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Overview
Overview
The Handmaid's Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death.
Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive's survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen's inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous.
But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all--daring to challenge the Queen's fertility--enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society--and lead her to unthinkable deeds.
Thrilling, suspenseful and spectacularly imaginative, The Bees gives us a dazzling young heroine and will change forever the way you look at the world outside your window.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Paull, Laline
- ISBN: 9780062331175
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 7.79 x 0.81
- Number Of Pages: 352
- Publication Year: 2015
Customer Reviews
Rating Snapshot
5 ★
67%
4 ★
33%
3 ★
0%
2 ★
0%
1 ★
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3 Ratings
0
0% Would Recommend
0 Recommendations
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This book is worth the "buzz."
Andrew S. - 4 years agoThe Bees by Laline Paull has to be one of the strangest books I've ever read, not because it's bad, but because of its uniqueness. When this book came through our buy counter at HPB, I knew it was something special. Upon reading the description, my intrigue only grew further. A bookabout bees? For adults? Weird In Chapter One, we meet Flora 717. She's unusual, to say the least. Having been born just a little too big and a little too ugly, she is almost killed immediately by the Fertility Police. Yes, you read that correctly. The Fertility Police kill all that are deformed, mutated, or show any sign of illness, for such things are evil and sinful and must be destroyed. Thankfully Flora is saved and begins to serve the hive in many unique and unexpected ways. ACCEPT. OBEY. SERVE. These are the words that Flora and her sisters live by. To them it's not just a mantra, it's something born in them. To think an independent thought or to challenge the set rules of law invites death. The Bees touches on such issues as class struggle, religious oppression, police brutality, political maneuvering, and, of course, love. The fact that you see these through the eyes of a bee doesn't take away from the gravity of these issues. I found it very rewarding to watch Flora go from a newborn to a prominent member of society, all while battling her internal and external demons as she discovered herself and the truth of her world. The more I read, the more a felt I had a connection and understanding of bees. It goes without saying that certain aspects of the bee world had to be embellished (hello, they're bees who can talk and have religion) but you really feel like you're getting a lesson in apiology. I also appreciated how much detail we receive regarding the hive itself. The illustrious royal library and the nurseries are particular favorites. This isn't to say that the book is perfect, for no book is. There are minor complaints, and with most fantastical works, you have to embrace a certain suspension of disbelief. Fortunately, Ms. Paull proves to be capable of writing a story that makes this quite easy. I give this book 5 STARS and am already looking for business partners to start a bee farm.
HPB Staff Review -
Bee Amazed!
Karin S. - 6 years agoJust as there are so many levels and intricacies to a hive, so there are to this story. The social structure, work ethics, divisiveness, power plays, and injustices of bee society mirror much of what we see in humanity. Can there be a triumphant resolution? #SummerReading
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You'll never look at Bees the same again.
Lisa S. - 7 years 10 months agoIt's difficult to explain this book, because it's tempting to describe it as The Handmaid's Tale meets Watership Downbut with bees. And that just sounds weird. The Bees delivers a powerful story, rich with layers, thought provoking passages, and a vision of society that will linger with you. It follows the evolution of Flora, a bee born to a low station in her hive, but destined for something greater. Her thoughts expand as she moves through each societal level, learning to dance her messages, breathe in memories, and see the secrets behind the hive mind. The book combines science and story by weaving in facts about bees so seamlessly that the plot explanation is almost more tempting to believe than the biological one. Read this book and you'll catch yourself waiting for spiders to foretell the future, for wasps to scheme an ending, and for bees to change the world.
HPB Staff Review