Beartown

An assigned reading for class, found the characters uncompelling and outright unpleasant at times. The drama is whether or not you should ignore that someone is a rapist, the answer is obvious. Themes of toxic masculinity, and rape culture. Not a terrible book just one I would never pick up again. It could have been interesting, but it just fell flat.

Purchased a book in very good condition and it was not. The endpapers were ripped out and the book is in rough condition

Read this if you enjoy what I like to call "real life" fiction. The multiple POV really allows you to open perspective on the town itself, and it's residents. Or maybe it was just easy for me to connect, because I also grew up in a small town where it seemed sports were all that mattered? I'll make my point though, if you like this book, buy the second one, because I loved it more.

I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, the plot, and the ending. The writing style didn’t annoy me like in Anxious People. Beartown is 2nd best behind A Man called Ove

An intense read of underdogs, denial, scandals, desperation, and protecting those you love at any cost. The Friday Night Lights of hockey. I had a hard time putting it down.

When I started this book, I wasn’t sure how I would like it. Determining who was talking was confusing at first because of the amount of characters there were. When I focused on remembering who they all were, the book got better and better. It really kept my interest and you learned so much about each person. I would read it again.