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Beartown: A Novel (Beartown Series)

Now an HBO Original Series

“You’ll love this engrossing novel.” —People

Named a Best Book of the Year by LibraryReads, BookBrowse, and Goodreads

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People, a dazzling and profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true.

By the lake in Beartown is an old ice rink, and in that ice rink Kevin, Amat, Benji, and the rest of the town’s junior ice hockey team are 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.

Under that heavy burden, the match becomes 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.

This is a story about a town and a game, but even more about loyalty, commitment, and the responsibilities of friendship; the people we disappoint even though we love them; and the decisions we make every day that come to define us. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.

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Published Feb 6, 2018

432 pages

Average rating: 7.79

752 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Anonymous
Jan 14, 2025
10/10 stars
“This town doesn’t always know the difference between right and wrong, I’ll admit that. But we know the difference between good and evil.” This book is about a hockey club in a small town in Sweden and how this community is rocked by a violent act. And yet it’s so much more than that. Fredrik Backman is writing about people and the human condition. I loved A Man Called Ove but this is by far his best book. So glad there’s a sequel. Highly recommend.
Anonymous
Jul 05, 2024
8/10 stars
So much more than a book about hockey. Backman has a way of getting to the heart of things without getting too preachy or sappy.
tayloractuallyreads
May 02, 2025
10/10 stars
This will be one of those books that I will think about all the time and wonder why I didn't read it sooner.
JaneRose0514
May 02, 2025
6/10 stars
People say Beartown 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.

I keep hearing of this book and I was like I'm going to try to read it soon. And now the time has come and I finally read it. Actually, it's my first time reading Fredrik Backman book and I thought I'm going to try to read this one. The book is good and it was a little bit catchy. I finished all the way until the end of the chapter.
Anonymous
Apr 19, 2025
8/10 stars
I love all of this authors books. It was hard to get into at first because it seem to be mostly about hockey. I'm glad I kept with it. It ended up being a story about everyday people and the way humans act, feel and treat others. These people also happen to live and breathe hockey.

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