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The History of Bees

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The History of Bees

By: Maja Lunde
Narrated by: Joy Osmanski, Steve West, Gibson Frazier
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About this listen

 “Imagine The Leftovers, but with honey” (Elle), and in the spirit of Station Eleven and Never Let Me Go, this “spectacular and deeply moving” (Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author) literary novel follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship to the bees—and to their children and one another—against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis.

England, 1852. William is a biologist and seed merchant, who sets out to build a new type of beehive—one that will give both him and his children honor and fame.

United States, 2007. George is a beekeeper fighting an uphill battle against modern farming and the impacts of global warming but hopes that his son can be their salvation.

China, 2098. Tao hand paints pollen onto the fruit trees now that the bees have long since disappeared. When Tao’s young son is taken away by the authorities after a tragic accident, she sets out on a grueling journey to find out what happened to him.

Haunting, illuminating, and deftly written, The History of Bees joins “the past, the present, and a terrifying future in a riveting story as complex as a honeycomb” (Bryn Greenwood, New York Times bestselling author) that is just as much about the powerful bond between children and parents as it is about our fragile relationship to nature and the interconnected fate of humanity and bees. European Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literary History & Criticism World Literature Thought-Provoking

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All stars
Most relevant
Everyone should read it!! Totally relevant and we could learn a lot from the stories.

Amazing and enlightening book

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I hadn't expected to like this book as much as I did. There is a sense of impending doom initially and a breathless 'to and fro' that leaves an uneasy feeling. As the individual storylines build however, the characters do start to hold your attention more. They're not really likeable on the surface but they are so very human and vulnerable. Without spoiling the end for others I'd say there is something hopeful and positive to be taken from this book. I was really moved by the characters and my enjoyment grew throughout it's reading. The readers are wonderful and make the separate threads mesh together really effectively. It's a particularly good book to have accessed via Audible and the readers certainly added to my overall enjoyment. A thought provoking and moving book.

Strangely enthralling.

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Exceptional book, beautifully read. A lesson in bee keeping but also an insight into human nature.

Simply Exceptional

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A brilliant book with a fantastic link and story with factual information and creative language to describe an almost real situation.

Noice

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I nearly gave up on this a few times, finding the characters and story line quite slow and monotonous, but 2/3s of the way through, it all started to click together and the storyline made more sense. The history of bees has a very relevant lesson for us all in it and is worth sticking with just for that. Now finished I look back at the characters with a fondness and enjoyed their story and how it intertwined eventually.

Stick with it!

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