Beartown (Beartown, #1) in Bound Together

Jun 30, 2017 Annet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, dark, family-ties, wow-impressive, wilderness-books-can-usa

Benji puts his weight down on his foot. The good one this time, not the broken one. "I just want to play." Peter laughs. "Okay but, God, Benji, with your talent and your passion, you could really be something. I mean, seriously. You could be playing at an elite level in a couple of years. Hed Hockey are going to have a fantastic team, financial resources, you'll have much better opportunities to develop there." Benji gives a nonchalant shrug. His answer is as short as it is uncompromising: "But Benji puts his weight down on his foot. The good one this time, not the broken one. "I just want to play." Peter laughs. "Okay but, God, Benji, with your talent and your passion, you could really be something. I mean, seriously. You could be playing at an elite level in a couple of years. Hed Hockey are going to have a fantastic team, financial resources, you'll have much better opportunities to develop there." Benji gives a nonchalant shrug. His answer is as short as it is uncompromising: "But I'm from Beartown."...

This is a d*mn,... d*mn good book. Really. Now I see what many readers have already concluded. Wow...
I loved the first book I read of this author, A man called Ove. Second book I read, My grandmother told me.... was good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. But this one, Beartown, is out of every league. And it underlines the quality of the author, this story being so different in storyline and style of writing, from his other books. What strikes me is the incredibly human touch of this book on every page. Big tragedy, personal struggles, pain, courage and love combined. Heartfelt. Emotional. Sincere. What can I say, yes, I cried again, yes, it's a five star... Although not the main character in the book, I loved Ramona, the bartender of the Bearskin bar in town... And Benji... And Ana...And Amat...And Maya...
Still have to breath... and think about this book;-) Highly recommended for those who have not read this one yet!

The story in short: People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever-encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink. And that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semifinals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden and the semifinal match is the catalyst for a violent at that will leave the town in turmoil. Accusations are made, and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.... ...more

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Sep 04, 2017 ☮Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, lgbtq, favorites, library-checkout, series

This was a very excellent book, with a few flaws that prevent me from giving it 5 stars, but with ending chapters that will warm your heart and make you think there may be hope for the human race after all. Slow at the beginning, and a good number of characters to get to know. But those characters are magnificent. Ramona and Amat stand out for me. So many were such fine people, though; and the characters, for me, absolutely make this the book that it is.

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Aug 11, 2017 Irene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A dying Scandinavian factory town is the setting and a championship youth hockey league is the context for Backman to explore a number of social questions. What is the impact on individuals, families and a community when hope is compressed under great pressure into a pin point slice of life? What is the impact when the weight of that hope is placed on the shoulders of boys just about to become adults? What is the impact when certain individuals are so crucial to that hope that they are viewed as ...more

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Apr 13, 2025 Meera rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, bookmarks-magazine, bought25

I am late to join in this. I tried this years ago and gave up because it wasn't grabbing me, and I felt bored. I tried again as an audiobook because I've liked everything else I've read by this author, and I thought I should. Well, it went much better this time. The narrator was good, and she grabbed me this time. I also understood why it started slow. The author wants us to know the characters well before things (view spoiler) This was a hard read, but ...more

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Dec 17, 2017 Pat rated it really liked it

I am very stingy with 5 stars, but this was as close as it gets! I listened to it on my way to and from Philly where I was going to see my high school grandson play hockey - extremely timely! I bought into it as authentic after serving as a high school principal in CA when we played numerous championship games in a small town. I felt the same community pride in this book as I have experienced. It was fun to relive those time through memories renewed by this story. Fortunately, we did not experie ...more

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Feb 16, 2023 Amber rated it it was amazing

So good and I can’t wait to read the next one 😃

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Apr 06, 2018 Christina, Join Me on Storygraph! rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018

I didn't think I'd enjoy this when I started. this was one of those books I didnt know much about, other than that I've enjoyed some of the authors others and that this one was super popular. But I kept at it, and was sort of enjoying it despite others saying it was slow.

It's about hockey. But it also isn't. It's about humanity, loyalty, honesty. And it's so well told, the characters are so complex. ...more

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