
Beartown
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Narrated by:
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John Sackville
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By:
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Fredrik Backman
About this listen
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Beartown by Fredik Backman, read by John Sackville.
Beartown is a small town in a large Swedish forest.
For most of the year it is under a thick blanket of snow, experiencing the kind of cold and dark that brings people closer together - or pulls them apart.
Its isolation means that Beartown has been slowly shrinking with each passing year. But now the town is on the verge of an astonishing revival. A bright new future is just around the corner.
Until the day it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act.
It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who'll risk the future to see justice done. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear.
With the town's future at stake, no one can stand by or stay silent. Everyone is on one side or the other.
Which side would you be on?
Previously published as The Scandal.
©2017 Fredrik Backman (P)2017 Penguin AudioCritic reviews
"As popular Swedish exports go, Backman is up there with ABBA and Stieg Larsson." (The New York Times Book Review)
Deeply human characters
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The characters were very well-developed, and the book probably deserves 4.5 stars. A passage in the middle of the book was a bit slow, so I cannot rate it 5 stars. The book's ending, while executed satisfactorily, could have provided a bit more thrill. Another reason for rounding down instead of up was the repeated use of the word "bang". I realise the author wanted to emphasise the commitment of players practising, but it was repeated so often that I started comparing it to Neymar's rolling antics - it just kept going on and on. I did a quick word count, and the word was used 119 times, often in sequences of "Bang-bang-bang. Bang. Bang". This was repeated incessantly and, frankly, became extremely annoying. I also listened to the audiobook (Audible), which made it hard to gloss over. These were big enough issues for me to downgrade my rating.
Other than that, the author does a very good job of highlighting bias regarding matters close to people's hearts. It is probably nowhere near as evident regarding their favourite sports. The lengths individuals will go to to protect their stars are often as disturbing as the despicable acts these stars are accused of.
There are two more books in the series, and I will probably read them later.
Except for "bang, bang, bang, bang", it was great
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A deeply truthful fiction
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Fiction or non-fiction?
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An intriguing story
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Gripping story
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Not for everyone
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Brilliant
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John Sackville reads it with the exact pitch of a sympathetic observer, drawing you in to Beartown in all its strength and frailty.
I loved this book.
Backman delivers another beautiful story
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Gripping and sad. Worth a listen
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