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crockpothead's review against another edition
I couldn't get into this. Two of the perspectives were insufferable straight men- hate that. The future storyline was compelling, but not enough for me to keep reading, and I don't find the food scarcity dystopia super believable.. we're solidly in the category of overproduction/manufactured scarcity due to capitalism. Even if the climate is fucked enough that fruit trees are not being pollinated, food can still be grown in labs. Also, the writing seemed juvenile and it was full of comma splices. Very distracting. Just not for me.
xytina97's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caitlinjrchurch's review
2.5
2.5⭐️ I really liked the concept of this book, but I struggled to connect to any of the three stories. There were times when I was confused by their actions and reactions, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to feel at the end of it.
Nevertheless, I think this book is great at highlighting an incredibly important natural phenomenon, and how quickly society as we know it would dissolve without nature’s presence.
I also feel like I am missing an explanation to certain aspects of the plot - why was the emphasis so heavily placed on Edmund’s engagement with his father’s work? Why did George react how he did in the end?How did the bees come back at all? I think a lot of the feelings and motivations of characters needed to be explored further, and further backstory given to how the world ended up like it does in 2098.
Nevertheless, I think this book is great at highlighting an incredibly important natural phenomenon, and how quickly society as we know it would dissolve without nature’s presence.
I also feel like I am missing an explanation to certain aspects of the plot - why was the emphasis so heavily placed on Edmund’s engagement with his father’s work? Why did George react how he did in the end?How did the bees come back at all? I think a lot of the feelings and motivations of characters needed to be explored further, and further backstory given to how the world ended up like it does in 2098.
basharria's review against another edition
3.0
3.0
A solid, reasonably enjoyable novel about three interwoven stories and the demise of the bees and the way that affects mankind, as well as our trio of characters. Don't expect hard-hitting science, or an in-depth glimpse of a society post-collapse; neither is present in the book, which only contains as much information on colony collapse disorder as could be gleamed from a quick read of a Wikipedia article. I expected more on this front, but alas that's not what the book is about.
It's about the disappearance of Tao's son Wei-Wen following a mysterious accident that requires medical intervention. Tao's story, which takes place 2098, occurs post-collapse and is an interesting glimpse at a China without bees. Tao's story lacks richness, due to how thin the details are on post-collapse society. Another part I found perplexing was how unlikable Wei-Wen is depicted. Tao struggles to teach her child useful skills as her husband enables Wei-Wen's behavior. Granted, it's a three year old kid, but considering the hunt for him is Tao's primary motivation, you'd think the author would've put in one or two sweet moments instead of depicting the child as a lazy glutton in literally every scene, particularly since by all accounts Wei-Wen is behind on development. Realistic? I suppose, but not captivating. I sympathize with Tao's frustration. Nevertheless, these are the best chapters.
The book is also about George, a middle-aged beekeeper in America in 2007. He's a bit of a caricature, particularly in how he treats college education, though he steadily deepens as the story rolls forward. Too often he has predictable opinions and rants or raves about things you'd expect him to. There's enough growth here to appreciate his chapters, however, and his character dynamics. I didn't love these chapters, but I didn't hate them.
George and Tao share a 1/3rd of the book with William, a naturalist and biologist who runs a seed shop in 1851. These chapters are quite repetitive, with chapter after chapter about William's bedridden state, to watching the same plot point (oh no! Someone made the same type of beehive as me!) play out. One complaint I had throughout the book is that the dialogue and description tends to veer robotic and alien, and the characters don't think and reason like normal people. Translation woes? I don't know. In any event, William's chapters highlight that inhuman quality far too much, with him reasoning and observing things in a way nobody actually does.
One tendency I abhorred in the book was how, too often, the reader knows what's happening well before the characters do. It's obvious from even the start how some of the stories connect and the story in regards to Wei-Wen, but the book takes until nearly the end to "reveal" these twists to minimal or non-existent payoff, when they could've been revealed earlier and thus utilized in the story. A second related issue was how the book talks around certain details and plot points. William has depression in his earliest chapters, but the book is cagey and refuses to say this, playing a game with the reader chapter after chapter. William's son Edmund is a layabout drunk, but again, it tries to "shockingly reveal" this chapters down the road well after you've figured it out. Wei-Wen clearly had an allergic reaction, and given the title of the book, it's obvious what happened to him--but again, it takes the whole book for this to be revealed to the character. It was quite tiring.
The book is ultimately about control, legacy, and family. Each character has a clear-cut view of the future for their children, and all of them must learn to let go. This is reflected best in the desire to control and tame the bee. William thinks he can become their master, George believes his future is secure through them and that he has control of them, and Tao watches as the higher-ups of her society try to do the same and repeat past mistakes. Only by accepting harmony and the natural way of all things, both in our children and in the bees, can we succeed as a people.
This is a book that gets talked up and raved about because of the importance of its message. I agree that the message is important, but as a book it's merely average. It's character-driven with characters that aren't that deep or compelling, but they do manage to get the job done well enough.
A solid, reasonably enjoyable novel about three interwoven stories and the demise of the bees and the way that affects mankind, as well as our trio of characters. Don't expect hard-hitting science, or an in-depth glimpse of a society post-collapse; neither is present in the book, which only contains as much information on colony collapse disorder as could be gleamed from a quick read of a Wikipedia article. I expected more on this front, but alas that's not what the book is about.
It's about the disappearance of Tao's son Wei-Wen following a mysterious accident that requires medical intervention. Tao's story, which takes place 2098, occurs post-collapse and is an interesting glimpse at a China without bees. Tao's story lacks richness, due to how thin the details are on post-collapse society. Another part I found perplexing was how unlikable Wei-Wen is depicted. Tao struggles to teach her child useful skills as her husband enables Wei-Wen's behavior. Granted, it's a three year old kid, but considering the hunt for him is Tao's primary motivation, you'd think the author would've put in one or two sweet moments instead of depicting the child as a lazy glutton in literally every scene, particularly since by all accounts Wei-Wen is behind on development. Realistic? I suppose, but not captivating. I sympathize with Tao's frustration. Nevertheless, these are the best chapters.
The book is also about George, a middle-aged beekeeper in America in 2007. He's a bit of a caricature, particularly in how he treats college education, though he steadily deepens as the story rolls forward. Too often he has predictable opinions and rants or raves about things you'd expect him to. There's enough growth here to appreciate his chapters, however, and his character dynamics. I didn't love these chapters, but I didn't hate them.
George and Tao share a 1/3rd of the book with William, a naturalist and biologist who runs a seed shop in 1851. These chapters are quite repetitive, with chapter after chapter about William's bedridden state, to watching the same plot point (oh no! Someone made the same type of beehive as me!) play out. One complaint I had throughout the book is that the dialogue and description tends to veer robotic and alien, and the characters don't think and reason like normal people. Translation woes? I don't know. In any event, William's chapters highlight that inhuman quality far too much, with him reasoning and observing things in a way nobody actually does.
One tendency I abhorred in the book was how, too often, the reader knows what's happening well before the characters do. It's obvious from even the start how some of the stories connect and the story in regards to Wei-Wen, but the book takes until nearly the end to "reveal" these twists to minimal or non-existent payoff, when they could've been revealed earlier and thus utilized in the story. A second related issue was how the book talks around certain details and plot points. William has depression in his earliest chapters, but the book is cagey and refuses to say this, playing a game with the reader chapter after chapter. William's son Edmund is a layabout drunk, but again, it tries to "shockingly reveal" this chapters down the road well after you've figured it out. Wei-Wen clearly had an allergic reaction, and given the title of the book, it's obvious what happened to him--but again, it takes the whole book for this to be revealed to the character. It was quite tiring.
The book is ultimately about control, legacy, and family. Each character has a clear-cut view of the future for their children, and all of them must learn to let go. This is reflected best in the desire to control and tame the bee. William thinks he can become their master, George believes his future is secure through them and that he has control of them, and Tao watches as the higher-ups of her society try to do the same and repeat past mistakes. Only by accepting harmony and the natural way of all things, both in our children and in the bees, can we succeed as a people.
This is a book that gets talked up and raved about because of the importance of its message. I agree that the message is important, but as a book it's merely average. It's character-driven with characters that aren't that deep or compelling, but they do manage to get the job done well enough.
sunflower_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lillysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jenkiefer53's review
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0