In a tiny community, obsessed with hockey or completely uninterested in it, things change in the course of a few weeks. As you read, you begin to care about hockey, too. Who knew? More than that, you begin to care about the people playing hockey, and about the people who have family members and friends playing hockey, and about all the characters in this novel, because you cannot possibly live in or read about Beartown and not care about hockey. It would be blasphemous.

It starts slowly, like a warm-up before a game. Soon the pace picks up and the focus is shifted from the hockey match that might save Beartown to the relationship between the characters. You cannot stay neutral, you can't help agreeing with each side, but you cannot pick sides. In a community you see everyone's point.

This novel is about many things: about hockey, clearly; but also about a parent's constant love and cheering on; about the friends you have when you are fifteen; about how some things can be overlooked in favor of a supreme good; about how easy it is to look the other side. This book is many things, but without impact on its readers it is not.

The author kept hinting to things that were to follow. Although the "action" was not fast-paced in the beginning, the author gives you a background on each character. Some pieces of information felt like they were repeated over and over again, but every time they led to a new route in the story. Every repetition and every word is aimed to draw attention to a specific aspect and to stress something you mustn't overlook. The author creates suspense, despite the above mentioned hinting. Just when you think you know what's about to happen or how the characters will react, with the swift of a word and the turn of a phrase, everything changes.

I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed reading this book. I can honestly say that Fredrik Backman is my (current) favorite fiction author. His writing gets better and better with each new book, and I can't wait for his next novel.

Mr. Backman is a brilliant writer who tells a story about a town who breathes, lives, drinks well they are obsessed with hockey even when teens play it. As he laid the groundwork for this story, I was totally vested and rooting for the characters: good, bad and wounded.

The story is about the game of the year that if you asked the town will set them apart from the rest of the world. That is what they think and how they feel, and no one can take that away from them. The town knows they are going to win because that is who they are and what they do so when a terrible event happens to one of the town members that leaves one of them traumatized, the game and the town will never be the same.

This is a well-crafted story that stayed with me even after I read the last page. I see book clubs reading this and having great discussions about the characters. Hockey. Not that interested in the sport so when asked to write this review and right away read this is the basis for the story, I admit to being prepared not to enjoy the story. I can honestly say, that is not the case.

Mr. Backman is a brilliant writer who tells a story about a town who breathes, lives, drinks well they are obsessed with hockey even when teens play it. As he laid the groundwork for this story, I was totally vested and rooting for the characters: good, bad and wounded.

The story is about the game of the year that if you asked the town will set them apart from the rest of the world. That is what they think and how they feel, and no one can take that away from them. The town knows they are going to win because that is who they are and what they do so when a terrible event happens to one of the town members that leaves one of them traumatized, the game and the town will never be the same.

This is a well-crafted story that stayed with me even after I read the last page. I see book clubs reading this and having great discussions about the characters. I recommend you buy this book. This story is about life and the choices that get made when it comes at you fast. You know like a hockey puck.

I have been a fan of Fredeik Bachman's writing since I first was introduced to Ove whom I loved at first sight. So was delighted to be given a copy of Beartown to review.

Unfortunately I started out really disliking it as I have no interest in hockey or sport in general and it appeared all that this novel was about, so much so that I was at the point of giving up. However I decided to persevere even though I was not enjoying it then bang everything fell in to place and I couldn't put the book down. I was by that time enthralled by the writing and the story, which was so strong and powerful. The characters were eteched in to the tiniest detail that I could see each in my mind's eye good and bad, strong and weak.

I loved Ove but I feel that Beartown is up there challenging his position in my heart.

PS. I still don't like hockey

After reading two of this author's earlier books I received this one up from NetGalley, expecting some light reading but instead found myself in a layered tale of a struggling small town and doing what's right. I'm unfamiliar with hockey and have never seen a game so I found it hard to get into the book at first because hockey is one of the major characters!

Beartown is struggling to hang on to it's ever-shrinking existence. The major employer "efectivized it's personnel" for the past three years in a row and residents were moving away, leaving those remaining to pin their hopes on a successful season for their hockey team - a winning season. If they lost their hockey club, would they next lose their remaining school? People in desperate situations resort to desperate means. That's what this book is about. It's "all" for the hockey club, but what is "all?"

These students and hockey players have been friends since kindergarten, but at a drunken celebratory party something happens that changes everything. How quickly hockey club supporters convince themselves of a lie and turn against Maya, the victim, and throw her under the bus because they're desperate to win. Sune, the team's coach, watches helplessly, knowing that "we love winners even when they're very rarely particularly likable people." And how quickly the lie turns to hatred which seeps through their town all the way down to the children. Anyone who questions their personal actions reminds themselves that it is for the good of the club - they believe that a winning star player means a winning team and a winning town. The beginning was slow for me, but it turned into a page turner, right up to the end.

I can't rave enough about this book. It was so well written and so many parts hit close to home being a parent and remembering what it was like to be a teenager. Heartbreaking and sweet at the same time.
Don't let the hockey references deter you from reading this... even if you hate sports this book should be read. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Well, I was expecting something just as fabulous as A Man Called Ove. What I got was completely different. Think Friday Night Lights, but replace football in Texas with hockey in Sweden. At the beginning, Beartown was all about the hockey team and its many players. It focused on their team's history and hockey-playing abilities. It was boring, and I wasn’t interested. Beartown had the same soul as A Man Called Ove, but instead of focusing on relationships, it was all about the game - something I’m not interested in.

*Spoiler Alert*

Then, right when I thought I understood all of the many characters, a hockey player raped a teen, and everything became sad and depressing - depressing because it was probably an accurate portrayal of what would happen in a small hockey town. (Honestly, I’m including this part in my review because I think it’s important to say what the traumatic event is in the description. I probably wouldn’t have read it had I known about the rape.) I was determined to make it to the end of the book, but the ending wasn’t worth it. Necessary changes come to Beartown because of the rape, but how can you have a happy ending when rape is involved? You can’t.

Side gripes:
1. Fortunately for Backman, I am in the minority. Everyone else on Goodreads LOVES this book.
2. If Beartown is all one word, why does the title on the cover of the book look like it’s split into two words? It doesn’t make sense.

I will not be able to review this book. Sorry for the inconvenience,

“Late of 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…………”

Fredrik Backman, in hockey terms, hit me with a “check to the head”. His previous books feature curmudgeonly old men and quirky women that leave you warm and fuzzy inside. This newest book spins 180° toward the dark side. A small dying town, whose residents are obsessed with ice hockey, pin their hopes of economic revival on the backs of a junior hockey team as they head into a championship game. A town that has lost so much over the years needs a win – no matter the cost.

I ran into a group of friends the other day all excited to tell me that they had just finished Backman’s book, The Man Call Ove and wanted to know if he had any new books. As I looked into their eager faces, I told them about Beartown and I watched their faces deflate. Their reaction, I realized, was my initial reaction when I finished the book…disappointment. But I have had a change of heart.

I expected the author to give me another “bear-hug” book. A warm fuzzy hometown story resembling the 1950’s sitcom with “life is beautiful all of the time” Ozzie and Harriet Nelson nuclear families. Instead, Backman shows us that behind the painted-on-smiles and nothing-to-see here attitudes lies complex characters with flaws and less than lovable qualities. Not everyone ends each day with kiss goodnight and a promise of a bright tomorrow.

Tiny Beartown, isolated physically from the world-at large by dense forests and mountain terrain, resembles a tiny village inside a snow-globe. As long as no one shakes things up, the town turns a blind-eye to anything “unpleasant”; things look peaceful from the outside. When something “unpleasant” does happen, they feel it best to act like it didn’t happen. Don’t make waves. Look away!

“You never want to get away from home as much as you do when you’re fifteen…It’s like her mom usually say when…her patience [has worn thin]. You can’t live in this town, Maya, you can only survive it”.

As the all-important hockey championship match draws near, the atmospheric pressure climbs for the town’s residents. It is now that the author has chosen to rock the town to its roots. Over-involved sports parents with their entitled children, down-on-their-luck townsfolk and greedy power-hungry men have chosen to live life vicariously through the talented young hockey team. The fate of Beartown is placed on the backs of children.

If tensions weren't high enough, the hockey team’s star player, son of a wealthy and powerful businessman, hosts a raucous party when his parents are out of town. The callous young man targets the daughter of the general manager of the local hockey club and makes a bet with his friends that he can get her to have sex with him. He invites her to the party and she goes, knowing that her parents would not approve, but never suspecting the danger. New to the party scene, the girl becomes drunk and charmed into going upstairs with the boy. Alone… he rapes her.

From that moment, the future of everyone in Beartown changes. Some find their better angels and others succumb to their baser natures. New friendships are forged, old friendships are tested and other relationships are severed. Loyalty and love are tested. Marriages flounder, tempers flare, mobs form and unexpected heroes shine. The snow globe has been cracked and the residents of Beartown must look introspectively and make decisions to stay and heal the open wounds or to turn their backs on Beartown.

Recommended as a thought provoking book club selection.

I want to thank Netgalley for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Beartown is about a small town near the woods. The hockey team is one of the only bright spots in life for the people of Beartown. There are gods in Beartown – they are the stars of the hockey team. This novel addresses town culture, hockey culture, pack mentality, and human nature in general. You don’t have to know hockey to appreciate it. Fill in any other sport in place of hockey and you will probably relate on some level. One of the old salts in town tells a hockey coach that “most people don’t do what we tell them to. They do what we let them get away with.” The people of Beartown will show their best sides and some will reveal their worst when the unthinkable occurs. Fredrik Backman really gets to the core of human nature in his novels – so much so that the reader may need to take a break once in a while. Even so, I found it difficult to stop reading. It’s bittersweet, honest and will make you think. I really liked it.

This story was so well written. The characters so well developed that it didn't matter whether it was about hockey or anything else. Foreshadowing keeps you so interested that it could easily be read in one sitting! Thank you to the publisher for an opportunity to read this ARC!

It begins with a cliffhanger: "Late one evening...a teenager picked up a 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."

I read it in one sitting, for it reads like a thriller, even though it's all flashback. Backman's previous books have been wise and funny and a little tragic, but this is a masterpiece. It centers on a small town seeking glory from its hockey club. I know these kids and these families and so will you. You'll recognize "how we got here", too. Backman brings to life their hopes and dreams, frustrations and difficulties--adults and teens alike. "Beartown" should be read and discussed in every high school; it's topical and yet these events have happened for centuries. It takes place in Sweden, but could be any small town in America, too. In sports and life what we hope our children learn is to make good choices in a very un-ideal world. Fiction is a way to enter into an age-old discussion framed so beautifully by one of the characters: "This town doesn't always know the difference between right and wrong...but we know the difference between good and evil." What is the right thing to do when things go very wrong? You'll be compelled to find your answer. Backman is the Dickens of our age, and though you'll cry, your heart is safe in his hands. ~Em Maxwell

I honestly think Fredrik Backman is a talent beyond compare. If you have never read his books, I urge you to get your hands on one soon. The complex characters and situations touch you in a way very few authors ever achieve.

Initially I had a few doubts about Beartown. Everything was hockey, hockey, hockey. Then the true story kicked in and I knew I had a Fredrik Backman in my hands. Amazing.

4.5 stars

'Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-bareled 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.....'

This book is a slow starter and totally different to Backman's previous formulaic reads. At 25%, I was ready to give up the book completely. At 30% I couldn't put it down! Slowly, we get to know and understand the plethora of characters. Slowly, the tension builds and the reader begins to experience the excitement. The hockey semi-final is about to start and Beartown's Junior team is playing ..... But this book is so much more than just hockey. I will stop there as I don't want to give away the storyline. All I will say is I loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley who provided me with this ARC. I chose to read it and give a voluntary and unbiased review.

Another fantastic book! This is a wonderful story of a small town and its characters. I laughed and cried.

First off let me start by saying that Backman is one of my favorite authors so when the publisher reached out to me to offer a first look at this novel, I jumped at the chance. Beartown is about hockey. I know, I know, it's hockey. But, like most of what Backman writes, this book is more about the stories that surround a small town hockey team. His storytelling is simple and engaging and makes you feel the cold tundra that surrounds Beartown in a visceral way.

All of the sub stories overlap in a soap opera type style so it can be challenging to switch gears mid page to check in with a different character for three or four paragraphs before switching tracks again. At the same time, this style helps to cohere the story into one timeline and the realization that one event has different meanings to different people at the exact same time.

Why only a four-star review? Because, I'll be honest, it took me about 20% of the way through the book to really get into the story and get the characters straight in my mind. Once that clicked into place though, the rest of the book was crazy enjoyable, disturbing at times, but enjoyable.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed A Man Called Ove by Backman, but I liked this novel even more. A bit slow to start, Backman introduces the reader to the residents of Beartown, a small town that lives and breathes hockey. Every character is nuanced and complex, from the GM of the hockey club to the immigrant teen struggling to find a place among the players. The pace picks up as the team wins the semifinals and an act of violence ripples through the town. Backman's style of brief scenes between characters keeps the novel moving, and he deftly tells the story of multiple characters without confusing the reader. Beartown is about a small town and ice hockey, but it is truly about human resilience and connection. I read the last quarter of the book in one sitting, because I needed to know how all the threads would be woven together, and Backman did not disappoint.

I went into Beartown thinking that there was no way it could be as good as A Man Called Ove, but it was beautiful. Backman has a talent for making a reader laugh and cry at the same time. Although Beartown is a "hockey town," I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone. Hockey is a mere vehicle to teach about the human condition and small town life.

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, 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.

Amazing. Read. Every man, woman and teen should read this book.

I have read all of Backman's books, and he has not disappointed yet.

This novel takes his writing to another level. As with Ove, you feel exactly what the characters are feeling.

This story is so much more than ice hockey, it becomes so real on may different levels, it turned out to be so much better than I had anticipated.

Go and read this book.

As a fan of his previous books, I was really looking forward this, and it exceeded my expectations, I think it is his best book yet.