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A review by tigertheory
Die Geschichte der Bienen by Maja Lunde
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The true tragedy here is the emotional ineptness of men.
I would’ve probably stopped reading this after ~100 pages if not for the fact that the other book I was reading was worse and I didn’t want to dnf two in a row.
Not a big fan of the style and narration; subtlety doesn’t seem to be Lunde’s strong suit. I hated existing inside all of the MCs heads and was glad when the main plot picked up pace in the second half. Overall, the story of the bees is not what’s interesting here as the whole thing is quite obvious from the start and I could’ve done with less talk about bees, beehives and bee history.
Instead, a closer examination of the family dynamics would’ve been interesting; of the parent's expectations of their children and the allegory that is to be found in how we treat our Mother Earth.
Overall, I’m puzzled why this was everywhere a few years ago – must’ve met the zeitgeist at just the right time.
I would’ve probably stopped reading this after ~100 pages if not for the fact that the other book I was reading was worse and I didn’t want to dnf two in a row.
Not a big fan of the style and narration; subtlety doesn’t seem to be Lunde’s strong suit. I hated existing inside all of the MCs heads and was glad when the main plot picked up pace in the second half. Overall, the story of the bees is not what’s interesting here as the whole thing is quite obvious from the start and I could’ve done with less talk about bees, beehives and bee history.
Instead, a closer examination of the family dynamics would’ve been interesting; of the parent's expectations of their children and the allegory that is to be found in how we treat our Mother Earth.
Overall, I’m puzzled why this was everywhere a few years ago – must’ve met the zeitgeist at just the right time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Minor: War