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biojesspj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Body horror, War, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Islamophobia, Violence, Classism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Ableism, and Racism
War is thematic. Scenes are not graphic like a battlefront, but there are explosions nearby, a dead body to be covered, and a exploded body to be recovered.re3bbca's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, War, Animal cruelty, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Chronic illness, and Islamophobia
jayisreading's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
It’s weird how you can dread the process of something, but looking back, find that it actually wasn’t as terrible as you thought it was. This was pretty much my experience reading Grey Bees. The book is slow (maybe unbearably so for those who aren’t a fan of slow-paced books), but it was a surprisingly quiet and gentle read for a book that takes place in the grey zone of the Russo-Ukrainian War. This conflict was simultaneously in the background and foreground, by which, I mean it wasn’t the focus of the novel, but it certainly had a large impact on the lives of civilians. I think this book placing focus on these civilians, specifically a beekeeper, as opposed to what we see in the news was refreshing. Thinking back to my experience reading this book, it’s a bit surprising to realize that Kurkov did a deep dive into what makes humans... well, human. Despite war, relationships are formed and developed; people are still cooking, having conversations over drinks, having sex, and other relatively mundane activities— Things continue to happen, and I think Kurkov did a great job capturing that.
There are some heartbreaking moments, especially the instances when the impact of war really comes to the forefront, but overall, this wasn’t about conflict and politics. It was about humans being themselves and going about their lives as best as they can.
I wasn’t a fan of how slow this book was, but I understand the reason for it and, overall, I think I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I’m certainly glad to have read this—
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Alcohol, Islamophobia, and Police brutality
ssreadsintranslation's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Alcohol, Murder, Death, and Islamophobia
Minor: Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Police brutality, Sexism, Torture, and Violence
mima345's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
it was written very well, but depicts an extremely violent, sad, racist and sexist world.
the protagonist is a very unlovable, egotistic person who does not value the attention and care given by others around him, especially women. it is interesting to read about Ukraine / the Krim and learn about the war that was going on even before 2022. however it is a rather sad book dealing with a middle-aged white guy, who is going about his business in the middle of a war zone. frankly i found it to be rather frustrating.
the protagonist is a very unlovable, egotistic person who does not value the attention and care given by others around him, especially women. it is interesting to read about Ukraine / the Krim and learn about the war that was going on even before 2022. however it is a rather sad book dealing with a middle-aged white guy, who is going about his business in the middle of a war zone. frankly i found it to be rather frustrating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Violence, War, and Racism
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