Friday, March 29, 2024

Fantastic Fiction: BEE Amazed!

These fiction titles get a lot of Buzz… Check them out at your friendly Southlake Public Library.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Little BeeIn an effort to revive their flagging marriage, British couple Sarah and Andrew O’Rourke traveled to Nigeria for a beach vacation, never expecting the machete-wielding rebels who appeared, threatening the lives of two young local girls. Years later, Little Bee, one of the two girls that Andrew and Sarah encountered that night, has entered England illegally, pinning her hopes for the future on Sarah and Andrew. A precarious friendship forms between Sarah and Little Bee; their moving and tension-filled stories are told from the alternating and disparate perspectives of both women. Insightful and provocative, Little Bee also offers “plenty of moral dilemmas [that] add up to a satisfying, emotional read” (Library Journal).

Telling the Bees by Peggy Hesketh

telling the beesFor more than 80 years, narrator Albert Honig has lived in the same house, keeping bees and following the same routines for much of his life. Though it begins with the day that Albert discovered the bodies of his neighbors — two sisters he’d known since childhood — this leisurely paced story expands to include the long friendship he’d had with one of the sisters, Claire, and the secrecy and hidden resentments that may have led to their estrangement. Bee lore mixes well with Albert’s reminiscences, which eventually allow him to truly understand — perhaps for the first time — Claire’s life and choices.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

the secret life of beesFor ten years, motherless Lily Owens has lived alone with her mean-spirited father on his rural South Carolina peach farm. On Lily’s 14th birthday, which occurs in the summer of 1964, days after the Civil Rights Act is passed, Lily and Rosaleen, her African-American stand-in mother, walk into town, where Rosaleen plans to register to vote. An altercation with three racists lands Lily and Rosaleen in the back of a police car, and ultimately on the lam, as they journey to Tiburon, South Carolina where three African-American beekeeping sisters, who have a connection to Lily’s mother, take them in.

The Death of Bees: A Novel by Lisa O’Donnell

death of beesAfter finding their parents dead, 15-year-old Marnie and 12-year-old Nelly buried their bodies in their backyard, determined to keep their deaths secret for fear of being placed in foster care. Though their parents were neglectful, abusive drug addicts, the story that they’re on vacation will only hold off suspicion for so long. One neighbor, labeled a pervert by those who fear gay men, offers them stability and shelter, but despite their resiliency and his help, the two girls face multiple challenges, including an unkind grandfather who’s appeared out of nowhere, a dog’s discovery of the bones, and the more mundane trials of peer pressure, nightmares, and, at least in Marnie’s case, her awakening sexuality. Set in Glasgow, Scotland, this debut may appeal to fans of Stephen May’s Life! Death! Prizes!, which offers a different take on an orphaned teen who becomes his sibling’s guardian.

 

An image of a family bowling and dining

Photo of a solar eclipse