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luckythenoun's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, and Pregnancy
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Child death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Ableism, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Classism, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
ejb44's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Bees by Laline Paull takes a look at what it means to be a bee worker in a hive. This powerful and dramatic look at Flora 717’s life is one of the most compelling and intriguing books I’ve read in 2021 and leaves the reader with a sting – no pun intended.
The book takes a survival look at the hive, and consequently the world – corruption amongst bee caste, a rigid hierarchy, intense working conditions for those deemed unequal, one superior Queen bee at the top dictating orders and ceremonies to keep morale high and the bees united… remind you of anything? This cynical take on the world Paull has is so perfectly applied to the world of bees, it has a perfect balance of analogy, purpose and drama to keep the reader going.
One of the most impressive aspects of this novel was how Paull made the hive life so normal and the outside world, which only a select few bees can experience to gather pollen, so alien. This is so against the norm in terms of literature, but it was never unsettling, only marvellous. The shift against our instinct to see our world as the default and other experiences as alien only reflects human nature to prioritise and shape experiences by what we know. When tied with the fact that the bee representation in this book actually does coincide with human understanding in terms of social organisation, it begs the question – are we so different to the animal kingdom?
To add to this, the sheer detail (and correct information) regarding the way of bees, was remarkable. It is obvious that the author has done extensive research in preparation for this book, and it’s paid off – the execution is powerful, reactionary and unique.
Another important point to congratulate is the characters in this – they’re so well developed and in tune to the personality that is being put across. I would add that “you forget they’re bees because of how relatable they are”, but that would be wrong of me, because the fact that their bees is never suppressed or only slightly hinted at, its in every breath and page of the books, which makes the character writing even more brilliant. I related to a bunch of bees more than I have in some contemporary fiction books and that is saying a lot.
Overall, the messaging of this book is poignant and not so subtle, I loved it. The character development and exact world building was remarkable, Paull has such a tight grip over her writing and where she wants you placed it is easy to slip into itand forget the world around you. This has been one of my all-time favourite books of 2021, possibly even ever.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
judereadsalot's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
At times, I forgot I was reading about bees. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one but it was very enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
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