evoked so well, the suffocation of a small town, the desperation that hinged all its hopes for something greater on its hockey team. I would say this book's setting was its strongest point, with its well-drawn and distinct characters a close second. It's rare that a book with a cast this large doesn't cause at least some confusion about who is who while reading, but this book doesn't require any complicated diagrams or flipping back to check on things because the characters seem to be almost effortlessly differentiated from one another. (I know this is a result of Backman's skill and was probably not effortless at all.) Despite what you think of the book overall, there's a good chance you will find someone you can relate to or root for in these pages. And while some of the characters do pretty appalling things, there aren't any truly appalling people, which is also quite a feat.

So, why such a mediocre rating for a book that has so much going for it? Surely it wasn't just the sports thing? Maybe I just wasn't in a good space for reading something like this -- a book that feels stifling and suffocating isn't the most satisfying experience when you are in the middle of winter, with a new baby, during a pandemic. I think I have enough going on in the stifling and suffocating department, thank you very much. And the writing that so many people found so beautiful felt a little overdone to me. Or maybe it's just that men writing about sexual assault upon teenage girls always squicks me out a little bit.

Year of Expanded Reading: I read this for my book club, but the author happens to be Swedish. ...more

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Sep 08, 2017 Jill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: listened

This book was amazing. I loved the uniqueness of the different characters. I got drawn into the events of the town and heads of the people. The plight of the have nots and the sad power of the wealthy. There were so many lessons on so many levels. I cried when it was over.

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