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The Winners (Beartown, #3)

Fredrik Backman,

Neil Smith (Translator)

Start date: December 25, 2022

Finish date: January 25, 2023

Discussion: Buddy Reads 2022

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What Members Thought

Aug 02, 2022 Sally906 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebook-kindle, netgalley-review, contemporary-fiction, sports, publisher-supplied

I thought the stories of my favourite characters had been completed in

Us Against You (Beartown, #2) by Fredrik Backman

Us Against You.

But wait there’s more, author Fredrik Backman has brought them back for one more emotional roller coaster of a story.

Beartown and Hed are two neighbouring towns in Sweden where hockey rules the lives of their citizens. Everything revolves around the support of their team - and those who support the other team are the enemy. Take their hockey away, or give them reason to think that their team is being treated unfairly when compared to the other and you get not just resentment but seething hatred. The rivalry between the towns of Hed and Beartown is not friendly banter between obsessive fans, it is deadly.

The Winners opens as a huge storm hits the part of Sweden where the two towns are located. It is horrendous, scary, and results in massive damage. And then, during the storm, there is a death. A death which draws those characters who have left the area back for the funeral. And after the funeral, a chain reaction of misunderstandings begin that culminates in a shocking act of violence resulting in… well, you’ll just have to read it.

Hed’s ice hockey stadium is destroyed, and the Hed teams are told they have to use the Beartown stadium for training. The roads leading to Beartown are given priority for clearing the fallen trees. In Hed tempers start to rise, the unfairness of it all lights the already short fuses. There is one horrendous scene when the two teams of thirteen-year-olds meet at Beartown for a competition and the children are terrified by the heckling and the out and out violence that erupts. So much hate between the two communities.

Is the answer to close both clubs and start a new combined club? Or will the threat of losing their individual identities finally bring down the unbreakable violent rivalry and create a united front to save their communities?

“…It’s a beautiful evening, the stars are bright and snow is falling, the ice is in his nostrils and crunching beneath his shoes. He loves this place, no one would believe that if they heard it, of course, but he’s traveled all around half the world and still hasn’t seen anywhere like this. The forest and the lake, the wilderness and snow, it’s unbeatable. He isn’t surprised that this town drives people to violence, it could have driven him to violence too if he thought someone was trying to take it away from him. That’s the insight that’s going to help him solve everyone’s problems. That’s how he’s going to win…”

In the background of the story old issues return, poverty and the struggle to survive, sexual abuse, child abuse, marriage difficulties, tragedy, loss, love, violence, drugs and alcoholism, all elements found in almost any community around the world. It is about good people doing bad things, and bad people changing tack and doing good. It is about good people willing to do wrong, or lie, to make things right. It is about friendship against all odds. Then there are the political and business machinations, again the same anywhere in the world, money laundering, corruption, and criminal actions to cover up wrong doings. So much going on that I despaired at times that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.

In his acknowledgment Fredrik Backman wrote: “…Finally: to you who have read the whole of this saga, I’d just like to say that I hope it gave you something, because I gave it absolutely everything I had. Thank you for coming along for the ride…” Well you did Mr Backman - your “everything” was my exhilarating, emotional ride - thank you for writing it and giving me an ending to the saga I didn’t know I needed.

With thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books and Simon & Schuster (Canada) for my copy to review ...more

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Jul 06, 2021 Trisha rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreadschoice2022

"This hurts too much to touch with words.”

I remembering cracking book 1 and thinkng it was going to be a story about an underdog hockey team that works together and wins it all. If only I'd known then that this would be a 3 books series that would break my heart over and over again. And just when you think there's nothing that could possibly hurt more, the author surprises us with even more hurt.

But I forgive him. This was a beautiful story and a heartbreaking but worthwhile ending to this serie ...more

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Dec 06, 2022 Shruti morethanmylupus rated it it was amazing

As always, Backman broke my heart and made it full all at once. Truly one of my favorite authors. I loved this trilogy and I'm so sad to be saying goodbye to Beartown (and Hed!). ...more

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Sep 29, 2022 Caitlin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am torn between 4 and 5 stars on Goodreads. I wish I could give half or quarter stars.

I think this is sitting at 4.5 stars in my head.

Why not 5, even though I loved it?

It was just a bit too long. At the beginning, you know someone has just died, and you're very sure it's not Benji - you're pretty much told straight out at the beginning that Benji will die at the end - but otherwise you have to go through almost every character's perspective before you finally find out who. For a while, I thou ...more

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