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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Beware this one takes a while to read but the last 100 pages were worth it.
4.5 stars. Moving, compelling, beautiful, and heartbreaking.
**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia is a beautiful and intelligently written generational saga set in revolutionary Mexico. The writing is fantastic with description that I can only explain as gently comprehensive. The book just flows in a way that feels comforting, despite the tense moments in the narrative. The entire story was engaging and I kept consuming the pages late into the night.
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia was hauntingly beautiful and emotionally heart-wrenching. It shows such great talent in the author and presents a story that feels so amazingly real and tangible. It is historical fiction at its finest and shows amazing ingenuity and uniqueness in its construction and execution. Very much worth the read.
For the full review: The Murmur of Bees on EPJ
**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia is a beautiful and intelligently written generational saga set in revolutionary Mexico. The writing is fantastic with description that I can only explain as gently comprehensive. The book just flows in a way that feels comforting, despite the tense moments in the narrative. The entire story was engaging and I kept consuming the pages late into the night.
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia was hauntingly beautiful and emotionally heart-wrenching. It shows such great talent in the author and presents a story that feels so amazingly real and tangible. It is historical fiction at its finest and shows amazing ingenuity and uniqueness in its construction and execution. Very much worth the read.
For the full review: The Murmur of Bees on EPJ
Ultimately the pacing was too slow to grab me to finish in time for book club.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Violence
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
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
Bees and honey and orange blossoms and tears. Wow this book was a ride.
Set in early 20th century Mexico, our story follows the magical life of Simonopio. Discovered as a baby, disfigured, abandoned to die, and covered by a blanket of bees, he is immediately adopted into the Morales family. Francisco Morales, his godfather, is a hardworking campesino who is dedicated to working the land of his ancestral home and protecting his family. Beatriz Cortes de Morales, his godmother, is the strong and fierce ama de casa that holds everything together. And Simonopio? He's going to save them all.
Enduring the Revolution, the Spanish influenza outbreak, the war on the Catholic church and the Agrarian Reform, the Morales family is tested in more ways than one. Yet their silent godson, always accompanied by his bees and seeming to understand more about the world (and the future) than anyone else has made a vow to protect them, and nothing will come in the way. When the coyote of the story begins circling, it is up to Simonopio to protect the ones he loves.
Y'ALL. This book, while long and sometimes slow, was so moving and beautiful. Told from the perspective of the youngest Morales sibling in his old age, we get to see the beautiful world in which Simonopio lives, his incredible relationship with his bees and his younger brother, and the lengths that he goes to to protect his family. While this book may not have been the most exciting or action packed read of my life, the touching story will definitely stay with me forever.
Set in early 20th century Mexico, our story follows the magical life of Simonopio. Discovered as a baby, disfigured, abandoned to die, and covered by a blanket of bees, he is immediately adopted into the Morales family. Francisco Morales, his godfather, is a hardworking campesino who is dedicated to working the land of his ancestral home and protecting his family. Beatriz Cortes de Morales, his godmother, is the strong and fierce ama de casa that holds everything together. And Simonopio? He's going to save them all.
Enduring the Revolution, the Spanish influenza outbreak, the war on the Catholic church and the Agrarian Reform, the Morales family is tested in more ways than one. Yet their silent godson, always accompanied by his bees and seeming to understand more about the world (and the future) than anyone else has made a vow to protect them, and nothing will come in the way. When the coyote of the story begins circling, it is up to Simonopio to protect the ones he loves.
Y'ALL. This book, while long and sometimes slow, was so moving and beautiful. Told from the perspective of the youngest Morales sibling in his old age, we get to see the beautiful world in which Simonopio lives, his incredible relationship with his bees and his younger brother, and the lengths that he goes to to protect his family. While this book may not have been the most exciting or action packed read of my life, the touching story will definitely stay with me forever.
El libro nos cuenta la historia de la familia Morales a lo largo de 19 años. Si bien es una historia interesante, siento que avanza de manera muuuuy lenta; por lo mismo, pienso que le sobran unas 100 páginas.
Posdata: no sé por qué me recordó a “Cien años de soledad”.
Posdata: no sé por qué me recordó a “Cien años de soledad”.
I had absolutely no expectations going into this book but wow did it blow me away. So exquisitely written and a bit fantastical and such a good portrayal of the spectrum of human emotion. Read it. Or listen to it. I did both.
Good story, but hard to get through
I wanted to love this one, but it was hard for me to get through. I think maybe since it was translated it lost something there? I did listen to this on audiobook, so maybe it doesn’t work as well as an audiobook.
I wanted to love this one, but it was hard for me to get through. I think maybe since it was translated it lost something there? I did listen to this on audiobook, so maybe it doesn’t work as well as an audiobook.
It took me a while to get into the story — a bit of magical realism mixed in — but I really started yo enjoy it about halfway through. An interesting perspective on a wealthy Mexican family. Didn’t shy away from disruptive politics of the time.
Bella narración de una historia triste y hermosa.