The Scandal (Beartown, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

Dec 26, 2018 Kent Winward rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm a sucker for the sports narrative since my youth, so Beartown had that going for it, but then it seemed to try and do everything for everybody, picking up on hot topics of the day and cramming them into a sports narrative. Basically, the puck missed the net. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2019 Sunflower rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, fiction-read-2019

I had no expectations. I had forgotten what this author had written previously, and probably wouldn't have read it if I'd remembered. Not for me the heartwarming story with a bumbling but lovable person at the heart of it. Also, I know nothing much about ice hockey. So it was a surprise to find that this was one of those books I didn't want to put down. There's a lot about ice hockey and a small town on the decline, but mostly this story is about people and what happens to them when the pressure ...more

Like · see review

Sep 23, 2017 Tanya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: format-audiobook, 2017

Definitely among the best I have read for 2017 and one I have been recommending to friends. The characters, events, and conflicts in this book are so memorable. I think many emotions felt by the characters are relatable and that is why the writing is so engaging. It also surprised me how different this story was compared to A Man Called Ove.

While we have not had a situation happen to our family like the one in the book, but we have had others that result in many of the same feelings, and have yi Definitely among the best I have read for 2017 and one I have been recommending to friends. The characters, events, and conflicts in this book are so memorable. I think many emotions felt by the characters are relatable and that is why the writing is so engaging. It also surprised me how different this story was compared to A Man Called Ove.

While we have not had a situation happen to our family like the one in the book, but we have had others that result in many of the same feelings, and have yielded such powerful feelings, and this is why the book is so unforgettable to me--the feelings were so strong from rage to love, depending on which character's perspective was being given the stage at the time. And if you have been on the other side of hate or if you have been blamed for why the situation occurred in the first place, this book will have even more of an impact.

"Hate can be a deeply stimulating emotion. The world becomes easier to understand and much less terrifying if you divide everything and everyone into friends and enemies, we and they, good and evil. The easiest way to unite a group isn't through love, because love is hard, It makes demands. Hate is simple. So the first thing that happens in a conflict is that we choose a side, because that's easier than trying to hold two thoughts in our heads at the same time. The second thing that happens is that we seek out facts that confirm what we want to believe - comforting facts, ones that permit life to go on as normal. The third is that we dehumanize our It doesn't take long to persuade each other to stop seeing a person as a person."

"And when enough people are quiet for long enough, a handful of voices can give the impression that everyone is screaming."

"The love a parent feels for a child is strange. There is a starting point to our love for everyone else, but not this person. This one we have always loved, we loved them before they even existed. No matter how well prepared they are, all moms and dads experience a moment of total shock, when the tidal wave of feelings first washed through them, knocking them off their feet. It's incomprehensible because there's nothing to compare it to. It's like trying to describe sand between your toes or snowflakes on your tongue to someone who's lived their whole life in a dark room. It sends the soul flying."

"What an uncomfortable, terrible source of shame it is for the world that the victim is so often the one left with the most empathy for others."

"If you are honest, people may deceive you. Be honest anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfishness. Be kind anyway. All the good you do today will be forgotten by others tomorrow. Do good anyway." (Amat) ...more

Like · see review

Nov 10, 2018 Wes F rated it liked it · review of another edition

Didn't like this Backman book as nearly as much as his A Man Called Ove. I listened to this on my iPhone, borrowed from the library. One thing that didn't "sit" well with me was that, though it was set in Sweden (or Norway), it seemed like it was very Americanized, in some of the language & cultural bits. It didn't drip with the Scandinavian context that Ove had all through it. ...more

Like · see review