Reviews

I'm only sad that it will be some years before I can fully "experience" this book again.

Only moments ago I finished this book that I was doubtful of when reading synopses, and I don't yet have the words to describe how wrong I turned out to be.

I may come again later, but for now I will say:

You probably haven't read anything like it.

As so many books are being turned into Hollywood these days, I'm comforted by the idea that this probably could not make it to screen without animation, and yet, it is a story for adults and it takes itself much more seriously than a cartoon - and I fell for it too.

cheye13's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This was so dry and so long and for what?

It's over 500 pages to explain the fall of a beehive after the human caretaker passes away.

I really should've dnf'd quite early because I truly hated the writing style, but I had to know the point of the story. And it sucked. I was really hoping for some less direct commentary or some layers of meaning, but it was all so dry. What itched the most was the dystopian tone; I couldn't tell if it was condemning bees behavior as a metaphor for human society or if the story stopped at face value because the society was bees. Ultimately a failure of commentary if it was intended at all.

Content Warnings

karin_lindh's review against another edition

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4.0

I really loved this book. It’s a great story, unique, beautiful storytelling and incredibly smart, and a really gorgeous cover. The most exciting thing is how political and criticized against lots of societies in the world it is. You as an individual are nothing, but you as a group are everything. You should "accept, obey and serve" without even hesitating. The protagonist Flora, she is just one of the crowd. She doesn’t stand out much, except that she is a little different, which makes her just one of the others. You could think this was a bad thing, why her? Or in a good way – it can be used to increase the group thinking. What also strikes me about this book is how emotional it is.

sian_m's review against another edition

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4.0

A magical listen and quite intriguing! I absolutely love bees and to imagine them being promoted is absolutely wonderful! The complexities and commitments of their life roles are inspirational. Much like with ants, as far as I understand, they are born into their role and that’s that, it never changes. Either way, I loved it. It’s creative and simply splendid! The ending caught my heart with such beautiful ambivalence.

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