As a big fan of the Beartown series, I was extremely excited about this book, the first two being some of my all-time favorites. While I enjoyed The Winners overall, it was easily my least favorite of the series. For one, it was entirely too long, many of the subplots could have been cut without losing much substance and some scenes went on for longer than they should have. The characters, both old and new, were great as usual and it was nice just getting to spend time with them, like in the sections with Maya and Benji, and Anna at the lake. I think there could have been more conflict, at times it felt like he was dragging his feet, teasing us with violence before pulling back, but overall I enjoyed it and the ending did make me cry.

I loved being back in Beartown, remembering the characters we loved and then lost since the last book, and the sense of dread and inevitable hurt that would end everything. I was sad for the characters, but almost relieved when the final events came to a close. The book feels claustrophobic at times, as you know early on who isn’t going to make it, but how it happens is only revealed bit by bit as you understand every character’s contribution. I felt there was a lot of repetition of old stories; remembering events to help explain character motivation, and it felt that even Fredrick Backman didn’t want the final conclusion to arrive.

I was privileged to hear Backman speak on this book tour, and it was amazing. He talked about so many aspects of his personal life and his writing life. I suppose you can't have one without the other. The Winners took me along with a town I have come to love and wrecked me. I think I cried for the last 30 pages, at least. Besides being wrecked, I loved the wrap up of the characters and the view of their lives in the future. The writing was beautiful, as always, and I appreciate Backman's vulnerability as he went on tour. I will make a point to attend all of his future events.

I really loved this series and felt like this was a fitting addition. The writing and the characters are always good and the story always moving.

What a heart wrenching and sensitive ending to the Beartown series. I loved Bachman's other books portraying the simmering and harsh rivalry between the two small hockey towns of Beartown and Hed.. You didn't have to necessarily read the previous books but, if you had,. the richenss and understanding of the plot would be more meaningful.
The writing, as always, is superb and flows so beautifully. The characters are depicted so well and are illuminated by circumstances and personalities that are so well recounted. When I finished the story, I felt a certain bond with the characters which made its rendering flawless. A genuine and passionate read!

Absolutely devastating and incredible. This may be my favorite book of Backman’s yet. I loved reading the continuation of many of Beartown’s character’s stories. My one criticism is that the original title should have been kept.

This whole series left me devastated. When I heard that another Beartown book was coming out, I thought, what more could there be to this story? It felt complete after book 1, then book 2, etc. I was also shocked at how much longer it is compared to its predecessors.

The Winners is a long book, and I really didn't want it to end. I felt invested in the characters' lives moreso than (possibly) any other book I've read. There was even more development for both the characters as individuals, and for Beartown as a community. I read some reactions that weren't fond of the political angle, but overall, I felt like it fit in well and helped to progress the plot.

I'm very fond of Backman's writing style. Whenever I remember that it's a translation, I'm taken aback by how cohesive and well written it is. There are a lot of beautiful passages and excellent one liners about life, learning, parenting, etc. One of my favs is from book 1 (and was referenced in book 3): "The only time I'm not moving forward is when I'm taking aim."

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

It took me a bit to be grabbed by this third book in the amazing Bear Town series, perhaps because it had been quite a while since I read the first two books. But I was quickly sucked in and happy to catch up with the original characters’ lives and what had been going on since last we saw them in the second novel, Us Against You.

Like many readers, I imagine, I have a new appreciation for the camaraderie and passion of hockey players and hockey enthusiasts. But, for me, the story truest to my heart is one of relationships and growth among a small community in the woods, far from the urban world where most people live.

I agree with some reviewers that there were parts that were just a little bit tedious, but, as I pushed onward, I understood why these new players in the story, mixed in with the more familiar ones, were important. And, I was increasingly invested in all the characters, including a few new ones.
I highly recommend reading the first two books first, but even if you haven’t, you’ll be moved by this one. Besides the way Backman chooses certain phrases and themes to convey a story that resonates in its universally understood humanity, with all its strengths, passions and weaknesses, there is the sheer beauty and ferocity of the northern forest that simply draws the reader in.

Be prepared for both heartbreak and sadness, as well as the joy of new and renewed love and connection. This book is amazing. Many thanks to NetGalley for approving my request to read the eARC of The Winners, as well as Atria books and the author. I fully intended to post my review right away after I finished it on September 21, 2022, in time for the pub date of Sept 27 but, alas, best-laid plans and all that. Don’t miss this beautiful and surprising book!

The words "I don't know if there really needs to be another book about this godforsaken town" actually came out of my mouth when I told a friend that I was reading this book. In the end, this was another heartbreaking, lovely, deep, and raw story about a town that could be any of ours. This series has truly been one of my favorites I've ever read and I will continue to recommend it as often as I can!

Beartown and Hed hockey returns in this third book of a series. It feels like this will be the final one. I, for one, do not shy away from long books if they are good. And it is long, weighing in at over 600 pages. The writing is very good as well as the plot. Yes, the author got carried away with flowery sentimental writing the last 25 or 30 pages, but he is to be forgiven as he writes from the heart 95% of the book. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The wrap up of this series was every hit as perfect as the series itself. It’s never an easy read and always worth it with Backman. Reading Backmans conclusion of the tour thoughts on this book just made me 🥹 I am so grateful for this series and Backman as a human it’s hard to articulate how I felt reading the last of it.

Every review will probably mention the length but seriously doesn’t phase you whatsoever when reading it, this book was a continuation of my life mantra which is “I would read Backmans shopping list”. The characters the plot everything. I just can’t even say more.

Short review of The Winners: How dare you, Fredrik Backman. How dare you kill [redacted] and make me cry. I don’t care that you tell the reader on the first page that it’s going to happen. I may never forgive you.

Regular review of The Winners: Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an ARC of The Winners in exchange for an honest review.

The Winners picks up about two years after the events of Us Against You. A terrible storm begins a sequence of events that threatens the fragile peace between the towns of Beartown and Hed. Maya and Benji have both moved away from Beartown—her to go to school, him just to get far away. They’re both coming back for a funeral, but over the next ten days, tensions will rise between the two towns until it boils over in more deaths.

As with the earlier books in the series, The Winners is told through a wide cast of characters. Some are new: Johnny, Hannah, and their children Tess, Ted, and Tobias; the editor-in-chief and her father; Lev; “Big City” Aleksandr; and Matteo. But most have returned from the earlier books: Peter, Kira, and Maya Andersson; Ana and her father; Amat, Bobo, and Mumble; Teemu and Tails; Sune and Zackell; Richard Theo; Alicia and, of course, Benji. It’s a great mix of old and new, allowing the story to go in new directions while providing immediate stakes for characters the reader already knows and loves.

As with Us Against You, The Winners is very well written, full of little truisms that set up or enrich the scenes, or foreshadow things to come. There are such keen observations about human behavior and motivations. I was again struck by how little dialogue is contain in these pages. Much more of the story than is typical is told from a given character’s perspective, from their perception of exchanges, without actually hearing the back-and-forth exchanges. It gives the whole novel the feel of a long parable, of being profound, in a very effective way. And as with the earlier books, The Winners is about weighty issues. Parenting and marriage, love and loss. Redemption and forgiveness. The pressure to succeed and the dark side of the will to win. Journalism and ethics. Financial cheating by sports clubs and populism.

Beartown is one of the best books I’ve ever read, a great story about many different people and ideas that is also a searing and unforgettable one on the topic of sexual violence. Us Against You is a great book in its own right, but it had a different focus. The Winners is a blend of the two. For long stretches it focuses on many other things, but there’s an ever-present sense of dread of what’s to come. Because at its core is the story of another rape very much like the one in Beartown, of a girl who lacked a support structure and was broken by it, and whose story moved another to enact a terrible vengeance. A must read ending to a must read trilogy. Highly recommended.

A fantastic conclusión to a fantastic series! While his writing is often too wordy and sentimental, I still can’t help loving this town and these characters. I’ll miss this series!

Beartown and Hed have had a rivalry for as long as anyone could remember; the competition is manic. There have been players good enough to advance to the NHL, but even a losing season is overlooked as long as the losers beat the neighboring town’s hockey team.

Remoteness in a seemingly endless forest captures the young people in a never-ending rivalry as well. The town fathers are hyper in their protection of the team and the efforts to recruit the best players from each town.

The seclusion fosters paranoia in the towns as well. Closely guarded practices and team meetings engender the best in spy craft. Knowing the other teams’ strengths and game plans insures that the other team will be on top at the end of the season.

The schism that exists creates permeates the fabric of the community and the end result is competition that can at times turn deadly.

I found the narrative disturbing in so many ways and felt a deep sadness for the inhabitants of both of the cities. It was so difficult to read the hate engendered between the young people of the two towns, I failed to complete the entire novel. Crushing theme of isolation failure, humanity. 3 stars – CE Williams

The Beartown series is going down as one of my favourite book series evah! Its story and especially its characters will stay with me for a long time, and I look forward to rereading this series again (and again) in the future.

Yeah, it's that good.

This trilogy is centred around the world of minor hockey in a remote Swedish town. Since I'm part of a rare non-hockey Canadian family, a book set around hockey isn't what I'd normally read. But you don't need to like hockey to love this book. I read this entire series two weeks before I was going to meet Backman at an event and remembered why I loved his style of writing. He weaves the lives, loves and tribulations of his characters (who burrow into your heart and your head) within a story that will keep readers riveted and give them much to think about.

This book picks up two years after the first two books: Beartown and Us Against You and although it's a beast of a book at 670 pages, the story flows easily as readers are pulled back into the lives of the townspeople who have become so dear to us.

I love Backman's writing style that uses an omniscient narrator and a healthy dose of foreshadowing. As he explained at the event, he uses this technique to give his readers the feeling that he's telling them a story (like the fairy tales of old) and it completely captivated me, leading me to read well past my bedtime (on several occasions) after he'd drop hints about what was yet to come.

When I had the pleasure to meet Fredrik Backman last week it became one of my all-time favourite author events I've ever been to - and I've been to a lot of them! I loved learning about his writing process and his inspiration for this fantastic series. He has a delightful dry, self-deprecating sense of humour (we Canadians love that) and was humble and vulnerable with his audience about his struggle with mental health during the writing of this series.

This trilogy is so much more than hockey. This is a story about people, corruption, family, marriage, community, grief, and forgiveness and as Backman explained at the event, his stories (like sports) give people an escape from their daily lives.

I have been a fan of Fredrik Backman's since he wrote A Man Called Ove but I'm a mega fan now. I cannot wait to see what stories he shares with us next.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with a digital copy of The Winners in exchange for my honest review. I loved it so much I bought a print copy for my shelves. 😊

Ahhhhh I loved it!! Just the perfect conclusion to Backman’s Beartown series. I didn’t want it to end; even after 600 plus pages.
I will miss these characters and their imperfect relationships. Family, community and hockey-what more do you need?

The conclusion to the Beartown story is here. And it’s truly everything I hoped it would be. I’ll be honest, I had my doubts – it was long, and at times a little slow, but as Backman does, he made it all worth it. Without the storybuilding he provides, the payoff wouldn’t be as powerful.

But brace yourselves. It’s a doozy, so make sure you’re ready to shed some tears before you start it. Backman’s writing is like no other. The amount of passages I underlined is many. And the way he weaves a story is something special. I’ve already preordered the audio and plan on listening to it in the near future.

I thought I’d come here and give a long review, but I think it’s best to experience it without knowing much. Plus, there’s not much I can say about it without giving the story away. Just know that if you’re as big of a Beartown fan as I am, you’ll be more than satisfied. (Sad? Yes, but glad you read it.)

I've been a fan of Fredrik Backman's books since A Man Called Ove and I've enjoyed every one of his books. I like his style of writing - quiet and down-to-earth. His characters are interesting and relatable. This book, The Winners, is the third in a series that take place in Beartown yet it isn't really necessary to have read the previous two. The Winners stands on its own.

This is a very long book, but it's worth the time spent on it.

The Winners is the last story in the Beartown saga by Fredrik Backman. This story follows the drama of our favorite Beartown and Hed residents and tears open our hearts a little more. This books takes place over the course of two weeks, but it is truly generations of hockey clubs and families. Backman does an incredible job of weaving in parts from the first two books to remind you of the gut-wrenching events that took place. But he also does a fantastic job of tying up all the characters' lives, both joyful and remorseful.

This trilogy is about so much more than hockey. Love, hate, sexuality, rape, murder, bullying, accidents, natural disasters.... it has it all! Thank you to Atria for an early copy of this gem.

Loved this book! Great end in the Bear Town series!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC!