I live Fredrik Backman and have read a lot of his books. This is not my favourite bit I did enjoy it and there were some great characters.

Advanced Reader copy - Enjoyed this book, really opened my eyes and made me seek out other similar books to read.

Hello one of my favourite books ever. What is there to say about Beartown that hasn’t already been said. My heart aches for these boys, for this town. Backman’s writing is immersive here, you can’t leave this book alone. I still think about it now. This is such an incredibly powerful book, one that will forever be a forever fave.

Took me a while to get around to reading this as it's by an author I've never read before.
This is a great, gritty thriller; not one to read before bed!
I look forward to reading more from this author.

The opening lines were some of the best I have read and I knew I would be in for a treat. However the chapters that followed saw my interest in the story dwindle. Partly because there was not much story to speak of and also the writing style introduced numerous characters in short snippet style paragraphs. I don't mind a whole host of characters but with this I struggled to follow who was who and what they were up to as the within one chapter you follow so many and for such fragmented pieces of time. If I had not been buddy reading this or have Audrey in the back of my mind I would have given this up. Thankfully half way through it picked up and the paragraphs became more lengthy and detailed so I could connect more with the characters and the story became absolutely fascinating. The event that fractures the town is terrible but highly realistic and the reactions to it abhorrent but all too true to life. Backman certainly has a way with words and manages to repel the reader with locker room banter one minute and inspirational quotes the next. I'm not one for annotating books but I did nod along in agreement at many a turn of phrase. Beartown reads like an actual ice hockey match. The first period is slow and tentative, the second period is full of action and the final period you don't want to turn away on case you miss anything. Just when I thought I was going to send Beartown to the sin bin it came back fighting and scored some considerable points.

A modern classic. I adore this entire series. A must-read. Harrowing, heartbreaking, and utterly page-turning. Just brilliant, brilliant writing.

I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommend it.
Beartown is a hockey town. It’s a small community revolving around hockey until one day something happens to break this town apart. This explains the events leading up to it and the aftermath.

Beartown is one of those books that will haunt me, and though the subject matter has been done before there was nothing routine about this.
I have loved all of the books by Backman that I have read, and though I'd had this on my radar for a while I had never really felt in the mood for reading it. The subject of rape and how it is dealt with in the community is always problematic, and this is entirely true in the community of Beartown.
The opening chapter gripped me from the off, and I loved the realisation (once I eventually got to the end) that it wasn't quite what I expected. The novel focuses initially on the setting up of Beartown as a community. It is a crumbling town, where people are moving away in droves and it takes a particular kind of hardy soul to make their life there. The majority of inhabitants are obsessed with ice hockey - and though this is not a sport I have much experience of, the role of the team in the lives of the players and how sport can affect the community is pivotal. Understanding the sense of belonging the team gives to the boys is crucial - as it explains (though in no way justifies) the way some of them behave later.
In celebration of their achievements on the ice, the star player hosts a party. It's been done before. Unfortunately, this time the fifteen year old daughter of the team manager is invited. Maya is naive, but it does not excuse what Kevin does. He rapes her...and what happens next is, sadly, all too common.
Maya is determined, eventually, to be brave. She does not hide away, though she knows the devastation her telling the truth will cause. The repercussions in the community are far-reaching and few are unaffected. However, it was a thought-provoking exploration of character to consider how each of our large cast responded to the events talked about.
There are a lot of characters within these pages, and each of them has a story to tell. Backman shows us their lives - their often miserable, petty lives - but he bestows on them a gravitas and dignity that I found myself admiring. Some of them are more endearing than others, but I liked the fact that Backman shows us each of them without hiding their flaws.
As we drew close to the end there was a clear sense of trying to prepare us for the story continuing in the second book, Us Against You. I have to say that I cannot wait to read it.

I devoured this book, and found lots to discuss as I read it with my book group. We felt it was definitely a book for winter - the setting and unrelenting cold made it a great read for dark nights curled up inside.

The ice hockey team which bears the weight of its town’s expectations is made up of boys from diverse backgrounds and families, united in their love for the sport. I know nothing about ice hockey, but found the characters and plot compelling, with lots to evoke strong opinions.

Beartown is a beautifully-written story of hopes, dreams, love, loss - and one small, stubborn town.

This is one of the most well-written books I have read in a long time; not just from the narrative point of view, but from the prose and the way the story is crafted, woven, and spun together. The town, the people, and the events are all described so well that it is easy to picture them in your mind's eye. It's immersive and engaging - and a truly wonderful work of literature.

The story itself - like Beartown - focuses around hockey. Even if you are not familiar with the sport, the roar of the crowd, the energy of the players, and the must-win mentality of coaches, sponsors, players, and parents alike are all-too-familiar from sports played around the world. In Beartown, hockey is so much more than just a game, and the residents' passion for hockey seeps out of the pages of this book.

Beartown does not shy away from discussing difficult issues, either. From questions of morality to the difference between right and wrong, or good and evil, many sacrifices and hard decisions are made. When you have everything to play for and everything to lose, what would you do to keep yourself afloat?

Despite being united by a common love for hockey, the residents of Beartown are as varied as they come. From typical small-towners to the local big-shots, everyone has an agenda and the relationships that play out throughout the story are as real as they are often heartbreaking. It takes a certain type of person to live in a place like Beartown, and its inhabitants are stubborn as mules yet as proud as lions.

Beartown is more than just a town. It is a living being, predator and prey, merciless and merciful. A remote place beyond the forest where residents are united by a single sport. Beyond all else, this is the story of Beartown.

This was my first Backman, and I was very pleasantly surprised by it.

I was initially a bit concerned that I wouldn't appreciate it, given that I know nothing about and have very little interest in hockey, but this turned out to be a beautiful exploration of humanity and community rather than a book about sports. Characters were developed in a way I have rarely seen in other books, and I came to really care about Beartown and its residents by the end of it. Lots of twists and turns kept me glued to the page as well.

Just a word of caution: the content made this a tough read in some places, but all themes were explored and developed delicately and with great care. I'll definitely be reading more from this author!

I’ve been listening to this on audio.
Excellent portrayal of the book, read really well.

This author writes superbly and I know is a favourite of many many readers. I too am among his fans.

I’m not into hockey, in fact I have no clue of the rules. I’m not into many sports at all, but that doesn’t matter in this book as the human side of who lives there is more paramount I felt.

Of course the town is super identified by its game that goes without saying, however, it’s the team we are getting to know as individuals that I cared about.

We all know by now that a rape takes place. Terrible.
Listening to this on audio was more impactful than reading it, I’m not saying rape doesn’t impact on my anger and emotions when reading about such brutality and invasion etc but I was reading with my eyes and listening with my ears......doubled the sensors if you know what I mean.

What went on from there both upset me, frustrated me and made me angry.
So YES, the author did a brilliant job.

I’m so glad I got around to reading this. I do feel if I knew more of hockey I’d have understood other points much better though.

I loved this one - it had just the kind of icy Swedish cool I love reading, but with a compelling plot at its heart instead of the aimless ambling beauty that some Swedish authors are guilty of. This felt like a fully fleshed-out plot, in a fully fleshed-out world, populated by fully fleshed-out characters. Lovely read.

Fredrick Backman was a new author to me and I wasn’t sure what to expect, all I knew was the synopsis sounded like my kind of book. I wish I had picked this one up sooner instead of leaving it in my TBR pile. Backman’s writing is beautiful, heart wrenching and honest. I loved how he wrote about the characters and seemed to tie all the paragraphs together and as a reader he often ended the chapters with a statement that gave room for reflect.

Whilst there were a lot of characters there were some that stood out for their bravery, candidness and loyalty. Benji, Bobo, Amat, Ramona, Sune and of course Maya all were excellent characters and I enjoyed reading their stories the most. If I had to choose an absolute favourite it would have to be Benji. He came across as quite cocky and sure of himself at the start but in the second half of the book you could see the real person and he made my heart melt.

I love reading about small towns and how they cope with a crisis. True to form most in the town only wanted to believe the story that best profited them and were willing to do whatever it took to make it so. I found that the teenagers were actually acting more adult than their parents most of the time and could probably teach them a thing or two about right and wrong.

I’m not a huge sports person, I can appreciate sport but I am hopeless at it. However I really liked reading about the hockey matches, the teams and how important it was to a small town. My only slight criticism of the book was after a powerful opening chapter, the first half was a bit slow to get going. Luckily I had been forewarned that it was a slow burner and whilst I never wanted to put the book down I felt that we could of got to the events sooner. I look forward to reading more of Backman’s books, I actually have a few on my bookcase ready and waiting.

Fredrick Backman is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, he just has a way of immersing in a story no matter what the topic, i'm not even a fan of Hokey yet I couldn't put this down!

This is a book set in the town of Bear Town in Sweden, the whole town lives and breaths Hokey and the junior team have an important match, a match that can if they win revitalise a town that is slowly sinking, the match would mean a new Hokey stadium being built in Bear Town putting the town on the map again. We follow a host of characters in the lead up to the match and what hokey means to each and every one, we really get inside the heads of all of these character and as I have come to love with this authors writing each one jumps off the page and is an individual, all are flawed non are perfect. As the big march approaches a scandal hits the town that can ruin not only the chances of putting Bear Town back in the spot light but effect the lives of everyone in this small town.

Fredrick Backman really captures the atmosphere of a small town and this could be a town anywhere, I come from a small town myself and felt it all very familiar. This book wasn't quite five stars for me as I felt that I didn't connect with it emotionally as I have done with some of his previous works and the ending was a little bit flat for me, you could really tell it was lined up for a second book, however it's still a fantastic book. I felt Backman dealt with the issues brought up in this book with sensitive and respect, I feel as a man writing about this topic it could have gone so much the other way.

I would highly recommend this slow burn tale of community and what it means to be caught up in it and I can't wait to read the next one.

Unfortunately my reading tastes/review areas have changed since requesting this book and I will therefore not be reviewing this title. Apologies for any inconvenience.

A brilliant story although at times quite hard to read (due to content). Well written but the style can take some getting used to. Twists and turns to keep you on your toes!

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world

"Sometimes life doesn't let you choose your battles. Just the company you keep.

I'm not really sure where to start with this review as this book tackles so many important issues. It took me a while to get into this book. If I'm honest I wasn't fully invested in the story until about a third of the way through. However I am so glad that I stuck with it. This is a truly brilliant book.

"When I was little, my dad used to hit me if I spilled my milk, Leo. That didn't teach me not to spill things. It just made me scared of milk. Remember that."

There are so many quotes that I want to use in this review that if I have some left over at the end I'm gonna have to just add them to the end. Anyway. I felt so bad for Maya and her family in this book. Without spoiling anything too much this book really brings to light that when something this terrible and tragic happens people still try and accuse the victim. Maya was so strong and brave and this truly was her story of a hockey town. Its really scary to see how different people can treat boys and girls and how much girls have to mature from such a young age.

"They'll feel ashamed, in the end. One day they'll remember that when the word of a boy was set against that of a girl, they believed the boy blindly. And then they'll feel ashamed."

Ramona has to be one of my absolute favourite characters from this story. She was just so no nonsense and she didn't hesitate to call people out when they were being absolute douches. She'd also call them that, if not something stronger.

Everyone should read this book.

"'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!'

... '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 as 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!'"

The amazing Ramona<3

found this to be a slow burner for me and I have read it over a period of time, it didn't quite catch my attention, so I gave it one last chance.

I really enjoyed it, it was emotional, descriptive, I loved the main characters, their integrity and the way they dealt with the challenges they were faced with.

All in all a powerful book.