The Murmur of Bees
This is one of those rare books that I began reading, having little to no knowledge of it. I'm not even entirely sure how I came across it. I remember reading the description a couple times, having saved it on my "might read it someday" shelf in my brain, honestly not really all that excited by the description I'd read, but somehow still willing to give it a chance when I found myself out of physical copies of books to read from our (still closed) library. Not really sensing my enthusiasm so far, huh? Keep reading.
I just finished it ... and what a really cool, unexpectedly insightful, thought-provoking, satisfying experience it was. It doesn't always hit you over the head with its greatness ... it's one of those quiet, occasionally slow stories that you suddenly find yourself unable to put down, particularly (for me) in the last half of the book. The foreshadowing of events can be somewhat predictable, yet there's no sense of deprivation, even if you figure something out ahead of time. I don't think it's Ms. Segovia's intent to surprise anyone with the events, as much as imbue the events with a sense of purpose for the characters. What surprised me the most, was how many passages I found myself highlighting on my Kindle, because the thoughts or events being described were so timeless and relevant to life right now, despite the events of the book beginning in the early part of the last century. For example, it was almost eerie reading her descriptions of the Spanish Flu pandemic and people's responses, since she could have easily been describing our current climate.
The characters in the story are written so well, and she does a fantastic job of letting you into the inner workings of their minds and motivations, so that you almost feel like you're living the story through them. I like the two narrator form, and how it seamlessly hands off from one to the other. There's definitely an undercurrent of magical realism, but not in a hokey or distracting way. So much to say, but really the best thing I could leave you with is: read it. Oh ... and find someone in your life who is as dedicated to you as Simonopio is to those in his life. What a wonderful character to introduce the world to.
★★★★★ ❤️
I just finished it ... and what a really cool, unexpectedly insightful, thought-provoking, satisfying experience it was. It doesn't always hit you over the head with its greatness ... it's one of those quiet, occasionally slow stories that you suddenly find yourself unable to put down, particularly (for me) in the last half of the book. The foreshadowing of events can be somewhat predictable, yet there's no sense of deprivation, even if you figure something out ahead of time. I don't think it's Ms. Segovia's intent to surprise anyone with the events, as much as imbue the events with a sense of purpose for the characters. What surprised me the most, was how many passages I found myself highlighting on my Kindle, because the thoughts or events being described were so timeless and relevant to life right now, despite the events of the book beginning in the early part of the last century. For example, it was almost eerie reading her descriptions of the Spanish Flu pandemic and people's responses, since she could have easily been describing our current climate.
The characters in the story are written so well, and she does a fantastic job of letting you into the inner workings of their minds and motivations, so that you almost feel like you're living the story through them. I like the two narrator form, and how it seamlessly hands off from one to the other. There's definitely an undercurrent of magical realism, but not in a hokey or distracting way. So much to say, but really the best thing I could leave you with is: read it. Oh ... and find someone in your life who is as dedicated to you as Simonopio is to those in his life. What a wonderful character to introduce the world to.
★★★★★ ❤️
You can find this and all my other reviews at: https://www.goodreads.com/curious-kat
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