Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I tried, I really did, but I could not get myself to care about the predictament the characters were in, or to care about the characters themselves. I also didn't like how the book was written or translated. A lot of the times it felt like I was reading a YA novel because of how simple and unimpactful a majorty of the sentences were. For example, (for context: we learn that we're in the midst of the Mexican Revolution, and that Beatriz's father was assassinated) there's a passage on page 55 where Beatriz is trying to order flowers: "No. Not red. Any other color, which ever you want, said Beatriz sharply. She preferred a color that would not resemble blood." WOW!! REALLY?? Thank God this was explained to me, because my own brain couldn't figure that out /s. There's a lot of sentences that just don't let me think for myself, to let me connect the dots and think. To be fair, the part where there's a Mexican Lazarus was pretty interesting, but after that I stopped caring. This is a Nothing Burger.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Review: The Murmur of Bees
✨: 4/5
Genre: historical fiction with a tinge of magical realism
1️⃣ emoji: 🐝
Format: physical- library
My #4 of the Friends Recommendations challenge! Thanks Maddie for telling me about this one!
Set in 1900s Mexico, this book follows the life of Simonopio, a foundling baby with significant birth defects discovered under a bridge, covered in bees. He is taken in by wealthy hacienda owners Francisco and Beatriz Morales. The hive of bees have adopted Simonopio as well, and stay with him as he grows up- he’s always covered in them, and he can understand their language. They tell him things that are happening far away and in the future, and Simonopio becomes like a guardian angel for the Morales family, guiding them to safety through the deadly Spanish flu and populist-rancher conflicts.
➕ I really liked this! I especially liked Beatriz, the matriarch of the Morales. Made me realize how much of Mexican history I really don’t know. Reminded me a lot of Isabel Allende books.
➖ This book is fairly pro-rancher/oligarch, which was kind of an uncomfortable place to be. Super rich Francisco is stressed because there’s a law that if he has land that’s unused by agriculture, it will be redistributed to landless hopefuls, and he doesn’t have the manpower to plant/tend more fields on top of what he already has. Like yeah…you inherited a butt ton of land you don’t need and aren’t using, give it to a poor dude who wants to start a farm #eattherrich
#MurmurofBees #mexicanliterature
#MNbookstagram #MNreads#bookstagram #bookshelf #bookstagrammer #bookstore #booksofinstagram #bookshelves #bookslover #booksandcoffee #booksbooksbooks
#bookshelfie #bookstagrampl #booksofIG #Booksy
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
reflective
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
What a splendid read. It was interesting to listen to a book with 100 chapters, but the rich story of Mexico, of its people, of the land was mesmerizing. I looked forward to reading this everyday because of the need to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy a good story. The lion and the wolf. The story of an old man. The Spanish Flu. Murder. Love. Life. I loved the connection I felt to this book and the story.
No me podía quedar sin dedicarle unas palabras a este libro. Últimamente tengo poco tiempo para leer, con una toddler de 3 y una beba de 10 meses, y cuando vi que eran casi 600 páginas de lectura, casi me arrepiento de comprarlo... pero en cuanto a empecé a leer me atrapó. La manera de contar la historia, los personajes, la fantasía, el toque de realidad en hechos y lugares... cada elemento volvió mágica para mi la lectura. Se me hizo ligera porque avanzaba más rápido de lo que sentía y nunca me aburrió. Es curioso pero desde el día en que terminé de leer, extraño a Simonopio. Muy recomendable!
This was just not for me. Excessive descriptions of uncomplicated things, an extremely drawn out story of characters I didn’t know well. I didn’t care for this.
This novel is fantastic but long. I am giving it only 3 stars because I think it could have been more succinct and still had the emotional impact. It was just too long with some dry spells. However, it is absolutely a wonderful tale filled with fable, legend, and superstition and told in oral narrative style. The story follows five protagonists, one in first person and the other four in third person. The reason the novel is so long is that you get different perspectives of the same events, but there is great value and advantage to the reader in having those extra insights. The timeline includes the Spanish flu and Mexican migration and agriculture from early to kid-century (20th) across several generations. I loved Segova’s subtle inclusions of Catholicism and as well as alternative beliefs and cultural practices. She stresses mysticism, faith, the natural, the supernatural and miracles. There is an element of magical realism throughout, very much a part of Mexican tradition. It starts with the story of the grandmother finding an abandoned baby and taking him on to raise him as hers. The boy has a birth defect and brings with him a warm of bees. Quickly labeled by society as a devil’s child, he and his newly adopted family will soon convince you otherwise. And yes, you do learn about the bees and their murmur. In addition, there is socio-political and criminal mayhem adding to the mystery.