Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Murmur of Bees

It was slow but in a way that makes you savor the details. Things built up and culminated in a way that made sense. I don’t know how I feel about the ending.

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star's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hope ur prepared to cry as much as i did!!!!!!! god i sobbed and sobbed through this book.

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awebofstories's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Grade: A+

I was apprehensive about this one because I'm not particularly fond of bees (or, in general, insects). However, as it was a selection for one of my book clubs, I knew I had to try it. Yes, there are bees...but it's fine. They are there, but it isn't a big deal. If you are insect-averse, don't let that scare you off. If you do, you will miss an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking story about two unforgettable brothers.

Our narrator is Francisco, the surprise, late-in-life child of a land-owning Mexican family. While he is treasured by his family, he loves no one more than the one he considers an older brother, Simonopio, who had been an abandoned baby raised by Francisco's family. Simonopio is not like other people--not only is he marked with a facial disfigurement, but he always surrounded by, and communicates with, swarms of bees. (I told you there would be bees).

If you are looking for a story about two boys against an indifferent or even abusive family, you will not find it here. This Francisco's parents are loving, attentive parents to both boys. While there is an external conflict as the nation of Mexico faces Civil War and change, the family is solid.

This story quickly founds its way into my heart and stayed there. The characters are all well-drawn. Even some of the secondary characters shined as bright as the main players. The narrative structure was quite interesting and the ending took my breath away. My favorite element, besides the relationship between Francisco and Simonopio, was just the perfect dash of magic realism.

I highly recommend this book as an excellent entry point to Mexican literature, or for anyone who is looking for a moving, engrossing work of historical fiction.

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freddybingsu's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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antoniac's review

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book. An emotional journey, powerfully written. Multiple narrators and time frames worked very well.

Agree with previous review that there are some parallels with modern readers to descriptions of the flu epidemic.

I would say to pay attention to content warnings - this can be a difficult read at times, and I imagine could be quite traumatic for some readers, especially the chapters from the perspective of the antagonist.

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amyjoy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This was so lovely, and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. The story pulled me in right away, and especially toward the end, I couldn't put it down, while simultaneously wanting to savor the story. There is not an insignificant amount of tragedy in the story, but it also is full of lush, hot, vibrant summer vibes.

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sarah984's review

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emotional informative slow-paced

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

2.0

I thought the language (and translation) was beautiful, and the history was interesting to me, but the book itself was also annoying. There are only three categories of people in this book's world: benevolent put-upon landowners, childlike peons who are so grateful for the landowner's kindness, and evil ungrateful peons who are greedy and hurt people for no reason. Annoying.

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acoffeeandagoodbook's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This slow-paced novel is beautifully written. The story unfurls slowly, drawing the Morales family to a disaster you know is coming. The end feels almost inevitable, and instead, what matters here is the journey to get there.

The translation is excellent, and I can only imagine how beautiful this book must be in the original Spanish.

I love a family saga, and this one is a triumph. Sad, yet hopeful. I also love a bit of magical realism, which this book also handles beautifully. It's never made clear why the mysterious Simonopio has such a mystical bond with bees, or how he is able to know some things before they happen. Instead, it is left up to the reader's imagination to fill in the blanks of this fascinating character.

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