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Beartown (Beartown, #1)

Fredrik Backman,

Neil Smith (Translator)

Start date: January 1, 2018

Finish date: January 30, 2018

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: January: Gender Stereotypes.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
[close] January: Gender Stereotypes.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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What Members Thought

Sep 18, 2017 John Martin rated it it was amazing

This was the second Fredrik Backman novel I read in 2017. It was nothing like A Man Called Ove, which made me laugh a lot. This is a much darker novel, and it's chockers with moral questions. The writing is masterful. By the end, you know what makes the many characters tick, you feel the cold, you know the smells of Beartown, you've been taken on a ride from the rich end of town to the poor end of town, and you've looked good and evil in the face. If there is a better writer in the world than Ba ...more

36 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2017 Suzy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: secrets, favorite-authors, tv-fave, listened-to, friendship, sports, winter

Update Jan 14, 2021: I follow Backman on InstaGram where he told us that the tv series based on this book debuts on HBO/HBO Max in the U.S. on Feb 22, 2021. I will definitely be tuning in!

4++ stars

Beartown is a story of loyalty, friendship, love, acceptance of self and others, courage, class, politics, culture and the good/bad/ugly of human beings, all set against the backdrop of an economically depressed, one-factory town in the dense woods of northern Sweden that has one thing going for it - h Update Jan 14, 2021: I follow Backman on InstaGram where he told us that the tv series based on this book debuts on HBO/HBO Max in the U.S. on Feb 22, 2021. I will definitely be tuning in!

4++ stars

Beartown is a story of loyalty, friendship, love, acceptance of self and others, courage, class, politics, culture and the good/bad/ugly of human beings, all set against the backdrop of an economically depressed, one-factory town in the dense woods of northern Sweden that has one thing going for it - hockey! We see how a town and its people can pin their hopes and self-worth on "their team" and how a sports team can both unite and divide.

Backman is such a good writer with insight to the human condition that is way beyond his years. In Beartown, he creates memorable characters, including the town itself. I felt like I really knew the town and the townspeople, as if I lived there or nearby. (It wasn't hard to imagine since I live in Minnesota where there are many similarities - obsession with hockey, cold and ice, lots of Scandinavians and many towns that could be Beartown.)

I previously read and loved A Man Called Ove and And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer, two very different books, but both touched my heart in a quiet, subtle way. Beartown has a lot more action in a shorter package than Ove and I was swept up in the drama of what would happen to the people, the team and the town. In the last third of the book, the writing becomes almost staccato, quickly shifting from person to person and setting to setting that had me breathless - in a good way! I wanted to know where this would all end up, but I had to slow down in the last hour of the audiobook because I didn't want to leave these people behind.

I would have given Beartown 5 stars except that I wasn't as satisfied when all was said and done as I was with Ove. Here it seemed that the resolution of the central crisis of the book was too pat and the people behaved a little out of character to give us a more heartwarming ending. It feels a little like Backman had a movie deal in mind ala Friday Night Lights, but I can't picture a movie of Beartown being anything near as excellent as the movie of A Man Called Ove. (But with that said, if they do make a movie of Beartown, you can be sure I'll go see it :)))

I can recommend this as another really good read in the Backman cannon with the above reservations and I heartily endorse the audiobook - excellent narration. ...more

30 likes · Like · see review

Mar 09, 2019 Sassy Sarah Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, favorites, to-review, contemporary, books-that-changed-my-life, booktube-made-me-do-it, tear-jerkers

5 stars. This is one of the best books I've read in a while. I can't recommend this enough. Review to come. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2020 Mom2triplets04 rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017-new-releases, 2017-amazon-best-books

I loved his other book a man called ove so I was expecting to love this one. However, I was disappointed. I almost DNFd it a few times! In order to continue I had to skip and skim through some of it. The first 200 pages were mostly about hockey which I am not a sports fan. The only reason I continued on is because people said it gets better. Plus I loved his other books. Glad I finished and can pick his next book up

Trigger warnings for rape, homophobia, under age drinking and drugs

3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 08, 2018 Zulfiya rated it really liked it

Surprisingly, it is difficult to review and rate this book. It has its moments of greatness and also parts that left me indifferent even though I understand that they were well written.
Sport is the central theme, but it is also a tool to open doors to discuss other topics: acceptance, social culture and ambiguity of rape, immigration, adoration of sports icons, success, ambition, small city politics, personal integrity, friendship, and many other noteworthy themes and topics.

Sometimes, there w ...more

1 like · Like · see review