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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Something I didn't realize before reading this: there is a fairly in-depth depiction of the 1918 "Spanish" influenza and its short- and longer-term impacts on one town in Mexico. Reading this during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic was ... jarring and weird and comforting and humorous and really sad.
Otherwise: loved the story. I'm obsessed with historical fiction + magical realism and this is loaded w both, along with relatable characters, and(!) interesting use of first/second/third person narrative.
Otherwise: loved the story. I'm obsessed with historical fiction + magical realism and this is loaded w both, along with relatable characters, and(!) interesting use of first/second/third person narrative.
Reread:April 17-23. Best book I’ve read this year (2021). Beautiful characters…beautiful story. This book is about marriage, family connections, responsibilities, life in a small town, grudges, tragedies, etc. In the midst of all of this, there is an abandoned baby who changes everyone’s life as he grows and loves his people. Did not want the story to end…but what a beautiful ending.
I didn't necessarily dislike this book...it was just incredibly boring to me. It felt disjointed in the beginning and I couldn't really tell who the book was supposed to be about. I trudged through the first 2/3 before I became interested in any of the characters or events. Obviously by the ratings, people like this book, but I just don't think the story or the writing was my cup of tea...
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Al principio pensé que iba un poco lento, después no pude dejar de escucharlo. La mezcla de fantasía e historia te envuelve en la vida en La Amistad. Simonopio te roba el corazón sin intentarlo y Beatriz es todas nuestras madres mexicanas. Muy recomendable.
I'm a developmental editor of translated novels, and this is my personal favorite of all the many dozens I've worked on.
There's so much to love about this book, I wish it weren't horrible. That it's absorbing, compelling, and well-written could probably also be said about Gone with the Wind. It can certainly be said about Mary Poppins. Like those books, The Murmur of Bees depends on lower class characters to save the asses of the privileged.
Nana Reja and Simonopio are not only Magical Peons, they're full-on Magical Negros. They come from nowhere, they have no family or friends of their own, and they devote their lives to the salvation of the ruling class--and they are notably darker than that ruling class. After the umpteenth mention of Francisco Junior's fair hair or Simonopio being dark and ugly and even disfigured, so a Magical Cripple to boot, I felt dirty continuing to read the book.
I did finish, because the prose was so beautiful, and I was hoping that Segovia would redeem herself. She did not. It ended as badly as it was building up to end. The poor little dark characters gave their all, the lighter and far wealthier lived to tell the tale, and the magical people live on only in legend, mysterious to the grave, and all used up.
Meanwhile, the poor little rich folks have to suffer the indignity of peasant revolts and land reforms. Land reform and social justice are represented by the villain of the piece, shiftless, lazy, greedy, and ultimately senselessly brutal.
You know what? Screw that noise. I want a book in which Nana Reja lives her own dreams for her own self, and her amazing abilities and strength are matched by her amazing empowerment and volition. I want a book in which Simonopio inherits the place he earned and lives to see his talents flourish and his children's children benefit from land reforms. I want a book in which that villain is not a villain, but has a reasonable issue with the vast inequity of the distribution of wealth in his country. And I want a book where the maid doesn't need the permission of her all-powerful employers to wed the manservant, so she doesn't have to wind up raped and murdered and her corpse hacked to bits.
I want the world and people of The Murmur of Bees, written by an author who doesn't have the romantic sensibilities of Margaret Mitchell.
Audio version gets 5 production stars for excellent reading, with understanding and feeling and perfect accents.
Nana Reja and Simonopio are not only Magical Peons, they're full-on Magical Negros. They come from nowhere, they have no family or friends of their own, and they devote their lives to the salvation of the ruling class--and they are notably darker than that ruling class. After the umpteenth mention of Francisco Junior's fair hair or Simonopio being dark and ugly and even disfigured, so a Magical Cripple to boot, I felt dirty continuing to read the book.
I did finish, because the prose was so beautiful, and I was hoping that Segovia would redeem herself. She did not. It ended as badly as it was building up to end. The poor little dark characters gave their all, the lighter and far wealthier lived to tell the tale, and the magical people live on only in legend, mysterious to the grave, and all used up.
Meanwhile, the poor little rich folks have to suffer the indignity of peasant revolts and land reforms. Land reform and social justice are represented by the villain of the piece, shiftless, lazy, greedy, and ultimately senselessly brutal.
You know what? Screw that noise. I want a book in which Nana Reja lives her own dreams for her own self, and her amazing abilities and strength are matched by her amazing empowerment and volition. I want a book in which Simonopio inherits the place he earned and lives to see his talents flourish and his children's children benefit from land reforms. I want a book in which that villain is not a villain, but has a reasonable issue with the vast inequity of the distribution of wealth in his country. And I want a book where the maid doesn't need the permission of her all-powerful employers to wed the manservant, so she doesn't have to wind up raped and murdered and her corpse hacked to bits.
I want the world and people of The Murmur of Bees, written by an author who doesn't have the romantic sensibilities of Margaret Mitchell.
Audio version gets 5 production stars for excellent reading, with understanding and feeling and perfect accents.
I really liked this one. This is how good books immerse you - with good characters AND good plots.
Desde que inicié el libro, siempre sentí cierto parecido con Cien años de soledad. No por la trama ni los personajes, sino más bien por ese estilo de escritura tan maravilloso y por esa ambientación tan mística.
Ya les he hablado de los libros que me recuerdan y me hacen sumamente consciente del pasar del tiempo y el transcurso de la vida. Este es uno de ellos, es una sublime representación de lo real y maravilloso de nuestros pueblos. El libro teje a nuestro alrededor una magia tan poderosa que nos sentimos atrapados en ella, y hubo momentos donde quise salir a la calle y en verdad escuchar hablar a las abejas. Fueron muchos años en este libro, pasaron muchas cosas, acontecimientos alegres, otros no tanto. Pero el viaje fue alucinante, y valió la pena. Los personajes se sentían tan vividos, como si en verdad hubieran existido y escucharamos su historia. Me duele hablar ahora de Simonopio, porque siento que si lo hago sería como una despedida, y quiero que el personaje se quede conmigo mucho más tiempo.
Siempre hablo de la importancia que debe tener un final, y así como recuerdo que en Cien años de soledad, el final me puso la piel de gallina, puedo decir que el final de El murmullo de las abejas fue exquisito, repleto y cargado de emociones, recuerdos, ese volver a la infancia, recordar y maravillarse de lo vivido, saber que nunca olvidaremos nuestras raíces, pues siempre nos acompañan a donde sea que vayamos.
...Caminamos sin mirar atrás, porque en este viaje lo único que nos importa es nuestro destino...
Ya les he hablado de los libros que me recuerdan y me hacen sumamente consciente del pasar del tiempo y el transcurso de la vida. Este es uno de ellos, es una sublime representación de lo real y maravilloso de nuestros pueblos. El libro teje a nuestro alrededor una magia tan poderosa que nos sentimos atrapados en ella, y hubo momentos donde quise salir a la calle y en verdad escuchar hablar a las abejas. Fueron muchos años en este libro, pasaron muchas cosas, acontecimientos alegres, otros no tanto. Pero el viaje fue alucinante, y valió la pena. Los personajes se sentían tan vividos, como si en verdad hubieran existido y escucharamos su historia. Me duele hablar ahora de Simonopio, porque siento que si lo hago sería como una despedida, y quiero que el personaje se quede conmigo mucho más tiempo.
Siempre hablo de la importancia que debe tener un final, y así como recuerdo que en Cien años de soledad, el final me puso la piel de gallina, puedo decir que el final de El murmullo de las abejas fue exquisito, repleto y cargado de emociones, recuerdos, ese volver a la infancia, recordar y maravillarse de lo vivido, saber que nunca olvidaremos nuestras raíces, pues siempre nos acompañan a donde sea que vayamos.
...Caminamos sin mirar atrás, porque en este viaje lo único que nos importa es nuestro destino...