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The Bees cover art

The Bees

By: Laline Paull
Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy
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Summary

The Handmaid's Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut.

Born into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen.

But Flora is not like other bees. Despite her ugliness she has talents that are not typical of her kin. While mutant bees are usually instantly destroyed, Flora is removed from sanitation duty and is allowed to feed the newborns, before becoming a forager, collecting pollen on the wing. She also finds her way into the Queen's inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous.

But enemies are everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. And when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all her instinct to serve is overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce love that will lead to the unthinkable....

Laline Paull's chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. Thrilling and imaginative, The Bees is the story of a heroine who, in the face of an increasingly desperate struggle for survival, changes her destiny and her world.

©2014 Laline Paull (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

The Bees is an extraordinary feat of imagination, conjuring the life of a beehive in gripping, passionate and brilliant detail. With every page I turned, I found myself drawn deeper into Flora's plight and her immersive, mesmerizing world.” (Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles)
The Bees” is one wild ride. A sensual, visceral mini-epic about timeless rituals and modern environmental disaster. Paull's heart pounding novel wrenches us into a new world.” (Emma Donoghue, author of Room)
“This is a rich, strange book, utterly convincing in its portrayal of the mind-set of a bee and a hive. I finished it feeling I knew exactly how bees think and live. This is what sets us humans apart from other animals, that our imagination can allow us to create a complete, believable world so different from our own.” (Tracy Chevalier)

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What listeners say about The Bees

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great read, deserving of prizes.

Any additional comments?

I chose this book because I have always been fascinated by Bees since studying social insect colonies at University. So it was a great surprise and delight to find that an author had set a story in a beehive. The idea was a clever one and the author managed to weave a complicated, attention-grabbing, well-plotted dark tale with great skill and attention to details of the science/biology involved in bee colonies. But the story never read as a science-fiction tale. It was much more subtle than that. Once I started I couldn't put it down.

It reminded me very much of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' in that it described a society of animals with political/social overtones from today's western world. The story is full of clever observations on how humans are affecting the natural world and the narrator is extremely effective.

This book would make a great read for adults and teens and could be used in schools or in families to discuss social problems and political allegory.

It really deserves wide recognition and prizes.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

FABULOUS ! A Must Read - Listen ❤️

A fabulous audiobook. I was sad when the story came to its beautiful end. An extraordinary look into the life of our wonderful Bees. The writer has a special way of captivating her readers through her intelligent use of using words and sentences, musical.

This book was an absolute pleasure made even more so by the reading. This narrator is Perfect to read this unusual piece and I will look out to listen to anything else she has read. Her voice is precise, gentle with a natural essence for creating many different character styles which enabled me to create and see each individual character which came alive for me like a film. FABULOUS !

Give this book a go, you will be heavenly surprised and pleased.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Clever novel set in the bee hive.

The book started off with more promise than it finished, for me the ending for me was a bit too contrived. However saying that, this book is quite unique,

Great narration by Orlagh Cassidy although it took a bit of time to get used to her voice.

From this book there are lots of things to take away and ponder over, I can see this becoming a book club choice as there are many topics for discussion.

Definitely recommend, not sure why there are so many negative comments.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not the dystopian novel you might think

This is a superb story. Epic in its proportion and Greek in its lust and tragedy. A grand education on life in the hive, told from the perspective of one gifted but lowly sanitation worker. I loved it!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Didn't excite me

I really love the idea and the symbolism which the bees tell. Such as dictatorship, capitalism and religion. However there seemed to be no break. The main bee which the whole story follows just seems to be able to everything and with intense luck and without a day off. Personally it came to just the next thing she was doing instead of a journey or story.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

What was the point!

There is 12 hours of my life I am never going to get back. What was the point! I would not recommend this at all. Sorry

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unusual and beguiling

What made the experience of listening to The Bees the most enjoyable?

The whole concept of the story taking place within a hive hooked me from the beginning. It was very well narrated, although I found the mispronounced (to an English ear) names of some of the flowers a little jarring.

What did you like best about this story?

Its unusual subject matter. I had an interest in bees before listening to this book, and it has increased! I can see the similarities mentioned between this and "Watership Down" and "The Handmaid's Tale", and would add "Perfume" by Patrick Susskind as another echo that I heard.

What about Orlagh Cassidy’s performance did you like?

A warm, feminine tone; ideal for the matriarchal society she was reading about.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither.

Any additional comments?

Whilst there were some weaker moments (it was never clear how in such a rigidly hierarchical society Flora was able to change roles so successfully), this was a wonderful work. I fear that the author may struggle to follow it up, but hope that she does.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story which brings life to the hive.

I really enjoyed this story which was not at all like the reviews. it's not for children and it's not like Bee movie or Ants as some have suggested.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful read, beautifully written, truly unique.

A wonderful read, beautifully written, truly unique. Would highly recommend this fabulously edgy fictional Bee drama.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing story but happy with the narration

Struggled to finish this. The narration was fantastic and easy to listen to but the storyline was poor and hard to understand. At times the story felt repetitive and I wasn't able to relate to the characters. I feel like the story could have been developed so much better to have a better image of the bees' world and the storyline could have been so much stronger. It was not the emotional journey I was expecting that I took with the handmaid's tale or the hunger games. I like to become emotionally invested but this novel felt just to alien for me to truly enjoy.
Very sad at this as there were so many good reviews but it just didn't sing for me.
Despite saying that, the narration was fabulous and I would definitely listen to an audio book by the same lady.

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