Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Atria Books (2017), Edition: Translation, 432 pages
Description
Winning a junior ice hockey championship might not mean a lot to the average person, but it means everything to the residents of Beartown, a community slowly being eaten alive by unemployment and the surrounding wilderness. A victory like this would draw national attention to the ailing town: it could attract government funding and an influx of talented athletes who would choose Beartown over the big nearby cities. A victory like this would certainly mean everything to Amat, a short, scrawny teenager who is treated like an outcast everywhere but on the ice; to Kevin, a star player just on the cusp of securing his golden future in the NHL; and to Peter, their dedicated general manager whose own professional hockey career ended in tragedy. At first, it seems like the team might have a shot at fulfilling the dreams of their entire town. But one night at a drunken celebration following a key win, something happens between Kevin and the general manager's daughter--and the next day everything seems to have changed. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. With so much riding on the success of the team, the line between loyalty and betrayal becomes difficult to discern. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear.… (more)
Media reviews
Publisher's Weekly
The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove tells a poignant story of a hockey town paralyzed by scandal. Jobs are disappearing and Beartown is slowly dying, so for its citizens, hockey is everything. Backman asks, “Why does everyone care about hockey? Because hockey tells stories.” This is the
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story not just of hockey, but of a 15-year-old named Maya Andersson, whose father, Peter, the general manager of the hockey club, loves hockey, but loves his family more. Seventeen-year-old Kevin Erdahl is the star of Beartown, with a chance to go professional. One night, after a huge win, Maya goes to a raucous party at Kevin’s house and is thrilled at his attention, but things get out of hand, and what takes place changes Beartown forever. Lest readers think hockey is the star here, it’s Backman’s rich characters that steal the show, and his deft handling of tragedy and its effects on an insular town. While the story is dark at times, love, sacrifice, and the bonds of friendship and family shine through, ultimately offering hope and even redemption. Backman veers close to the saccharine, but readers may be too spellbound to notice. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member sandylw
“Everyone has a thousand wishes before a tragedy, but just one afterward.” Beartown is about people who live in a hockey town that encounters a tragedy such as this that forever changes their lives. This is a very sad and thought-provoking book that I truly loved. While it was difficult to
“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."
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read, I think the message was worth the effort. I will admit I love Fredrik Backman's writing style and stories. I read A Man Called Ove and got hooked. This is very different from his other stories, except, of course, from the sports element. This is a story about making sacrifices and decisions in life. It's about their results and consequences, both good and bad. “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."
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
Even though this book was written in Sweden and came out a year ago, it is the most important book to be read in the USA right now. Pre Kavanaugh, Backman understands rape, its effects on the girl and the support received by the high school jock. I had to keep convincing myself that this book
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really was written by a man, now if only we cold get the senators on the Judiciary Committee to read it. He says at one point that rape last for minutes according to the perpetrator, but it lasts a lifetime for the victim. Many men forget that, or want to convince themselves that it isn’t true. Show Less
LibraryThing member elenchus
A good part of my enjoyment of Beartown came from going in almost blind. Unusually, I had resolved to read Backman's novel despite knowing of the premise and nothing at all of the central event. Coupled with Backman's very deliberate pacing, having so few preconceptions made for an exploratory
Backman carefully established his setting with detailed if familiar characters, each chapter punctuated with a new motifs. The circle of characters and circumstances steadily widened, whether by introducing new characters, or having others cross paths for the first time. Backman cycles through this a few times so that about halfway through the novel, he's built up a layered backstory and cast of character. I found the scenes familiar if uninspiring for the first 31 chapters, not slow exactly and never boring, but ... uncommitted. (Chapters are short, there are 50 in the English edition's 400+ pages.) It left me blase, uncertain whether I liked it enough to continue or should give it up.
It all pays off eventually. Backman's primary achievement, I think, is believably illustrating how an Us and Them scenario can evolve (devolve?) from a set of realistic circumstances, driven by recognisable personalities. No straw man caricature of evil, or one-dimensional character as props up so many television or movie dramas: no villains driven to "make a profit at all costs" or "take over the Earth". It's not that Backman is innocent of that completely, it's that the occasional lazy characterization is outweighed by the rest.
The end is serviceable but I found it simply workmanlike. The central insight was tracing back calamity from everyday circumstances, and I found the novel worth my time for that. I'm left considering not so much whether I see myself in any character, as whether my community resembles Beartown, and would a similar failure likely happen here.
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read, and I revised my sense of the novel regularly. After a couple chapters I wondered, Is this setting up class or generational conflict? and fairly quickly amended that to, Ah! - an inspirational tale, triumph of the underdog. But the plot was left open for an extended period, so I kept probing as I read, briefly anticipating there could be supernatural elements to the story, or thinking the story would end up focusing on revenge.Backman carefully established his setting with detailed if familiar characters, each chapter punctuated with a new motifs. The circle of characters and circumstances steadily widened, whether by introducing new characters, or having others cross paths for the first time. Backman cycles through this a few times so that about halfway through the novel, he's built up a layered backstory and cast of character. I found the scenes familiar if uninspiring for the first 31 chapters, not slow exactly and never boring, but ... uncommitted. (Chapters are short, there are 50 in the English edition's 400+ pages.) It left me blase, uncertain whether I liked it enough to continue or should give it up.
It all pays off eventually. Backman's primary achievement, I think, is believably illustrating how an Us and Them scenario can evolve (devolve?) from a set of realistic circumstances, driven by recognisable personalities. No straw man caricature of evil, or one-dimensional character as props up so many television or movie dramas: no villains driven to "make a profit at all costs" or "take over the Earth". It's not that Backman is innocent of that completely, it's that the occasional lazy characterization is outweighed by the rest.
The end is serviceable but I found it simply workmanlike. The central insight was tracing back calamity from everyday circumstances, and I found the novel worth my time for that. I'm left considering not so much whether I see myself in any character, as whether my community resembles Beartown, and would a similar failure likely happen here.
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LibraryThing member KittyCunningham
This was a hard read because you can see that something bad is going to happen from a long way off and you just have to wait for it. And you like everybody so you don't want them to be involved in the bad thing. Even the assholes are relatively sympathetic in the first part of the book. They are no
I love Backman's writing. He tells his stories well and even his minor characters are truly 3 dimensional people.
While this story is wrapped in hockey, it could just as well have been any other team sport in any small town in the world.
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less assholes. But, Backman shows you their context and, even though you don't like them, you, at least, understand them.I love Backman's writing. He tells his stories well and even his minor characters are truly 3 dimensional people.
While this story is wrapped in hockey, it could just as well have been any other team sport in any small town in the world.
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LibraryThing member Stewartry
This book wrecked me. It kept me up until three in the morning, and though I dreaded picking it up again the next day I did – thank God I started this on a Saturday – and I finished it a couple of hours later.
At first I thought it was going to be a beautifully written, heartbreaking
What I didn't realize – and I'm unhappy about that – is that a ways in the book takes a sharp turn. The Goodreads book description talks about a girl being traumatized, and I don't think it's too strong to say that's unfair to some readers. I suppose more detail gives away more of the plotline than might be desired, so stop reading now if you don't want any spoilers whatsoever, because I'm not putting this in spoiler tags –I think it's important that at least some people know this going in: the trauma is rape. A teenage girl is raped. I was rocked by the scene (not explicit, but with enough detail to haunt me), and I can only imagine what it might do to someone who was even more sensitive. So: trigger warnings. Big ones. Flags flying and sirens wailing.
It's horrible. It's hard.
And that's kind of the point.
Up to that turning point, I was enjoying the author's effortless-seeming brilliant thumbnail descriptions of characters. "…Her dad barely awake and vaguely surprised, as if every morning he wakes up somewhere he’s never been before, and her mom with the body language of a remote-controlled lawn mower whose obstacle-sensor has broken", and so on. I laughed out loud several times.
And, to my surprise, I laughed out loud toward the end of the book, too – and cried, and ached, and wanted to cheer … and ached. Some of these characters became incredibly dear to me; I was surprised by the depth and fierceness of my affection for Peter and Kira (Kia), Ana and Mia and Leo, most of the people of Beartown and even a few in Hed. And I was taken aback by the depth of my loathing for one man – not who you'd think, given that horrible pivotal event, but a team father whose death, whose slow and painful and meaningful death I longed for. And I also hated most of the people of Beartown and even a few in Hed. And I understood where a lot of the pain came from, in this book and, perhaps, in reality, and the helplessness that brought was impossible."Right now, [he] has only hurt me. But if I talk, I’ll be letting him hurt everyone I love as well. I can’t handle that." "The easiest way to unite a group isn’t through love, because love is hard. It makes demands. Hate is simple." That's too relevant right now.
"Do you know how to save someone from Hed if they’re drowning?" Benji shook his head. David grinned. "Good."
There was a moment with Ana and the dogs that brought back a lot of bittersweet memories. I was going to save the quote, but it resulted in ugly crying, and I'd rather not keep that.
And there was another moment when I remembered that line about the gunshot, and thought "crap, I was right" – but I wasn't. I never saw that moment coming, not the way it happened.
Another surprise in this book was that it almost made me want to go watch hockey. It suddenly dredged up a memory from my childhood, when I watched part of a game with my big brother and he explained things like what a hat trick was. "The sounds." "The sounds?" "That’s the thing about hockey…"
This book is hard to read – and it's impossible to stop. It's about a tiny town losing jobs and losing hope. It's about hockey. It's about children, and parents, and marriage. It's about love, and hate, and deep pain and transcendent joy. It will wring you out, and lift you up.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
At first I thought it was going to be a beautifully written, heartbreaking
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exploration of all the things a maybe-championship hockey team can to for, and to, a tiny town, and to its people, especially the very young players. And that would have been enough, really. It would have been plenty. But there is a line right at the beginning of the book foretelling a tragedy: before the book is over two of the characters will go into the forest, and one will have a gun, and the other will be a target. So I knew there was more to it than "just" a game. What might otherwise be small things became monumental; a boy is left standing in a hallway, forgotten for the moment by his best, his only friend – nothing to make note of for an outsider, but life-changing for the boy. And I wondered then and at other points of the first part of the book: is this the person who will pull the trigger? Is this why there will be a shot fired? What I didn't realize – and I'm unhappy about that – is that a ways in the book takes a sharp turn. The Goodreads book description talks about a girl being traumatized, and I don't think it's too strong to say that's unfair to some readers. I suppose more detail gives away more of the plotline than might be desired, so stop reading now if you don't want any spoilers whatsoever, because I'm not putting this in spoiler tags –I think it's important that at least some people know this going in: the trauma is rape. A teenage girl is raped. I was rocked by the scene (not explicit, but with enough detail to haunt me), and I can only imagine what it might do to someone who was even more sensitive. So: trigger warnings. Big ones. Flags flying and sirens wailing.
It's horrible. It's hard.
And that's kind of the point.
Up to that turning point, I was enjoying the author's effortless-seeming brilliant thumbnail descriptions of characters. "…Her dad barely awake and vaguely surprised, as if every morning he wakes up somewhere he’s never been before, and her mom with the body language of a remote-controlled lawn mower whose obstacle-sensor has broken", and so on. I laughed out loud several times.
And, to my surprise, I laughed out loud toward the end of the book, too – and cried, and ached, and wanted to cheer … and ached. Some of these characters became incredibly dear to me; I was surprised by the depth and fierceness of my affection for Peter and Kira (Kia), Ana and Mia and Leo, most of the people of Beartown and even a few in Hed. And I was taken aback by the depth of my loathing for one man – not who you'd think, given that horrible pivotal event, but a team father whose death, whose slow and painful and meaningful death I longed for. And I also hated most of the people of Beartown and even a few in Hed. And I understood where a lot of the pain came from, in this book and, perhaps, in reality, and the helplessness that brought was impossible.
"Do you know how to save someone from Hed if they’re drowning?" Benji shook his head. David grinned. "Good."
There was a moment with Ana and the dogs that brought back a lot of bittersweet memories. I was going to save the quote, but it resulted in ugly crying, and I'd rather not keep that.
And there was another moment when I remembered that line about the gunshot, and thought "crap, I was right" – but I wasn't. I never saw that moment coming, not the way it happened.
Another surprise in this book was that it almost made me want to go watch hockey. It suddenly dredged up a memory from my childhood, when I watched part of a game with my big brother and he explained things like what a hat trick was. "The sounds." "The sounds?" "That’s the thing about hockey…"
This book is hard to read – and it's impossible to stop. It's about a tiny town losing jobs and losing hope. It's about hockey. It's about children, and parents, and marriage. It's about love, and hate, and deep pain and transcendent joy. It will wring you out, and lift you up.
The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.
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LibraryThing member patsaintsfan
5+ well deserved stars. Let me start this review by stating that I have read two others (A man called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry), and Beartown blows them out of the water. This is truly an unforgettable novel. What a story! I felt completely wrapped up in these
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characters', the atmosphere of the setting, and the passion for the community's undying love for hockey! But, man, this book was NOT about hockey! All I can say is "read this book"! You won't regret it! A new favorite to be added to my favorite's list! Show Less
LibraryThing member varwenea
‘Beartown’ is my fourth book by Backman, and ranked #2 overall, after ‘A Man Called Ove’. It’s #3 for being relatable, after also Britt-Marie. But it’s #2 in its creative use of sports to tell a story; the fact that I am not a sports-anything person and I easily read through the book
It’s modern times in a cold, harsh area that’s dumped upon by surrounding towns and the weather. Its inhabitants are survivors; they don’t particularly thrive. A huge cast of distinctive and often fierce characters fills the pages, with the main protagonists being the family of Peter and Kira, and their children Maya and Leo. The antagonist is Kevin and his family. All characters reveal their true self in the conflict between Maya and Kevin. Some step up loudly or with their actions: hockey mates Amat and Benji, bar owner Ramona, Kira – ‘the wolf mom’. Some are bullies through and through: Kevin’s dad, hockey mate William and his mom, Maggie, and the Sponsors. Some go with the flow because it’s the easier thing to do despite their conscience: Coach David, hockey mate Filip, Kevin’s mom. Some are simply cowards: Kevin.
“Bang. Bang. Bang.” marks the beat of the story, the sound of the hockey puck, and the fear of truth.
It’s easy to dismiss ‘Beartown’, a story that seems to be dominated by hockey, located in an alcohol-filled hockey town. But it would be SO trivializing this sensitive story. The undying friendship and bond between Maya and Ana, the sincere love and devotion between Amat and his mom, the care between Benji and his sisters, friendships that grow apart, friendships that re-discover each other, the journey to find one’s voice (Amat), the trials to accept oneself (Benji), the path to recovery and to find strength within (Maya), the ferocious strength of a mother (Kira), and the gentleness of a dad (Peter), I can go on and on, but you really ought to discover all these sweet and a few not so sweet human experiences for yourself. With all that is going on in the world, this book brought some heart and wise insights of humanity back to the front. Thanks for doing that.
Some quotes:
On aging:
“Sune remains seated after Amat’s gone. He’s been old for a long time, but is really feeling it today. There are two things that are particularly good at reminding us how old we are: children and sports. In hockey you’re an experienced player at twenty-five, a veteran at thirty, and pensioned off at thirty-five. Sune is twice that. And with age he has become shorter and broader, he’s got more face to wash and less hair to comb, and finds himself getting annoyed by narrow chairs and poor-quality zippers.”
On last words:
“A young man left Beartown in silence and when he came home again it was too late for words. You can’t look a gravestone in the eye and ask its forgiveness.”
On imposter syndrome of being a good mom – I hate this world of Pinterest made goods and deco:
“She’s ashamed to admit it to herself, but getting to work feels like a liberation. She knows she’s good at her job, and she never feels that way about being a parent. Even on the best days – the tiny, shimmering moments when they’re on holiday and Peter and the children are fooling about on a beach and everyone is happy and laughing – Kira always feels like a fake. As if she doesn’t deserve it, as if she just wants to be able to show a photoshopped family photograph to the rest of the world.”
On career vs. job, man vs. woman – argh!
“There’s a label she used to love but which she loathes when it’s pronounced I n a Beartown accent: ‘career woman’. Peter’s friends call her that, some in admiration and some with distasted, but no one calls Peter a ‘career man’. It strikes a nerve because Kira recognizes the insinuations: you have a ‘job’ so you can provide for your family, whereas a ‘career’ is selfish. You have one of those for your own sake. So now she’s dangling somewhere between two worlds, and feels just as guilty when she’s in the office as she does when she’s at home.”
On sexual assault:
“For the perpetrator, rape lasts just a matter of minutes. For the victim, it never stops.”
On being a ‘wolf mom’ – if I was a mom, I would totally be a wolf mom:
From Maya to Kira: “You know, when I was little all the other parents at preschool used to call you ‘wolf mother,’ because they were all scared of you. And all my friends wanted a mom like you.”
On men and their excuses:
“Ramona slaps him so quickly and hard across his ear with the palm of her hand that the fat old man almost falls off his barstool. The angry old bag on the other side of the bar snarls:
‘Is that why you’re here? To talk about that? Sweet Jesus…you men. It’s never your fault, is it? When are you going to admit that it isn’t ‘hockey’ that raises these boys, it’s YOU LOT? In every time and every place, I’ve come across men who blame their own stupidity on crap they themselves have invented. ‘Religion causes wars’, ‘guns kill people’, it’s all the same old bullshit!”
‘I didn’t mean…,’ Sune tries, but has to duck when she tries to slap him again.
‘Keep your trap shut when I’m talking! Fucking men! YOU’RE the problem! Religion doesn’t fight, guns don’t kill, and you need to be very fucking clear that hockey has never raped anyone! But do you know who do? Fight and kill and rape?’
Sune clears his throat. ‘Men?’
‘Men! It’s always fucking men!’”
On boys and girls:
“Girls aren’t allowed to like hockey even just a little bit in Beartown. Ideally they shouldn’t like it at all. Because if you like the sport you must be a lesbian, and if you like the players you’re a slut… And they don’t have any female friends, and there are no women’s teams here, so they learn that hockey only belongs to them, and their coaches teach them that girls are a ‘distraction’. So they learn that girls only exist for fucking. She wants to point out how all the old men in this town praise them for ‘fighting’ and ‘not backing down’, but not one single person tells them that when a girl says no, it means. NO. And the problem with this town is not only that a boy raped a girl, but that everyone is pretending that he DIDN’T do it. So now all the other boys will that that what he did was okay. Because no one cares…”
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without dragging says a ton about Backman’s ability to envelope a reader despite a non-relatable environment.It’s modern times in a cold, harsh area that’s dumped upon by surrounding towns and the weather. Its inhabitants are survivors; they don’t particularly thrive. A huge cast of distinctive and often fierce characters fills the pages, with the main protagonists being the family of Peter and Kira, and their children Maya and Leo. The antagonist is Kevin and his family. All characters reveal their true self in the conflict between Maya and Kevin. Some step up loudly or with their actions: hockey mates Amat and Benji, bar owner Ramona, Kira – ‘the wolf mom’. Some are bullies through and through: Kevin’s dad, hockey mate William and his mom, Maggie, and the Sponsors. Some go with the flow because it’s the easier thing to do despite their conscience: Coach David, hockey mate Filip, Kevin’s mom. Some are simply cowards: Kevin.
“Bang. Bang. Bang.” marks the beat of the story, the sound of the hockey puck, and the fear of truth.
It’s easy to dismiss ‘Beartown’, a story that seems to be dominated by hockey, located in an alcohol-filled hockey town. But it would be SO trivializing this sensitive story. The undying friendship and bond between Maya and Ana, the sincere love and devotion between Amat and his mom, the care between Benji and his sisters, friendships that grow apart, friendships that re-discover each other, the journey to find one’s voice (Amat), the trials to accept oneself (Benji), the path to recovery and to find strength within (Maya), the ferocious strength of a mother (Kira), and the gentleness of a dad (Peter), I can go on and on, but you really ought to discover all these sweet and a few not so sweet human experiences for yourself. With all that is going on in the world, this book brought some heart and wise insights of humanity back to the front. Thanks for doing that.
Some quotes:
On aging:
“Sune remains seated after Amat’s gone. He’s been old for a long time, but is really feeling it today. There are two things that are particularly good at reminding us how old we are: children and sports. In hockey you’re an experienced player at twenty-five, a veteran at thirty, and pensioned off at thirty-five. Sune is twice that. And with age he has become shorter and broader, he’s got more face to wash and less hair to comb, and finds himself getting annoyed by narrow chairs and poor-quality zippers.”
On last words:
“A young man left Beartown in silence and when he came home again it was too late for words. You can’t look a gravestone in the eye and ask its forgiveness.”
On imposter syndrome of being a good mom – I hate this world of Pinterest made goods and deco:
“She’s ashamed to admit it to herself, but getting to work feels like a liberation. She knows she’s good at her job, and she never feels that way about being a parent. Even on the best days – the tiny, shimmering moments when they’re on holiday and Peter and the children are fooling about on a beach and everyone is happy and laughing – Kira always feels like a fake. As if she doesn’t deserve it, as if she just wants to be able to show a photoshopped family photograph to the rest of the world.”
On career vs. job, man vs. woman – argh!
“There’s a label she used to love but which she loathes when it’s pronounced I n a Beartown accent: ‘career woman’. Peter’s friends call her that, some in admiration and some with distasted, but no one calls Peter a ‘career man’. It strikes a nerve because Kira recognizes the insinuations: you have a ‘job’ so you can provide for your family, whereas a ‘career’ is selfish. You have one of those for your own sake. So now she’s dangling somewhere between two worlds, and feels just as guilty when she’s in the office as she does when she’s at home.”
On sexual assault:
“For the perpetrator, rape lasts just a matter of minutes. For the victim, it never stops.”
On being a ‘wolf mom’ – if I was a mom, I would totally be a wolf mom:
From Maya to Kira: “You know, when I was little all the other parents at preschool used to call you ‘wolf mother,’ because they were all scared of you. And all my friends wanted a mom like you.”
On men and their excuses:
“Ramona slaps him so quickly and hard across his ear with the palm of her hand that the fat old man almost falls off his barstool. The angry old bag on the other side of the bar snarls:
‘Is that why you’re here? To talk about that? Sweet Jesus…you men. It’s never your fault, is it? When are you going to admit that it isn’t ‘hockey’ that raises these boys, it’s YOU LOT? In every time and every place, I’ve come across men who blame their own stupidity on crap they themselves have invented. ‘Religion causes wars’, ‘guns kill people’, it’s all the same old bullshit!”
‘I didn’t mean…,’ Sune tries, but has to duck when she tries to slap him again.
‘Keep your trap shut when I’m talking! Fucking men! YOU’RE the problem! Religion doesn’t fight, guns don’t kill, and you need to be very fucking clear that hockey has never raped anyone! But do you know who do? Fight and kill and rape?’
Sune clears his throat. ‘Men?’
‘Men! It’s always fucking men!’”
On boys and girls:
“Girls aren’t allowed to like hockey even just a little bit in Beartown. Ideally they shouldn’t like it at all. Because if you like the sport you must be a lesbian, and if you like the players you’re a slut… And they don’t have any female friends, and there are no women’s teams here, so they learn that hockey only belongs to them, and their coaches teach them that girls are a ‘distraction’. So they learn that girls only exist for fucking. She wants to point out how all the old men in this town praise them for ‘fighting’ and ‘not backing down’, but not one single person tells them that when a girl says no, it means. NO. And the problem with this town is not only that a boy raped a girl, but that everyone is pretending that he DIDN’T do it. So now all the other boys will that that what he did was okay. Because no one cares…”
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LibraryThing member Nancyjcbs
Amazing!
I read A Man Called Ove and thought it was a sweet book. I was very disappointed in My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry. I skipped Britt-Marie but decided to give Backman another chance because the reviews were so good. The reviews didn't do it justice.
I'd read that this was a
The writing was unique. Each chapter had a theme and different characters were revealed. Sometimes they were not named. David's girlfriend, for example, was never named. Neither were Kevin's parents named. Yet, I didn't find it at all distracting.
This was a coming of age story for both teenagers and the town. Ethical and quality of life choices need to be made. We see the struggle all townspeople go through.
I cannot recommend this enough.
Update: I read the entire book again immediately after finishing it. I've very rarely read a book more than once. Certainly not within a day!
I read A Man Called Ove and thought it was a sweet book. I was very disappointed in My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry. I skipped Britt-Marie but decided to give Backman another chance because the reviews were so good. The reviews didn't do it justice.
I'd read that this was a
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hockey book and about the importance of hockey in a small town. That was certainly an important element but it left me unprepared for the total emotional grasp this novel would hold me in. The first third was the set-up and didn't captivate me. The rest of the book held me hostage with tears at the end of each chapter. I'm already re-reading the first third so that I can see it anew.The writing was unique. Each chapter had a theme and different characters were revealed. Sometimes they were not named. David's girlfriend, for example, was never named. Neither were Kevin's parents named. Yet, I didn't find it at all distracting.
This was a coming of age story for both teenagers and the town. Ethical and quality of life choices need to be made. We see the struggle all townspeople go through.
I cannot recommend this enough.
Update: I read the entire book again immediately after finishing it. I've very rarely read a book more than once. Certainly not within a day!
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LibraryThing member Bonnie.Franks
I started reading this book with no expectations, as unlike everyone else, I had not previously read this author.
I do not particularly like or follow ice hockey. I say that only to point out that by the end of this book, I not only understood it, I was a fan, and I could feel it. That's how good
This is a novel about a small community, a small, cold community, that relies on its high school ice hockey team for its purpose. As in all small communities, everyone knows everyone. In this community, everyone is involved in high school ice hockey in one way or another. As a coach. As a player. As a manager. As a member of the board. As a fan. There are mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers.
On every sports team, everywhere, there is a star. And on every sports team, everywhere, there is the person actually responsible for the star's brightness and for letting him shine. There is a riskiness to this. There are teenagers.
This story is about this community and how sometimes things go wrong. You will be involved with these people as they live their lives. You will follow them and root for them and some you will attempt to ignore. But you will be unable to. Put on your warm clothes and buckle up, this book allows you to do no less. I loved it and want to read it again just like the first time.
I do not particularly like or follow ice hockey. I say that only to point out that by the end of this book, I not only understood it, I was a fan, and I could feel it. That's how good
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the writing is here.This is a novel about a small community, a small, cold community, that relies on its high school ice hockey team for its purpose. As in all small communities, everyone knows everyone. In this community, everyone is involved in high school ice hockey in one way or another. As a coach. As a player. As a manager. As a member of the board. As a fan. There are mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers.
On every sports team, everywhere, there is a star. And on every sports team, everywhere, there is the person actually responsible for the star's brightness and for letting him shine. There is a riskiness to this. There are teenagers.
This story is about this community and how sometimes things go wrong. You will be involved with these people as they live their lives. You will follow them and root for them and some you will attempt to ignore. But you will be unable to. Put on your warm clothes and buckle up, this book allows you to do no less. I loved it and want to read it again just like the first time.
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LibraryThing member DubaiReader
Oh dear, I was so looking forward to a new title by Fredrik Backman. I'd loved A Man Called Ove and was hoping for something along similar lines. Alas, I have no interest in sport, particularly ice hockey and I found the style in which the book is written rather patronising - for example: "And what
The story takes place in an isolated community in a forested area of Sweden. The community's proudest moments have come from the up-coming junior hockey squad and everything revolves around them winning the junior final and progressing to the main tournament the following year. That's about all that happens for the first half of the book.
In the second half though, an event occurs, that turns the village on its head; there are recriminations and denials, and 'hockey' becomes the cause and the defense.
When writing reviews I always check back over the highlights that I've noted in my Kindle, a particularly good book inevitably has a good number of highlights. The number of highlights for this book is sadly telling. I found the hockey theme uninspiring and most of the characters were quite unpleasant.
It gets amazing reviews on Amazon, so I'm obviously alone in my opinion, but personally, I would only recommend it to people who live in ice hockey communities.
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is a Club?" (loc 4619) and: "What is a home?" (loc 4682).The story takes place in an isolated community in a forested area of Sweden. The community's proudest moments have come from the up-coming junior hockey squad and everything revolves around them winning the junior final and progressing to the main tournament the following year. That's about all that happens for the first half of the book.
In the second half though, an event occurs, that turns the village on its head; there are recriminations and denials, and 'hockey' becomes the cause and the defense.
When writing reviews I always check back over the highlights that I've noted in my Kindle, a particularly good book inevitably has a good number of highlights. The number of highlights for this book is sadly telling. I found the hockey theme uninspiring and most of the characters were quite unpleasant.
It gets amazing reviews on Amazon, so I'm obviously alone in my opinion, but personally, I would only recommend it to people who live in ice hockey communities.
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LibraryThing member LindaLoretz
Fredrick Backman can tell a story that seems so familiar. Although this book is seemingly about hockey, it is really about life and how humans relate to each other. It takes place in Beartown, a small isolated town in Sweden where life revolves around hockey. There is a junior league that hopes to
Benjamin (Benji) lives on the other side of town, and although he is a good hockey player, he does not have the monetary resources and is dependent on others to outfit him with the required hockey equipment. Benji and Kevin are good friends, yet it becomes evident that Benji has a strong moral compass and Kevin may not.
Peter, GM of the hockey club in Beartown, is married to Kira, an attorney, and they have had three children, one of whom died. Their daughter Maya is fifteen years old and has a good friend, Ana, another character who does not live with privileged advantages. Both fifteen-year-old girls become major characters alongside the hockey players as the story develops.
When Kevin does the unthinkable to Peter’s daughter Maya, the townspeople show their true colors, and the values of the citizens of Beartown become apparent. Backman uses various characters to build essential themes related to sexual assault, sexual identity, and sexist and homophobic jokes in locker rooms. How politics, money, and control are interwoven in everyday life are explored through the incidents in this carefully constructed novel. Besides examining the exploitation of the hockey players as commodities and the bullying that is commonplace in school and on the team, Backman does a great job showing how secretive members of a small community can be. There are many profound comments about relationships, parenting, and growing up. When it comes down to it, hockey provides the framework for the story, but the novel is not about hockey; it is about how human beings relate to each other and how good and evil play out in modern towns.
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have a national championship. Although the team members are tight-knit, it is evident that there are several real-life struggles among the high school students and the coaches. Kevin, the team star, lives in an affluent area of town in a large house envied by others. His parents, however, do not attend hockey games but instead offer considerable financial support to the team. Benjamin (Benji) lives on the other side of town, and although he is a good hockey player, he does not have the monetary resources and is dependent on others to outfit him with the required hockey equipment. Benji and Kevin are good friends, yet it becomes evident that Benji has a strong moral compass and Kevin may not.
Peter, GM of the hockey club in Beartown, is married to Kira, an attorney, and they have had three children, one of whom died. Their daughter Maya is fifteen years old and has a good friend, Ana, another character who does not live with privileged advantages. Both fifteen-year-old girls become major characters alongside the hockey players as the story develops.
When Kevin does the unthinkable to Peter’s daughter Maya, the townspeople show their true colors, and the values of the citizens of Beartown become apparent. Backman uses various characters to build essential themes related to sexual assault, sexual identity, and sexist and homophobic jokes in locker rooms. How politics, money, and control are interwoven in everyday life are explored through the incidents in this carefully constructed novel. Besides examining the exploitation of the hockey players as commodities and the bullying that is commonplace in school and on the team, Backman does a great job showing how secretive members of a small community can be. There are many profound comments about relationships, parenting, and growing up. When it comes down to it, hockey provides the framework for the story, but the novel is not about hockey; it is about how human beings relate to each other and how good and evil play out in modern towns.
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LibraryThing member TheYodamom
Wow. I don't feel good after finishing this. I feel depressed, blue. The writing was excellent the emotional depth completely overwhelming. I don't read books with rape. I don't like to see it used as entertainment. There was nothing here but brutal honesty about all the views. Each person had a
Humans can be so cruel. Humans can be such selfish jerks. Humans can reason anything no matter how horrible if it make sit easier on them. Humans justifying rape is WRONG. The mentality of this town is so wrong. Humans will fight dirty to stay in the crowd. Humans can also be kind, unwavering and wonderful but these standouts can be rare in tough times.
This book, arguh, emotional roller coaster. I've known all these people at one time in my life. The realistic feel of them makes the punch in the gut more painful. It's all begins to decline with the rape of a 15 year old girl. You know the story, you've herd in on the news on TV shows, the blame game. Mr. Backman takes us to a deeper level and to the outer levels of this traumatic event. How Hockey rules over empathy, over friends, over family in this town and how it goes down, down.
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different reaction, different reasoning, it was painful to read at times. I finished this book and didn't feel good. I'm glad I read it now, but if I had known what it was about before I picked it up I wouldn't have read it. I read for release, escape, the dream, not a nasty dose of reality like this book went into. I am rating this on my feelings on the book not the writing.Humans can be so cruel. Humans can be such selfish jerks. Humans can reason anything no matter how horrible if it make sit easier on them. Humans justifying rape is WRONG. The mentality of this town is so wrong. Humans will fight dirty to stay in the crowd. Humans can also be kind, unwavering and wonderful but these standouts can be rare in tough times.
This book, arguh, emotional roller coaster. I've known all these people at one time in my life. The realistic feel of them makes the punch in the gut more painful. It's all begins to decline with the rape of a 15 year old girl. You know the story, you've herd in on the news on TV shows, the blame game. Mr. Backman takes us to a deeper level and to the outer levels of this traumatic event. How Hockey rules over empathy, over friends, over family in this town and how it goes down, down.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Hockey is everything In Beartown, a small town in rural Sweden. Children learn to play at an early age, and a multi-level club system provides plenty of opportunity to develop skills and compete, especially for boys. Matches and tournaments are the primary source of community entertainment and
This book starts very slowly. Fredrik Backman develops his large cast of characters and is pretty heavy-handed in his foreshadowing. He introduces a couple of side stories as well, so you know something *big* is going to happen, but which thread will he follow? Once the event occurs, the novel becomes a page-turner and is very moving in places. The ending is not unexpected, which in itself is a commentary on a situation that is all too prevalent in our society today (avoiding spoilers here …). Backman also includes a “where are they now” denouement which I liked but at the same time was a little too tidy. The page-turning section was 5-star reading, but the agonizing buildup and the tidy ending led me to knock this down to 4 stars. I still highly recommend Beartown
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pride. But hockey also defines the social hierarchy for teens and, in turn, the adults whose identities are wrapped up in their child’s success. The most talented players could easily believe the rules do not apply to them, that they are even above the law. And so, when the town’s star player is accused of a heinous act, most of the community rallies behind him. Those who don’t are ostracized. This book starts very slowly. Fredrik Backman develops his large cast of characters and is pretty heavy-handed in his foreshadowing. He introduces a couple of side stories as well, so you know something *big* is going to happen, but which thread will he follow? Once the event occurs, the novel becomes a page-turner and is very moving in places. The ending is not unexpected, which in itself is a commentary on a situation that is all too prevalent in our society today (avoiding spoilers here …). Backman also includes a “where are they now” denouement which I liked but at the same time was a little too tidy. The page-turning section was 5-star reading, but the agonizing buildup and the tidy ending led me to knock this down to 4 stars. I still highly recommend Beartown
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LibraryThing member nbmars
Beartown is a remote small town in Sweden that has been slowly dying. The only thing they have left is hockey, and hockey is “everything” to them:
“It’s only a game. It only resolves tiny, insignificant things. Such as who gets validation. Who gets listened to. It allocates power and draws
As the story begins, it is the night before the biggest youth tournament in the country, in which the Beartown Ice Hockey Club’s junior team is playing in the semifinal. After they unexpectedly and improbably win, the kids have a party to celebrate, and a violent act of rape turns the town upside down.
Much of the story recounts the reaction of the town to the rape. The author shows a range of responses:
“For the perpetrator, rape lasts just a matter of minutes. For the victim, it never stops.”
“It starts with ‘she wanted it’ and ends with ‘she deserved it.’”
“It’s her word against his . . .. We have to think of the team first.”
“She will always be this to them now: at best the girl who got raped, at worst the girl who lied. They will never let her be anyone but that.”
What happens as a result of this event affects everyone in the town for the rest of their lives.
Evaluation: This was a very good book, and I was impressed with the author’s inclusion of the many responses to accusations of rape. In addition, I really like Backman’s writing style. I was a little disappointed though by the “epilogue” ending. It was unnecessarily vague, in my view. Unless a sequel is coming that the author didn’t want to spoil, it seemed more cruel to offer only half bits of confusing information to readers. Overall though, an enjoyable read.
“It’s only a game. It only resolves tiny, insignificant things. Such as who gets validation. Who gets listened to. It allocates power and draws
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boundaries and turns some people into stars and others into spectators. That’s all.”As the story begins, it is the night before the biggest youth tournament in the country, in which the Beartown Ice Hockey Club’s junior team is playing in the semifinal. After they unexpectedly and improbably win, the kids have a party to celebrate, and a violent act of rape turns the town upside down.
Much of the story recounts the reaction of the town to the rape. The author shows a range of responses:
“For the perpetrator, rape lasts just a matter of minutes. For the victim, it never stops.”
“It starts with ‘she wanted it’ and ends with ‘she deserved it.’”
“It’s her word against his . . .. We have to think of the team first.”
“She will always be this to them now: at best the girl who got raped, at worst the girl who lied. They will never let her be anyone but that.”
What happens as a result of this event affects everyone in the town for the rest of their lives.
Evaluation: This was a very good book, and I was impressed with the author’s inclusion of the many responses to accusations of rape. In addition, I really like Backman’s writing style. I was a little disappointed though by the “epilogue” ending. It was unnecessarily vague, in my view. Unless a sequel is coming that the author didn’t want to spoil, it seemed more cruel to offer only half bits of confusing information to readers. Overall though, an enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member bluepigeon
Beartown by Fredrik Backman is the story of a sinking small town in the middle of nowhere, which has all of its residents' hopes tied up in a junior league hockey semi-final. Backman sets up the tension very nimbly and patiently leading to this momentous game, giving us a detailed account of the
Overall, Backman is a great writer and he develops story and plot very well to a pitch perfect climax which still manages to surprise. This novel, though much much darker than A Man Called Owe, still carries the ultimate hope and belief in the goodness in human hearts, that given the choice to tell good from evil, most will choose the former over the latter. There are also some strong feminist tones in the novel, where women seem to bring about the goodness in everyone's hearts, women are capable of being hurt, yet being strong, and women are able to tell the good from the evil much better than the men.
Yet, from the very beginning, I felt like I was being lectured by Backman. He lectured me about the types of people who live in Beartown, how they don't talk, how they are these noir-like ridiculous characters who have trouble putting two words together to express their emotions (a every common, perhaps overused, perhaps true notion about people who live in cold, remote places), how they have "the bear" in them. He lectured me about parenting a lot: how parents feel when this and that happens, how parents are crumbled to pieces with the thought that no matter what they do, they cannot protect their children form everything. He lectured me about how marriages work, how opposites fit, how love comes in many flavors. He lectured me about hockey a lot, too: how this sport (and no other? really? I beg to differ!) demands your all, this sport is special, this sport is like this and that (most of the statements being true for almost any sport I know of and have participated in myself, especially team sports.)
In the end, Backman really just told and told and told and told and told. This is not to say that he did not "show." In fact, he is very good at showing. I just wasn't sure if he had to tell oh so much all the time. At times, I wanted to take a marker and just cross out all the telling (he thought this, he felt this, hockey is like that, it makes you feel [fill in the blank], marriage is like that, it makes you do [fill in the blank]) and just read what I could see the people were doing and saying. I came to believe that I would have had a better reading experience in the end. And perhaps I would not have interpreted everything exactly as Backman wanted me to, but we would have still agreed on the gist of each character's story.
In the end, I think the novel would have been a masterpiece, if it weren't for the emotional hand-holding and noir-ish depiction of secretive, taciturn people who live in "the forest" which got a bit old after a while. Nevertheless, Beartown was a captivating page turner.
Recommended for those who like dogs, hockey, video games, islands, and wise, foul-mouthed barkeeps.
Thanks to BookReporter and Word of Mouth and the publisher for a copy of Beartown for my honest review. I enjoyed it.
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various important and sideline characters in the hockey-addicted town, from the scrawny boy's team fast skates Amat and his immigrant mother who is a cleaning lady at the rink to the inseparable best friends of the junior team, Kevin and Benji, the former the star of the team with a bright hockey-future ahead of him, and the latter sworn to destroy whoever stands between Kevin and the goal on the ice. Backman tells many stories, develops many characters. There are the boys who want to play hockey and win, there are the coaches that come in three flavors, from the old, experienced, and stubborn Sune who is the soon-to-be-ex coach of the A-team, to David, the soon-to-be-A-team coach junior coach to Peter, the GM. There are the sponsors who have sunk a lot of money and hope into the building of a promising junior team with the hopes of enlivening Beartown's economic prospects by attracting a hockey-focused school that will, they hope, reverse the efflux of people to an influx of hockey-loving families and businesses. There are hardcore fans, who are like a gang, who might not have a lot going for them in life, but have a strong influence on the town due to their influence and support of the hockey culture. And there are the women, who are not hockey players or coaches, but are tied, or bound perhaps, to the hockey rink via the men they love.Overall, Backman is a great writer and he develops story and plot very well to a pitch perfect climax which still manages to surprise. This novel, though much much darker than A Man Called Owe, still carries the ultimate hope and belief in the goodness in human hearts, that given the choice to tell good from evil, most will choose the former over the latter. There are also some strong feminist tones in the novel, where women seem to bring about the goodness in everyone's hearts, women are capable of being hurt, yet being strong, and women are able to tell the good from the evil much better than the men.
Yet, from the very beginning, I felt like I was being lectured by Backman. He lectured me about the types of people who live in Beartown, how they don't talk, how they are these noir-like ridiculous characters who have trouble putting two words together to express their emotions (a every common, perhaps overused, perhaps true notion about people who live in cold, remote places), how they have "the bear" in them. He lectured me about parenting a lot: how parents feel when this and that happens, how parents are crumbled to pieces with the thought that no matter what they do, they cannot protect their children form everything. He lectured me about how marriages work, how opposites fit, how love comes in many flavors. He lectured me about hockey a lot, too: how this sport (and no other? really? I beg to differ!) demands your all, this sport is special, this sport is like this and that (most of the statements being true for almost any sport I know of and have participated in myself, especially team sports.)
In the end, Backman really just told and told and told and told and told. This is not to say that he did not "show." In fact, he is very good at showing. I just wasn't sure if he had to tell oh so much all the time. At times, I wanted to take a marker and just cross out all the telling (he thought this, he felt this, hockey is like that, it makes you feel [fill in the blank], marriage is like that, it makes you do [fill in the blank]) and just read what I could see the people were doing and saying. I came to believe that I would have had a better reading experience in the end. And perhaps I would not have interpreted everything exactly as Backman wanted me to, but we would have still agreed on the gist of each character's story.
In the end, I think the novel would have been a masterpiece, if it weren't for the emotional hand-holding and noir-ish depiction of secretive, taciturn people who live in "the forest" which got a bit old after a while. Nevertheless, Beartown was a captivating page turner.
Recommended for those who like dogs, hockey, video games, islands, and wise, foul-mouthed barkeeps.
Thanks to BookReporter and Word of Mouth and the publisher for a copy of Beartown for my honest review. I enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member juju2cat
A brilliant, deeply moving book. I was emotionally drained after reading this. Beartown is hockey town and nearly everyone there is dependent upon or involved with the team. For a slowly dying town it's their last hope for growth or recognition. When an out of control team party ends with the rape
An immense thank you to Simon and Schuster publishers for this copy for my review!
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of a 15 year old girl suddenly we see man's ugliness rear it's head; the charges against the lead hockey player might ruin their hopes so we see money and politics and general hatefulness and bigotry come into play. The character portrayals of team members, coaches and family members can only come from a master storyteller who writes from the soul.An immense thank you to Simon and Schuster publishers for this copy for my review!
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LibraryThing member Romonko
This book is as different from The Man Called Ove as any book could possibly be, but, it is just as unforgettable. Fredrik Backman is a wonderful author. This book appears to be about ice hockey, but it is more about small town prejudices, secrets, violence and support for neighbours in tough
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times. It is about how a shocking event affects people and families and the ripple effects from that event.. Beartown is a small northern community in Sweden. They have gone from a thriving town with three or four schools to a town with two schools and lots of empty storefronts on the main street. Some industry has shut down and there has been no new industry started. But they live and breathe hockey, and they have a hockey organization funded by local sponsors that boasts a hot junior team. We meet all the players and their parents and other family members as we read this book. Backman does a great job of characterization and these characters are so well-drawn. The whole town is electrified and lthey are ooking forward to great things from their Junior team. Their team is about to compete in the national championships, and they actually have a chance to win! Bearttown is putthing their hopes and dreams on a team of teenage boys. The pressure is intense on these young men, and it is the touchstone for an act of violence that rocks the whole town. No one in Beartown is immune to the fallout of this horrific act. Backman illustrates so well how each person in Beartown is affected by it from the two individuals that were involved right down to the rest of the team, siblings, family, friends, and the rest of the entire community. The shockwaves are tremendous and the town is forever changed. I loved the book and recommend it highly. It is certainly not a feel-good novel, but it is a very clear illustration of what life in a small town is like in this modern world and what individuals must do to survive in a hostile environment. Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
Fredrik Backman's books have always affected me - made me laugh, made me cry and made me think. A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here are my two favourites. His newest book, Beartown, has just released. And it is a powerful and compelling read.
Beartown's opening chapter makes it impossible to
"Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barreled shotgun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else's forehead and pulled the trigger. This is the story of how we got there."
Beartown is a small town nestled deep in the forest. What you must know is that Beartown is a hockey town. The residents (well most of them) live and breathe hockey. They have their hopes pinned on the junior team. They've made it to the semi finals. But if they win - it could mean new hope for the dying town - jobs, a new rink, tourism, a hockey school, a shopping centre - and hope.
"We need to feel, just once, that we're the best. I know it's a game. But that's not all it is. Not always."
Backman excels at characterizations. But the scope of Beartown is simply amazing. There are a core group of players and their families, but the supporting cast is just as well fleshed out. Every character in Beartown has a story. The setting is just as much a player as well. I could hear the pucks, feel the cold and picture the trees.
It is impossible not to be drawn into the story of Beartown. As we come to know the characters, it is their attitudes, outlooks, plans, schemes and dreams that drive the story forward. Forward to that first chapter.
An ugly event occurs that changes the lives of the players, their families and the townsfolk forever. Part two deals with the fallout from that event. As I mentioned, Backman's books make the reader feel - and again I was moved to tears, shaking my fist in anger and my head in disgust. I wanted so badly to skip to the last chapter to see what ending and resolution Backman had planned, but I managed not to. And I am glad I didn't - for it's all about storytelling in Beartown. To know the ending and not the path there would have robbed me of a fantastic read.
There are so many moments, truths and 'aha's' throughout Beartown. Although hockey is the focus of this book, you could easily substitute another sport - football comes to mind. And the question should be in every reader's thoughts - what price is too high to ensure a win?
From the book..."Why does anyone care about hockey? Because it tells stories." With Beartown, Backman tells one helluva of a story.
Beartown's opening chapter makes it impossible to
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not keep reading...."Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barreled shotgun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else's forehead and pulled the trigger. This is the story of how we got there."
Beartown is a small town nestled deep in the forest. What you must know is that Beartown is a hockey town. The residents (well most of them) live and breathe hockey. They have their hopes pinned on the junior team. They've made it to the semi finals. But if they win - it could mean new hope for the dying town - jobs, a new rink, tourism, a hockey school, a shopping centre - and hope.
"We need to feel, just once, that we're the best. I know it's a game. But that's not all it is. Not always."
Backman excels at characterizations. But the scope of Beartown is simply amazing. There are a core group of players and their families, but the supporting cast is just as well fleshed out. Every character in Beartown has a story. The setting is just as much a player as well. I could hear the pucks, feel the cold and picture the trees.
It is impossible not to be drawn into the story of Beartown. As we come to know the characters, it is their attitudes, outlooks, plans, schemes and dreams that drive the story forward. Forward to that first chapter.
An ugly event occurs that changes the lives of the players, their families and the townsfolk forever. Part two deals with the fallout from that event. As I mentioned, Backman's books make the reader feel - and again I was moved to tears, shaking my fist in anger and my head in disgust. I wanted so badly to skip to the last chapter to see what ending and resolution Backman had planned, but I managed not to. And I am glad I didn't - for it's all about storytelling in Beartown. To know the ending and not the path there would have robbed me of a fantastic read.
There are so many moments, truths and 'aha's' throughout Beartown. Although hockey is the focus of this book, you could easily substitute another sport - football comes to mind. And the question should be in every reader's thoughts - what price is too high to ensure a win?
From the book..."Why does anyone care about hockey? Because it tells stories." With Beartown, Backman tells one helluva of a story.
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LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
Beartown, Fredrick Backman, author; Marin Ireland, narrator
*Beartown is a forgotten, dying town. All the hopes of the townspeople rest on their hockey team to bring them back some glory days. The town is consumed by hockey. Their love for hockey supersedes their love for all else and guides their
Peter Andersson is the General Manager of the team. He is about to terminate Sune who has been the “A” team coach forever. Peter was convinced to become the General Manager of the team by Sune, after the death of his first born son, Isak, but hockey comes first before friendship and loyalty. There is only one loyalty in Beartown, and it is first and foremost to the game and the team. The sponsors, the club and the town demand it. They are all involved in hockey, and it is the be-all and end-all of everything. If the team wins the finals, Beartown will get a renewed lease on life with a new state-of-the-art, hockey rink. Therefore, the players, the club members, the leadership and the residents are products to be used and discarded as needed. Winning is the only game in town. It is what they all believe will save their town from eventual extinction.
Peter was a hockey star until an injury benched him forever. His wife Kira is a relatively successful lawyer. They have two children, Maya and Leo. Maya is a typical 15 year-old teenage girl; her heartstrings are awakening. She is woefully naïve and a bit immature, believing she has more power to control her own fate than she truly possesses. Life is about to intervene and awaken her rudely to a new reality.
David is single, and he was also sidelined by injury. He was convinced to become the junior team coach by Sune whom he will soon betray for the town and the team. His motto for his junior team is only one word, and it has worked for his team for a decade. It makes them feel invincible. His motto is simply WIN! Kevin is one of his junior team members. Amat is soon to be one of them.
Kevin, 17, is the star of the junior team. He is dedicated and unstoppable. He is also very wealthy. His father is a team sponsor. His parents are rarely home, and rarely see him play. They will never be accused of being helicopter parents. Kevin is arrogant and self-assured. The town hears him practicing often. It is the sound of “bang, bang, bang” as he slams the puck into the net over and over. He is a dynamo on the ice. His parents turn a blind eye to his misdeeds and pretend he does nothing wrong. His success at hockey is their only goal.
Amat, 15, skates at the rink in exchange for doing chores for the caretaker. His mom, Fatima, is the cleaner at the rink. He adores hockey and his mom. He tries to do everything to lighten her load because she has a bad back. He knows he means everything to her. She loves watching him skate at the rink before it opens for the regulars, the figure skaters and the hockey teams who have scheduled ice time. Amat is honorable and unassuming. He is dedicated to improving his hockey game. His motto is “again, again, again” as he skates around the rink trying to become faster and faster to make up for his small size.
There are other characters, and each plays an important role. They are all defined well. Zacharias is Amat’s best friend. He is a hockey player, but he is nowhere near as talented as his friend. He likes playing computer games. Benji is Kevin’s best friend. He also plays hockey. He does not follow rules well and is hot-tempered, but he is also Kevin’s protector. (In the book, Kevin is described as an investment and Benji is his insurance.) Benji has a secret. Ana is Maya’s best friend. She spends a lot of time at Maya’s house and not her own. She is less naive than Maya, but she is subject to the same weaknesses that all teenagers experience. These friendships are special as they morph through their different stages.
The town has two main areas. There is the Hollow and the Heights, and they are two opposite parts of town economically, but friendships and hockey unite them. The unspoken rule in the town which puts hockey above all else, even family, is the thread that runs throughout as the author highlights the toll that the world of hockey takes on its players and the town. The hypocrisy and the mob mentality that often follows sporting events, giving lie to the meaning of the words “good sportsmanship”, often follows when a town feels threatened, and it grows until it seems out of control, much like political protests. The focus is obscured, the goal is not solution, but instead it is vengeance.
Backman magnifies the guilt and the shame the characters feel, and he exposes the way people explain away their silence in the face of wrongdoing, justifying it with false excuses that simply give them comfort but do not solve the problems and perhaps only exacerbate them. He has a gift. He manages to capture all of the flaws of society and people, and he lays them bare. He confronts humanity or the lack thereof. He confronts homosexuality and rape. He confronts single motherhood, interracial relationships and the distinctions of class. He confronts bullies of all kinds and interprets the ambition, fear and anger each character faces. All are handled with dexterity. When the injustice and the warts are exposed, he subtly challenges the characters to rise above them, but often they do not. The curmudgeons are the most lovable characters in his books, and like in his other books, in this one, there is a strong role model, a female character who does set a fine example for the rest of the town to follow, even as she seems like the least likely one to do it. All of the characters seem authentic, even when the dialogue seems a little trite.
On the negative side, I found the departure from the wholesome narrative of his other books, to a book with crude language, a bit over the top and unnecessary. Some of the scenes seemed contrived, on occasion, as well. On the more curious side, I had some other thoughts. I wondered if the name of the rival town, spelled Hed, but pronounced as head, was deliberate. The supermarket owner was Tails. In the end, weren’t the goals of both towns, Hed and Beartown, competing for success. Were they opposite sides of the same coin? Also, Peter’s first born was Isak. Was he meant to make the reader think of the sacrifice of Isaac in the Bible?
*I had both a digital print copy provided by the publisher and an audio from the library.
*Beartown is a forgotten, dying town. All the hopes of the townspeople rest on their hockey team to bring them back some glory days. The town is consumed by hockey. Their love for hockey supersedes their love for all else and guides their
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thoughts and behavior; sometimes, neither the team’s nor the town’s behavior is exemplary.Peter Andersson is the General Manager of the team. He is about to terminate Sune who has been the “A” team coach forever. Peter was convinced to become the General Manager of the team by Sune, after the death of his first born son, Isak, but hockey comes first before friendship and loyalty. There is only one loyalty in Beartown, and it is first and foremost to the game and the team. The sponsors, the club and the town demand it. They are all involved in hockey, and it is the be-all and end-all of everything. If the team wins the finals, Beartown will get a renewed lease on life with a new state-of-the-art, hockey rink. Therefore, the players, the club members, the leadership and the residents are products to be used and discarded as needed. Winning is the only game in town. It is what they all believe will save their town from eventual extinction.
Peter was a hockey star until an injury benched him forever. His wife Kira is a relatively successful lawyer. They have two children, Maya and Leo. Maya is a typical 15 year-old teenage girl; her heartstrings are awakening. She is woefully naïve and a bit immature, believing she has more power to control her own fate than she truly possesses. Life is about to intervene and awaken her rudely to a new reality.
David is single, and he was also sidelined by injury. He was convinced to become the junior team coach by Sune whom he will soon betray for the town and the team. His motto for his junior team is only one word, and it has worked for his team for a decade. It makes them feel invincible. His motto is simply WIN! Kevin is one of his junior team members. Amat is soon to be one of them.
Kevin, 17, is the star of the junior team. He is dedicated and unstoppable. He is also very wealthy. His father is a team sponsor. His parents are rarely home, and rarely see him play. They will never be accused of being helicopter parents. Kevin is arrogant and self-assured. The town hears him practicing often. It is the sound of “bang, bang, bang” as he slams the puck into the net over and over. He is a dynamo on the ice. His parents turn a blind eye to his misdeeds and pretend he does nothing wrong. His success at hockey is their only goal.
Amat, 15, skates at the rink in exchange for doing chores for the caretaker. His mom, Fatima, is the cleaner at the rink. He adores hockey and his mom. He tries to do everything to lighten her load because she has a bad back. He knows he means everything to her. She loves watching him skate at the rink before it opens for the regulars, the figure skaters and the hockey teams who have scheduled ice time. Amat is honorable and unassuming. He is dedicated to improving his hockey game. His motto is “again, again, again” as he skates around the rink trying to become faster and faster to make up for his small size.
There are other characters, and each plays an important role. They are all defined well. Zacharias is Amat’s best friend. He is a hockey player, but he is nowhere near as talented as his friend. He likes playing computer games. Benji is Kevin’s best friend. He also plays hockey. He does not follow rules well and is hot-tempered, but he is also Kevin’s protector. (In the book, Kevin is described as an investment and Benji is his insurance.) Benji has a secret. Ana is Maya’s best friend. She spends a lot of time at Maya’s house and not her own. She is less naive than Maya, but she is subject to the same weaknesses that all teenagers experience. These friendships are special as they morph through their different stages.
The town has two main areas. There is the Hollow and the Heights, and they are two opposite parts of town economically, but friendships and hockey unite them. The unspoken rule in the town which puts hockey above all else, even family, is the thread that runs throughout as the author highlights the toll that the world of hockey takes on its players and the town. The hypocrisy and the mob mentality that often follows sporting events, giving lie to the meaning of the words “good sportsmanship”, often follows when a town feels threatened, and it grows until it seems out of control, much like political protests. The focus is obscured, the goal is not solution, but instead it is vengeance.
Backman magnifies the guilt and the shame the characters feel, and he exposes the way people explain away their silence in the face of wrongdoing, justifying it with false excuses that simply give them comfort but do not solve the problems and perhaps only exacerbate them. He has a gift. He manages to capture all of the flaws of society and people, and he lays them bare. He confronts humanity or the lack thereof. He confronts homosexuality and rape. He confronts single motherhood, interracial relationships and the distinctions of class. He confronts bullies of all kinds and interprets the ambition, fear and anger each character faces. All are handled with dexterity. When the injustice and the warts are exposed, he subtly challenges the characters to rise above them, but often they do not. The curmudgeons are the most lovable characters in his books, and like in his other books, in this one, there is a strong role model, a female character who does set a fine example for the rest of the town to follow, even as she seems like the least likely one to do it. All of the characters seem authentic, even when the dialogue seems a little trite.
On the negative side, I found the departure from the wholesome narrative of his other books, to a book with crude language, a bit over the top and unnecessary. Some of the scenes seemed contrived, on occasion, as well. On the more curious side, I had some other thoughts. I wondered if the name of the rival town, spelled Hed, but pronounced as head, was deliberate. The supermarket owner was Tails. In the end, weren’t the goals of both towns, Hed and Beartown, competing for success. Were they opposite sides of the same coin? Also, Peter’s first born was Isak. Was he meant to make the reader think of the sacrifice of Isaac in the Bible?
*I had both a digital print copy provided by the publisher and an audio from the library.
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LibraryThing member eyes.2c
Startling, gut wrenching and wonderful vivid!
I dragged my heels a bit beginning this new Fredrik Backman novel. I needed to be in the right head space. I knew that if it was anything like Backman's previous works it would grab me by the throat and not let me go. I was right!
The depth of the
You know that the intermittent 'Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang.' the sound of a puk striking, or a gun being fired, is important. That small refrain builds tension and suspense--and the wondering.
On the surface this is the story of a town's hockey club and of the A grade team hockey players, their coaches and their families and the importance of Hockey to the morale and financial viability of the town. Beartown is Hockey. It's all people live for. They take pride in their team. It is a way out of Beartown for players and a possible ticket to development for the town. The pressure on the players and coaches is immense. They want to bring money back to the town via hockey.
As the story progresses you are pulled ever deeper into the mindset of Beartown, of what hockey meant for the community and the individuals.
The main and secondary characters are fascinating and wonderfully developed. Backman's writing has you connecting with every character on some level. There are small actions that make you ache, like Kira a successful lawyer and wife of Peter Andersson, general manager of the club, counting her children every night.
Pain and suffering are etched into the pages just as is loyalty and compassion.
'People feel pain. And it shrinks their souls.' The star player Kevin, from a privileged background is talented and aloof. He plays to win, he plays to the crowd, and he plays for parental approval--which falls short. His emotional being is so painful he's shut down. Yet no one really discerns who he is. Except perhaps Benji...and maybe Sune, the old coach, who will soon be dropped.
Kevin's best friend Benji, from the other side of the tracks is his main support. He plays for the love of the game. He is Kevin's protector on and off the rink.
Sune looks at the lads he coaches and is concerned for their emotional development. The newest coach, David, one of Sunes protégées is concerned with winning. (Although there is a different knowing to David in his interaction with the team that is interesting)
'The club’s motto [is]: “Culture, Values, Community.” ' Sune is no longer sure of what that means, if he ever knew and if it is still so. I love the character of Sune. He is the wise old man, the Sage, forgotten in the race to win.
He reflects that 'Hockey is like faith . . . that’s just between you and God. It’s what you feel in your chest when the referee glides out to the center circle between two players, when you hear the sticks strike each other and see the black disk fall between them. Then it’s just between you and hockey. Because cherry trees always smell of cherry trees, whereas money smells of nothing.'
Peter, the Team Manager was a Beartown boy who left to play professionally. Now he and his family have returned--including his teenage daughter Maya.
When the unthinkable happens, the very fibre of the town is jeopardized
I knew from the opening scene that something momentous was going to happen but I certainly was not prepared for where this novel was going!
A NetGalley ARC
I dragged my heels a bit beginning this new Fredrik Backman novel. I needed to be in the right head space. I knew that if it was anything like Backman's previous works it would grab me by the throat and not let me go. I was right!
The depth of the
Show More
characters, the reality of their struggles, so decisively described, and colored with the deceptively simple underpinning of mores of the small community of Beartown, a lonely outpost in the forest, is insightful and powerful. You know that the intermittent 'Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang.' the sound of a puk striking, or a gun being fired, is important. That small refrain builds tension and suspense--and the wondering.
On the surface this is the story of a town's hockey club and of the A grade team hockey players, their coaches and their families and the importance of Hockey to the morale and financial viability of the town. Beartown is Hockey. It's all people live for. They take pride in their team. It is a way out of Beartown for players and a possible ticket to development for the town. The pressure on the players and coaches is immense. They want to bring money back to the town via hockey.
As the story progresses you are pulled ever deeper into the mindset of Beartown, of what hockey meant for the community and the individuals.
The main and secondary characters are fascinating and wonderfully developed. Backman's writing has you connecting with every character on some level. There are small actions that make you ache, like Kira a successful lawyer and wife of Peter Andersson, general manager of the club, counting her children every night.
Pain and suffering are etched into the pages just as is loyalty and compassion.
'People feel pain. And it shrinks their souls.' The star player Kevin, from a privileged background is talented and aloof. He plays to win, he plays to the crowd, and he plays for parental approval--which falls short. His emotional being is so painful he's shut down. Yet no one really discerns who he is. Except perhaps Benji...and maybe Sune, the old coach, who will soon be dropped.
Kevin's best friend Benji, from the other side of the tracks is his main support. He plays for the love of the game. He is Kevin's protector on and off the rink.
Sune looks at the lads he coaches and is concerned for their emotional development. The newest coach, David, one of Sunes protégées is concerned with winning. (Although there is a different knowing to David in his interaction with the team that is interesting)
'The club’s motto [is]: “Culture, Values, Community.” ' Sune is no longer sure of what that means, if he ever knew and if it is still so. I love the character of Sune. He is the wise old man, the Sage, forgotten in the race to win.
He reflects that 'Hockey is like faith . . . that’s just between you and God. It’s what you feel in your chest when the referee glides out to the center circle between two players, when you hear the sticks strike each other and see the black disk fall between them. Then it’s just between you and hockey. Because cherry trees always smell of cherry trees, whereas money smells of nothing.'
Peter, the Team Manager was a Beartown boy who left to play professionally. Now he and his family have returned--including his teenage daughter Maya.
When the unthinkable happens, the very fibre of the town is jeopardized
I knew from the opening scene that something momentous was going to happen but I certainly was not prepared for where this novel was going!
A NetGalley ARC
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LibraryThing member debkrenzer
Finished reading Frederik Backman's new book "Beartown". (Comes out in April). He always writes in kind of a story book for children or like your grandpa telling a story. However you are always left mesmerized by his endearing characters. This was a book that focused around a hockey team. Sorry,
Thank you Rachel at Simon and Schuster for reaching out to me with a widget, to Atria and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.
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don't understand hockey, but the moments the characters played were minimal. Yay!! The first chapter of this book eluded to someone being shot in the head. This book was so different from his others. OMG. Kindle told me I would spend over nine hours with the book. As usual, Backman made you really feel for these characters. But, unusual for him was the dark and dirty secrets and actions that surfaced while reading this book. I lived with this book for over nine hours and what the author took me through? I laughed, I cried, I didn't understand the game. But the feeling I have for these characters? What an awesome book!!! And through the whole book wondering who gets shot in the head? It only wanted to make me read this book faster. As I said, I finished this morning, could not put it down! Kudos and bravo to the Backman. And after finishing the book and reliving it through my mind, I realize He definitely is one of my favorite authors!!! The ending brought back the true feelings and memories of Backman's other books. Call me what you want soft hearted, mushy, etc.... but this was, for me, a truly good read.Thank you Rachel at Simon and Schuster for reaching out to me with a widget, to Atria and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member bostonterrio
I knew this book was not written in the same vein as Fredrik Backman's other books and that gave me reason to pause but then I plunged ahead and listened to the book. Sometimes when an author takes on a difficult subject after formerly writing more light heartedly it is difficult to accept the new
This novel revolves around a small town that is relying on their hockey team to help revive the town. An incident occurs at a party that tears the town apart. It is a highly sensitive subject that is handled well. My heart broke many times as I watched the different characters struggle with the aftermath of the incident and trying to decide what is right and what is the right thing for the town. It was interesting to watch the strength that emerged in some of the characters. One aspect that I felt was lacking was that no one questioned the parent's role in the incident. There were many characters I grew to dislike while others became more endeared to me.
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tone. Not so in this case. The writing is well done. The narration made it easy to follow the story and remain interested and not distracted. This novel revolves around a small town that is relying on their hockey team to help revive the town. An incident occurs at a party that tears the town apart. It is a highly sensitive subject that is handled well. My heart broke many times as I watched the different characters struggle with the aftermath of the incident and trying to decide what is right and what is the right thing for the town. It was interesting to watch the strength that emerged in some of the characters. One aspect that I felt was lacking was that no one questioned the parent's role in the incident. There were many characters I grew to dislike while others became more endeared to me.
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LibraryThing member librarygeek33
I rated the front 3/4s of the book 5 stars but, for me, the end brought it down a bit. I thought the the multiple point of view narration helped to draw the reader into the story. Another plus was that it is a book about hockey that could be enjoyed by fans and non-fans and males and females.It is
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a book that is difficult to categorize. I found the end was a bit weaker because there were almost too many points of view which kind of muddled the forward motion a bit. Show Less
LibraryThing member mojomomma
This was a fantastic book about how a small town, in the grip of "hockey fever," reacts when it comes to light that the star of the hockey team raped a girl who just happens to be the daughter of the hockey team's general manager. She finally tells her story as the hockey team boards a bus to play
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in their championship game. The family members of both parties, their friends and teammates and ultimately the whole town becomes involved and must decide who to believe. This is such a stunning portrait of the rape culture we live with. Great read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tom_D
This book is hard to figure out at the beginning and then about half way through it is like watching a train wreck, two train wrecks, and not being able to do anything about it. It all plays out from there, if not to a happy ending and ending about as happy as anyone could hope for.
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2019)
Audie Award (Finalist — Fiction — 2018)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2020)
Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2019)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2018)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2017)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-04-25 (original and translation)
Physical description
432 p.; 9.25 inches
ISBN
1501160761 / 9781501160769