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amyvl93's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Family sagas are my jam and so The Bee Sting was destined to be enjoyable for me. Set in a small Irish town, we follow the Barnes family. One time minor celebs of the town due to them running the local care dealership and repair shop, the recession is starting to disrupt their lives and sends the family into a tailspin.
We have Cass, a teenage overachiever in thrall to her best friend Elaine even where this may lead her astray; PJ, her younger brother who finds more comfort in online communities than in person; Imelda, their mother desperate for a life unlike the one she had growing up and Dickie, their father whose secrets will soon pitch them all into disaster.
Paul Murray did an excellent job of crafting characters that felt entirely believable, especially his teenage characters who were complicated, and likeable and unlikeable all at once. I found the mirroring of the past throughout the novel to be really interesting - we see our young people coming dangerously close to repeating the mistakes of their parents, and then maybe not. The setting that the novel takes place in also again felt very well drawn - I really got a sense of the place and the community through the (many) pages of this book.
It is a bit of a brick of a novel, and there were definitely times were it felt like the text could have been trimmed without losing any of the nuances of the novel; we spend perhaps too much time in flashbacks when he point of the sequences had already been very well established. However, I was engaged enough with the characters that I didn't want to put the book down. The ending is ambiguous, if that's something that is a dealbreaker, but it did make me say 'oh my God' out loud. Really enjoyed.
We have Cass, a teenage overachiever in thrall to her best friend Elaine even where this may lead her astray; PJ, her younger brother who finds more comfort in online communities than in person; Imelda, their mother desperate for a life unlike the one she had growing up and Dickie, their father whose secrets will soon pitch them all into disaster.
Paul Murray did an excellent job of crafting characters that felt entirely believable, especially his teenage characters who were complicated, and likeable and unlikeable all at once. I found the mirroring of the past throughout the novel to be really interesting - we see our young people coming dangerously close to repeating the mistakes of their parents, and then maybe not. The setting that the novel takes place in also again felt very well drawn - I really got a sense of the place and the community through the (many) pages of this book.
It is a bit of a brick of a novel, and there were definitely times were it felt like the text could have been trimmed without losing any of the nuances of the novel; we spend perhaps too much time in flashbacks when he point of the sequences had already been very well established. However, I was engaged enough with the characters that I didn't want to put the book down. The ending is ambiguous, if that's something that is a dealbreaker, but it did make me say 'oh my God' out loud. Really enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia
kluhhtz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse
lindsaygray21's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
issysamb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was struggling a lot to get through this because of the length, as well as the relatively slow pace. I also really struggled to get through Imelda’s sections because of the writing style. I can appreciate why Murray used the ‘train of thought’, lack of grammar writing style, but it did make the book difficult to get through and I put it down for months at a time avoiding reading Imelda’s sections. But the ending…. Wow. It really pushed the book up a star for me. And reflecting now on all the foreshadowing, the insanely clever use of metaphors, the mrecurring motifs, it all sort of makes sense now seeing it all come to a close. Usually ambiguous endings frustrate me, but I feel like this story absolutely warrants this ending. I can’t see it being concluded any one way. This was nuts and I swore I would never read it again but I might have to flick back through and tag some sections because the foreshadowing and the motifs and the metaphors and everything is just crazy.
Paul Murray is a fantastic writer, and watching everything come together in the final section of the book proves that. But the sheer length and incredibly slow pace of this story that was at times extremely dull makes it difficult to recommend it to others unless you have a cognitive stamina of titanium because it took me almost 2 and a half months of very hard work (granted I am a very slow reader) to be able to experience the incredible ending in all its beauty. I guess it’s ultimately a decision of whether it’s worth enduring the first 600 pages to enjoy the last 40.
Paul Murray is a fantastic writer, and watching everything come together in the final section of the book proves that. But the sheer length and incredibly slow pace of this story that was at times extremely dull makes it difficult to recommend it to others unless you have a cognitive stamina of titanium because it took me almost 2 and a half months of very hard work (granted I am a very slow reader) to be able to experience the incredible ending in all its beauty. I guess it’s ultimately a decision of whether it’s worth enduring the first 600 pages to enjoy the last 40.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
danpeachey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Dementia, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
mybestfriendisabook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.25
my biggest read yet that i picked up on a whim. tense especially towards the end. fascinating how all the characters were intertwined. i need to know more about the ending! cons of reading a large book is that you’re so invested and that it will always stay with you. dark, messy and really sad, but witty at times. felt like a dark tense movie with the slow buildup.
real con is the character that didn’t use punctuation, that was challenging and dreadful to read 😩 felt like i could finally breathe when that was over.
real con is the character that didn’t use punctuation, that was challenging and dreadful to read 😩 felt like i could finally breathe when that was over.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
earnest_hemming's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Complex and ambiguous read, covering a wide range of topics, relationships, and povs. I heard many good things about the book but felt as though it was very long for the developments it covers. Interesting description of characters and family tragedies with a very complicated ending. A little unsure as to why the two non-Irish characters ended up being the main villains in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
maeve_reads's review
4.5
This book in no way had to be as long as it was, but I was HOOKED in the last ~200 pages. Has some deeply unlikable characters who get themselves into very stressful situations. A little Gone Girl -esque. Saw some twists coming but was completely surprised by others. Definitely fed my desire for a long, binge-able summer read. I'd recommend this book for when you're in the mood become completely immersed in some family drama that's not your own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Car accident, and Pregnancy
Minor: Domestic abuse
lfera8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
mycupofstory's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Paul Murray's uniquely narrated family novel is indeed like a bee sting. After you put it down, it continues to sting and ache for days. It speaks of dreams—shattered dreams. Of escapes and returns. Of coincidences. Of destinies disguised as a series of coincidences. Of deeply buried personal traumas, shame, and the fragility of the human soul.
Murray masterfully plays with the perspectives of family members who live like isolated islands next to each other, peeling back their intertwined destinies layer by layer while subtly weaving together the atmospheric elements of the external and internal worlds. He draws a mysterious boundary between the predictability and unpredictability of life, illustrating interconnected fates and the responsibilities we hold in each other's lives.
It is a heavy book! But a masterpiece.
Murray masterfully plays with the perspectives of family members who live like isolated islands next to each other, peeling back their intertwined destinies layer by layer while subtly weaving together the atmospheric elements of the external and internal worlds. He draws a mysterious boundary between the predictability and unpredictability of life, illustrating interconnected fates and the responsibilities we hold in each other's lives.
It is a heavy book! But a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape