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emilb's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Overall I really loved this book. The slow meandering prose is fully a matter of taste - I loved how it jumped ahead only to loop back in a few chapters so we slowly develop a fuller understanding of what's happening. It reminded me of the dance of bees at times.
The one thing I found hard to deal with was the depiction of class and race. I am not from Mexico, so I don't have an instinctive line to the culture in the way many others will have. What I found a shame was that the only non-white characters who were sympathetic were the loyal servants and labourers who found purpose and happiness in serving the blue eyed fair skinned land owners, while the story did what it did to the indigenous main villain. I wish we had seen more nuance in this aspect.
The one thing I found hard to deal with was the depiction of class and race. I am not from Mexico, so I don't have an instinctive line to the culture in the way many others will have. What I found a shame was that the only non-white characters who were sympathetic were the loyal servants and labourers who found purpose and happiness in serving the blue eyed fair skinned land owners, while the story did what it did to the indigenous main villain. I wish we had seen more nuance in this aspect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Ableism, Murder, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and War
lauren_tidwelll's review against another edition
While it has moments of hope and lightheartedness, I found several themes and moments in this book incredibly heavy and difficult to read. Definitely look at the content warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Rape, and Ableism
marypaz13's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Format: Audiobook/Audio libro
Resource: Libby
Narrator(s): Humberto Solórzano
Resource: Libby
Narrator(s): Humberto Solórzano
*Reseña en español hacia al final*
Basic Story:
This is the story of Simonnopio, a boy who was abandon and when found, he was next to a beehive. Many thought of him as a monster, someone kissed by the devil himself, but his adoptive family loved him, and so did his bees.
The story follows the family Morales. It narrates between the historical/storytelling voice (3rd person), the thought process of Simonopio (3rd person), and that of the 3rd Morales child, Francisco Morales, Jr. (1st person). The story encompasses major points in Mexican history: Mexican Revolution, La Reforma, etc.
Thoughts & Notes:
I listened to the audio.
The storytelling was very lyrical in parts.
It's full of superstition, religious beliefs, and human emotion.
There was so much happening historically -- The war had just ended, the Spanish Flu came along, then there's La Reforma, and of course everything that's happening in the world. Just crazy timing (the author did write in the note that she played with some of the timing on some events to help with the pacing).
You have this kid that was abandoned to die, adopted into the Morales family. Disliked at first because of his looks and the fact that bees were always swarming around him, but he changed their lives in more ways then they could have imagined. There was always this feeling of enchantment -- the *magical realism* -- surrounding Simonopio, but it wasn't fantastical. Which growing up with Mexican grandparents, I grew up with that type of storytelling. The kind that makes you wonder how but still accept it as fact. Nothing more, nothing less.
El murmullo de las abejas is able to depict basic human emotions: love, hate, fear, loneliness, with just enough delicacy to make the reader feel those emotions. I loved Simonopio, I felt pity for the coyote guy (can't remember his name).
Reading this just reminded me of my grandma's.
Reseña
Esta es el cuento de Simonopio. Un niño abandonado que fue encontrado junto un panal de abejas. Muchos piensan que es un demonio, cuya cara fue besado por el diablo. Sin embargo, fue amado por la familia Morales, los que lo adopto, y sus abejas.
La novela sigue a la familia Morales. La narración cambia entre el cuento de Linares & la familia Morales (3er persona), la narración de Simonopio (3ra persona), y entre la narración del 3er hijo, Francisco Morales chico, en primera persona. Se menciona eventos importantes en la historia Mexicana, como la Revolución y la Reforma.
Notas y pensamientos:
Escuché el audio.
La narración tubo sus momentos líricos.
Una novela llena de superstición, deberes religiosos, y emoción humana.
Es una novela histórica. Habla sobre la Revolución, el flu española, la Reforma, entre various momentos históricos, no solo en México, si no también por el mundo. Todo parece pasar en capitulo, y la autora aclara en su nota que tomo libertades artísticas en las fechas en que algunos momentos históricos pasaron.
La novela te presenta a un recién nacido, abandonado bajo aun puente. Cuando fue encontrado, pensaron que estaba muerto ya que estaba rodeado por abejas. El niño fue adoptado por la familia Morales, Beatriz & Francisco, cuyo terminaron siendo los padrinos del niño, Simonopio. Simonopio fue despreciado por cómo se veía y por el hecho de que siempre estaba rodeado por abejas. Sin embargo, le cambio la vida a la familia Morales, y a todos que vivían en la región, en maneras que nunca se imaginarían. Al escuchar, tenia una noción de encanto, no necesariamente un elemento fantástico, si no asombroso. Siento que cuando la gente dice "realismo mágico" piensan en fantasia, o en sus elementos, y no siempre es hace, como lo es en esta novela. Crecí con abuelos Mexicanos, y muchos de los cuentos que me contaban eran así -- una narración que de dejaba pensando "¿cómo?" pero a la vez aceptándolo.
El murmullo de las abejas es capaz de representar las emociones básicas: el amar, odiar, el temor, la soledad, entre otros. Y lo hace con una delicadez. Uno como lector puede sentir esas emociones con y sobre los personajes. Por ejemplo, con Simonopio, se siente la ternura al "ver" lo crecer y se siente el amor que le tubo a sus padrinos. O cómo se siente una lastima hacia a coyote (no me acuerdo del nombre del señor).
En fin, me recordó a mi propia infancia y a mi abuela.
Quotes [Citas]:
"Esperaba que el efecto curativo del sinapismo que el había tolerado con tanta paciencia y estoicismo alcanzara para cubrir y sanar en el corazón de su querido padrino todas las heridas que pronto sufriría. Inevitablemente. Por que se dirijan a la vida. Si, pero no por eso la vida seria más fácil" (capítulo 15)
"...las casas mueren cuando se dejan de alimentarse de la energía de sus dueños." (capítulo 16)
"Sucede aveces, que cuando no tenemos a alguien delante de nosotros, a plena vista, en contacto constante, si bien sabemos que no por eso deja de existir, nos parece que es imposible que continue sin nosotros. Que mantenga su permanencia sin nuestra influenza física. Tal vez este sea una remanente de lo mas profundo y básico de la temprana infancia. Cuando no se quiere perder de vista la madre por el temor que desaparezca." (capítulo 21)
"Por que solo se ve a la perfección cuando echamos la vista atras. Y por eso la vida la llenamos de hubieras." (capítulo 22)
"pero aveces lo que los niños no entienden lo sienten." (capítulo 49)
"Las raises son importantes Francisco. Riega las raíces." (capítulo 72)
"Los recuerdos son algo curioso. Mientras que siempre me sentía afortunado al tener algunas cuantas fotografías de mi papa, estas terminaron por contaminar mis recuerdos de él. Por que al verlas tanto, fueron sustituyendo al imagen del hombre de carne y hueso..." (capítulo 91)
Rating Breakdown [Puntaje & Clasificación]
Writing Style & Pacing [Estilo & ritmo de escritura]: 3.75
Characters [Personajes]: 4
Storyline/Plot [Narración & trama] : 3.75
Audio Narration [Narración del audio]: 3.5
Overall Rating [Calificación al final]: 3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Rape, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, and War
sam_lecksell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A beautiful reminder embrace life in all its wonder and pain. Loved this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, and Murder
changeusernamel8r's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Mi opinión:
Me tomó dos años terminar este libro.
Definitvamente se convirtió en uno de los libros que más tiempo tarde en leer. Primero, lo dejé por qué no tenía lo necesario para hacer las anotaciones que quería y después lo deje por qué no me atrevía a saber cómo terminaba.
Pero me siento bastante orgullosa de mí misma por haber agarrado el coraje de leer las últimas 100 páginas sabiendo que tendría que sufrir junto con los personajes y tendría que aceptar que la historia finalmente llegaba a su fin.
Leer cómo los caminos de algunos personajes se separaban fue horrible, y más por qué llevaba mucho sin leer voluntariamente una historia que me hiciera sentir tantas emociones.
Fue un muy buen libro para comenzar el año. Mi propósito para este año es no leer tanto como el año pasado, pero que sean historias que en verdad me transmitan cosas, que en verdad me hagan adentrarme y vivir toda otra vida por medio de palabras.
Definitvamente se convirtió en uno de los libros que más tiempo tarde en leer. Primero, lo dejé por qué no tenía lo necesario para hacer las anotaciones que quería y después lo deje por qué no me atrevía a saber cómo terminaba.
Pero me siento bastante orgullosa de mí misma por haber agarrado el coraje de leer las últimas 100 páginas sabiendo que tendría que sufrir junto con los personajes y tendría que aceptar que la historia finalmente llegaba a su fin.
Leer cómo los caminos de algunos personajes se separaban fue horrible, y más por qué llevaba mucho sin leer voluntariamente una historia que me hiciera sentir tantas emociones.
Fue un muy buen libro para comenzar el año. Mi propósito para este año es no leer tanto como el año pasado, pero que sean historias que en verdad me transmitan cosas, que en verdad me hagan adentrarme y vivir toda otra vida por medio de palabras.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, and Rape
Minor: Vomit
Rape was to secondary character, it was given detailed explanation of the aftermath and the physical consequences the character suffered. It includes strong violence.alfredesin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Rape
jennipiccalo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Stalking, Death, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
nefariousfondue's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I cannot explain how much I loved this book. The writing style is poetic, and the audiobook has some of my favorite readers of all time. The story is gentle and harsh at the same time, focusing on small beautiful things as well as cruel realities and grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Rape
annalolan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Do not be fooled by the cutesy cover, this is a capital B Book.
Where to begin?
This book was beautiful. The way that it was written fits so perfectly into what it was written about that I almost can’t believe it. The spherical connectedness and everything-happening-to-everyone-at-once-ness of it was so so so good. That was my favorite thing I got out of this book, and I don’t even know how to describe it. Usually I have difficulty with flashbacks and nonlinear storytelling but it enhanced this book.
Great characters with great motivations and great regrets. Would it be too much to describe this book as The Mexican Les Miserables? It has an urgency about it, and a consequentiality to it that are stunning.
Strong themes that bring you back again and again to what I think the author wants us to remember from this book.
Wonderful descriptions of settings and events.
Our book club discussions about this book were some of my favorites also! Class, race, disability, traditions, and lots more were stirred up for us in reading this book together.
I will return to it, hopefully in Spanish, as I had originally intended.
Perhaps the best novel I’ve read all year.
Edited to add the following:
I am so glad to have had the perspectives of other reader’s reviews on this book! I have learned so much, and have really appreciated the thoughtfulness other people have given.
In particular, I am grateful to have had my eyes opened to the valid criticisms regarding the perspective and biases of the book.
I noticed the treatment of Anselmo as the villain on my own, but I didn’t recognize Nana Reja being an indigenous nursemaid “Mother Earth” stereotype or Simonopio being a “noble warrior” stereotype. I am glad to have learned that and to have a new perspective on this book.
I would recommend that future readers take into account that Sofía Segovia is a direct descendant of Linares Patrones and was therefore impacted in her upbringing by agrarian reform and The Zapatista movement. Her perspective is absolutely colored by her experience and her biases are reflected in this book. That being said, I think this book shows her perspective really well! It just shouldn’t be the main, or only perspective that readers seek on this region and time period.
Where to begin?
This book was beautiful. The way that it was written fits so perfectly into what it was written about that I almost can’t believe it. The spherical connectedness and everything-happening-to-everyone-at-once-ness of it was so so so good. That was my favorite thing I got out of this book, and I don’t even know how to describe it. Usually I have difficulty with flashbacks and nonlinear storytelling but it enhanced this book.
Great characters with great motivations and great regrets. Would it be too much to describe this book as The Mexican Les Miserables? It has an urgency about it, and a consequentiality to it that are stunning.
Strong themes that bring you back again and again to what I think the author wants us to remember from this book.
Wonderful descriptions of settings and events.
Our book club discussions about this book were some of my favorites also! Class, race, disability, traditions, and lots more were stirred up for us in reading this book together.
I will return to it, hopefully in Spanish, as I had originally intended.
Perhaps the best novel I’ve read all year.
Edited to add the following:
I am so glad to have had the perspectives of other reader’s reviews on this book! I have learned so much, and have really appreciated the thoughtfulness other people have given.
In particular, I am grateful to have had my eyes opened to the valid criticisms regarding the perspective and biases of the book.
I noticed the treatment of Anselmo as the villain on my own, but I didn’t recognize Nana Reja being an indigenous nursemaid “Mother Earth” stereotype or Simonopio being a “noble warrior” stereotype. I am glad to have learned that and to have a new perspective on this book.
I would recommend that future readers take into account that Sofía Segovia is a direct descendant of Linares Patrones and was therefore impacted in her upbringing by agrarian reform and The Zapatista movement. Her perspective is absolutely colored by her experience and her biases are reflected in this book. That being said, I think this book shows her perspective really well! It just shouldn’t be the main, or only perspective that readers seek on this region and time period.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Rape
Moderate: War and Racism
antoniac's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book. An emotional journey, powerfully written. Multiple narrators and time frames worked very well.
Agree with previous review that there are some parallels with modern readers to descriptions of the flu epidemic.
I would say to pay attention to content warnings - this can be a difficult read at times, and I imagine could be quite traumatic for some readers, especially the chapters from the perspective of the antagonist.
Agree with previous review that there are some parallels with modern readers to descriptions of the flu epidemic.
I would say to pay attention to content warnings - this can be a difficult read at times, and I imagine could be quite traumatic for some readers, especially the chapters from the perspective of the antagonist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Medical content
Moderate: War, Rape, Violence, Pregnancy, and Grief
Minor: Blood, Child death, and Ableism