Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Miss Benson's Beetle

Rachel Joyce is my favorite author. Every book of hers I've read I loved, and this is no different. Although historical fiction and adventure are usually not my favorite genres, this book has such wonderfully rounded characters who are really the stars. I said it's complicated if the cast of characters is diverse. I think what that question is asking is if there is a range of races, ethnicities, orientations, etc. Personally if a book has those things mentioned but each character sounds roughly the same, just "diversity" for the sake of it, I don't think of it as diverse. This book, though, each character has a wildly different background, way of viewing life, and voice, and in that way it is very diverse. And that's why I love Rachel Joyce's books in general. She understands the differences in people and captures them so well, even characters less important to the plot get a little bit of background to explain where they're at in life and why they are the way they are. I love it so much.

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dorsetreader's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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alayamorning's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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bugthebard's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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hollyd19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

Miss Benson’s Beetle follows Margery Benson, a middle-aged domestic science teacher in post-war Britain. After a mental break loses her her job in one dramatic day, she decides to throw caution to the wind and go on an expedition to New Caledonia in search of a beetle she has been infatuated with her whole life. She puts a call out for an assistant, and ends up with a hot mess of a woman, Enid Pretty, accompanying her on her adventure.

Y’all, I wanted to love this book. It seemed charming and fun and has a totally-up-my-alley premise. But on the whole, I was pretty disappointed.

First of all, this book has a lot more heavy themes than I expected given the synopsis and the various endorsements (words like “charming,” “brilliant,” and “marvelous”). I’ll put some content warnings at the bottom. Secondly, the character development felt spasmodic and inconsistent. Finally, there is a character called Mundic who I felt was an awkward, possibly even offensive, attempt at incorporating post-war PTSD into the narrative. Most of the chapters from his perspective left me unsettled and a little confused.

Admittedly, I liked the second half better than the first. The two women found a bit more of a rhythm and their relationship took on a more believable tenor. That said, I cannot say I found it to be a satisfying to read.

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