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regina_184's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.75
This book was very unique both in terms of the plot and the method of switching narrator.
The book follows a family and each member of the family gets their own section of the book, so we hear all their perspectives on the same topics and situations. Although there are some common themes it is difficult to really pin down what the plot is, as every character is experiencing life so differently. That being said, the main topics the characters explore are sexuality, marriage, climate change, financial problems, aduse, alcohol, loneliness, adultery, and friendship.
I truly loved the ending as it shows how 1 side character ends up being the focal point of the book, however the cliffhanger at the end left me wanting more!
Overall really enjoyed the last 200 pages because all the details revealed at the start finally started making sense. However the first 400 pages can be a little slow since the main conflict of the book doesn't get revealed untill the last 200 pages. Additionally the speed of the plot starts of slow and rapidly increases overtime, so the book became more enjoyable when the speed increased.
Overall I would recommend this book, since it was interesting for me to read about marriage and parenthood from the adults perspective. I am in my mid twenties so I found this perspective unique since I have not lived through this and rarely read about it.
The book follows a family and each member of the family gets their own section of the book, so we hear all their perspectives on the same topics and situations. Although there are some common themes it is difficult to really pin down what the plot is, as every character is experiencing life so differently. That being said, the main topics the characters explore are sexuality, marriage, climate change, financial problems, aduse, alcohol, loneliness, adultery, and friendship.
I truly loved the ending as it shows how 1 side character ends up being the focal point of the book, however the cliffhanger at the end left me wanting more!
Overall really enjoyed the last 200 pages because all the details revealed at the start finally started making sense. However the first 400 pages can be a little slow since the main conflict of the book doesn't get revealed untill the last 200 pages. Additionally the speed of the plot starts of slow and rapidly increases overtime, so the book became more enjoyable when the speed increased.
Overall I would recommend this book, since it was interesting for me to read about marriage and parenthood from the adults perspective. I am in my mid twenties so I found this perspective unique since I have not lived through this and rarely read about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
matttlitke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Bee Sting reads like a modern classic. By that I mean it is an absolute force of literature with a very classic style that feels old and quaint somehow while focusing on modern sentiments and elements. It also sticks with you anytime you put it down and after you finish it. There is a lot going on here and many elements to appreciate and overthink about.
The novel centers on our four main characters, and tells such a complex story of perspective - there are overlapping events told from different points of views that mesh but oppose. It's very cool how the non-POV characters feel small, reduced, simple, and frivolous when you are viewing them from the outside, but so complex once you get to see things the way they do. Each character is also written very distinctly, speaking and thinking in their own way. Even the names of the four main characters feel like they've been chosen intentionally and have meaning and relevance to their personalities and lives.
It's also a lesson in gaining perspective, and it happens to the reader as you go. You make certain judgements about people until you live their story, but then once you understand them it all makes sense, how could it go any other way? Especially in the Imelda chapters - you really get the feeling how everyone is going through their own life and having to live in their own head, and it's so fucking overwhelming to try and affect others, even the people you know well and care about deeply, and still all you can do is just about scrape by. You can only live your own experience and moments that are important to you. It was very telling in the way that each character had pivotal life moments and times of desperate need that were so easily dismissed from the other points of view. I was surprised at times how disjointed it became. While reading some of Dickie's chapter I basically forgot everything that had been going on (or was currently going on) with Cass and PJ.
The Bee Sting has a bunch of really relatable and genuine interpersonal moments that feel frustratingly real (like when you picture a situation or conversation playing out in your head and then it happens and the person who you're already mad at does or says the wrong thing and it's all over before it even began).
There is also a lot of really beautiful and special writing (someone saw a "cat so black it looked like a hole in the universe") and so many good bits to underline or come back to ("[his voice] was like drinking lightning very slowly from a wine glass").
The whole way through I was gripped, wanting to find out what was going to happen next (or what had already happened but not been revealed or explained, since many of the key reveals are anachronistic). It also really spirals down at the end as the chapters get shorter and everything flies towards a collision. Initially (immediately) I didn't like the ending. But after giving it more thought, I think it's ambiguous enough to mean multiple things at once, which is much more satisfying.
Another great achievement of The Bee Sting is its effectiveness as a multi-faceted allegory for climate change. This is a direct focus of some of the character motivations but is also snuck into the multiple layers of the story and themes. We know it is happening and yet we don't do anything to stop it, because it means not doing the things that make us us? Or we just make poor choices because it feels tough to not? There's a lot to study here, even just with the layered references to bees. You could have years worth of book clubs with this book alone.
As other reviewers have pointed out, I don't like the choice to omit quotations and punctuation. I support Murray's artistic license, but I don't think it's necessary. I found it quite unpleasant to read and I didn't think it actually gave the effect it means to (chaotic rambling mind), at least to me. Although I will say that you start to get used to it, so if you're struggling after a few pages of Imelda, push through and it will be worth it.
The novel centers on our four main characters, and tells such a complex story of perspective - there are overlapping events told from different points of views that mesh but oppose. It's very cool how the non-POV characters feel small, reduced, simple, and frivolous when you are viewing them from the outside, but so complex once you get to see things the way they do. Each character is also written very distinctly, speaking and thinking in their own way. Even the names of the four main characters feel like they've been chosen intentionally and have meaning and relevance to their personalities and lives.
It's also a lesson in gaining perspective, and it happens to the reader as you go. You make certain judgements about people until you live their story, but then once you understand them it all makes sense, how could it go any other way? Especially in the Imelda chapters - you really get the feeling how everyone is going through their own life and having to live in their own head, and it's so fucking overwhelming to try and affect others, even the people you know well and care about deeply, and still all you can do is just about scrape by. You can only live your own experience and moments that are important to you. It was very telling in the way that each character had pivotal life moments and times of desperate need that were so easily dismissed from the other points of view. I was surprised at times how disjointed it became. While reading some of Dickie's chapter I basically forgot everything that had been going on (or was currently going on) with Cass and PJ.
The Bee Sting has a bunch of really relatable and genuine interpersonal moments that feel frustratingly real (like when you picture a situation or conversation playing out in your head and then it happens and the person who you're already mad at does or says the wrong thing and it's all over before it even began).
There is also a lot of really beautiful and special writing (someone saw a "cat so black it looked like a hole in the universe") and so many good bits to underline or come back to ("[his voice] was like drinking lightning very slowly from a wine glass").
The whole way through I was gripped, wanting to find out what was going to happen next (or what had already happened but not been revealed or explained, since many of the key reveals are anachronistic). It also really spirals down at the end as the chapters get shorter and everything flies towards a collision. Initially (immediately) I didn't like the ending. But after giving it more thought, I think it's ambiguous enough to mean multiple things at once, which is much more satisfying.
Another great achievement of The Bee Sting is its effectiveness as a multi-faceted allegory for climate change. This is a direct focus of some of the character motivations but is also snuck into the multiple layers of the story and themes. We know it is happening and yet we don't do anything to stop it, because it means not doing the things that make us us? Or we just make poor choices because it feels tough to not? There's a lot to study here, even just with the layered references to bees. You could have years worth of book clubs with this book alone.
As other reviewers have pointed out, I don't like the choice to omit quotations and punctuation. I support Murray's artistic license, but I don't think it's necessary. I found it quite unpleasant to read and I didn't think it actually gave the effect it means to (chaotic rambling mind), at least to me. Although I will say that you start to get used to it, so if you're struggling after a few pages of Imelda, push through and it will be worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death and Kidnapping
There are multiple quite triggering assaults / acts of sexual violence. Read with care.rubyhayes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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
The Bee Sting is a startling portrayal of a seemingly normal nuclear family. Imelda & Dickie are parents to Cass & PJ. The multi-perspective novel opens with the children’s accounts of the day-to-day home-life and relationships, each with their own struggles. Our introductions to Imelda and Dickie are shallow, only 2D versions of the vivid characters we eventually learn they are. I found myself longing to read more of their lives to understand exactly how they reached their present day, full of impending doom. The depth of these characters is merely the beginning of Paul Murray’s extraordinary storytelling capabilities, while being ambitious in scale, it has been executed masterfully. Through its various and changing forms, we follow the family into its descent. The chaos students use is motivated by love, along with shame as its catalyst. It is foremost a peripheral look into the gradual unravelling of sanity due to one man’s shame. This shame’s impact is explored at both the personal level and a greater cosmic/existential level. Each section builds on the previous, revealing their utter lack of knowledge of each other’s lives. The changes of perspective, explore deeply the unknowability of others behind their masks. The novel concerns itself with the impact of the past on the present and future, the haunting nature of this past the story is a remarkable show of talent, Paul Murray spellbindingly weaves together seemingly unlinked moments, presenting their connections only later with the attached repercussions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Kidnapping and Stalking
kk_gotit_goinon's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my goodness this book. THIS BOOK. It's heart wrenching, it's tense, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat. Your heart will hurt. You'll be angry at a few people. But it's worth the ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
e11en's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Outing, and Toxic friendship
reads_eats_explores's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Bee Sting opens with a tale of woe, “a man had killed his family” in another town, and “rumours swirled about affairs, addiction, hidden files on his computer.” Are these prophecies of what awaits the Barnes family, our multilayered protagonists?
The Barnes, oh, how can one small family have so many adversities to face? They live in an unnamed small Irish town and are struggling on so many levels; godawful for them but great for the storytelling.
In the wake of a recession, the Volkswagen dealership run by Dickie Barnes has seen sales plummet while also facing a surge in complaints about repair work. Does Dickie know more than he's letting on? In an effort to stick his head in the sand as far as the dubious business at the garage goes, he retreats into himself and the woodlands behind their house, where he attempts to create a ‘safe zone’ where they'll be safe when not if the shit hits the fan.
A disgruntled client’s son threatens to beat Dickie’s boy, PJ, with a hammer. PJ sinks deeper into loneliness and online gaming forums, where he gets befriended by a profile that reeks of malevolence.
PJ's sister, Cass, flounders with her capricious best friend, peer pressure, leaving cert stress and the demon drink.
Their mother, Imelda, bears the brunt of the neighbours’ schadenfreude. She stops her beloved online shopping (her one true joy) and worries that she has somehow caused this rake load of trouble through a family curse.
Told through these multiple points of view in chapters narrated by each character, we get the modern day tale with plenty of historical flashbacks thrown in.
These flashbacks mostly reveal the poverty and old passions that shade Dickie and Imelda’s rather uneasy marriage.
All the characters are well developed and paint their own grim picture, but for me, Imelda’s sections are the stand out highlights. They are structured in the stream-of-consciousness style that really draws you in, from her early years of violence and poverty down “piggery lane” to her current predicament.
In this tragicomic behemoth read, Murray shows a great talent for blending humour and pathos. Yes, we trudge from bad to worse, with Murray tirelessly concocting fresh anguish for the Barneses, but there's a good dose of quintessentially Irish humour along the way. 4.5⭐
Many thanks to Penguin Books Ireland for an advance copy. As always, this is an honest review.
The Barnes, oh, how can one small family have so many adversities to face? They live in an unnamed small Irish town and are struggling on so many levels; godawful for them but great for the storytelling.
In the wake of a recession, the Volkswagen dealership run by Dickie Barnes has seen sales plummet while also facing a surge in complaints about repair work. Does Dickie know more than he's letting on? In an effort to stick his head in the sand as far as the dubious business at the garage goes, he retreats into himself and the woodlands behind their house, where he attempts to create a ‘safe zone’ where they'll be safe when not if the shit hits the fan.
A disgruntled client’s son threatens to beat Dickie’s boy, PJ, with a hammer. PJ sinks deeper into loneliness and online gaming forums, where he gets befriended by a profile that reeks of malevolence.
PJ's sister, Cass, flounders with her capricious best friend, peer pressure, leaving cert stress and the demon drink.
Their mother, Imelda, bears the brunt of the neighbours’ schadenfreude. She stops her beloved online shopping (her one true joy) and worries that she has somehow caused this rake load of trouble through a family curse.
Told through these multiple points of view in chapters narrated by each character, we get the modern day tale with plenty of historical flashbacks thrown in.
These flashbacks mostly reveal the poverty and old passions that shade Dickie and Imelda’s rather uneasy marriage.
All the characters are well developed and paint their own grim picture, but for me, Imelda’s sections are the stand out highlights. They are structured in the stream-of-consciousness style that really draws you in, from her early years of violence and poverty down “piggery lane” to her current predicament.
In this tragicomic behemoth read, Murray shows a great talent for blending humour and pathos. Yes, we trudge from bad to worse, with Murray tirelessly concocting fresh anguish for the Barneses, but there's a good dose of quintessentially Irish humour along the way. 4.5⭐
Many thanks to Penguin Books Ireland for an advance copy. As always, this is an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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