Beartown cover art

Beartown

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Beartown

By: Fredrik Backman
Narrated by: John Sackville
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Beartown by Fredik Backman, read by John Sackville.

Beartown is a small town in a large Swedish forest.

For most of the year it is under a thick blanket of snow, experiencing the kind of cold and dark that brings people closer together - or pulls them apart.

Its isolation means that Beartown has been slowly shrinking with each passing year. But now the town is on the verge of an astonishing revival. A bright new future is just around the corner.

Until the day it is all put in jeopardy by a single, brutal act.

It divides the town into those who think it should be hushed up and forgotten, and those who'll risk the future to see justice done. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear.

With the town's future at stake, no one can stand by or stay silent. Everyone is on one side or the other.

Which side would you be on?

Previously published as The Scandal.

©2017 Fredrik Backman (P)2017 Penguin Audio
Crime Thrillers Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Small Town & Rural Sports Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime

Critic Reviews

"As popular Swedish exports go, Backman is up there with ABBA and Stieg Larsson." (The New York Times Book Review)

All stars
Most relevant
I was slowly dragged into the lives of this small ferocious community. Felt sad to say goodbye to the many well-drawn characters .

A well written tale

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Not sure why I gave this book a shot, it’s completely out of my comfort zone, but I could not stop listening. The story, the narration, the characters - divine. Beautifully written and beautifully executed. If you liked A Casual Vacancy you’ll like this one.

Loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

great story, spellbinding end, well worth listening to. it was really well read! thanks

beartown

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I came across Anxious People by Bachman and was blown away. This is just as good. I’ll make my way through his works and recommend it strongly.

Stunning

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Another Backman book with great observations of people. Good chartacters. Good stort that takes you on an emotional journey. You will sometimes feel angry, worried and uncomfortable, but always hopeful.

Tough but worth it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.