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stephyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, and Murder
jedore's review
- 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
“…she feigned strength, as she would do for a long time, and by feigning it she would end up believing it, and by believing it, she would make it a reality.”
Segovia's writing is simply stunning. Just like Isabel Allende, she weaves a rich and slow-burning story with a bit of magical realism and fascinating characters that stick with you even when you’re not reading.
Narrated by an elderly man recalling his childhood growing up with his adopted brother in Linares, Mexico, the story is mostly touching, sometimes tense and sad, and ends on a seriously bittersweet note.
The book came so close to making my all-time favorites list…the only reason it didn’t is because I was inexplicably reluctant to pick it up at times despite adoring it. I blame social media for speeding up my brain!
Read this book! It’s absolutely beautiful.
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Classism, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
idk_indigo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The prose was beautiful, if a little bit disjointed; but honestly, I think it made the story that much more interesting, and also made sense if this is from the POV of an old man who was, in the first half, not yet alive; and in the second half, a small boy. The closing scene was a little bit ambiguous, and I think it may come across as unsatisfying. I'm not sure if I'm fully satisfied, but I'm not unsatisfied either, if that makes sense? As in, I think the story ended in a fine place.
Simonopio as a character was sooooo cool; I loved him. I loved how nuanced he was, how little he bothered with others' expectations or beliefs of him. I loved the "adoption" storyline, and also the parallels between him as a young boy always running off & never being able to stay put in a bed or in a house; and Francisco, who was the same way but to a different degree. He was so lovable, and also so protective. And the fact that
Also, the opening few chapters of this book are so amazing; I started this book in December of 2021 (now February 2024, lol) & ended up DNF'ing it for various reasons (its slow pace, for example, bc oh my it is quite a bit sloooooooooooow). But I was drawn so much to the opening chapters that I just had to reopen it, and I'm so glad I did. What a beautiful story of brotherhood and of family!
#proudmemberoftheSimonopiofanclub
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, and Gun violence
marypaz13's review against another edition
- 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
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
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Rape, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, and War
baearles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Grief, Death, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Animal death, and Stalking
jennipiccalo's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Classism, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Stalking, Death, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
star's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
freddybingsu's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Body shaming, War, and Bullying
antoniac's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Medical content
Moderate: War, Rape, Violence, Pregnancy, and Grief
Minor: Blood, Child death, and Ableism
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Stalking, Ableism, Classism, Violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Child abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Torture, Vomit, and War
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia