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The Winners

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Member Reviews

Wow! That is the first thing that comes to mind after reading The Winners. I never expected to feel so many different emotions as I read this book, but that is the beauty that Fredrik Backman brings to all of his writing. Understanding human nature, and bringing characters to life, where you really do feel a genuine connection and emotions to them. This entire series will stick with me long after I've moved on to reading other novels. I won't forget this series.

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I adore the Beartown trilogy by Fredrik Backman. He creates such an intricate universe to step into and introduces you to characters you will never forget. I remember stumbling upon Beartown before it seemed to be everywhere and I was excited about a story about a town that was obsessed with hockey. I didn't even know what I was in for, and how lucky we all were to get 2 more books in this setting.

It has been a while since I read Beartown, then Us Against You, and I was worried if I remembered enough of the details to appreciate the whole story. Backman does an excellent job reminding us of where we left off while introducing us to the new characters in this story. The first 200 pages are about a windstorm that set up the events of the novel are a touch slow, but sit back and relax into the story.

Throughout the book Backman tells you exactly what is going to happen, and I spent the whole time wishing he was wrong, but the series ends as it should. The Beartown trilogy is incredible, and everyone should read it.

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I enjoyed reading this novel like I do with all of Backman’s books. Normally, I might consider this book to be a bit too dark for my likening. However, I was invested enough in the storyline to continue reading. I enjoy the author’s description of people and events.

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Fredrik Backman is hands down one of the best writers around. He simply has a way of crafting a story that is unparalleled. If an author can make me interested in a story about hockey, then I know he is a gifted artist.

The Winners is the final book in the Beartown trilogy and to say I eagerly awaited this book would be an understatement. While I was sorry to see this story end, and there were parts that were hard for me to read, I thought it was a fitting conclusion to the series.

If you haven't read Fredrik Backman before, do not waste another minute. Each and every word he writes is amazing and beautiful. You won't be disappointed.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Was this Backman’s best in the trilogy? I think it may have been. He ended STRONG with this book.
I loved Beartown. And then I thought how wonderful it was that I loved Us Against You even more! Now, Backman has completely gone above his own work and written one beautiful, heartbreaking story with The Winners. The style of writing is the perfect way to lead us on, keep the reader on the edge of our seat, and remind us how every single story and person is connected the entire time. A truly immersing read. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time after.

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This was a great story. Backman writes these characters that just feel so real, and the reader can't help but get incredibly connected to them!

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3.5 stars. It took a long time for me to get into this novel. In fact, I almost gave up several times due to its disjointed approach to storytelling, the flash forwards and overlapping plot lines that lacked cohesiveness, etc. But I finally got into the groove of it about 70% in. And then I could see the endearing traits of some of the main characters.

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Oh, Backman does it again. I could not stop crying at the end of this book, even though I just knew Benji was going to die. The character development, the realism, it all just tugs on my heartstrings. I usually have issues with the way that men write female characters, especially adolescent female characters, but I feel like Fredrik Backman can do anything. The section from Ruth's POV (chapter 99) is 100% accurate. We focus on the victims being to blame - what did she do wrong, boys pull pigtails because they like you, etc. EVERYTHING that Ruth wrote in her journal was how I have felt at some point in my life as a sexual assault survivor. I will always recommend this book and series to fellow readers.

The ending tying everything together and giving the full circle picture of where each character went in his/her life was perfect. How Alicia used the last name 'Ovich' on her jersey. Maya is a superstar. Ana is saving lives. It's all a beautiful amalgam of life and death.

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I loved the first two books. This one I hard time connecting to but not sure why. It was a little long winded for my taste. Overall a good read. Looking forward to more from Backman as usual.

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Backman is such a rock star. He has earned every bit of his current success and recognition, and the Beartown books are among his hardest hitting. Make no mistake, even though they concern high schoolers, these are in no way YA books. They are deep and rich and eviscerating.

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This was a great way to end the Beartown trilogy. I enjoyed the the addition of the other family in the rival city of Hed. After two years I found out about what happened to these characters that were introduced to the read in Beartown. This was a story about hope, family, friendship, community, corruption, loss and strength and how people get through things.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

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This story was bittersweet to me. On the one hand, I loved another novel with my most beloved characters, but on the other, I was sad to see the end to this trilogy. The title is fitting for this brick of a story- a Winner. Definitely one I will cherish forever.

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I loved this last installment in the trilogy from Backman, focusing on Beartown and Hed – two towns that eat, sleep, and breathe hockey.

Backman has the most amazing way of writing about the human experience. You feel like you KNOW the characters. You feel what they feel. You laugh with them. You cry with them. His writing is so vivid, I feel like I’ve been to Beartown!

Here’s the overview:

A breathtaking new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove, The Winners returns to the close-knit, resilient community of Beartown for a story about first loves, second chances, and last goodbyes.

Over the course of two weeks, everything in Beartown will change.

Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich, two young people who left in search of a life far from the forest town, come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends. There is a new sense of optimism and purpose in the town, embodied in the impressive new ice rink that has been built down by the lake.

Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The destruction caused by a ferocious late-summer storm reignites the old rivalry between Beartown and the neighboring town of Hed, a rivalry which has always been fought through their ice hockey teams.

Maya’s parents, Peter and Kira, are caught up in an investigation of the hockey club’s murky finances, and Amat—once the star of the Beartown team—has lost his way after an injury and a failed attempt to get drafted into the NHL. Simmering tensions between the two towns turn into acts of intimidation and then violence. All the while, a fourteen-year-old boy grows increasingly alienated from this hockey-obsessed community and is determined to take revenge on the people he holds responsible for his beloved sister’s death. He has a pistol and a plan that will leave Beartown with a loss that is almost more that it can stand.

As it beautifully captures all the complexities of daily life and explores questions of friendship, loyalty, loss, and identity, this emotion-packed novel asks us to reconsider what it means to win, what it means to lose, and what it means to forgive.

This novel was on the longer side (688 pages) but it didn’t feel long. It felt like I had visited Beartown and stayed a while.

Thank you for my review copy through Net Galley!

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I read this back in the fall and have put off a formal review for too long. Overall, I think this book was unnecessary. I absolutely loved the first two books, and while this one was well written, I just did not feel the same connection. I remain a huge fan of Backman and cannot wait for his next book.

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I would read any number of books in this series... these characters have grown and grown on me. The Beartown series is for sure my favorite of all Backman's books.

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I love Fredrik Backman’s writing so much, so I forced myself to finish this series. But this series isn’t for me. It certainly isn’t bad, and is clearly well written, but it’s not my favorite by him.

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What a conclusion to the Beartown series. I bawled my eyes out at the end. I loved the redemption story of some of the characters, and watching others grow. Backman sure knows how to pull us in and make us feel everything about the characters. I won't forget this one for a long time.

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This book was entirely way too long. It was bogged down with too many descriptions, a boring political subplot, and new characters I didn’t care for. It took over 300 pages to get Maya, Ana, Benji, Amat, and Bobo all together. I will admit, when that happened, I got into the book a little more, and that’s why I have it 3 stars instead of 2. The magic of the first two books lies with those characters. I’d read a 690 page book about them. But you can’t say this particular 690 book is about those characters. Overall, this was a disappointing conclusion to a series I loved.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Winners, Fredrik Backman
September 27, 2022, Atria Books

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Winners completes the trilogy that began with Bear Town and continued with Us Against Them. While I'm sure that any book can be read as a standalone, this book was the perfect conclusion to the epic tale that began in Bear Town.

The story follows Bear Town and rival Hed's Hockey Clubs in their quest for greatness. The successes and failures of the clubs directly relates to the successes and failures of the respective communities. Money, power, sex, family and hockey are all tied togehter -- for better or for worse.

If you haven't read the previous two books, the three books are a combined over 1,500 pages -- so now is a perfect time to get started!

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #thewinners #thewinnersfredrikbackman @backmansk @atriabooks

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Long anticipated follow third book in the Beartown series did not disappoint. Dives into the action with a freak windstorm impacting the towns, told through multiple key character’s perspectives. Can Hed and Beartown survive this disaster?

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