NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY: LibraryReads BookBrowse Goodreads “You’ll love this engrossing novel.” –People The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream–and the price required to make it come true. People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground … true.
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, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in 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 semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and 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 semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.
Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.
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I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio version of the book, and found it hard to put down. The whole story revolves around a town that lives for hockey; it is their entire world. Without hockey, they are a small, unknown town with nothing going on. What happens when a tragic event happens to one of the star hockey players? This is a story that needs to be told, a story that should be read by teens and their parents; a story for discussion. What happens when a star hockey player is accused of a horrid crime? Who do you believe and why?
This was an emotional read that left me thinking for days. For some the topic may be too close to home, for others it may feel too unimaginable, and for others it may open lines of communication between the people who need to hear the message the most.
Overall, the writing was entertaining, the story engaging, and I would recommend to teens everyone, and their parents.
lthoght that this book was very touching
Backman does it again. His stories draw you in and never let go and Beartown is no different. A fictitious town circling around hockey that seems so real you’ll feel as if you know each character, they’re your friends and neighbors. I listened to this book and did not want to take the earbuds out of my ears – I had to keep listening, to find out what happened in this heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching story that examines the human spirit and loyalty with wisdom. Whether a hockey fan or not, you’ll love this story.
There were a lot of characters and personalities to ponder.
Very thoughtful writing
This is a bit darker than his previous works, all of which I loved. Because of that, i didn’t ‘enjoy’ this as much, but it still is a wonderful book. The author has such a brilliant way of conveying richness of the characters’ emotions and the overall excitement of the town in this book.
This book shows the actions and reactions of people living in small towns and the pressure of one sport, hockey. The characters are well-developed and become a reader’s friends by the end of the book. It is sad but realistic.
Moving, with well portrayed characters you want to get to know (or slap silly). Makes you simultaneously love life and hate it.
What happens when one night of secrets pours out into a town that is fierce with competition and loyalties? Where hockey players aren’t seen as young men who should be raised well morally, but seen as commodities that will bring money and glory to a dying town?
What a well written and heart-hitting story. My heart was all over the place feeling the full spectrum of emotions. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and all I can think is what in the world took me so long.
Good read, couldn’t put it down
One of my all-time favorites!
This is such a good book whether you like hockey or not. A wonderful portrait of the characters, of which the town itself is one. I loved how the story went on, and didn’t end in a big crescendo, where books usually end. It was a cathartic process and a privilege to see beyond where one might have thought the story would go. Fredrik Backman describes ordinary people so well, they become extraordinary. Thank you.
Beartown – A Novel by Frederik Backman
Story of a small, dying town in Sweden trying to survive through the successes of its hockey team. A rape occurs which puts the whole future of the town at stake. Do the people have the guts to come up with the right answers to the resulting moral dilemma. Answer is, no. At least not many of them.
It’s a great read
Perhaps it’s because I lived in Canada for over a decade that I can appreciate how ice hockey can grow from a sport into an obsession as it did in Beartown.
But this book both is and isn’t about ice hockey and sport. Team captains and couch potatoes might enjoy it equally. The lessons of human strengths and frailties embodied in its pages are cleverly woven into the lives and actions of the people of Beartown, as are the moral dilemmas which drive the plot.
I found it a great story, in a great setting, with great characters and great writing.
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore – Four Stars
A well-researched and harrowing account of the fates of many of the young girls who were employed in the early 20th century to paint the dials of luminous watches and military dials using poisonous radium-based paints. A tale full of the corporate greed, of employers who lied and cheated their way to profitability, but whose immorality was eventually exposed, decades later, through the fearless efforts of their dying former employees. It was the revelations of the radium girls in the court cases they brought that led to significant changes in worker’s rights legislation. So, they did not die in vain.
Although the subject matter of this book is not easy reading, the text is absorbing and enlivened by background stories of the radium girls’ lives and personalities. The author captures very well their youthful high spirits as well as the courage they showed later in the face of their grisly and untimely deaths.
Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
A fictionalized version of the Ted Kennedy – Mary Jo Kopechne tragedy at Chappaquiddick.
I guess I’ve read too much about this event in the past to appreciate this author’s re-imagining of it.
The Immortalists by Chole Benjamin
Four siblings whose lives were forever affected by the predictions of a Claire voyant (a phoney one) they all went to in their childhoods. The theme of destiny versus self-determination.
I very much engaged when reading the stories how the lives of the four siblings panned out, especially the gay brother and the mentalist sister. However, I found the event that apparently over-shadowed the lives of the brothers and sisters lacked credibility, as did some of their deaths, which felt manipulated by the author rather than a consequence of the life of the character. I didn’t ‘buy’ many of the deeper messages that the author tried to deliver, but I enjoyed reading the book.
Love all stories by author ! Another must read.
This book rocked me to the core. Backman did an amazing job of weaving together a heartbreaking story. His writing didn’t gloss over heavy subjects it was honest and raw but also beautiful. My love (or hate) for every single character sparked so many emotions that I was a complete mess in the best possible way. I wanted to jump into the story and stand behind Maya and Benji while also wanting justice to fall upon Kevin and all the people in the town who knowingly (or blindly) took his side. I am not big into sports and I know exactly zero facts about hockey but the team camaraderie oozed from the pages and into my heart. BEARTOWN is hands down one of my favorite books I have read so far this year and I give it all the stars!
I loved A Man Called Ove by the same author. I did not love Beartown. Yes, it was written well. I don’t dispute that. I listened to the audio version – and yes, the narrator was very good, so it wasn’t that. I found it hard to keep characters straight. Maybe audio wasn’t the best way to “read” this book? Maybe it was the subjects? The ridiculous over importance placed on sports? Teenage rape? I just know that I had to stop reading the book a number of times before I got it done. I just felt angry every time I was listening to it….
Bang……
I loved the characters!
I did not think I’d love a book “about hockey.” But it wasn’t about hockey. Backman’s quiet way of offering heartache and triumph, horror and beauty is nothing short of magical. Highly recommended.
This was one of the best books I have ever read, I enjoyed it so much.
The author knows how to depict human nature and the feelings and thoughts of the characters, I couldn’t put this amazing book down.
It’s about a town that lives for hokey, and their superstar is accused of rape, and you read about how mean can people be against the victim because they want to believe their player could never do something like that.
Definitely a must read.
Absolute page turner. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry. Fredrick Backman did a amazing job!