From the Bookshelf of The Perks Of Being A Book Addict…

Beartown (Beartown, #1)

Fredrik Backman,

Neil Smith (Translator)

Start date: December 1, 2017

Finish date: December 31, 2017

Discussion: Group Books of the Month (BotM)

Why we're reading this: December 2017 ice or snow on the cover themed BotM.
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What Members Thought

Dec 17, 2017 Pat rated it really liked it

I am very stingy with 5 stars, but this was as close as it gets! I listened to it on my way to and from Philly where I was going to see my high school grandson play hockey - extremely timely! I bought into it as authentic after serving as a high school principal in CA when we played numerous championship games in a small town. I felt the same community pride in this book as I have experienced. It was fun to relive those time through memories renewed by this story. Fortunately, we did not experie ...more

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Sep 04, 2017 Ruth Ferguson rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Beartown is a book which will stick with me for a while and while I did not enjoy it as much as his earlier books it is because of the topics - you can't describe them as enjoyable.

It is a look at how a small town whose hopes and identities are pinning on the abilities of teenage boys in the game of hockey. If the team wins, the council will approve a school for hockey, stores will be built and Beartown will be put back on the map.

The identity of every man is based on his history as a hockey p ...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Shilpa rated it it was amazing

Fantastic book . Beautifully written characters . Authors style of writing is amazing

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Apr 30, 2017 Erin rated it really liked it

I'm not quite sure how to rate this book - I've loved this author's previous books and the quirky characters he focuses on, but this book was very different. It focused on a small rural town and hockey, hockey, hockey. I have no interest in hockey and kept expecting to want to put it down, but he managed to keep my interest and as always, felt most of his characters were well developed. Didn't like the last part of the book, how it was written and the constant "is this it?" moment, but otherwise ...more

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Nov 26, 2017 Abbyb1 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Although this was somewhat of a slow start for me, once I began to become familiar with the characters more, I was mesmerized by Bachman's writing and his story. I was able to really understand and empathize with multiple characters since Bachman does such a good job of making them real for the reader. I am definitely a Bachman fan!

2nd re-read - December 2021 - audiobook - I so appreciate how Bachman crafts his characters. They're flawed, real and eminently easy to understand. This makes his wri ...more

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May 27, 2017 Monica Albright rated it really liked it

Loved the hockey part of the story-what great descriptions by Backman. I could hear and smell and feel all that was going on-on and off the ice. I think the love of hockey can represent may aspects of life. Yes, I am known to love a coming of age tale, which this is. But this is not the traditional YA novel. It is much more than that-it's about life. Win or lose...and the choices we make... ...more

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