Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Bee Sting

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

21 reviews

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.

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danpeachey's review against another edition

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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

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nreyno's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

Never read a book more deserving of 5 stars.

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maeve_reads's review

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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.

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sakisreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

When I tell you this book had me in a chokehold 🙂‍↔️

The first 30% felt cumbersome (hence the 0.5 star rating knock off). I find it difficult to read long chapters. BUT the content kept me going and once I got past that initial challenge, I was gripped. The part about PJ’s shoes made me tear up 🥺

Also, the ‘bee sting’ made me weep. Someone asked me ‘Is this book making you feel all of the feelings’ and all I could do was nod 😂

The friend who recommended this to me said that she still occasionally thinks about Cass/PJ/Dickie/Imelda and I think I’ll be the same 😳

4.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨ Content warnings included below!

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sandysmith's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

I'm really torn on this book, a long one at 600 + pages with relatively small text, parts of which had me hooked and parts disappointing. Concentrating on 4 main family members Dickie, stepping his dead brother Frank's shoes, Imelda engaged to Frank marries Dickie, pregnant with Cass, and lastly the little brother PJ. Parts of the book lack punctuation and were difficult to read. But there was plenty to get your teeth into. Concentrating on these 4 characters points of view. Set in Ireland, a small town and Dublin. The ending was rushed and disappointing without any conclusion. The last chapter was written in a play/Greek tragedy format, but I felt it was not concluded. I'm all for allowing a reader to make their own minds up / a mysterious cliff hanger but this went too⁷⁹ far and it was almost like the author ran out if steam and couldn't make his mind up as to the way it would end. So parts I loved and other parts I disliked. Interesting and difficult to review

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