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jaytb's review
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
the_bookarazzi's review
4.0
PAKISTAN
1947
HASSAN is almost 14, loves forest, nature and everything about his village Harikaya in Pakistan. His mother’s eyesight is degrading day by day and his father and himself decide to get black honey from the forest such as to heal her eyes. But the honeybees are very wild, they don’t share the honey with anyone.
With strict rules and banned entry to forests by the government, it gets difficult for them to enter forests. Anyhow they manage to reach there but something drastic happens, his father gets arrested.
Now he is the only person left to help his mother and he vows to help her. His mother wants him to have a better life and asks him to leave for Karachi for better studies based on scholarship. He doesn’t want to leave her alone but he had to go.
In Karachi, he learns a lot about bees, beehives, the structure of beehives and so much more. Also, he meets Governor’s niece, Mariam and falls for her.
Now the question is will he stay with his mother or leave for London with Mariam?
If he stays, will bees help him?
The story has a strong portrayal of love and care for the family. How a small relationship or connection matters. The description of forests and countryside was amazing, I could feel everything happening. The book is very beautifully written, everything is amazing. But I don’t know why I could not connect much to Hassan.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book.
1947
HASSAN is almost 14, loves forest, nature and everything about his village Harikaya in Pakistan. His mother’s eyesight is degrading day by day and his father and himself decide to get black honey from the forest such as to heal her eyes. But the honeybees are very wild, they don’t share the honey with anyone.
With strict rules and banned entry to forests by the government, it gets difficult for them to enter forests. Anyhow they manage to reach there but something drastic happens, his father gets arrested.
Now he is the only person left to help his mother and he vows to help her. His mother wants him to have a better life and asks him to leave for Karachi for better studies based on scholarship. He doesn’t want to leave her alone but he had to go.
In Karachi, he learns a lot about bees, beehives, the structure of beehives and so much more. Also, he meets Governor’s niece, Mariam and falls for her.
Now the question is will he stay with his mother or leave for London with Mariam?
If he stays, will bees help him?
The story has a strong portrayal of love and care for the family. How a small relationship or connection matters. The description of forests and countryside was amazing, I could feel everything happening. The book is very beautifully written, everything is amazing. But I don’t know why I could not connect much to Hassan.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book.
jim_jam's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
There are many things I loved about this book. The descriptions of the bees, the “bee world”, the poetry and many of the characters.
The only thing I struggled with is the ages and behaviour of the main characters. As much as I liked the characters, they seemed written much to young for their ages (13-14). To me, they read much more like 9-10 year olds, except perhaps the main character. Perhaps the author was trying to convey that the other children were sheltered/ so privileged they were not forced to grow up, but it didn’t quite work for me.
The only thing I struggled with is the ages and behaviour of the main characters. As much as I liked the characters, they seemed written much to young for their ages (13-14). To me, they read much more like 9-10 year olds, except perhaps the main character. Perhaps the author was trying to convey that the other children were sheltered/ so privileged they were not forced to grow up, but it didn’t quite work for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
chris_is_very_small's review
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
resham's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Beekeeper, set in Pakistan in 1974 stars our main character Hassan who'd like to help his mother from losing her sight by finding the last beekeeper and the mystical and magical black honey as a cure. He wins a scholarship to study with the state governor in Karachi where he also meets Maryam.
This story was so beautiful and well written. It took a while for me to get into it due to the slow pacing of the plot but nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the lines of poetry in the books.
Another great element of the book is the political intrigue of that period in Pakistan where conflict was constantly present which also brought concern for the safety of his mother and the disappearance of his father.
As a South Asian, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really appreciate the representation it gives my community. This was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, magical elements, political intrigue, family dynamics, and a love story.
The Last Beekeeper, set in Pakistan in 1974 stars our main character Hassan who'd like to help his mother from losing her sight by finding the last beekeeper and the mystical and magical black honey as a cure. He wins a scholarship to study with the state governor in Karachi where he also meets Maryam.
This story was so beautiful and well written. It took a while for me to get into it due to the slow pacing of the plot but nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed the lines of poetry in the books.
Another great element of the book is the political intrigue of that period in Pakistan where conflict was constantly present which also brought concern for the safety of his mother and the disappearance of his father.
As a South Asian, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really appreciate the representation it gives my community. This was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, magical elements, political intrigue, family dynamics, and a love story.
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