The Winners

A Novel

De: Fredrik Backman

Narrado por: Marin Ireland

Return to the close-knit, resilient community of Beartown with this “engrossing page-turner” (Woman’s World) about first loves, second chances, and last goodbyes—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove.

Over the course of two weeks, everything in Beartown will change.

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 destruction caused by a ferocious late-summer storm reignites the old rivalry between Beartown and the neighboring town of Hed, a rivalry which has always been fought through their ice hockey teams.

Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich, two young people who left in search of a better life, come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends. There is a new sense of optimism and purpose in the town, embodied in the impressive new ice rink that has been built down by the lake.

Maya’s parents, meanwhile, are caught up in an investigation of the hockey club’s murky finances, and Amat—once the star of the Beartown team—has lost his way after an injury and a failed attempt to get drafted into the NHL. Simmering tensions between the two towns turn into acts of intimidation and then violence. All the while, a fourteen-year-old boy grows increasingly alienated from this hockey-obsessed community and is determined to take revenge on the people he holds responsible for his beloved sister’s death. He has a pistol and a plan that will leave Beartown with a loss that is almost more that it can stand.

Discover what it means to forgive with this “hell of a conclusion to an outstanding series” (Booklist, starred review). A poignant and moving listen perfect for fans of Friday Night Lights.

©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, Inc. All rights reserved.

Wonderful finale

Great way to end a beloved series. I never thought I would fall in love with a hockey book… but I did!

Couldn’t stop listening

Winners is a beautiful finish to a heart wrenching trilogy. The story is narrated by one of my favorite narrators, discovered while listening to the first of the series, Beartown. Her voice is a part of Beartown and weaves through the lives of the characters. What a beautiful story.

I Love This Story!

This novel does not disappoint and provides beautiful closure to the characters in the Beartown series.
I highly recommend. Fridrick Backman,the author, writing inspires his readers to be better a better person and he reminds us not to miss the “moments” in our lives. Life goes by too quickly but at the end, we can remember the ones we love; ask for forgiveness from those we hurt; find forgiveness for those that hurt us and just try to enjoy fishing when we don’t catch any fish.

A little dark for me, without his usual humor.

First, this is my favorite contemporary author! But I struggle with the Beartown books. I know some people like intense, emotional novels. It is beautifully written and the love for children and families shines through. But these books have too much angst and tragedy for me.
If violence, suicide and rape are triggers for you, this is not your book series. But otherwise beautifully written and worth the read. Optimism and kindness are balanced with the tragedies.

Devestating and beautiful

Trigger warning: The Winners (and its two predecessors) are stories about a lot of things, but sexual violence and its aftermath is a large part of the story. Rape is a serious topic, and its part of these stories mean they are not for everyone.

I don't know how Backman has figured out how to tell you that one of the main characters is going to die at the beginning of the story, remind you of it every few chapters, and still have it hit you like a ton of bricks when it actually happens a hundred chapters later. I finished listening to The Winners on an hour-long drive, and the tears just rolled the last part of that drive. Maybe this was not a safe choice, in retrospect...

The Beartown series is the darkest of Backman's writing, and when the second book came out, I wasn't sure if I had the strength to read it (these books will have you doing emotional work as you go through them). To illustrate the point, my wife read Beartown (and loved it), but put down Us Against You half way through, and asked me to just give her the synopsis of The Winners so she knew how the story ends.

And of course, the story doesn't end with The Winners. It's just this part of the story. Most of these characters will live on, and Backman gives us some closure by telling us so much of what is to come. There stories have been beautifully told, and we are given a good sense of what is to come for those who survive this tragedy, and it feels real and relevant and sometimes disappointing and sometimes beautiful, and isn't that what life is like?

I don't recommend the Beartown series, any more than I recommend people go skydiving. Do I love it? Absolutely. This is a tale about sport, and love, and violence (some of which is rape), and how people make bad choices and what they do to live with the choices they've made, sometimes tragically. It's *real* and it's hard, and it's painful at times. It's also beautifully written, and Backman is easily one of my top five authors that is writing today.

10/10. Love. Proceed at your own risk.

A

The Beartown trilogy will leave an indelible mark on your heart. Whether you like hockey or not, you will feel like you are a part of their community. You will feel their pain and triumphs. Backman has such a unique way of weaving together the lives of an incredible amount of people in a story and making you fall in love with each and every one of them, marred or not. The narrator is perfect for telling such a layered tale. I will find myself listening to this again in the future.

Love this series!!

This is one of my favorite series. The characters and the story are so well developed. I laughed and cried. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.

Beautiful as always

My favorite author and my favorite town. No one creates characters like Backman. It’s ok to be human.

So Good

Such a good book and narrator. 😊😊😊 So Good. Kept me thinking about it for days!

poignant story

This is a very good book. I recommend it to anyone. It’s a very good story and has a heartfelt message.