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A review by travsbookshelf
The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an incredible story! It was a delightful, feel-good tale made very memorable by the three main protagonists Alice, Jake and Harry. Each of these characters drove the story full force with each of their different backgrounds and present circumstances culminating in their imminent encounters with each other and forming an odd but strong, familial friendship.
Jake’s and Harry’s stories were a bit more parallel to each other while Alice seemed to be a bit more isolated, yet they all worked stronger as a cohesive unit. They had a lot more in common than one would think. But as the story is indeed mostly character driven, it doesn’t flesh out the characters to make a statement about them being friends. The story isn’t about “forcing” a friendship between these 3 people. It’s about 3 people from very different lives that are forced to face their issues and develop a healing process within themselves. The friendship became more of a character aid than a plot device. And it worked extremely well.
I loved learning about the behaviors and workings of honeybees. Each chapter begins with a quote from Langstroth’s 1860 treatise about bees that not only incited a scientific interest in bees but also served as a symbolic factor to the narrative within the chapter, linking a metaphor between the lives of bees and human nature. It was a clever way to tell a story.
I was a little surprised by the fact we didn’t get more from the environmental threat part of the plot but I discovered that it was ok because, as this was a mainly character study kind of story, we didn’t need too much of that. I felt like what we got was enough to do the job it was meant to do.
I was also surprised at some of the harsh language throughout. My initial instinct from just the premise was expecting something more Hallmark Channel but this is quite a mature book. There was nothing explicit or graphic or even raunchy within it but language-wise it is a very mature book. Well, honestly not THAT bad. With Jake’s character being paraplegic I expected a possible trigger of ableism to arise, and at one definite point it does in a small discriminatory way, but mostly it just stems from Jake’s and others’ relatively harmless but honest questions about his lack of ability to do certain things. But nothing that really outright demeans a disabled person.
I have to give this 5 stars. It was an outstanding read. Very highly recommended.
Jake’s and Harry’s stories were a bit more parallel to each other while Alice seemed to be a bit more isolated, yet they all worked stronger as a cohesive unit. They had a lot more in common than one would think. But as the story is indeed mostly character driven, it doesn’t flesh out the characters to make a statement about them being friends. The story isn’t about “forcing” a friendship between these 3 people. It’s about 3 people from very different lives that are forced to face their issues and develop a healing process within themselves. The friendship became more of a character aid than a plot device. And it worked extremely well.
I loved learning about the behaviors and workings of honeybees. Each chapter begins with a quote from Langstroth’s 1860 treatise about bees that not only incited a scientific interest in bees but also served as a symbolic factor to the narrative within the chapter, linking a metaphor between the lives of bees and human nature. It was a clever way to tell a story.
I was a little surprised by the fact we didn’t get more from the environmental threat part of the plot but I discovered that it was ok because, as this was a mainly character study kind of story, we didn’t need too much of that. I felt like what we got was enough to do the job it was meant to do.
I was also surprised at some of the harsh language throughout. My initial instinct from just the premise was expecting something more Hallmark Channel but this is quite a mature book. There was nothing explicit or graphic or even raunchy within it but language-wise it is a very mature book. Well, honestly not THAT bad. With Jake’s character being paraplegic I expected a possible trigger of ableism to arise, and at one definite point it does in a small discriminatory way, but mostly it just stems from Jake’s and others’ relatively harmless but honest questions about his lack of ability to do certain things. But nothing that really outright demeans a disabled person.
I have to give this 5 stars. It was an outstanding read. Very highly recommended.