Title: THE WINNERS (BEARTOWN # 3)
Author: Fredrik Backman
Read: November 2022
Expected publication: out now
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!
My musings:
I would give this book 100 stars if I could!
If I thought that Beartown ripped
out my heart and broke it into a million pieces, then Backman’s latest
instalment in the series just ground them to fine dust. At least now I know to
stock up on tissues before starting any of his books!
I don’t even know where to begin with
a review because it’s difficult to express how much I loved this book. After
the three Beartown novels, I almost feel part of the community. I’m not sure
how Backman does it, but his characters are so well drawn that they are totally
real to me. Often, characters remain a hazy outline, but this cast is as vivid
in my mind as people I have known all my life.
With the Beartown themes of
community, parenthood, coming of age, friendships and the fine threads that
connect us all to one another, there wasn’t many tissues left in the box by the
time I finished reading. Backman’s writing resonates deeply with me, as do his
characters.
THE WINNERS is set 2 years after the
events in BEARTOWN, and we get to find out how all our favourite characters
have fared in that time. There are a few surprises in store, but one thing has
not changed – the rivalry between the two hockey clubs of Beartown and Hed. As
someone who knows nothing about hockey and isn’t particularly sports
orientated, even I soon realised how much the sport reflected the hopes and
dreams of the community, and was swept away by their love for the sport. As
hockey gets embroiled in the political power games of influential people trying
to make Beartown and Hed’s animosity work in their favour, the simmering tension
is about to erupt into violence. With the constant foreshadowing in the story,
I knew that something terrible was about to happen, which had me torn between
reading quickly to find the answers and savouring the story. Backman injects so
many snippets of insight and wisdom into his stories that touched me deeply,
drawing out emotions that are often repressed or overlooked.
I can confidently say that THE
WINNERS is my favourite book for 2022 and one that I will revisit again when
the open wounds in my heart are no longer so raw and I can savour the fine
details I may have overlooked. Please note that this is not a stand-alone novel
and needs to be read in the right order of the Beartown series to make sense
and to get the full value out of this wonderful tale. I loved every minute of
it and was sad to say good-bye to characters who feel like good old friends – I
will miss them. A truly wonderful book! If you haven’t discovered this series
yet, what are you waiting for?
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