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Beartown (Beartown, #1)

Fredrik Backman,

Neil Smith (Translator)

Start date: February 1, 2019

Finish date: February 28, 2019

Discussion: February 2019

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Showing 2 of 4 topics — 13 comments total

February 2019

Born a Crime
By Tina , Creator · 2 posts · 5 views

last updated Sep 02, 2025 02:53PM

Beartown
By Tina , Creator · 2 posts · 13 views

last updated Sep 02, 2025 02:30PM

What Members Thought

Dec 31, 2020 Tina Haigler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barreled shotgun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else's forehead, and pulled the trigger."

I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about this one. When I saw that this book was about hockey, and basing my expectations on A Man Called Ove, I kind of expected a Mighty Ducks vibe. I have to say, I was very, very, very wrong. The author even prefaced my copy with a warning that this particular novel is much darker "Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barreled shotgun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else's forehead, and pulled the trigger."

I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about this one. When I saw that this book was about hockey, and basing my expectations on A Man Called Ove, I kind of expected a Mighty Ducks vibe. I have to say, I was very, very, very wrong. The author even prefaced my copy with a warning that this particular novel is much darker than his other books. If the author's intro didn't give away the nature of the book, the opening line--quoted above--did. Backman certainly knows how to grab a reader's attention, doesn't he?

This book covers a wide range of heavy topics. It's full of violence (and not just typical on the ice incidents), bullying (lot's of it), sexism, as well as classism, with a little xenophobia and homophobia thrown in for good measure. So on one hand, it was an engaging story, but on the other hand, I spent a lot of my time reading it being ridiculously angry. As a woman, the sexism was enough to make me foam at the mouth, let alone all the other infuriating elements thrown in on top of that.

I loved the setting, the atmosphere, and the writing. I liked most of the main characters, but there were some I despised. I hated the attitude of the town in general. It was almost a mob mentality because, God forbid, someone mess with their precious little hockey team. I was not particularly happy with most of what happened in the story, but the ending left me with a feeling of pride and justice, even if it wasn't the legal kind.

While not every story has to give me the warm fuzzies, I need to be able to take something positive away from the experience. Otherwise, it's not worth reading, because I truly suffer through all those negative feelings and experiences. Extreme empathy isn't always a good thing, and I don't put myself through all that drama for nothing. I'm not an emotional masochist.

In the end (triple entendre--add preferred sound effect here), this book delivered and gave me what I needed to move on from all of the doom and gloom held within its pages. I recommend this if you like hockey, Sweden, Scandinavian culture, small towns, cold climates, and/or darker content.

"They do that in hockey towns." ...more

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Sep 09, 2021 Robin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

so this isnt my first read by this author. i have also read anxious people. both happened to be book club picks for two different book clubs i am in. funny about the timing. while i didnt love either, i also didnt hate either. once again there were many characters and storylines to keep track of, but it was pretty fast-paced and got a little more interesting as the story continued. hockey is life in Beartown. nothing else seems to matter. and the star players can do no wrong. so when there is wr ...more

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Feb 23, 2023 Harshi rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, fiction, in-love-with-the-cover, eh, unpopular-opinion, you-re-a-dissapointment, why-are-you-so-long, set-not-in-usa

Actual rating - 3.5⭐

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Apr 18, 2019 Lydia Granda rated it it was amazing

When I first started to read this book, I couldn't imagine how it had received so many 5 star reviews, when I finished it, I couldn't imagine how it had received anything lower than a 5 star review. Backman's character development is outstanding, story is addicting and outcome is truly a surprise. I just loved this book and highly recommend it. ...more

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