Fiction

The Winners

The Winners

  • Downloads：9201
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-04 11:21:43
  • Update Date：2025-09-15
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Fredrik Backman
  • ISBN：179714491X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Mary Claire （mc_readsalot） ，

Gorgeous and absolutely gutting but also some plotlines were slightly underbaked and she could've easily been 200 pages shorter Gorgeous and absolutely gutting but also some plotlines were slightly underbaked and she could've easily been 200 pages shorter 。。。more

Shelly ，

This was a Goodreads giveaway win for me， and I was pretty excited since I read （and loved） the first two of the series。 The book is nearly 700 pages long， but so worth every page turn！ The discord between Beartown and Hed continues。 Secrets are exposed。 The two hockey teams continue their rivalry。 All my favorite characters from the prior books are back。 And we lose a few along the way。I laughed and I cried。 A piece of me could relate to almost all of them。 Sometimes it takes a crisis to bring This was a Goodreads giveaway win for me， and I was pretty excited since I read （and loved） the first two of the series。 The book is nearly 700 pages long， but so worth every page turn！ The discord between Beartown and Hed continues。 Secrets are exposed。 The two hockey teams continue their rivalry。 All my favorite characters from the prior books are back。 And we lose a few along the way。I laughed and I cried。 A piece of me could relate to almost all of them。 Sometimes it takes a crisis to bring out the best in people。 Thanks， Fredrik Backman！ 。。。more

Beatrice Berntsson ，

Så j*vla bra！ Längtade efter nästa varje gång den förgående var klar och nu får jag bara gråta i ett hörn… Backman gav mig en relation till varje karaktär jag inte trodde va möjlig。 Ja！ Läs！ Nu！

Amanda ，

RYSNINGAR

Kimberly ，

Fredrik Backman does not know how to write anything other than a five star masterpiece。 "The Winners" is the third installment in the "Beartown" trilogy and takes place two years after the events in "Us Against You。" A storm and the death of a beloved friend bring characters who had left home and the beginnings of trouble for the towns of Beartown and Hed。 Reading "The Winners" was like coming home and getting to hang out with old friends。 I didn't realize how much I had missed Maya and her pare Fredrik Backman does not know how to write anything other than a five star masterpiece。 "The Winners" is the third installment in the "Beartown" trilogy and takes place two years after the events in "Us Against You。" A storm and the death of a beloved friend bring characters who had left home and the beginnings of trouble for the towns of Beartown and Hed。 Reading "The Winners" was like coming home and getting to hang out with old friends。 I didn't realize how much I had missed Maya and her parents， Ramona， Ana， Amat， Benji， Bobo， and all the other residents of Beartown！ The new characters added depth and new drama to the Beartown saga， and they became like friends as well。 "The Winners" and the "Beartown" trilogy as a whole， is about so much more than hockey。 It's about friendship and grief， love and forgiveness， politics and greed。 It's about the power of anger and how even good people can do not-so-good things。 and bad people can do good things。This is the first book I've thrown across the room screaming and sobbing "No！" since Professor Dumbledore was killed in one of the Harry Potter books。 After I finished the last word on the last page， I just sat there for a few minutes， stunned。。。and then the tears began。 In true Backman fashion， "The Winners" is ugly and beautiful and will ABSOLUTELY BREAK YOUR HEART and then put it back together again。 This is a long read， but I wanted it to go on forever。 I didn't want to leave the little town in the forest that I've come to think of as home。Thank you to NetGalley， the publisher， and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this extraordinary book。 in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you for letting me spend some time in Beartown again！ 。。。more

Maret ，

This is the conclusion to the Beartown trilogy。 Welcome to Beartown， a town where everything is about hockey。 Two years after Benji and Maya leave Beartown， they return to the town for a funeral。 The story follows not only their arrivals but also lives of different people throughout two towns， Beartown and Hed。 Two towns compete in hockey from generation to generation through violence， anger and hatred。 The fight between those two towns never ends until a shockingly tragic event strikes their co This is the conclusion to the Beartown trilogy。 Welcome to Beartown， a town where everything is about hockey。 Two years after Benji and Maya leave Beartown， they return to the town for a funeral。 The story follows not only their arrivals but also lives of different people throughout two towns， Beartown and Hed。 Two towns compete in hockey from generation to generation through violence， anger and hatred。 The fight between those two towns never ends until a shockingly tragic event strikes their community。 This was a fascinating book。 Well written and engrossing story that not only hockey fans will enjoy reading。 Backman is a great storyteller who masterfully draws his characters while addressing topics of corruptions， rape and strong need of belonging。 。。。more

Jillian ，

Love this author and will keep reading him but this was just way too long！ I had a hard time keeping track of all the people。 Too many characters。

Pam ，

3。5 OMG THIS WAS TOO LONG。 Too many characters。 Too much politics。 Too much that took away from the many amazing portions about the characters we’ve grown to love in the first two books。

Julie ，

Not my favorite books of his， the topic is tough， but that didn't stop me from sobbing at the end。 Series finale。 Waaay too long， but satisfying anyway。 Not my favorite books of his， the topic is tough， but that didn't stop me from sobbing at the end。 Series finale。 Waaay too long， but satisfying anyway。 。。。more

S。S。 ，

Personal rating:3。25🌟， rounded to 3🌟I love Beartown （the first book， not this whole series lol） because it discusses important topics but in a way that allows you to think for yourself。 But my personal favourite is Us Against You for a number of reasons including the introduction of Teemu Rinnius。 I'm still lowkey crushed that he didn't end up with Adri btw but whatever。Enter The Winners。 I was pretty dang excited when I got approved for an e-arc of this because ya kidding me？ More of Backman + Personal rating:3。25🌟， rounded to 3🌟I love Beartown （the first book， not this whole series lol） because it discusses important topics but in a way that allows you to think for yourself。 But my personal favourite is Us Against You for a number of reasons including the introduction of Teemu Rinnius。 I'm still lowkey crushed that he didn't end up with Adri btw but whatever。Enter The Winners。 I was pretty dang excited when I got approved for an e-arc of this because ya kidding me？ More of Backman + Beartown could never mean a bad thing！ Oh， you sweet summer child， you。My first ‘oh boy’ was when I found out this book has nearly 700 pages in total。 But I kept a positive mind。 The second ‘oh boy’ came when at ±300 pages， barely anything of consequence has happened。 By then my interest has steadily gone down and I started thinking maybe too much of Backman is not such a great thing after all。Once I finally reached the end and read his acknowledgements， he mentioned feeling lost etc。 while writing this book and I definitely felt that in the story。 This book should be thinned down more imo， large parts of it felt like you're going nowhere。 Two weeks—the duration of everything that went down in this book icymi—has never felt so long。 I couldn't care less about the parts that have to do with the editor-in-chief and all the politics。 Matteo's part took so long to develop that I pretty much lost all interest by the time it actually happened。Oh and did anyone else feel weird when Maya and Ana （Maya especially） suddenly acted like longtime best friends with Benji in this book？ Because I sure do。In the end， I think if I ever reread this series， I'm just gonna pretend it's a duology and that this book never existed。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Rachel Brenner ，

I laughed， I cried， I loved Beartown。 Thank you， Fredrik Backman。

Dani Boise ，

RTC！ （Once I get through the 600+ pages LOL）Big thanks to the publisher and Goodreads as I won this in a giveaway :） I got the package and was quite surprised at the size of the book， haha。 It will easily be the longest book I read this year but looking forward to it。

Jason ，

I’m sad that this is the last book in the series。 Beartown， the first book， will forever be one of my favorite books ever。 If you haven’t read it yet， you need to （bring tissues）。 I saw a few reviews that said one could read this as a standalone。 I disagree。 You can’t， in my opinion。 Or rather， you can but you won’t enjoy it nearly as much （read the others first， trust me）。 On top of that， even if you’ve read the others， if it was a while ago I’d read them again before reading this one。 I wish I I’m sad that this is the last book in the series。 Beartown， the first book， will forever be one of my favorite books ever。 If you haven’t read it yet， you need to （bring tissues）。 I saw a few reviews that said one could read this as a standalone。 I disagree。 You can’t， in my opinion。 Or rather， you can but you won’t enjoy it nearly as much （read the others first， trust me）。 On top of that， even if you’ve read the others， if it was a while ago I’d read them again before reading this one。 I wish I would have。 I think it would have helped。 There were so many things I forgot and it’s really better to have your head in Beartown before picking this one up。 Some lines were so deep and powerful I had to tab it， close the book， and just chew on it for a bit。 Smooth it out。 Juggle it。 Chew some more。 Then smooth it out again。 You know Backman is incredibly profound so this isn’t a surprise。 All of his books are like that。 They make you question things and then question the questions。 But this one， similar to the others in the series， will break your heart into several small pieces。 The first book will always be my favorite but this is a solid end to the series。 Definitely worth reading。 Especially if you’ve read the others （this closes some loose ends and you learn a lot more about several characters）。Thanks again （so so much） @Atriabooks for the gifted copy。 。。。more

Alexandra Melander ，

This is the book of books。 I am a wreck。

Karen ，

4。5 Stars。 Looked so forward to reading the final book in the trilogy。 It didn’t disappoint。 Love Backman’s writing。 His books make you feel - you laugh， cry， get so angry you want to punch something。 His writing is incredible。 Thank you for these books about a wonderful sport。

Judy Collins ，

STELLAR！ What a finale。 Swedish storyteller Fredrik Backman returns with his popular Beartown trilogy， THE WINNERS —A powerful conclusion to a masterful series by a tremendously gifted author bringing his characters and small-town setting to life， with a wise lesson for us all。 A massive fan of the author was delighted to receive an early reading copy of THE WINNERS。 There is no one quite like him with his signature winning style。 My favorite of the series！ The ongoing question is， "Do you w STELLAR！ What a finale。 Swedish storyteller Fredrik Backman returns with his popular Beartown trilogy， THE WINNERS —A powerful conclusion to a masterful series by a tremendously gifted author bringing his characters and small-town setting to life， with a wise lesson for us all。 A massive fan of the author was delighted to receive an early reading copy of THE WINNERS。 There is no one quite like him with his signature winning style。 My favorite of the series！ The ongoing question is， "Do you want to understand the people who reside in two hockey towns？ If so， you need to know the WORST and the BEST they are capable of。 Full of heart， with characters from the previous two books and some new ones， the author does a superb job catching you up between the two towns， the characters， and their rivalry—Beartown and Hed。 So everything that seemed so utterly improbable when Maya and Benji left now feels， two years later， like merely a question of time; the green town is on its way up， and the red village is on its way down。 A winding road through the trees is the only thing separating Beartown and Hed。 Beartown plays in green jerseys with a bear。 Hed plays in red with a bull。 They hate one another。 Their sport is about much more than sport。 They live and breathe hockey even outside of the game。 This may be a hockey town， but they are forest folk。 Surrounded by trees， rocks， and land。 Soon a terrible natural disaster is going to destroy things they love。 A storm is coming。 HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS。 From the pressure to WIN at all costs， greed， entitlement， victimization， prejudices， violence， dark secrets， abuse， damage， hatred， threats， corruption， and manipulation。 There are also political， financial， and legal aspects。 The author examines the issues with compassion， understanding， wisdom， and insight。 Rich in character， the author does not hold back on the hard-hitting issues from rape， depression， etc。， that make up the lengthy novel。 While the book is about hockey， it is so MUCH MORE。 It is about LOVE in many forms; nobody does that better than Backman。Oh， does this author have a way with his WORDS！ A master craftsman， Backman's writing grips you from his teasing， the suspense， his humor， his wisdom —keeping you glued to the pages to learn what is to come。 You will be highlighting many pages in awe。 An examination of good intentions going wrong。 The author delves deep into the human psyche， the good， the bad， and the gray areas。 From the athletes， the parents， the students， and the community。 Both brutal and beautiful。 Tragic and hopeful。 Ultimately， regardless of who wins， there are no winners if they cannot get past their hatred。 However， no matter how dark， there is always HOPE。 Beautifully told， as always， the author's novels feature strong characters and an array of emotions from tragedy， forgiveness， revenge， hope， and redemption。 I was immersed and invested in all the characters and storylines。Backman fans will enjoy this captivating， epic， and satisfying conclusion to a remarkable and compelling series。 We are all anxious to see what comes next。 A must-read soul-searching book for every person in this world。 The book description describes the novel to perfection: "As it beautifully captures all the complexities of daily life and explores questions of friendship， loyalty， loss， and identity， this emotion-packed novel asks us to reconsider what it means to WIN， what it means to LOSE， and what it means to FORGIVE。"I highly recommend reading all the books in the series and his complete backlist。 Life-changing。 Thanks to #AtriaBooks and #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Blog Review posted @www。JudithDCollins。com @JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooksMy Rating: 5 StarsPub Date: Sept 27， 2022Sept 2022 Must-Read Books Top Books of 2022 。。。more

Taja ，

Thank you NetGallery and Mr。 Backman for giving me the opportunity to review "The Winners。" I selected this title because I had read MrBackman's book "Anxious People。" I did not realized that this is the third book of a series。 I discovered this shortly after getting the advance copy and decided to give it a go anyway and boy am I glad I did。 Never in a million years would I think I would enjoy a book centered around two small hockey towns。 Mr。Backman has a wonderful way of developing interestin Thank you NetGallery and Mr。 Backman for giving me the opportunity to review "The Winners。" I selected this title because I had read MrBackman's book "Anxious People。" I did not realized that this is the third book of a series。 I discovered this shortly after getting the advance copy and decided to give it a go anyway and boy am I glad I did。 Never in a million years would I think I would enjoy a book centered around two small hockey towns。 Mr。Backman has a wonderful way of developing interesting characters。 His style of writing one sentence cliff hangers at the end of his chapters entices the reader to want to read more。 Sometimes， I had trouble keeping track of the characters and I wonder if I read the series in order if this wouldn't have been an issue。 That being said， I think I really would have enjoyed the entire series and I do suggest that you read this book last since this novel wraps up what happens to the characters。 I highly suggest this series and book for those who like contemporary fiction。 。。。more

Sandy Eichelberger ，

This is the third book in the Beartown trilogy。 Filled with a large cast of characters， Backman has brought back many of the memorable ones from the first and second books with some new ones added。 All the various threads are neatly woven together and the growing rivalry between Beartown and Hed comes to a head。There is a lot of intensity in this book， but with so many characters and subplots， the author spends quite a bit of time setting up the scene and re-introducing the characters。 It is the This is the third book in the Beartown trilogy。 Filled with a large cast of characters， Backman has brought back many of the memorable ones from the first and second books with some new ones added。 All the various threads are neatly woven together and the growing rivalry between Beartown and Hed comes to a head。There is a lot of intensity in this book， but with so many characters and subplots， the author spends quite a bit of time setting up the scene and re-introducing the characters。 It is the characters who will leave an indelible mark。 They are unforgettable， flaws and all。 The uniqueness of the people inhabiting Beartown and Hed might bring to mind the quirky and odd， yet beloved characters of Dickens。 Benji， Amat， Ana， BoBo， Tess， Alicia， Maya and Big City are just some of the memorable and unique young adults who have rich stories。 The adults like Teemu， Ramona， Tails， Lev among others， stand out as leaders， but not always admirable。 Two sets of parents – one from each town – demonstrate stability and love。 But both stability and love are often absent from the lives of many of the young people。 No one is simply good or evil; all of the characters have shades of gray。The series is set in the landscape of smalltown life where the only entertainment is hockey。 Everyone in Hed and Beartown lives and breathes hockey， even if they don’t play or have a family member who plays。 Hockey consumes the youth with dreams of the NHL， a continent away。 But even those who are not skilled enough to ever make the pros， there’s the community aspect of being part of something bigger than themselves。 The bottom line is what hockey means to the youth。 It gives them purpose， gives them a place to fit in， a way to get recognition， to be a part of a team; at least for a time。 The players lose themselves when they play and the communities that support them are consumed with beating the other team。 Hockey is not just critical to the players， it’s everything to the community。 The two towns are pitted against each other。 For years the need to triumph over the opposing team has morphed into a growing hatred， an inability to be rational about the other side。 This spills over into ordinary life， far removed from the ice。The two towns are a microcosm for the world today。 Taunts and threats taint even casual encounters。 The hatred has taken on a life of its own and adds to the growing tension of the book。 Backman constantly drops little hints of foreboding。 These are little breadcrumbs that will keep readers pressing on in this lengthy book。 Besides the outstanding character development， there are many issues at play – the haves vs have-nots， the pressure to win at all costs， the greed of people wanting to profit from kids’ sport， the damage done by some parents， the victimization of girls at the hands of entitled boys， the willingness to overlook bad behavior by talented athletes， mob mentality that tends toward violence。 These are just some of the weighty problems that make up the novel。 Though hockey permeates every page， this is so much more than a sports novel。 Backman is an amazing writer。 He delves into people’s psyches， looks beyond the exterior， shows the flaws and the mistakes that even well-intentioned people make。 He examines parenthood， loneliness， sibling support， desperation， the true meaning of love， overcoming trauma， the value of good friends， and the need to be a part of something。Two key themes are forgiveness and revenge。 Some characters can’t forgive others and some just can’t forgive themselves。 Some need to strike out for wrongs done and some will be haunted by the unfairness of the world and driven to avenge injustice。Readers will be moved by the sadness of some lives and the humanity of others。 When adversity strikes， there are always victims， but there’s also those who run into the fray， putting themselves at risk to help others。 A powerful conclusion to a masterful series by a tremendously gifted writer。 。。。more

Shelby McCarty ，

There is no one who writes like Fredrik Backman。 And for me， it’s as close to perfection as you can get。 And never have I ever begged for an almost-700 page book not to end。 If you’re going to crush your reader’s hearts by making a trilogy of a world and characters that should never end， this is exactly how you do it。 The Winners， like its predecessors， is tender and gritty， tragic and joyful， thoughtful and reminiscent， and so much more。 It’s the culmination of one decision that rocks the town There is no one who writes like Fredrik Backman。 And for me， it’s as close to perfection as you can get。 And never have I ever begged for an almost-700 page book not to end。 If you’re going to crush your reader’s hearts by making a trilogy of a world and characters that should never end， this is exactly how you do it。 The Winners， like its predecessors， is tender and gritty， tragic and joyful， thoughtful and reminiscent， and so much more。 It’s the culmination of one decision that rocks the town forever， and every thousand decisions after that。 It’s hard to believe you fall in love with even more characters in this town （and the one next door， iykyk）， but you do。 It starts and ends with devastation， but there is so much more woven into each page。 。。。more

Mica ，

i hope frederik backmans pillow is always warm on both sides， i hope his back aches and his knees hurt， i hope there’s always lego’s on his living room floor for him to step on and that his coffee is always lukewarm and disgusting， i hope his team looses the finals， i hope he always puts his socks on backwards and that he gets lost in the middle of the woods， i hope he never stops writing， fuck you frederik fuck you ！！！

Liz ，

I am a huge fan of Frederick Backman。 And I loved the first two books in this trilogy。 At first， I was worried I wasn’t going to love this as much。 It started off a little slow and took a bit to get me invested。 But once it did， boy， oh， boy。 If I was initially worried that 688 pages was going to be too much， I needn’t have worried。 The book starts with a colossal storm with fierce winds causing trees to fall and power to be cut。 We learn early on that someone dies but not who it was。 This is on I am a huge fan of Frederick Backman。 And I loved the first two books in this trilogy。 At first， I was worried I wasn’t going to love this as much。 It started off a little slow and took a bit to get me invested。 But once it did， boy， oh， boy。 If I was initially worried that 688 pages was going to be too much， I needn’t have worried。 The book starts with a colossal storm with fierce winds causing trees to fall and power to be cut。 We learn early on that someone dies but not who it was。 This is one of Backman’s typical ploys， teasing the reader with hints of what’s to come。 In fact， as the book progresses， there are multiple sources of suspense， even after we learn who has initially died。 Backman uses an anonymous omniscient narrator - if we had known， we had hoped， etc。 Backman peppers his stories with folksy wisdom that under other situations might irritate me if he wasn’t so darn spot on。 So， instead， I found myself highlighting multiple passages。 And oh， he does have a way with words。 “The atmosphere in the locker room gradually became more jovial， because all muscles relax there， especially tongues。” He also has such an understanding of human nature。 We are privy to everyone’s life and so many just seemed tired。 Everyone is keeping secrets to spare their loved ones。 People who are hurting badly act out and the dominoes start to fall。 The story is a tragedy in the true sense of the word。My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more

Liz ，

I am a huge fan of Frederick Backman。 And I loved the first two books in this trilogy。 At first， I was worried I wasn’t going to love this as much。 It started off a little slow and took a bit to get me invested。 But once it did， boy， oh， boy。 If I was initially worried that 688 pages was going to be too much， I needn’t have worried。 The book starts with a colossal storm with fierce winds causing trees to fall and power to be cut。 We learn early on that someone dies but not who it was。 This is on I am a huge fan of Frederick Backman。 And I loved the first two books in this trilogy。 At first， I was worried I wasn’t going to love this as much。 It started off a little slow and took a bit to get me invested。 But once it did， boy， oh， boy。 If I was initially worried that 688 pages was going to be too much， I needn’t have worried。 The book starts with a colossal storm with fierce winds causing trees to fall and power to be cut。 We learn early on that someone dies but not who it was。 This is one of Backman’s typical ploys， teasing the reader with hints of what’s to come。 In fact， as the book progresses， there are multiple sources of suspense， even after we learn who has initially died。 Backman uses an anonymous omniscient narrator - if we had known， we had hoped， etc。 Backman peppers his stories with folksy wisdom that under other situations might irritate me if he wasn’t so darn spot on。 So， instead， I found myself highlighting multiple passages。 And oh， he does have a way with words。 “The atmosphere in the locker room gradually became more jovial， because all muscles relax there， especially tongues。” He also has such an understanding of human nature。 We are privy to everyone’s life and so many just seemed tired。 Everyone is keeping secrets to spare their loved ones。 People who are hurting badly act out and the dominoes start to fall。 The story is a tragedy in the true sense of the word。My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more

theliterateleprechaun ，

This was a fantastic conclusion to the beloved Beartown series which follows a small town hockey team and residents as they struggle with growing pains， life disappointments， keeping hope alive and experiencing the freedom of redemption。 Making the difficult decision to move on with life after a traumatic experience involves change。 However， for the residents of Beartown， remaining in the same environment and trying to overcome the past is difficult。 It involves facing challenges head-on and ask This was a fantastic conclusion to the beloved Beartown series which follows a small town hockey team and residents as they struggle with growing pains， life disappointments， keeping hope alive and experiencing the freedom of redemption。 Making the difficult decision to move on with life after a traumatic experience involves change。 However， for the residents of Beartown， remaining in the same environment and trying to overcome the past is difficult。 It involves facing challenges head-on and asking themselves what they can learn from the experience。 You’ll have a front-row seat to see the effects of time; two years later some of them have bloomed where they were planted and some refused to accept the past。 Some of them became better and some of them became bitter。 Backman’s stories are universally appealing because he writes about human nature。 He focuses on life’s big questions: What constitutes a family？ What makes a community？ What are people willing to give up to protect what they have？ We can all relate。 In this book， he explores friendship， loyalty， loss， identity and what it means to win and to lose。 You will come away from this book with more than you started with at the beginning。 Backman hopes it’s patience and understanding。 I’ve added the importance of forgiving and the importance of checking my outlook…daily。 My heart is full。 I was gifted this advance copy by Simon & Schuster Canada， Atria and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review。 。。。more

Morgan ，

I DNF’d this book at 62%。Beartown is one of my favorite books of all time and I love all the books I’ve ever read by Fredrick Backman， so I was disappointed that I didn’t feel the same about this。First of this is about 700 pages long。 I think at a lot of points， the writing in this book is just as beautiful as in Beartown， but at other points it felt like there were lines thrown in that were supposed to be deep or wrap up a vignette， but fell flat。 I still love the way he gives little snippets a I DNF’d this book at 62%。Beartown is one of my favorite books of all time and I love all the books I’ve ever read by Fredrick Backman， so I was disappointed that I didn’t feel the same about this。First of this is about 700 pages long。 I think at a lot of points， the writing in this book is just as beautiful as in Beartown， but at other points it felt like there were lines thrown in that were supposed to be deep or wrap up a vignette， but fell flat。 I still love the way he gives little snippets at a time of each character， but there were TOO MANY characters to follow in this one。 I really liked the beginning- there was a storyline about a storm and it introduced some of the new characters very well。 But then it began going back to all the characters from previous books， and some of the new people we hear from so rarely that I began to wonder why they were introduced in the first place。 It was hard to keep up with who some people were。 After the storm， it began delving in to corruption of the hockey club， and this dragged on so much， hitting the same points several times and not being wrapped up。 I put hours upon hours into this book and just did not have the patience to see it through。 My kindle tells me I have 5 hours left in the book， so I’d rather spend that on something I’m loving。 。。。more

Tina 22 ，

The Winners continues the saga of Beartown and Us Against You by Fredrik Backman。 This story picks back up the lives of numerous characters。 The opening chapters foreshadow death of a character， and the later fore shadow death of another。 The story unwinds in the same non-linear timeline， with chapters focused on various characters， as the books before。。 at first this made it difficult for me to find a rhythm with reading， but eventually it made it impossible to put the book down。I recommend rer The Winners continues the saga of Beartown and Us Against You by Fredrik Backman。 This story picks back up the lives of numerous characters。 The opening chapters foreshadow death of a character， and the later fore shadow death of another。 The story unwinds in the same non-linear timeline， with chapters focused on various characters， as the books before。。 at first this made it difficult for me to find a rhythm with reading， but eventually it made it impossible to put the book down。I recommend rereading they first two， and think this book really should be read as part of the series rather than a stand alone。 In my excitement to read it， didn’t reread the others in the series and struggled at first to remember all the characters and nuisances of the story line。 This left me at first feeling like this book wasn’t living up to its predecessors， but by the end I did not feel that way。 I’d rate it as a 4。5 stars rounded up to 5。Thank you to NetGalley， Atria books， and Fredrik Backman for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Ellinor ，

4，5 stats

Nadine Klein ，

This book was as great a read as all of his other books。 My only disappointment is that I have no more Fredrick Backman books to read。 His characters are all so real that my heartbreaks for them and I rejoice with them。

Leighanna ，

One of the things that I love best about Backman’s writing is that at the beginning of every book you’re reading it from an omniscient vantage point。 Seeing the past as it happened from several perspectives， while at the same time moving the story forward in the current time。 And he does this “time warp” without employing the typical writers tropes of defining time。 Then at some point in the book， and the shift is so slight and so subtle that it’s hard to pinpoint the exact page， when you were h One of the things that I love best about Backman’s writing is that at the beginning of every book you’re reading it from an omniscient vantage point。 Seeing the past as it happened from several perspectives， while at the same time moving the story forward in the current time。 And he does this “time warp” without employing the typical writers tropes of defining time。 Then at some point in the book， and the shift is so slight and so subtle that it’s hard to pinpoint the exact page， when you were historically “caught up” so to speak， and he shifts from writing about his characters in a reflective way to a very present way。 It makes the characters come alive in ways that no other author has ever delivered upon in my reading history。 I stand by the statement that you can’t read a Backman book without feeling as though you are living the story with the characters。The Winners is no exception。 Yes it is long。 I couldn’t put it down。 I read the whole book cover to cover in 10 days。 I covered 10 chapters in the first 10 minutes， which isn’t saying much as sometimes the chapters in this book are a page long。 I cried in the first 10 chapters。 Classic Backman。Backman is a master at foreshadowing， and because the reader starts in this god-like state of seeing the past along side the present， he tells you in the first chapter that people are going to die。 He tells from the beginning that one of the most beloved characters of all will not be guaranteed a happy ending and it’s all the reader can do to hope and pray that it’s at least not a gruesome ending。 And don’t worry， I tried arguing and pleading with Backman for 10 days not to kill off these characters， but it didn’t change the ending。This is a book about Beartown， so the reader can expect to read about horrible acts， truly tear wrenching acts of kindness， and of course violence。 Backman doesn’t gloss over the rape in book one， and the impact it has had years after its occurrence。 He also tackles the repercussions of drug addiction and it’s familial impacts。 Beartown is a broken town， and while I believe that most living there and in Hed would benefit from a good therapist， that isn’t the way in forest。 So they deal with their pain the best way they know how and how they have been taught by their parents to deal with pain。The book is about so many different things。 It’s almost a book written based on string theory。 I believe that you could re-read the book and get little “you see Timmy”s everytime。 If course it’s about the pitfalls of drugs， rape， and violence， but it’s so much more。 It’s about community， it’s about how possibly， just maybe， the people we think we hate the most are the most like us。 It’s about redemption， because what Backman book isn’t， but it’s also about trust， and letting go of the past’s assumptions about others。 There isn’t much negative I can say about the book。 I truly love Backman’s work。 I’ve read everything he’s ever written， yes even the novellas。 Every time， like EVERY time I read one of his books or novellas， I end up in tears， and my heart is just breaking and bursting alternately every couple of pages。 In fact if you are about to be a parent PLEASE do yourself a favor and read “Things My Son Needs to Know About the World。” BUT if I did have to pick out a negative， I would say that the “villain” of the story， the kiddo that is the lynch pin in this book， is probably the one character that I wish had either been more developed or deleted completely。 It seemed to titer on the edge， of not enough character to identify with。 He could have easily been deleted and his actions could have been shifted to a different character， which brings me to the second thing that was interesting， the red herring villain。 Backman isn’t one for mysteries， and The Winners isn’t a mystery， it’s just a story that unfolds in the fullness of time， but he spent more time developing this secondary villain， that I ended up connecting with more than the true villain。 Ultimately， we got enough information to not leave us with a “but why did he do it？！” sensation， but at the same time， it felt， well a little flat， and a little unrealistic。 Other than that minor point， the book is beautifully written and I’ve never wanted to visit Sweden more。 We are the BEARS！ THE BEARS FROM BEARTOWN！ 。。。more

Sadie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 my thoughts on this book are too scattered to write a coherent review so I'll just leave a few disparate thoughts here:-- I accidentally read probably the biggest spoiler of the book before I even started （and not to mention that it directly involved my favorite character） and I spent the entire book hoping what I read wasn't true :（ :（ :（-- there was a moment in the book about three-fourths in that was objectively happy， but I'm familiar enough with Fredrik Backman's writing that in that moment my thoughts on this book are too scattered to write a coherent review so I'll just leave a few disparate thoughts here:-- I accidentally read probably the biggest spoiler of the book before I even started （and not to mention that it directly involved my favorite character） and I spent the entire book hoping what I read wasn't true :（ :（ :（-- there was a moment in the book about three-fourths in that was objectively happy， but I'm familiar enough with Fredrik Backman's writing that in that moment， I knew the rest of the book was going to break my heart-- this book introduces quite a few new characters that all basically exist to set up the final act of the book。 I understand what Backman was going for （everyone's lives are connected， the people of Beartown and Hed are all equally flawed， complicated characters， etc。 etc。）， but we all know that I'm reading this book for approximately three characters and I constantly wanted to get back to themI'm sad to have finished this series because I feel like I've come to know these characters so well！ But overall， I think this book was my least favorite of the three 。。。more

rachel ，

WHAT