The Winners
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- Create Date：2022-09-28 10:51:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Fredrik Backman
- ISBN：1501163175
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Summary
The long-awaited conclusion to the beloved New York Times bestselling and “engrossing” （People） Beartown series—which inspired an HBO series of the same name—follows the small hockey town’s residents as they grapple with change， pain， hope， and redemption。
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？
Everything。
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？
Everything。
Reviews
Jolie Rice
，
Backman is an author that has you smiling through tears by the end of every single one of his books。 It's impossible to explain how much this story means to me， impossible for it not to mean the same to you once you read it。 Every character is flawed and human and beautiful and good and bad because life is never that simple。 This story weaves together dozens of stories， all of which I'm desperate to get to the end of and terrified to no longer be a part of。 I'm not sure why， but this feels like Backman is an author that has you smiling through tears by the end of every single one of his books。 It's impossible to explain how much this story means to me， impossible for it not to mean the same to you once you read it。 Every character is flawed and human and beautiful and good and bad because life is never that simple。 This story weaves together dozens of stories， all of which I'm desperate to get to the end of and terrified to no longer be a part of。 I'm not sure why， but this feels like Backman's last book， the last we'll get。 This feels like it。 The crushing melancholy and satisfaction of an amazing job are impossible to give justices too in words。 All of his books are this way， because they're not about words。 They're about emotions and relationships。 That's why the syntax is so breathtakingly simple and impactful。 The words on their own mean very little， because it's the world and the context that give them meaning and life and love。 The emotions he's drawn together， roped you in， caught your heart in a way that you never want to let go of these people。 These real， fictional people that are the only thing that exist in this sad， beautiful world。 This is a story about hockey。 And a town。 And not much else。 Only everything。 。。。more
Fran Lewis
，
This was a great ending to the Beartown trilogy。 By the end， all the loose ends are tied up and we get snapshots of what happens to some of the children later on in life and where they end up。 As in all small towns， there are secrets， and some of the ones revealed were quite interesting。It is hard to judge if this would have been as good as a stand-alone book and。 honestly， I would have to say no。 There is a lot of history between characters by the time you get to the third book。 It might be oka This was a great ending to the Beartown trilogy。 By the end， all the loose ends are tied up and we get snapshots of what happens to some of the children later on in life and where they end up。 As in all small towns， there are secrets， and some of the ones revealed were quite interesting。It is hard to judge if this would have been as good as a stand-alone book and。 honestly， I would have to say no。 There is a lot of history between characters by the time you get to the third book。 It might be okay but I would advise everyone to start at the beginning with Beartown， to get the whole story。 Whether or not you are a hockey fan， I believe anyone who comes from a small town， or a tight-knit community would understand and really enjoy this series。 Thank you @netgalley and @simonshusterca for the advanced reading copy。 。。。more
Gea
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I have loved the Beartown series by Fredrik Backman and this third book in the series does not disappoint。 Two years after the events of the past and some of our favourite residents are unable to move forward。 This is a lengthy book but well worth the read。
josefin。
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is gonna be a long sort of rant。 I’m writing this for me because I need to get my thoughts and feelings in order and then I’m never gonna talk about this book again。 I don’t even know。 I hated so much of what happened here。 I felt like every other chapter was a pain to get through and every other brought me so much joy and so many emotions。 Like this gave me the worst book-hangover I’ve ever had。 I couldn’t stop thinking about it but I also don’t want to think about it ever again。 I don’t f This is gonna be a long sort of rant。 I’m writing this for me because I need to get my thoughts and feelings in order and then I’m never gonna talk about this book again。 I don’t even know。 I hated so much of what happened here。 I felt like every other chapter was a pain to get through and every other brought me so much joy and so many emotions。 Like this gave me the worst book-hangover I’ve ever had。 I couldn’t stop thinking about it but I also don’t want to think about it ever again。 I don’t feel like this was a satisfying ending that brought things together at all。 I think the problem was the fact that the first book was so rooted in reality; it felt real and hard hitting and emotional。 The second book kind of went off the rails a bit with the comic book villain and the convoluted politics， but there were still enough down to earth moments for me to be able to overlook it。 Here， it just goes completely off the rails。 Saw someone describe this book as “Americanized” and I couldn’t agree more。 Some of the plot lines are straight up out of a melodramatic soap opera， and the way things are handled just cheapens so much of what this whole story was supposed to be about。 It makes really emotional heartbreaking moments seem pointless and stupid。 The most difficult part to read through was of course Benji's death。 I get that the fact that Benji’s gonna die was this foretold thing， but with the way it happened it just felt like cheap shock value， despite being hinted at for 3 entire books（！）。 Also let’s not examine too closely why THIS was the character he insisted to kill off all along （when it would’ve been way more radical to let him live）。 Writing wise there were too many repetitions and summaries of plot points from the other books。 Like， we remember， we read them。 And it’s one thing to refresh the memory of your readers， it’s another to completely copy and paste passages from the other books into this， and then somehow get things wrong anyway。 The overbearing， all-knowing narrator， telling you what you’re supposed to feel and the constant allusions to what was about to happen felt contrived and only left a heavy feeling of dread inside of me， which did not make for a great reading experience And finally I thought it was really disingenuous to portray it as if Maya， a girl who was sexually assaulted and had an entire town turn against her， was one of the lucky ones towards the end， when she really wasn’t。 And sure， there are people who have it worse， but there’s no need to minimize what she went through （literally the entire point of the first book！） in order to get your message across。 And to end it all by saying， actually！ this whole trilogy was about a random side character that first showed up on the last page of the first book and everything was connected to her :） when that’s clearly not true？ Such a half assed attempt at some sort of meaning that isn’t there。 Like it didn’t make any of it worth it。 Just saying。 I cannot give this an official rating but know that it would not be above like a 2。5。 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
，
The Winners by Fredrik Backman is an outstanding， excellent and obviously very highly recommended third novel in the Beartown series。 To date， The Winners is the best book I have read this year。 Be sure to read Beartown （2017） and Us Against You （2018） the first two Beartown novels。In the Swedish forest towns of Beartown and Hed， a storm blows through the area that downs many trees， wrecks havoc， and destroys the roof of the ice hockey rink in Hed。 During the same storm a beloved citizen dies， w The Winners by Fredrik Backman is an outstanding， excellent and obviously very highly recommended third novel in the Beartown series。 To date， The Winners is the best book I have read this year。 Be sure to read Beartown （2017） and Us Against You （2018） the first two Beartown novels。In the Swedish forest towns of Beartown and Hed， a storm blows through the area that downs many trees， wrecks havoc， and destroys the roof of the ice hockey rink in Hed。 During the same storm a beloved citizen dies， which is the impetus for Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich to come home and a reunite with their friends。 The storm also means that the Hed hockey players must train and play in the Beartown rink， which ignites another kind of storm as the tension between the two towns grow。It has been two years since what happened to Maya， but repercussions still remain。 Beartown and Hed are still bitter rivals on the ice， but there is also an undercurrent of interconnectedness to the residents of both communities， after all， they live in forest towns and it takes a certain kind of resilient person to live there。Backman brings back his beloved characters （Peter， Kira， Maya， Benji， Ana， Ramona， Bobo， Amat， Sune and others） and introduces new ones。 All of the characters are fully realized individuals who are portrayed as real people。 This ability to develop a rich cast of realistic characters that readers will become totally devoted to and care about is a gift that few writers have。 You will become invested in the characters and the plot。The writing is phenomenal， absolutely perfect。 Just as real life can be complicated， the plot is also complex。 There are many story lines in the narrative， but with characters as believable as these it seems so effortless to follow all of them。 Backman excels at foreshadowing events that are to come， which will further invest readers in the story， if it is even possible to become more invested in such an engrossing novel。I love everything about Backman's writing and have highlighted more passages in this one book than I have in any other for years。 There are so many truisms in the narrative which had me pausing and rereading passages simply because they were so well written and filled with such truth and insight。 Admittedly， I was also a sobbing mess for part of The Winners。 It is both a celebration of life and a tragedy， of friendship and loss。 I love this novel perhaps even more than all of Backman's previous novels， which I also loved。 There are not enough stars available for The Winners。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books via NetGalley。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2022/0。。。 。。。more
Amy
，
Thanks to NetGalley， Atria Books， and Fredrik Backman for allowing me to read The Winners in return for an honest review。The Beartown trilogy has been an introspective look into people in small towns who compete against each other for business and sports， and letting nothing stand in their way。 Small towns seem to have their own rules for handling people who don’t live up to their expectations， so innocent people are sometimes ignored to protect the powerful and rich people who ran the town。 But Thanks to NetGalley， Atria Books， and Fredrik Backman for allowing me to read The Winners in return for an honest review。The Beartown trilogy has been an introspective look into people in small towns who compete against each other for business and sports， and letting nothing stand in their way。 Small towns seem to have their own rules for handling people who don’t live up to their expectations， so innocent people are sometimes ignored to protect the powerful and rich people who ran the town。 But， can it always be that way？ Not when a hurt young man takes revenge for his sisters abuse and abuse of power。 Nothing will ever be the same， but will life improve after the tragic events？ 。。。more
Maddie
，
Here is the thing: I will not be able to review this in any normal， concise way。 How could I？ I didn't think Backman would be able to wrap this up in a real and satisfying way， but he pulled it off。 He wrote book that made me feel every possible emotion。 There's a sweet romance that made me giggle and kick my feet， there's crimes that fill me with rage， there's friendships that filled me such joy。 Of course， there were moments that filled me with a deep sadness。 He fills pages with hope and drea Here is the thing: I will not be able to review this in any normal， concise way。 How could I？ I didn't think Backman would be able to wrap this up in a real and satisfying way， but he pulled it off。 He wrote book that made me feel every possible emotion。 There's a sweet romance that made me giggle and kick my feet， there's crimes that fill me with rage， there's friendships that filled me such joy。 Of course， there were moments that filled me with a deep sadness。 He fills pages with hope and dread at the same time。 And I loved all of it。 Backman writes a lot of characters， but he writes them so well。 Everyone we meet in these books， no matter how much page time they have， is deeply layered。 Sure， I have my favorites （Maya， Ana， and Benji）， and my least favorites （TAILS）， but I care about them。 That is what Backman does best; makes readers care and connect。This book has some of the heaviest content I've ever read， so be warned。 Its about the cyclical nature of violence and what we do for love。 As readers， we know what is coming。 We know we are building up to something awful， and yet， we can not look away。 We stay in the sadness。 Backman makes it worth it。 Its worth it for the friendships， for Maya and Ana and Benji and Amat and Bobo and their campouts。 For the new family we meet， Hannah and her idiot husband。 Always for Peter and Kira and Maya and Ana。 For the bear that's inside of all of us。 。。。more
Hamad
，
Beartown ★★★★ 1/2Us Against You ★★★★ 1/2The Winners ？？？？？One of my most anticipated books of the year！I know this one will make me cry and I am so ready for it。
Aubrey
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Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC！ I loved the ending of the Beartown trilogy。 The corruption portion felt a bit too long， but otherwise， it’s great。 TW: suicide， gun violence， sexual assault。
Jenna
，
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝗪𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒 （𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘬 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘯）𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳: 𝘈𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 （𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝟸𝟽。𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟸）𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬。 It’s a snapshot on small towns and the perks and negatives of it …A commentary on the “have” and “have nots”…It’s about loss of identity， loss of family and loss of life…。It’s about fighting through trauma and making that into a new path forward。 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺。 𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺。 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬， 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝗪𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐒 （𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘬 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘯）𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳: 𝘈𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 （𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝟸𝟽。𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟸）𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬。 It’s a snapshot on small towns and the perks and negatives of it …A commentary on the “have” and “have nots”…It’s about loss of identity， loss of family and loss of life…。It’s about fighting through trauma and making that into a new path forward。 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺。 𝘖𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘺。 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬， 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳。 The slowness of this huge book seemed quite deliberate。 For me， it was the chance to soak in the message behind every characters choices… and the words that both spotlight the past and hint to the future。 So like I said at the start， it’s a book where nothing happens and yet everything happens。 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺。 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴。 。。。more
Carrie Jones
，
Fredrik Backman is a master storyteller。 Book 3 of the Beartown series brings us back to The Alaskan town， Beartown。 After a storm takes out the ice rink of Beatown’s ultimate rivals， the two neighboring towns must try to come together for the sake of the youth。 Not everyone is happy about the situation and conflict is high。 Backman introduces us to some new characters， as well as reconnecting readers with many of the recurring characters from the series。 As always， Backman does a stellar job of Fredrik Backman is a master storyteller。 Book 3 of the Beartown series brings us back to The Alaskan town， Beartown。 After a storm takes out the ice rink of Beatown’s ultimate rivals， the two neighboring towns must try to come together for the sake of the youth。 Not everyone is happy about the situation and conflict is high。 Backman introduces us to some new characters， as well as reconnecting readers with many of the recurring characters from the series。 As always， Backman does a stellar job of developing characters。 This is a beautiful， heartbreaking and disturbing story。 I loved it。 *** huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Booksandcoffeemx
，
𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭！Almost 700 pages and it wasn’t long enough。 This book， this series， these books， captivating， moving， dark， mesmerizing， I don’t think I have enough words。 Every page， every chapter， every word， it was so worth it， this book took my breath away。 You need to read this series。 All the stars。Thank you Atria Books， NetGalley and Libro。fm for this gifted copy and ALC。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭！Almost 700 pages and it wasn’t long enough。 This book， this series， these books， captivating， moving， dark， mesmerizing， I don’t think I have enough words。 Every page， every chapter， every word， it was so worth it， this book took my breath away。 You need to read this series。 All the stars。Thank you Atria Books， NetGalley and Libro。fm for this gifted copy and ALC。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 。。。more
Ashley B
，
This incredible final book to the Beartown trilogy is now available！ Thank you Atria for the gifted advanced copy and the opportunity to review this masterpiece。 I am going to start by saying that I’m not really sure how to adequately put the way I feel about this book and this series as a whole into words。 I will forever hold a special place for each of these characters in my heart。Backman has a way of making you feel connected to each character while feeling every single emotion as you are rea This incredible final book to the Beartown trilogy is now available！ Thank you Atria for the gifted advanced copy and the opportunity to review this masterpiece。 I am going to start by saying that I’m not really sure how to adequately put the way I feel about this book and this series as a whole into words。 I will forever hold a special place for each of these characters in my heart。Backman has a way of making you feel connected to each character while feeling every single emotion as you are reading。 He is such an incredible writer and storyteller。 His style is unique。 He interconnects and weaves stories together from so many different characters and it works wonderfully。 He pieces together humanity in a beautifully heartbreaking way by focusing on things like marriage， grief， love， friendship， community， revenge， consequences， belonging and just what it means to be human and imperfect。 In his stories， we always experience the beauty of life along with the devastation。I cried several times throughout this book as I thought about where the Beartown series started and how everything wraps up。 This book was almost 700 pages， but I never wanted to leave Beartown and the stories of all the characters I have grown to love so much。 I found myself savoring each and every word。 Rivalry， consequences， and loss change lives and we revisit characters we love from the first books and are introduced to new characters along the way。 This impactful and emotional series will always be a favorite and I will forever recommend it。 。。。more
Vicki
，
“The Winners，” by Fredrik Backman， translated by Neil Smith， Atria Books， 688 pages， Sept。 27， 2022。The long-awaited conclusion to the Beartown series follows the small Northern Sweden hockey town’s residents as they grapple with change。There’s an old rivalry between Beartown and the neighboring town of Hed， a rivalry which has always been fought through their ice hockey teams。 “You want to understand hockey towns？ Then you need to understand that here， sport is about much more than sport。”Maya “The Winners，” by Fredrik Backman， translated by Neil Smith， Atria Books， 688 pages， Sept。 27， 2022。The long-awaited conclusion to the Beartown series follows the small Northern Sweden hockey town’s residents as they grapple with change。There’s an old rivalry between Beartown and the neighboring town of Hed， a rivalry which has always been fought through their ice hockey teams。 “You want to understand hockey towns？ Then you need to understand that here， sport is about much more than sport。”Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich， two young people who left in search of a life far from the forest town， come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends。 They can see how much Beartown has changed。Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about: Maya was raped by Kevin Erdahl。 He was the best hockey player anyone had ever seen in those parts。 Kevin and his family moved away。 Maya left to study at the College of Music。 Everyone has tried to move on， but there’s something about this place that prevents it。Benji was once best friends with Kevin。 Benji， now 20， drinks too much and smokes too much。 Men like Benji die young。 And they die violently。 In Hed， Johnny， a firefighter， and his wife， Hannah， a midwife， have four children。Maya’s parents， Peter and Kira， are caught up in an investigation of the hockey club’s murky finances， and Amat—once the star of the Beartown team—has lost his way after an injury and a failed attempt to get drafted into the NHL。 Nearby， Matteo， 14， is not interested in hockey。 He is mourning his sister Ruth’s death。Then a severe storm hits both Beartown and Hed。 And people return to Beartown when another beloved member of the community dies。Fredrik Backman’s writing is outstanding。 These characters are so real they jump off the page。 At its most basic， it is a story of community and survival。 You will follow the story better if you first read “Beartown” and “Us Against You。” Fans of the series will savor every page， and you don’t need to be a hockey fan to like it。 Don’t let the length deter you; you’ll wish it would go on longer。In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Sally Cowling
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Frederik Backman has a unique writing style， his stories are told through an apparent cacophony of characters， but who actually interlock like the pieces of a puzzle。 Beartown centres around the success of its hockey team， but the cracks below the surface of the community are papered over with hockey flags！ I found this book a little depressing and the sport politics was quite lengthy and complex， so I didn't enjoy this book as much as his other more lighthearted titles。 However， it is a very c Frederik Backman has a unique writing style， his stories are told through an apparent cacophony of characters， but who actually interlock like the pieces of a puzzle。 Beartown centres around the success of its hockey team， but the cracks below the surface of the community are papered over with hockey flags！ I found this book a little depressing and the sport politics was quite lengthy and complex， so I didn't enjoy this book as much as his other more lighthearted titles。 However， it is a very clever story and the way that the characters were all connected is really interesting。 It is a long book， but well worth persevering and the storyline gets quite intense in the last few chapters！ 。。。more
Kath
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This is the third and final book in the Beartown trilogy。 Yes， trilogy and you know that means you really do need to read the first two books for this one to make complete sense。 Although there is a lot （and I mean a LOT） of catch-up contained herein， I really do think you should。So。。。 Hockey and politics and rivalry and community are all front and centre once again。 Old characters who have moved on and moved away for various reasons all come back when one of their own dies。 But， as with most th This is the third and final book in the Beartown trilogy。 Yes， trilogy and you know that means you really do need to read the first two books for this one to make complete sense。 Although there is a lot （and I mean a LOT） of catch-up contained herein， I really do think you should。So。。。 Hockey and politics and rivalry and community are all front and centre once again。 Old characters who have moved on and moved away for various reasons all come back when one of their own dies。 But， as with most things Beartown， this is a catalyst。 One that sparks many things - some good， others bad。 But know that every one will be emotive and emotional。 Cos we are the Bears， the Bears from Beartown。。。I am not saying anything more abut the plot - there's enough in the blurb to whet your appetite and keep you wondering who will fit with what "someone"。 As I did whilst reading。 With my heart in my mouth， and if I could have read hiding behind a cushion （like how I watched scary TV when I was a kid） I would have。 As I started to get towards the end， I wanted， no needed， to know what would happen。 But， at the same time， I really didn't as I could see that we were heading for a crescendo。 And that nothing would ever be the same again。That said， it was lovely to reconnect with some of the best characters that I have met in time。 And also to meet a few new ones。 And see how some who have been there before， bubbling under， now come into the limelight and we get to know them better。 I've said before that although there's a lot about Hockey in the book， you don't have to like or care about either that or sport in general。 The sport is what binds the community。 Could be a whole host of other things， but here it's sport at the centre。 It's sport which makes people fight， makes them proud， makes them corrupt， but mostly， makes them a community。 But you know all that， cos you've read the previous two books！I do admit I cried。 But I laughed too。 And giggled and， pretty much all the rest of the emotions too。 And， when I got to the end， how it ended， I though。。。 yes。。。 totally job well done。 Now all that's left is for me to start again but listening this time。 I already have book one locked and loaded on my MP3 player in anticipation。。。My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
Alexandra
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The first installment， Beartown grabbed my attention with perfecr combo between amzing storytelling and emotional-stirring contents。 The type of plot that looks so ordinary but has lasting aftertaste。 Does this sequel also give the same effect？In The Winner the story takes time 2。5 years depicts the last scandal in Beartown。 The book starts strong， and some characters's development getting dug deeper。 We will know their personal struggles， their capabilities and other side we never realized befo The first installment， Beartown grabbed my attention with perfecr combo between amzing storytelling and emotional-stirring contents。 The type of plot that looks so ordinary but has lasting aftertaste。 Does this sequel also give the same effect？In The Winner the story takes time 2。5 years depicts the last scandal in Beartown。 The book starts strong， and some characters's development getting dug deeper。 We will know their personal struggles， their capabilities and other side we never realized before。 The author also add several new names to the mix and ofcourse it will add extra dramas in Beartown and Hed。 Some snippets did great and hit the mark to stirring emotions。 Although the story seem "busy" but the pace of plotline is very slow。 For me personally， almost half of this book feels dragged and very repetitive。 Overall， i like sport from small town story and I really love morals story author tried to share but I still thought that Beartown will punches stronger when it become standalone。 Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster UK for provided me with this gifted copy。 Really appreciates and my thoughts are my own。 。。。more
jessica
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there are stories that make you feel everything。 and then there are stories that leave you empty。 this story is both。and its all because of benji。 if you have read the previous two books in the beartown series， your heart will already belong to him。 you will know the boy with the sad eyes and the wild heart。 you will know the kind of person he is。 i really wish this book had kept its original title ‘those who run towards fire，’ because thats benji。 hes the sort of person who runs toward a fire。 there are stories that make you feel everything。 and then there are stories that leave you empty。 this story is both。and its all because of benji。 if you have read the previous two books in the beartown series， your heart will already belong to him。 you will know the boy with the sad eyes and the wild heart。 you will know the kind of person he is。 i really wish this book had kept its original title ‘those who run towards fire，’ because thats benji。 hes the sort of person who runs toward a fire。 no hesitation， no questions， he just runs。 people like that are rare， but you know who they are when you see them。 and those of you who know benji probably knew deep down that he was never the sort of person who would get a happy ending。 obviously we still hoped。 oh， how we hoped。this final book， this ending， benjis ending， hurts too much to touch with words。 but thank you， fredrik backman， for giving it to us all the same。 my endless gratitude for the ARC， atria books。↠ 5 stars 。。。more
Kaye
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This is the third in Backman’s Beartown trilogy。 The characters are there and tragedy is more than hinted at。 At almost 700 pages this book wrung me out。 In a Sweden two small rival towns are exist in the forest。 There are families， community spirit and always there is hockey。 There is also shady politics and financial happenings， investigative reporting， loss of trust and innocence。 And still there is hockey。 Backman’s narrative is hypnotic and beautifully written as it heads to a surprising cl This is the third in Backman’s Beartown trilogy。 The characters are there and tragedy is more than hinted at。 At almost 700 pages this book wrung me out。 In a Sweden two small rival towns are exist in the forest。 There are families， community spirit and always there is hockey。 There is also shady politics and financial happenings， investigative reporting， loss of trust and innocence。 And still there is hockey。 Backman’s narrative is hypnotic and beautifully written as it heads to a surprising climax that is expected only because the author breaks the fourth wall and drops large clues。 There isn’t justice for everyone and my heart aches for some of the characters who can only try to continue forward。 For others they get all they deserve。 There is heartfelt and emotional。 The story is too complex with too many characters to try and summarize。 If you’ve read the first two books this is a must read even though some parts are repetitive。 There is enough recapping of people and connections， that this can stand on its own for a new reader。 Trigger warnings include: rape， gun violence， fighting， death， alcohol abuse， revenge porn and blackmail and more。 Thank you to NetGalley， Atria Books and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Robin
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A wonderful ending to this series。 "Good people can be capable of great evil， and evil people can be capable of great good。" seems to some up this book。 We are all idiots at times and cannot truly understand the results of all of our actions。 A wonderful ending to this series。 "Good people can be capable of great evil， and evil people can be capable of great good。" seems to some up this book。 We are all idiots at times and cannot truly understand the results of all of our actions。 。。。more
Jenelle
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Fredrick Backman captures the breadth of human emotion and connection through character vignettes， each with its own scenic view of this small， cold forest town。 The plot would be irrelevant if it weren't the vehicle for Backman to get to the core of community， family， and friendship。 Once again， readers are given a chance to judge， empathize with， and love the people of Beartown as the town is shaken by tragedy。 Fredrick Backman captures the breadth of human emotion and connection through character vignettes， each with its own scenic view of this small， cold forest town。 The plot would be irrelevant if it weren't the vehicle for Backman to get to the core of community， family， and friendship。 Once again， readers are given a chance to judge， empathize with， and love the people of Beartown as the town is shaken by tragedy。 。。。more
Marilyn
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Review to follow
Libriar
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I didn't read the first two books in the trilogy so I'm not sure why I decided to read this really long book。 Having no background， I actually ended up liking it more than I thought I would。 There are a lot of characters to keep straight but I felt like Backman introduced them to me in a way that I got enough of their back stories to understand who they were。 I'm sure fans of the first two books will devour this book。 ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley。 I didn't read the first two books in the trilogy so I'm not sure why I decided to read this really long book。 Having no background， I actually ended up liking it more than I thought I would。 There are a lot of characters to keep straight but I felt like Backman introduced them to me in a way that I got enough of their back stories to understand who they were。 I'm sure fans of the first two books will devour this book。 ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley。 。。。more
Katharine
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The conclusion to the Beartown story is here。 And it’s truly everything I hoped it would be。 I’ll be honest， I had my doubts – it was long， and at times a little slow， but as Backman does， he made it all worth it。 Without the storybuilding he provides， the payoff wouldn’t be as powerful。There are new characters you’ll fall in love with， old characters you’ll be surprised you’re rooting for， and so much heart。But brace yourselves。 It’s a doozy， so make sure you’re ready to shed some tears before The conclusion to the Beartown story is here。 And it’s truly everything I hoped it would be。 I’ll be honest， I had my doubts – it was long， and at times a little slow， but as Backman does， he made it all worth it。 Without the storybuilding he provides， the payoff wouldn’t be as powerful。There are new characters you’ll fall in love with， old characters you’ll be surprised you’re rooting for， and so much heart。But brace yourselves。 It’s a doozy， so make sure you’re ready to shed some tears before you start it。 Backman’s writing is like no other。 The amount of passages I underlined is many。 And the way he weaves a story is something special。 I’ve already preordered the audio and plan on listening to it in the near future。I thought I’d come here and give a long review， but I think it’s best to experience it without knowing much。 Plus， there’s not much I can say about it without giving the story away。 Just know that if you’re as big of a Beartown fan as I am， you’ll be more than satisfied。 （Sad？ Yes， but glad you read it。）*Huge thank you to Atria Books for my early copy of this beautiful book。 All opinions are my own。* 。。。more
Jessica
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Thank you to Atria for gifting me a review copy of The Winners by Fredrik Backman。I’ll be honest， I’ve started out every book in this series wondering ‘Why am I supposed to care about this tiny， snowy village in the middle of nowhere？ I really don’t care about hockey， why am I reading this？ How is this book so hyped up by everyone？’ And then I end each book sobbing my eyes out， hugging the book and telling everyone it’s the best book I’ve ever read。The Winners was no exception。You need to be pre Thank you to Atria for gifting me a review copy of The Winners by Fredrik Backman。I’ll be honest， I’ve started out every book in this series wondering ‘Why am I supposed to care about this tiny， snowy village in the middle of nowhere？ I really don’t care about hockey， why am I reading this？ How is this book so hyped up by everyone？’ And then I end each book sobbing my eyes out， hugging the book and telling everyone it’s the best book I’ve ever read。The Winners was no exception。You need to be prepared to read a book like this because it’s violent， heart-wrenching， full of hate， corruption， rage， secrets， grief， mental health struggles， and bad decisions。 But ultimately there is always a moment when the town comes together as a community to support each other。Fredrik Backman has an astounding talent for writing people， but also for creating perfectly-paced storylines that converge in the most catastrophic but incredible way。 I’m truly in awe。If you read the second book in the series you might think that the storylines for your favorite characters had wrapped up， but you’d be mistaken…there is more， much more， still to unfold。 Plus， there are new characters to meet and old and new challenges to be faced。I won’t give anything more than that away， you’ll definitely want to read this one for yourself。 。。。more
Natalie
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Reviewing a masterpiece like this is so incredibly hard because this series， these characters， feel like family and friends， they feel like they're wholly ours and Backman truly did give it everything he had， he gave us these characters so completely and thoroughly over 3 books and many years。 It's hard to come to the end of such a journey， but truly， Backman does manage to pull off an ending that does justice to the story。 Reading past page 1 will feel like a herculean feat -- and it is， but as Reviewing a masterpiece like this is so incredibly hard because this series， these characters， feel like family and friends， they feel like they're wholly ours and Backman truly did give it everything he had， he gave us these characters so completely and thoroughly over 3 books and many years。 It's hard to come to the end of such a journey， but truly， Backman does manage to pull off an ending that does justice to the story。 Reading past page 1 will feel like a herculean feat -- and it is， but as always， Backman will foreshadow and repeat himself often， but not without point and purpose， and in a way that doesn't manage to take out the wind or power out of the moments when they finally come to a head。 We've known that many of these events are coming， we know what happens with Benji， we know how Maya overcomes， we see the greatness that awaits Amat， but still， seeing their journey to those points is every bit as gripping and heartwarming。 I sobbed （full body wracking sobs） so many times throughout this book， and especially for the last 30 pages。 I truly don't think any story - movie， song， or book， has every made me cry in such a way， has made me so emotional like this， but it's a testament to the strength of these characters and their lives， the story and web Backman weaves。 The writing had me floored， as usual。 There's such elegance， such beauty and poetry in his language that I often found myself rereading lines， paragraphs even entire pages。 This isn't a book you're meant to binge or rush through， it's one you have to settle in and take time with to appreciate。 Even some of the parts that I didn't love， like the political machinations and scheming， a journalist and her scoop， or the storm that ignites and sets things in motion but seems to sweep through for almost 100+ pages， are nonetheless important because they hep bring the characters and details into sharp focus。 Nothing is an accident and through these events Backman shows us different sides and elements to his characters and humans。 They all have gray areas， they all have dark thoughts and sides they'd rather not admit， they all make choices， big and small， that impact others around them whether they realize or not。 Even a character like Matteo， and here I won't go into too much detail to avoid spoilers， -- it's hard to judge him because Backman expertly shows us his pain， how everything manifests， and the life he's had to deal with。 Is it an excuse？ No， but Backman won't let us try to ignore everything in his life because it feels ugly to acknowledge it and humanize him either。 It's a delicate balance and it's done incredibly well and respectfully。With 10 different tab colors and basically my entire ARC tabbed， I can't tell you my favorite quotes and moments， because it would be entire pages and passages。 But I will say， for those that love and hold Beartown and this series closely to their hearts， this will do that love justice。 I daresay I loved this more than Beartown itself， because we truly come full circle， we tackle and survive so much， and because I can look back and see all the seeds Backman planted， and how they've come to mature and flourish in The Winners。 We will always be the bears， the bears from Beartown。 。。。more
Shereadbookblog
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This is the third in the Beartown trilogy about the lives of residents in two rival communities where hockey rules。 Although I hadn’t read the first two， I did not feel at a disadvantage reading The Winners。Beautifully written， it explores the connections among people within a community， traversing the full range of human emotions and behaviors。 A long book， the writing style and thought provoking prose do not allow for a fast read。 That is not a negative。 The reader will want to ponder many of This is the third in the Beartown trilogy about the lives of residents in two rival communities where hockey rules。 Although I hadn’t read the first two， I did not feel at a disadvantage reading The Winners。Beautifully written， it explores the connections among people within a community， traversing the full range of human emotions and behaviors。 A long book， the writing style and thought provoking prose do not allow for a fast read。 That is not a negative。 The reader will want to ponder many of the ideas expressed in this deeply affecting tome。 It is a story that will stay with me for quite a while。 A five star read。 Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atriabooks for the ARC。 。。。more
Andrea | andrea。c。lowry。reads
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"We are a people who tell stories， who try to use stories to put what we have experienced into some sort of context， to explain what we have been fighting about in the hope that it will excuse what we have done。 But stories reveal both the very best of us and the very worst， and can one ever outweigh the other？"Y’all， it is about impossible to write a review for any book Fredrik Backman writes， and The Winners is no different。 I mean， what can I say that will fully express my feelings about this "We are a people who tell stories， who try to use stories to put what we have experienced into some sort of context， to explain what we have been fighting about in the hope that it will excuse what we have done。 But stories reveal both the very best of us and the very worst， and can one ever outweigh the other？"Y’all， it is about impossible to write a review for any book Fredrik Backman writes， and The Winners is no different。 I mean， what can I say that will fully express my feelings about this book and the cast of characters who have wormed their way into my heart and emotions。Like all Backman’s books this series as a whole is about relationships we make and those we ignore， family， belonging， competition and the outcomes， and of course triumph and tragedy。I loved Backman’s writing style。 It’s as if I’m sitting there as he tells me a story all while holding my hand and doing his best to prepare me for the end as he tells it。 There were so many passages that I marked。 They were those moments in the story where Backman hit pause and gave those little nuggets of truth and wisdom pertaining to life。As for the characters…Oh how they will tug on your heartstrings and possibly break your heart， and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way。And the ending…It’s a tearjerker， but we all know that’s another reason we pick up Backman’s books。 Afterall， it’s how we know we’ve become part of the story and the characters mean so much to us before it’s all said and done。I was truly blessed to be able to read this book with Tonya， Becky， and Andrea。 We were sending each other quotes， thoughts， fears for what may happen， and shedding tears together。 Thank you so much ladies！ This is a story that reading with y’all made even more special。Thank you， Atria， for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Susan
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He didn’t want to write this book but readers begged for more。 He wanted to leave things where they stood。 Hadn’t enough happened？ Hadn’t there been enough pain and heartbreak？ But Backman gives readers what they’ve asked for。 And once he started， it was obvious Backman was as reticent to leave Beartown as us readers。 It can be seen in the length of the book， the lingering attention to detail， and an overall feeling of melancholy。 Instead of being written， it is as though the words are being pul He didn’t want to write this book but readers begged for more。 He wanted to leave things where they stood。 Hadn’t enough happened？ Hadn’t there been enough pain and heartbreak？ But Backman gives readers what they’ve asked for。 And once he started， it was obvious Backman was as reticent to leave Beartown as us readers。 It can be seen in the length of the book， the lingering attention to detail， and an overall feeling of melancholy。 Instead of being written， it is as though the words are being pulled from him against his will。 Backman is a reluctant story teller。 He doesn’t want to tell us what has happened because some of it’s not good。 Instead， Backman steels himself and the readers through a long lead up， getting us reacquainted with the characters， and some heavy foreshadowing。 I am normally not a fan of this approach but I felt it added to the overall mood of the story and the book is crowded。 There are so many characters and so many plots that a good foundation is a comfort。 As is always the case with Backman， the writing is exquisite， almost poetic at times。 Chapter 104 reads like the scene in the Hamilton musical where the bullet slowly travels across the stage from the gun to kill Hamilton （that’s not a spoiler - it’s history）。 Slow and exquisitely torturous。 It’s hard to read while crying。 Before I started reading， I posted on social media “send tissues and hot chocolate。” I stand by that statement。 Stock up， cuddle up， and dig in！ You’re going to need it to get through this heart wringer of a book。 Sure， it is too long， but it is hard to say goodbye to good friends， and Backman wants to do right by the characters and the readers。Thanks to Atria Books for a copy of the book。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
Lauren Gibson
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“We just try to live our lives， live with each other， live with ourselves。 Accepting joy when we find it， bearing grief when it finds us， and being amazed at our children’s happiness without falling apart when we think that we can never really protect them。”I’ve walked around with this book for the past three days not wanting to finish it and leave this fictional world behind that has meant so much to me。 This story was incredibly sad， made me laugh and was somehow uplifting。 I’ve loved the stor “We just try to live our lives， live with each other， live with ourselves。 Accepting joy when we find it， bearing grief when it finds us， and being amazed at our children’s happiness without falling apart when we think that we can never really protect them。”I’ve walked around with this book for the past three days not wanting to finish it and leave this fictional world behind that has meant so much to me。 This story was incredibly sad， made me laugh and was somehow uplifting。 I’ve loved the story since the first book and while I felt the ending was a tad abrupt after all that reading， I was still sobbing for the final 50ish pages。 This is a story about two towns where their competing hockey teams are all they have and what they live for。 It’s also the story of Maya and Kevin and and how her innocence was stolen by him and the aftermath of that situation。 These stories did a great job showing how entire families and communities are affected by one boy’s actions in such a huge way。 I also loved the commentary on marriage and how it definitely can be stressful， heart breaking and so hard， but it’s worth fighting for。 I also loved how Backman showed how difficult it is to be a parent and to let go and let your children live。 But also how hard it was for Kira and Peter to go on after losing a child and also trying to help Maya navigate after she was raped by Kevin。 It felt so well written and so real to me。 Backman has such a way with words。 At almost 700 pages some people may think this story was too long。 I disagree and could read 3 more books about this town。 Beartown forever。 I don’t want to give away too much but I think if you’ve read these books then you already know where this story is heading。 One thing I noticed was the parallels between our American political system （Trump， women’s rights， sexual assault victims and how they are treated， Brett Kavanaugh） and some of the themes in this story。 I thought that was interesting and showed how a group of people can be so easily influenced by politicians and a corrupt system。 The only thing that would have made this better was Marin Ireland’s narration。 I heard her voice in my head the whole time I was reading this。 Thanks to Atria books for my copy of this book which is available 9/27。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Winners
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Winners&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Winners&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0