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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Short synopsis:
The book is structured in short chapters which alternate between three different story lines and each of these focuses not only on a particular moment in the history of bees, as the title of the book suggests, but also on the relationship between the human race and nature, as well as on the particular theme of family, and all that it entails.
One story line is set in England in 1852 and follows William, a biologist who researches beehives in the hope of designing one that is more efficient and will assure his relevance in the field. When we meet him at first he is recovering from an illness, which seems to be of psychological nature, and is worried about his relationship with his only son. The more time we spent with him the clearer it becomes that William is haunted by the expectations put on him by his community but mostly put on him by himself. Not only does he put all his energy and ressources towards optimizing the prevailing beehive structure just to be told that his designs have already been patented somewhere on the other side of the world. He also keeps being disappointed in his son who fails to partake in his research while completly ignoring his one child that is genuinly interested in continuing his legacy who happens to be a girl.
In the second story line which is set in the US in 2007 we get to experience the onset and repercussions of Colony Collapse Disoreder (CCD) through the eyes of George, a beekeeper who could probably be described as conservative. Not only is he struggling to make a living with his beehives in an increasingly more competitive business but he also has to face the fact that his only son and heir is more interested in studying English and writing than working on the farm. When most of his bees abruptly drop dead without a conceivable reason his mixed emotions towards his son and their situation are amplified and force him to take inevitable decisions.
Finally the third story line puts us in China in 2098, a time in which bees have effectively become extinct and the human race's last resort for survival is to pollinate by hand. Here we meet a married couple and their son whose lives are dominated by their duty to be part of the collective and spend the majority of their time on the fields, pollinating. On a rare day off the family decides to go for a picnic and simply enjoy their being together. However their lives are turned upside down by a tragic accident during that daytrip in which their son is taken away by authorities and the parents are left ignorant on what has happened or will happen to him.
Least favourite aspect/element of the book:
For my taste the entanglement of the three story lines starts to become clear rather late. The connection besides the obvious similarities of themes touched upon only dawned on me after about reading through 2/3 of the book which left me enough time to consider putting in down on multiple occasions. The fact that the writing style of the book isn't too noteworthy neither also made it a little bit difficult to stick to it until one gets to the good part. [I should mention that I read the English translation, which seemed to be adequat but obviously still affects the reading experiences.]
Favourite aspect/element of the book:
Although it did take a long time for the connection between the three perspectives to become apparent, pushing through was definitely worth it. Their intersecting was a lot more complex and meaningful than I anticipated at first. In many ways the complicated relationships between the parents and their children can be understood as a metaphore for our relationship with nature - in both cases the connection suffers from one party wanting to control the other.The children only go back to belonging to their parents after these have accepted that they can't change who their offspring is destined to become. Similarly the bees return only when left in peace and when the human race has understood that in order to thrive it needs to run wild instead of being controlled and tamed. I also deeply enjoyed the underlying messages of the importance of community or the collective which fit so nicely with the image of the hive: "Alone she [the bee] is nothing, a part so tiny that is insignificant, but with the others she's everything. Because together they're the hive."
Recommended for people who:
...enjoy multiple story lines
...enjoy fiction which is grounded in reality
...want to find out more about the importance of bees and CCD in general
...appreciate books that actually makes them smarter
...like to interpret the sh*t out of novels
...are looking for a book that would be perfect to be discussed in a group
...enjoy reading about the often complicated relationships between family members
...appreciate flawed characters at the center of a novel
Favourite quote:
The book is structured in short chapters which alternate between three different story lines and each of these focuses not only on a particular moment in the history of bees, as the title of the book suggests, but also on the relationship between the human race and nature, as well as on the particular theme of family, and all that it entails.
One story line is set in England in 1852 and follows William, a biologist who researches beehives in the hope of designing one that is more efficient and will assure his relevance in the field. When we meet him at first he is recovering from an illness, which seems to be of psychological nature, and is worried about his relationship with his only son. The more time we spent with him the clearer it becomes that William is haunted by the expectations put on him by his community but mostly put on him by himself. Not only does he put all his energy and ressources towards optimizing the prevailing beehive structure just to be told that his designs have already been patented somewhere on the other side of the world. He also keeps being disappointed in his son who fails to partake in his research while completly ignoring his one child that is genuinly interested in continuing his legacy who happens to be a girl.
In the second story line which is set in the US in 2007 we get to experience the onset and repercussions of Colony Collapse Disoreder (CCD) through the eyes of George, a beekeeper who could probably be described as conservative. Not only is he struggling to make a living with his beehives in an increasingly more competitive business but he also has to face the fact that his only son and heir is more interested in studying English and writing than working on the farm. When most of his bees abruptly drop dead without a conceivable reason his mixed emotions towards his son and their situation are amplified and force him to take inevitable decisions.
Finally the third story line puts us in China in 2098, a time in which bees have effectively become extinct and the human race's last resort for survival is to pollinate by hand. Here we meet a married couple and their son whose lives are dominated by their duty to be part of the collective and spend the majority of their time on the fields, pollinating. On a rare day off the family decides to go for a picnic and simply enjoy their being together. However their lives are turned upside down by a tragic accident during that daytrip in which their son is taken away by authorities and the parents are left ignorant on what has happened or will happen to him.
Least favourite aspect/element of the book:
For my taste the entanglement of the three story lines starts to become clear rather late. The connection besides the obvious similarities of themes touched upon only dawned on me after about reading through 2/3 of the book which left me enough time to consider putting in down on multiple occasions. The fact that the writing style of the book isn't too noteworthy neither also made it a little bit difficult to stick to it until one gets to the good part. [I should mention that I read the English translation, which seemed to be adequat but obviously still affects the reading experiences.]
Favourite aspect/element of the book:
Although it did take a long time for the connection between the three perspectives to become apparent, pushing through was definitely worth it. Their intersecting was a lot more complex and meaningful than I anticipated at first. In many ways the complicated relationships between the parents and their children can be understood as a metaphore for our relationship with nature - in both cases the connection suffers from one party wanting to control the other.
Recommended for people who:
...enjoy multiple story lines
...enjoy fiction which is grounded in reality
...want to find out more about the importance of bees and CCD in general
...appreciate books that actually makes them smarter
...like to interpret the sh*t out of novels
...are looking for a book that would be perfect to be discussed in a group
...enjoy reading about the often complicated relationships between family members
...appreciate flawed characters at the center of a novel
Favourite quote:
I thought I had to choose, but I could manage both - both life and passion.
Liked the bees but not much else
What I liked:
What I learned about bees, their life-cycle and how humans have made them part of our intense system of food production.
The story alternating between the three main protagonists set in their different times.
What I didn't like:
Just not "real".
Many overwrought passages.
No plausible reason for characters in the story not seeing what was plainly in front of them.
Adults behaving in a childlike manner, contrasting incongruously with their wise, stoic children.
Many trite passages.
Just too predictable.
What I liked:
What I learned about bees, their life-cycle and how humans have made them part of our intense system of food production.
The story alternating between the three main protagonists set in their different times.
What I didn't like:
Just not "real".
Many overwrought passages.
No plausible reason for characters in the story not seeing what was plainly in front of them.
Adults behaving in a childlike manner, contrasting incongruously with their wise, stoic children.
Many trite passages.
Just too predictable.
Denne boka greip tak i meg frå fyrste side og var vanskeleg å leggje ifrå seg. Eg blei med ein gong interessert i alle dei tre historiene, sjølv om den frå framtida nok var mest spanande. Møtet Tao hadde med dei gamle på sjukehuset kjente eg i magen.
Det er eit viktig og skremande tema Lunde tek opp i boka. Biedøden er ei mogeleg katastrofe som skjer akkurat no. Eigentleg burde det vel være hovudsak på Dagsnytt kvar eineste dag, men enn så lenge er det bra at også forfattarar er med og gjere oss merksame. Plant ein bievenleg blome i næraste bed!
Det er eit viktig og skremande tema Lunde tek opp i boka. Biedøden er ei mogeleg katastrofe som skjer akkurat no. Eigentleg burde det vel være hovudsak på Dagsnytt kvar eineste dag, men enn så lenge er det bra at også forfattarar er med og gjere oss merksame. Plant ein bievenleg blome i næraste bed!
Translated from the Norwegian by Diane Oatley, A History of Bees is told from three time periods and perspectives: a British bee enthusiast from the 1850's, a US bee farmer from the mid 2000's, and a Chinese human pollinator from the near future. All three stories tell a different piece of the honey bee's plight, as well as prophesize what the extinction of what our busy little pollinators might mean to human life.
A History of Bees is well-written, though at times the concurrently told story lines seem to meander unevenly; all three meet in the end, though, in a surprising and hopeful place. Lunde skillfully manages to convey her warning about the human degradation of our environment subtly through the story, rather than preaching through her characters, which I also appreciated!
If you are interested in exploring the climate crisis through fiction, or just enjoy a fictional tale that explores relevant human issues, I recommend this one!
A History of Bees is well-written, though at times the concurrently told story lines seem to meander unevenly; all three meet in the end, though, in a surprising and hopeful place. Lunde skillfully manages to convey her warning about the human degradation of our environment subtly through the story, rather than preaching through her characters, which I also appreciated!
If you are interested in exploring the climate crisis through fiction, or just enjoy a fictional tale that explores relevant human issues, I recommend this one!
I feel like this had so much potential, but I ended up feeling disappointed.
Most of the characters really started to annoy me (I found myself rolling my eyes quite a lot, which is rarely a good sign). I didn't enjoy the writing style either (The author. Writes in tiny sentences. Like this. All along. The novel.) I also didn't particularly love how the stories developed towards the ending.
I'd really love to rewrite this because there really is potential, and I enjoyed myself while reading most of it (only in the last quarter did I start feeling like I just wanted it to be over so I could move on to the next book). Overall, 2,5 stars.
Most of the characters really started to annoy me (I found myself rolling my eyes quite a lot, which is rarely a good sign). I didn't enjoy the writing style either (The author. Writes in tiny sentences. Like this. All along. The novel.) I also didn't particularly love how the stories developed towards the ending.
I'd really love to rewrite this because there really is potential, and I enjoyed myself while reading most of it (only in the last quarter did I start feeling like I just wanted it to be over so I could move on to the next book). Overall, 2,5 stars.
3,5. Jag blev nog mer tagen av den här boken än jag räknat med. Mest för att jag har någon konstig fascination för bin och tycker allmänt om dem (inte enbart som pollinerare, utan för att de är små, fluffiga och kan lära sig oväntat mycket). Plus att det var intressant att följa deras historia indirekt genom tre olika perspektiv i tre olika tider.
I have had Maja Lunde's The History of Bees on my Kindle for quite some time, and was prompted to read it by Lauren from Lauren and the Books' on YouTube, as she mentioned in a video that she was really enjoying it. I love novels told from different perspectives, particularly those which take different time periods as their focus. I was not entirely sure how I felt about reading a story set partly in the future, as it's something which I ordinarily tend to avoid, but Lunde's take on the China of the 2090s was clever and not at all overdone.
I loved the use of a central focus - the bee - to tell three quite different, but interrelated stories. The novel is a wholly absorbing one, and I found quite soon that I could hardly put it down. The History of Bees has been thoroughly researched and cleverly plotted, and I would definitely like to read more of Lunde's work in future.
I loved the use of a central focus - the bee - to tell three quite different, but interrelated stories. The novel is a wholly absorbing one, and I found quite soon that I could hardly put it down. The History of Bees has been thoroughly researched and cleverly plotted, and I would definitely like to read more of Lunde's work in future.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
'In order to live in nature, with nature, we must detach ourselves from the nature in ourselves...'
I really enjoyed this. Eventually. The History of Bees tells three separate stories, all intrinsically linked by bees, weaving through a combination of future dystopian, historical fiction and contemporary literature.
This was such an interesting and unique concept. I've read family sagas before, which manage to weave the story of generations of families together, but I've never read anything with such a wide scope of history centred around bees. I have to say I enjoyed Tao's story the most. The future dystopian world was well described and unique (yet ultimately also scary in its similarity to 'real life'). Right from the start I liked Tao and her family unit, and I was intrigued to learn more about her world.
William's story, although a slow burner in the beginning, picks up about 40% in when the issues with his son Edmund become apparent, and he begins his research. Though I found him a little naive about his son's 'problems', and at times just plain stupid. His development of the hive without actually looking at any research before hand - knowing he was a previous academic, was something a self described 'learned man' wouldn't do. No wonder his mentor is so disparaging.
Seeing as I don't read much contemporary fiction, it came as no surprise that I didn't really enjoy George's story until about 2/3rds in. I found the pacing slow, and it was very much about familial relations, particularly between father and son, rather than the bees. I also found George quite patronising at times, although I think this was down to his portrayal as a salts of the earth farmer, without any appreciation for things other than the survival of his business. As his story started to link into Tao's, and then William's, it became infinitely better and also helped to broaden my understanding of Tao's future. It also served as a good bridge between Tao and William' stories.
I do think it's Tao's story that makes this a 4* review for me. Her story was very fast paced and full of suspense. The scenes in the hospital and in the unsafe districts were harrowing, and I was constantly rushing through the following chapters to get back to her story. If it wasn't for this pace I might have given up on the book, but I'm so glad I persevered.
The eventual unravelling of the stories and how they are all linked was beautifully done. From George reminiscing in his desolate fields and his destruction of the charts, to Tao reading in the library and her presentation of The History of Bees, I thought the conclusions were wonderfully done and interlinked marvellously. This was a lovely, imaginative story.
'In order to live in nature, with nature, we must detach ourselves from the nature in ourselves...'
I really enjoyed this. Eventually. The History of Bees tells three separate stories, all intrinsically linked by bees, weaving through a combination of future dystopian, historical fiction and contemporary literature.
This was such an interesting and unique concept. I've read family sagas before, which manage to weave the story of generations of families together, but I've never read anything with such a wide scope of history centred around bees. I have to say I enjoyed Tao's story the most. The future dystopian world was well described and unique (yet ultimately also scary in its similarity to 'real life'). Right from the start I liked Tao and her family unit, and I was intrigued to learn more about her world.
William's story, although a slow burner in the beginning, picks up about 40% in when the issues with his son Edmund become apparent, and he begins his research. Though I found him a little naive about his son's 'problems', and at times just plain stupid. His development of the hive without actually looking at any research before hand - knowing he was a previous academic, was something a self described 'learned man' wouldn't do. No wonder his mentor is so disparaging.
Seeing as I don't read much contemporary fiction, it came as no surprise that I didn't really enjoy George's story until about 2/3rds in. I found the pacing slow, and it was very much about familial relations, particularly between father and son, rather than the bees. I also found George quite patronising at times, although I think this was down to his portrayal as a salts of the earth farmer, without any appreciation for things other than the survival of his business. As his story started to link into Tao's, and then William's, it became infinitely better and also helped to broaden my understanding of Tao's future. It also served as a good bridge between Tao and William' stories.
I do think it's Tao's story that makes this a 4* review for me. Her story was very fast paced and full of suspense. The scenes in the hospital and in the unsafe districts were harrowing, and I was constantly rushing through the following chapters to get back to her story. If it wasn't for this pace I might have given up on the book, but I'm so glad I persevered.
The eventual unravelling of the stories and how they are all linked was beautifully done. From George reminiscing in his desolate fields and his destruction of the charts, to Tao reading in the library and her presentation of The History of Bees, I thought the conclusions were wonderfully done and interlinked marvellously. This was a lovely, imaginative story.
Jag tyckte mycket om att Maja Lunde hade mycket bra fakta om bin, samtidigt som hon gjorde en hel historia från tre tidsålders. Jag blev mest fascinerad av Taos historia och hur mycket hon älskar att hennes son får ett bättre framtid än hennes. Samtidigt blir jag rädd, bina är reda utrotningshotade och vi människan kommer snart att hand pollinerar alla växter.
Rating: 3.5⭐
Den var bra- men inte såå bra...
Boken är ju skriven ur tre olika perspektiv, varav två var män med varsin son. Dessutom hette de William och George, aka två ganska typiskt brittiska namn. Detta gjorde helt enkelt att jag hade svårt att skilja de två karaktärerna från varandra. Dessutom tyckte jag egentligen att Tao, det tredje, kvinnliga, perspektivet var mest intressant. Hennes historia fångade mig mest. Jag förstod inte riktigt poängen med de övriga två. Fast, alla tre tillsammans bildade en bra story.
Den var bra- men inte såå bra...
Boken är ju skriven ur tre olika perspektiv, varav två var män med varsin son. Dessutom hette de William och George, aka två ganska typiskt brittiska namn. Detta gjorde helt enkelt att jag hade svårt att skilja de två karaktärerna från varandra. Dessutom tyckte jag egentligen att Tao, det tredje, kvinnliga, perspektivet var mest intressant. Hennes historia fångade mig mest. Jag förstod inte riktigt poängen med de övriga två. Fast, alla tre tillsammans bildade en bra story.