The Winners
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Description
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO STAND TOGETHER?
'It's often said that winners write history, but there are no winners here'
This is a small story about big questions.
It's a story about family, community, life.
It starts with a storm - and a death.
But how does it end?
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.
PRAISE FOR THE BEARTOWN BOOKS:
'This is a stunning read that plunges you into another world. Backman writes with incredible sensitivity and insight. Every one of the characters is real and multi-faceted, having you breathlessly turning the pages, following their fears and hopes, fretting for their futures. This is storytelling at its best: Emotional, vivid, wise and utterly brilliant' HAZEL PRIOR
'Surrounded by impenetrable forests, Beartown recreates the stifling atmosphere of a dying community. A mature, compassionate novel' SUNDAY TIMES
'Backman can tickle the funny bone and tug on the heart strings when he needs to, and is a clever enough storyteller to not overindulge in either' INDEPENDENT
'As popular Swedish exports go, Backman is up there with ABBA and Stieg Larsson' THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Backman is a masterful writer' KIRKUS REVIEW
Book Information
Posts
Herzzerreißender Abschluss 🥹💔
Mit schwerem Herzen lasse ich die Trilogie hinter mir... Backmans Worte lassen sich für mich nicht zusammenfassen. Wer noch nie eins seiner Bücher gelesen hat, sollte das dringend nachholen. "At first we run around street corners giggling and explore every inch of each other´s skin, over the years we get to know every cobblestone and strand of hair and snore, and the waters of time soften our passion into unfailing love, and in the end the eyes we wake up next to and the horizon outside our window are the same thing: home." "At a party a few months ago one guy asked Maya why she never drank more than two glasses of wine, and what could she say? Because of guys like you. Because you´re everywhere." "That now every day is like any other, the job is just a job, but hockey was an obsession for him, and a life without obsessions feels like sitting in a waiting room without any doors. No one´s going to call your name. You´re waiting for nothing." "I don´t know anything about marriage. But I don´t think you´re supposed to have sides." "The end of a life is as unstoppable as its beginning, we can´t stop the first and last breaths we take any more than we can stop the wind." "She´s thought so much about him. The wildest, loneliest person she knows." "Time is unreliable when it comes to those we love. When they leave us it feels like a lifetime, as if they´ve become strangers, but the first morning after they come back it feels like they´ve never been gone." "The forest and the lake, the wilderness and snow, it´s unbeatable." "She has wine in her coffee cup, he has whiskey in a glass that she can´t bring herself to tell him is actually a tea light holder." "You´re love was like organ donation. You and dad and Leo gave me parts of your hearts and lungs and skeletons so I could put myself together again. And now you hardly have the strength to stand up and keep breathing yourselves." "He always thought he was the bad guy in all stories, the real heroes always do, that´s why stories about boys like him never end with them growing old."
I don't even have the words to explain how deeply this book touched me. The entire series is forever engraved into my soul and takes up a little space of my heart. No one can write just like Fredrik Backman does. No one can capture so many perspectives on life, hatred, love, sorrow, despair, anger, grief, motherhood, purpose, parenthood, violence, friendship, peace, standing against each other and united as one. You understand every single one of his characters, you will hate them and love them at the same time. Ana, Maya, Benji, Amat, Bobo, Peter, Kira, Teemu, Ruth, Matteo, Tess, Hannah, Johnny, The Ovich sisters, Mumble, Lev, Ramona, Alicia, Sune, Zackell, Aleksandr and so many more will stay with me and their stories will touch me over and over again. I will for sure comeback to this series because as much as it hurt me and broke me and took my breath away - I also found comfort and joy and love in it
5⭐️
Die Beartown-Reihe hat mich über alle drei Bücher hinweg komplett überzeugt. Die Geschichte und die Charaktere werde ich nicht so schnell vergessen. Für mich ist die ganze Reihe ein Fünf-Sterne-Read. Der letzte Band war besonders gegen Ende sehr emotional, auch wenn man ahnt, was passieren wird ❤️🩹.
Backman ist für mich ein Meister der leisen Töne und grossen Gefühle. Seine Bücher sind wie eine Umarmung , so tief menschlich. Man möchte die Protagonisten gar nicht verlassen, so wachsen sie einem mit all ihren Stärken und Schwächen ans Herz. Man lacht und weint mit ihnen, und man wird mit ihnen vertraut, als seien sie Freunde. Weil sie zutiefst menschlich und mit viel Mitgefühl von Backman gezeichnet werden. Ein Buch, bzw. eine Trilogie, das noch lange nachklingt.
"Hier hätten die Geschichten über Björnstadt und Hed enden können, aber das tun Geschichten über Städte nun einmal nicht. Die einzigen Geschichten, die enden, sind jene über Menschen." 3.5 Sterne Gewohnt toller Stil von Backmann, der einen durch die ~1000 Seiten fliegen lässt. Inhaltlich... war es etwas belanglos. Vieles hat sich gefühlt wiederholt - wie ein Zyklus: Stadt 1 hat Probleme, "versinkt" und versucht sich zu retten, und Stadt 2 gewinnt an Einfluss und deren Eishockeyteam hat einen Aufschwung, bis Stadt 2 Probleme bekommt und sich das ganze umdreht und wiederholt. Wie auch die vorherigen Bücher ist Band 3 nicht ohne und mehrere Personen sterben, und ich versteh einfach nicht, warum es eigentlich keine Triggerwarnungen gibt.
"The Winners" won't make you feel much. Only everything. This destroyed me emotionally. I cried many many times for a long time. It was exactly as expected. It was also the best book I read so far this year, for sure in the Top 3 of the whole year and maybe the best book of the series. Honestly I'm not sure if I'm in a a place to think about this and write the review yet because I'm not over what Backman did to us (and with "us" I'm talking about the characters and the hardcore fans of Beartown). With the Beartown-trilogy it's all about the characters for me. I don't know how he does it, but there are so many characters and you get to know all of them and you feel for all of them. It's not black-and-white, it's alway very nuanced and you get to understand all of them, their history and place in life and in the story. There are new characters (a lot of them actually) introduced in Book 2 and Book 3 but he managed to write those the same brilliant way as the original characters from Book 1. I feel like I KNOW those people. The writing is brillant as alway. The plot - THE PLOT. So many ups and downs, so many happy and sad moments. It's the perfect balance. Even though I expected to get destroyed emotionally and I sure did, my favorite characters got enough happy and carefree moments for me to somehow survive this very traumatic ending of the best book series I've ever read. Benji, Amat, Maya, Ana, Mumble, Big City, Vidar, Alicia. This book talks about so many important topics of our society and I want everyone to think and read about them, but right now is not the moment for me to write an analytical review about it. Because "The Winners" is not a book to demand much of you. Only everything.
“Das hier ist eine Geschichte über Eishallen und all die Herzen, die um sie herum schlagen. Über Menschen und Sport und wie sie sich gegenseitig unterstützen. Und über uns, die wir träumen und kämpfen. Manche von uns haben sich verliebt, während andere verzweifelt sind. Wir haben unsere besten und unsere schlechtesten Tage erlebt. Björnstadt hat gejubelt, aber auch gebrannt.“ 5/5 für die Charaktere, die Fredrik Backman erschaffen hat 5/5 für die Weisheiten, die zwischen den Zeilen zu finden sind Ich vermisse Björnstadt schon jetzt.
Description
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO STAND TOGETHER?
'It's often said that winners write history, but there are no winners here'
This is a small story about big questions.
It's a story about family, community, life.
It starts with a storm - and a death.
But how does it end?
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.
PRAISE FOR THE BEARTOWN BOOKS:
'This is a stunning read that plunges you into another world. Backman writes with incredible sensitivity and insight. Every one of the characters is real and multi-faceted, having you breathlessly turning the pages, following their fears and hopes, fretting for their futures. This is storytelling at its best: Emotional, vivid, wise and utterly brilliant' HAZEL PRIOR
'Surrounded by impenetrable forests, Beartown recreates the stifling atmosphere of a dying community. A mature, compassionate novel' SUNDAY TIMES
'Backman can tickle the funny bone and tug on the heart strings when he needs to, and is a clever enough storyteller to not overindulge in either' INDEPENDENT
'As popular Swedish exports go, Backman is up there with ABBA and Stieg Larsson' THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Backman is a masterful writer' KIRKUS REVIEW
Book Information
Posts
Herzzerreißender Abschluss 🥹💔
Mit schwerem Herzen lasse ich die Trilogie hinter mir... Backmans Worte lassen sich für mich nicht zusammenfassen. Wer noch nie eins seiner Bücher gelesen hat, sollte das dringend nachholen. "At first we run around street corners giggling and explore every inch of each other´s skin, over the years we get to know every cobblestone and strand of hair and snore, and the waters of time soften our passion into unfailing love, and in the end the eyes we wake up next to and the horizon outside our window are the same thing: home." "At a party a few months ago one guy asked Maya why she never drank more than two glasses of wine, and what could she say? Because of guys like you. Because you´re everywhere." "That now every day is like any other, the job is just a job, but hockey was an obsession for him, and a life without obsessions feels like sitting in a waiting room without any doors. No one´s going to call your name. You´re waiting for nothing." "I don´t know anything about marriage. But I don´t think you´re supposed to have sides." "The end of a life is as unstoppable as its beginning, we can´t stop the first and last breaths we take any more than we can stop the wind." "She´s thought so much about him. The wildest, loneliest person she knows." "Time is unreliable when it comes to those we love. When they leave us it feels like a lifetime, as if they´ve become strangers, but the first morning after they come back it feels like they´ve never been gone." "The forest and the lake, the wilderness and snow, it´s unbeatable." "She has wine in her coffee cup, he has whiskey in a glass that she can´t bring herself to tell him is actually a tea light holder." "You´re love was like organ donation. You and dad and Leo gave me parts of your hearts and lungs and skeletons so I could put myself together again. And now you hardly have the strength to stand up and keep breathing yourselves." "He always thought he was the bad guy in all stories, the real heroes always do, that´s why stories about boys like him never end with them growing old."
I don't even have the words to explain how deeply this book touched me. The entire series is forever engraved into my soul and takes up a little space of my heart. No one can write just like Fredrik Backman does. No one can capture so many perspectives on life, hatred, love, sorrow, despair, anger, grief, motherhood, purpose, parenthood, violence, friendship, peace, standing against each other and united as one. You understand every single one of his characters, you will hate them and love them at the same time. Ana, Maya, Benji, Amat, Bobo, Peter, Kira, Teemu, Ruth, Matteo, Tess, Hannah, Johnny, The Ovich sisters, Mumble, Lev, Ramona, Alicia, Sune, Zackell, Aleksandr and so many more will stay with me and their stories will touch me over and over again. I will for sure comeback to this series because as much as it hurt me and broke me and took my breath away - I also found comfort and joy and love in it
5⭐️
Die Beartown-Reihe hat mich über alle drei Bücher hinweg komplett überzeugt. Die Geschichte und die Charaktere werde ich nicht so schnell vergessen. Für mich ist die ganze Reihe ein Fünf-Sterne-Read. Der letzte Band war besonders gegen Ende sehr emotional, auch wenn man ahnt, was passieren wird ❤️🩹.
Backman ist für mich ein Meister der leisen Töne und grossen Gefühle. Seine Bücher sind wie eine Umarmung , so tief menschlich. Man möchte die Protagonisten gar nicht verlassen, so wachsen sie einem mit all ihren Stärken und Schwächen ans Herz. Man lacht und weint mit ihnen, und man wird mit ihnen vertraut, als seien sie Freunde. Weil sie zutiefst menschlich und mit viel Mitgefühl von Backman gezeichnet werden. Ein Buch, bzw. eine Trilogie, das noch lange nachklingt.
"Hier hätten die Geschichten über Björnstadt und Hed enden können, aber das tun Geschichten über Städte nun einmal nicht. Die einzigen Geschichten, die enden, sind jene über Menschen." 3.5 Sterne Gewohnt toller Stil von Backmann, der einen durch die ~1000 Seiten fliegen lässt. Inhaltlich... war es etwas belanglos. Vieles hat sich gefühlt wiederholt - wie ein Zyklus: Stadt 1 hat Probleme, "versinkt" und versucht sich zu retten, und Stadt 2 gewinnt an Einfluss und deren Eishockeyteam hat einen Aufschwung, bis Stadt 2 Probleme bekommt und sich das ganze umdreht und wiederholt. Wie auch die vorherigen Bücher ist Band 3 nicht ohne und mehrere Personen sterben, und ich versteh einfach nicht, warum es eigentlich keine Triggerwarnungen gibt.
"The Winners" won't make you feel much. Only everything. This destroyed me emotionally. I cried many many times for a long time. It was exactly as expected. It was also the best book I read so far this year, for sure in the Top 3 of the whole year and maybe the best book of the series. Honestly I'm not sure if I'm in a a place to think about this and write the review yet because I'm not over what Backman did to us (and with "us" I'm talking about the characters and the hardcore fans of Beartown). With the Beartown-trilogy it's all about the characters for me. I don't know how he does it, but there are so many characters and you get to know all of them and you feel for all of them. It's not black-and-white, it's alway very nuanced and you get to understand all of them, their history and place in life and in the story. There are new characters (a lot of them actually) introduced in Book 2 and Book 3 but he managed to write those the same brilliant way as the original characters from Book 1. I feel like I KNOW those people. The writing is brillant as alway. The plot - THE PLOT. So many ups and downs, so many happy and sad moments. It's the perfect balance. Even though I expected to get destroyed emotionally and I sure did, my favorite characters got enough happy and carefree moments for me to somehow survive this very traumatic ending of the best book series I've ever read. Benji, Amat, Maya, Ana, Mumble, Big City, Vidar, Alicia. This book talks about so many important topics of our society and I want everyone to think and read about them, but right now is not the moment for me to write an analytical review about it. Because "The Winners" is not a book to demand much of you. Only everything.
“Das hier ist eine Geschichte über Eishallen und all die Herzen, die um sie herum schlagen. Über Menschen und Sport und wie sie sich gegenseitig unterstützen. Und über uns, die wir träumen und kämpfen. Manche von uns haben sich verliebt, während andere verzweifelt sind. Wir haben unsere besten und unsere schlechtesten Tage erlebt. Björnstadt hat gejubelt, aber auch gebrannt.“ 5/5 für die Charaktere, die Fredrik Backman erschaffen hat 5/5 für die Weisheiten, die zwischen den Zeilen zu finden sind Ich vermisse Björnstadt schon jetzt.