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The Winners

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The Winners

By: Fredrik Backman
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
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About this listen

'I utterly believed in the residents of Beartown, and felt ripped apart by the events in the book' JOJO MOYES

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.

©2021 Fredrik Backman. English language translation ©2022 Neil Smith. Originally published in Sweden in 2021 by Forum as Vinnarna. Published by agreement with Salomonsson Agency. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, UK Dark Humour Fiction Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Small Town & Rural Sports World Literature Inspiring Thought-Provoking

Critic Reviews

'I utterly believed in the residents of Beartown, and felt ripped apart by the events in the book' JOJO MOYES
All stars
Most relevant
Fredrik Backman is such a beautiful writer and this book does not disappoint. I cannot wait for the next novel!

Favourite author does it again..

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Laughter. Tears. Hope. Kindness. Sadness.
Just literary genius.
There is no one who writes more beautifully flawed characters than Backman.

Love him and everything he writes.

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Thank you for 20 + hours of learning and forgiving.I ve missed this and I will tell others about this.

A story that made me feel again

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Such beautiful writing. The setting is crystal clear- I am immersed there whenever listening to one of these books. The characters are hauntingly believable.

Insightful and sad

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This series is amazing. A little isolated Ice Hokey town called Beartown and it's neighbouring rival town of Hed. Their residence go through so much and you will fall in love with them all and they will stay in your hearts for a long time. This is due to the brilliance of Fredrik Backmans writing, he is gifted in how much he can express in his words and that it can be so complex but so easy to read.
His characters can make you feel so good that it brings tears to your eyes then the next sentence something so horrific can happen to a character that you now hold so dear, that you shed another tear. He may even of hinted previously in the book that something might happen and you imagined in your own mind the exact outcome but you are still floored with with what has happened or you imagined five different scenarios and Fredrik floors you with a twist and you were not even close.
It has everything, it is a feel good love story like when all a dad needs is reassurance and a daughter says "I Love You Dad" or "Mum" 😊
It is also devastating and some characters go through horrific times. Characters are very violent,
characters die , characters are teased, bullied and abused (also sexually) So there are many triggers
If you can get passed these triggers this series and these characters will be your people for a time and Beartown will be your team.

easy 5 stars

Brilliance

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