Chapters 1-7

[Riley]

This is the discussion thread for Chapters 1-7 of Beartown. Please keep discussion to this section of the book. If you have not read this section, beware of spoilers!

[Shannon]

The tension feels so high in this one already. I love sports, and I love that there it's right out there the different styles of coaching of play-from-the-heart vs win at all costs mentality. But the fact that seein seeing skill (as Sume does) seems to me in the minority of thinking, versus seeing skilled kids as an investment (as the town does) is a tough argument to see play out.

I do like Kira, and how she doesn't care about hockey as is frank about that. Sadly, I almost referred to simply as "Peter's wife" because I couldn't remember her name, but rather her role as seen by the town. Ugh. I didn't like the sexist crap she had to deal with the GM, and I imagine she will be at odds with most people in town. It also seems strange that in a town that's doing as rough as Beartown is, with things closing down and people being let go of jobs, how they have enough industry for her to have a high paying lawyer job? I guess she could work elsewhere, someone else mentioned being in another town but everything seems so isolated that it doesn't feel that way.

I will say this, I feel for all of the characters. That said, there is also a lot of desperation and need for the success of hockey it feels more than a bit uncomfortable. So much tension.

I am a little leery to see where this is all going to go, but I look forward to hearing how other people are enjoying it so far!

[Chloe]

I agree with what you said! The tension and pressure is palpable. When the coaches are throwing up the morning before a game, it feels like an explosion waiting to happen.
Does anyone else feel like the language translation may be a little off? The writing style seems a little choppy almost but I’m sure a lot of that is due to the fact that the book wasn’t originally written in English.
I also feel like they are still introducing a lot of characters. I’m mostly listening on audiobook right now so I’m finding I really have to focus on all the who’s who and maybe I should try to switch to physical form.

[Chloe]

I also love Kira! I love her no nonsense, powerful yet spunky attitude. I love that she feels no pressure to conform and she’s just doing her thing. I have a feeling she will have a strong opinion (and probably one that goes against the norm) when whatever controversy happens.

[Andrea]

Agreed with the feel of so much tension right from the beginning. The desperate need to be successful at hockey especially with the fall of the economy in Beartown has me thinking they would do anything for a win. I'm thinking that's not a good thing. I'm very interested in finding out what happens next.
Also, I am listening to the audiobook while I read and annotate my physical copy. The audiobook is pretty good if anyone is thinking of trying it. It is on Scribd and narrated by Marin Ireland.

[Riley]

Being a coach’s girlfriend (football not hockey), I relate so hard to this book already! There was one line that really stood out in this section - “No one on a hockey team that’s it’s possible to take hockey too seriously.” This is so true of all sports when you get into a really competitive level and so hard to explain to folks who haven’t been there. From the outside it can seem like something really silly but from the inside, being successful means everything.

Really loving the narrative so far and I’m excited to continue on.

[Belle]

I'm enjoying this so far - for some reason it's taken me a while to find the motivation to pick it up and get stuck into it (and now I'm down to the wire on the last weekend of the month, lol) but it seems to be an easy and intriguing read, so I think I'll be able to finish it in time.

I agree with you Chloe - the language is a little stilted at times and I think that's due to the fact it is translated text.

I love character-driven books, and I can already tell that this has some characters that can be fleshed out and will probably be quite memorable.

The first page of this book was really intriguing, and towards the end of this section we got a hint at which character has a rifle/who might be involved. I'm keen to see how this will all play out.

I grew up in a family who was heavily involved in local football (my dad was a manager and my brother played), so I can relate to the feeling that this book is evoking so far. It's bringing back some happy memories of being a kid and spending every weekend at the football field, and I love that.