Book Review: The Winners by Fredrik Backman

Title: The Winners

Author: Fredrik Backman

Series/Standalone: Beartown Series (Book #3)

Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Adult

Pages: 671

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"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 residents continue to grapple with life's big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?

As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?"

My Rating: 5/5

I can't recommend the audiobooks enough for this series.  The way the author's story lends itself so well to audio narration is fantastic and the characters seem to jump off the page or the earbuds....? You get it. I have felt so deeply throughout this series. The pain, joy, fear and overall strength that the main characters in this series exhibit. The setting lends itself perfectly to the story and I would highly recommend anyone interested in picking up the books.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

Title: Us Against You

Author: Fredrik Backman

Series/Standalone: Beartown Series (Book #2)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Pages: 448

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2017

Format: Audiobook

"After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that'll the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown's new hockey coach.

Soon a new team starts to take shape around Amat, the fastest player you'll ever see; Benji, the intense lone wolf; and Vidar, a born-to-be-bad troublemaker. But bringing this team together proves to be a challenge as old bonds are broken, new ones are formed, and the enmity with Hed grows more and more acute.

As the big match approaches, the not-so-innocent pranks and incidents between the communities pile up and their mutual contempt grows deeper. By the time the last game is finally played, a resident of Beartown will be dead, and the people of both towns will to be forced to wonder if, after all they've been through, the game they love can ever return to be something simple and innocent."

My Rating: 5/5

This book was so much more than I anticipated. I didn't expect this to hit so hard. It was hard to imagine how the author was going to make this a series, but once again the small-town hard-hitting contemporary vibes. Since I grew up in this kind of small town all of this hit a little too close to home. The characters in this series felt so deep and realistic. I look forward to continuing the series and seeing how the author wraps up the town's story overall.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Title: Beartown

Author: Fredrik Backman

Series/Standalone: Beartown Series (Book #1)

Genre:  Fiction, Contemporary

Pages: 432

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Year Published: 2016

Format: Audiobook

"The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream- and the price required to make it come true.

People say Beartwon is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

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."

My Rating: 5/5

I have read another work by this author and enjoyed it thoroughly, this book was a different feeling. The subject matter is obviously more intense, but the author's ability to write dynamic multi-sided characters continues to floor me. As someone who grew up in a small town, this hit very hard for me. The way the town reacts to accusations and how rape culture is a huge part of our society, even still. I plan to continue this series as soon as possible, as well as watch the HBO series.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Beckman

Title: A Man Called Ove
Author: Fredrik Backman
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Humor
Pages: 294
Publisher: Atria Books
Year Published: 2012
Format: Paperback Copy (Library Copy)
First Line: "Ove is fifty-nine."

"A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. he's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. he has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. people called him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered on his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior, there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundation."

My Rating: 5/5

This was the monthly book for my local book club this month and it took me a while to get into the storyline and the characters, but the more I read the more I enjoyed the storytelling and everything involved in the story. This story is a great book to read, it's emotional in ways that make you laugh, cry and just stare into space filled with emotion. You know what I'm trying to say? This book will forever be in my mind, and I'm glad to say it will probably be one of my new favourite reads.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This book was heartwrenching. We start by following Ove, a man whose the main job would at first appear to be making everyone else's life miserable just due to the changing time. I also thought that this story was interesting to follow due to the loss, the backstory and the use of time. I loved the characters and the plot. 

Characters:
Ove: Yes he is crotchety. He is rude to those around him, and he seems to not have a reason for it. But over time he grows on you and you begin to understand how his past has affected how he does things now and why things that are changing is hard for him to understand/deal with. I really loved the way he grew on characters around him and found a reason to live without the love of his life. 

Sonja: I wish we could have seen more of her years with Ove and how she handled his need to have everything a certain way. They were beautiful together and it hurt my heart to see how they met, fell in love and went through life together just for him to be left behind.

Anita: To have lost your best girlfriend, as well as to be losing your husband would be a horrible fate. To lay in bed beside someone who doesn't know who you are or to have the love of your life asking about things would just break my heart.

Rune: I would classify him as Ove's best friend. I hope that he had the chance to live a long and happy life with his wife, although his condition did not improve.

Jimmy: He was the sweetest person I could imagine, and I loved how blunt he was about things. 

Parvaneh: I think that she's really Ove's match in a human. Someone who can give as good as she gets from him while still managing to pull him out of his shell. I loved their relationship and the way he acted with her.


Moments to Remember:
Pg.  113
"'You like reading?' she asked him brightly.
Ove shook his head with some insecurity, but it didn't seem to concern her very much. She just smiled, said that she loved books more than anything and started telling him excitedly what each of the ones in her lap was about. And Ove realised that he wanted to hear her talking about the things she loved for the rest of his life."

Pg. 176
"Ove knew there and then that he would never forgive himself for having got up from his seat at that exact moment, for not being there to protect them."

Pg. 227
"It was as if he didn't want other people to talk to him, he was afraid that their chattering voices would drown out the memory of her voice."

Pg. 266
"'Loving someone is like moving into a house,' Sonja used to say. 'At first, you fall in love with all the new things, amazed every morning that all this belongs to you, as if fearing that someone would suddenly come rushing in through the door to explain that a terrible mistake had been made, you weren't actually supposed to live in a wonderful place like this. Then over the years, the walls become weathered, the wood splinter here and there, and you start to love that house not so much because of all its perfection, but rather its imperfections."

Final Line: "'Saab.'"

Thanks for reading,
Sidny