Washington Square Press Beartown

Must read. It's a trilogy and you can't wait to read more.

Really poor quality paper and print

best

O livro é lindo, chegou em perfeito estado, e a entrega foi rápida. Em relação ao livro em si, me surpreendeu, gostei mais do que esperava, a história é incrível, a construção dos personagens é ótima, 5 estrelas… foi meu primeiro livro do autor, mas com certeza lerei mais dele futuramente!

Aborda temas importantes usando a temática do esporte. Li em dois ou três dias. Recomendo o livro e também sua continuação "Us Against You".

Beartown by Fredrik Backman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This has solidified my opinion that Fredrik Backman is truly a favourite author for me. He has a way with creating characters you can’t help but love and also making you feel very seen with all the relateable quotes about how hard day to day life can be. Beartown is a hockey community. Beartown has been falling apart year after year. The economy dwindling and jobs becoming scarce. The town believes the Junior hockey team is the best the town has seen in years. The community is riding on teenagers to help bring more business and attention to the town by winning the in the finals. But when an act of violence happens that leaves a young girl traumatized and the whole town in conflict. With no one wanting to believe her story because that would mean the end of this chance. The whole town is left affected from this tragedy. I truly loved reading this book. It is a hard one to read, and please check trigger warnings if you are sensitive to topics such as these. Don’t let the slow beginning fool you. At some point this book will be impossible to put down. Most of the characters in this book will make you fall in love and just want the protect them from the harsh realities they are going through. Backman really showed how a sport can bring people together regardless of the circumstances. I personally truly connected with this book as it focussed on the Hockey community. I played Ringette growing up (similar to hockey but not really) and I got to see the good and the ugly of the community. The community would band together with the best intentions even when it was the wrong thing to do. I can’t wait to continue to read the next books in the series. And follow these characters on their next adventures.

The setting is a small town in Sweden, but anywhere that ice hockey is a staple of life would serve equally well. I hasten to note that although hockey is the pillar upon which the story builds, it is about so much more, and Backman has the skill to (almost) make you set the specific sport aspect aside. Think in general terms and you’ll quickly realize (and recognize) that the issues that infect and affect Beartown are those found everywhere. I truly doubt exceptions exist outside a Utopian dream. There are enough reviews that delve into and exceedingly detail the story premise so I won’t follow that path, but will comment only on the author’s ability to weave together a totally compelling tale that leaves you wishing it never ended (but hopefully satisfied with the outcome). FYI: Backman does follow up with his equally engaging sequel “Us Against You”. Beartown is beautifully written, at times almost poetic, and although – as some others have referenced – it’s a bit slow off the start, perseverance pays off and you’ll score a win by sticking to the final buzzer.