Beartown by Fredrik Backman ( Abe Lincoln Book)

I had heard a lot of good things about this author and this book so I was very intrigued to finally read Beartown. Overall, I liked the book but it took me weeks to finish it. I have not been reading as much as I am so tired with a new baby but I also wasn't that excited about the book. I give it 3 out of 5 stars as the characters were well developed but the story line was a little slow moving.

Amazon Summary


People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever-encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.