Beartown: A Novel

I bought the book on CD and loved it, except I can’t listen to the ending. Very frustrating! The last CD needs to be replaced. Who do I contact for a replacement? I hope the distributor or someone reads this and gets back to me. I couldn’t find anywhere on my Amazon invoice order to send a message.

Fredrik Backman does it again with Bear Town. At first I thought it was just a book about hockey. I like hockey, but not in such detail. But as the book progresses it's not just about hockey. It's about a town, and the people in it, who don't have much but hockey. And it explains later what the real pulse of the town and residents are about. How small town mentality can be brutal and where unlikely heroes risk it all to do the right thing. I loved it!

I just ordered the second part, Us Against You. I should get it today or tomorrow. I'm very excited to see what happens next in Bear Town.

Beartown is a small close-knit community in Sweden, surrounded by forests. The town doesn't have much going for it, except that it's residents are believers that a better day is coming. The town has an ice rink and the junior teen ice hockey team are excited about competing in the semi-finals. Ice hockey and competition becomes all consuming.

There are a lot of characters in this story, each with their own story or personal issues. The pass for the sport is felt throughout this novel, but, there are also some tough issues that surface and the execution of these difficulties is beautifully done. Bear town may be a small town but, they still must deal with many of the issues larger cities face: Sexual assault, homophobia, bullying, peer pressure and the need to belong.

The story starts out a bit slow but once it gets going, it was hard not to become a little emotionally invested in the lives of Beartown residents. I started listening to the audio (beautifully done) and I also had the luxury of reading the print version as well. Recommended

better for readers who enjoy hockey

Great book!