Beartown

by Fredrik Backman

Marin Ireland (Narrator)

"From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here, comes a poignant, charming novel about a forgotten town fractured by scandal, and the amateur hockey team that might just change everything. 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. Fredrik Backman knows that we are forever shaped by the places we call home, and in this emotionally powerful, sweetly insightful story, he explores what can happen when we carry the heavy weight of other people's dreams on our shoulders"--

• ISBN10: 1508231532
• ISBN13: 9781508231530
• Publish Date: 25 April 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Edition: , Canadian ed.
• Format: Audiobook
• Duration: 11 hours
• Language: English

Reviews

This book had been on my TBR list for some time. I had heard so many wonderful things about it, and it's written by the same author that wrote [b:A Man Called Ove|18774964|A Man Called Ove|Fredrik Backman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405259930s/18774964.jpg|21619954], which is another book that I loved. For those that didn't like Ove, you should give Beartown a try because they are vastly different.
When I first started reading it, I was a little worried that there would be too much hockey in it and there were a lot of characters to keep track of, but they all began to click for me rather quickly. The book is not so much about hockey as it is about the people whose lives center around the junior hockey team. Without giving anything away, something happens between two people and the effect it has on the town is sadly not surprising and that's what sucked me in. I rarely stay up late reading a book, but I couldn't put it down. There will be characters you love and root for and those you shake your head to in disgust, but that's what I liked about it. I enjoyed the psychology of understanding why people do what they do. This is one of those books that will stick with me.

[Bianca]

Culture is as much about what we encourage as what we actually permit. (...) That most people don’t do what we tell them to. They do what we let them get away with.

— An infuriating look at sports and rape culture: how one town, whose world revolves around hockey, has cultivated a culture that protects the sport (and its players) at whatever cost. A powerful story with really beautiful writing. Great read!

[jamiereadthis]

Five stars, if not ten, for Marin Ireland’s narration. I can’t even judge the book independently of the way that she reads it. She’s one of my favorite actresses for a reason.

[Mercy]

I'm still a bit confused about how I feel exactly about this book but let's just say that I liked it.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Fredrik Backman takes us to a small rural town in Sweden known as Beartown. Hockey is the heart of this isolated town where winning is everything and parents pray their child will be picked up professionally. A place that when something dark happens involving the town's star player their world divides. Powerful and poignant Backman weaved a tale that will take the reader through an array of emotions.

The tale that unfolds revolves around hockey, and parents devoted to seeing their child succeed and escape their dead-end town. Sponsors, town politics and the hopes and dreams of their economy all rest on their teams and coaches shoulders. Backman skillfully characterizes the small-town and bringing key characters to life.

I went into this blind, and at first, I wondered what direction this story would take. Surely it couldn't be a whole book on hockey? If I had read the synopsis, I would have been on edge waiting for the "event, " but in retrospect, I am glad I went in cold because said event and the fallout offered a compelling read. Backman took us to the darker side of ourselves with a subject matter and subsequent reactions that reflected a relevant and timeless issue. It exposed the pain the victim feels and the painful accusations that follow.

BEARTOWN allows us to get to known individuals both young and old within the town. From them emerge, villains, prejudice, and quiet heroes. Some struggle between what the outcome means to the town's survival and others debate behind closed doors. Backman brilliantly captured all sides, exposing both the dark and the light of humanity.

Marin Ireland is a new to me narrator but she delivered a powerful interpretation of the tale and the characters. She captured emotions from tone to pacing offering the listener a delightful, captivating listen.

Audio provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[rohshey]

This book has ruined me for every other book out there.

Fredrik Backman, You’ve left me drained, almost completely bereft of words. As the last words had sunked into my soul, I had emphatically said, thank you! This one is to be treasured.