[And after all, the bees do come back in the end (which, by the way, really needed an explanation?! I never really connected with any of the three stories. George is a beekeeper who longs to build up his business together with Tom, but Tom’s longings lie elsewhere. There are no longer bees in her world. Each of these three have sons, so this is also very much about the bond and expectations between parent and child.3.5 Three stories that are connected, though how is not apparent until book's end. They just go nowhere. The only thing linking them is the bees and how beekeeping has destroyed , supported and changed their life forever. Let’s be honest: It’s a lot of pressure to pick your book club’s next read. She lives with her husband and three children in Oslo.“I needed seven hours of sleep. I think one of the main tasks of a writer is to keep the readers interested. There are three stories in this wonderful novel about the history and destiny of bees and their ties to humanity. They're the ones who really go far in life, I've heard.” Simple as that. I think sometimes, that the authors are trying to create atmosphere, and that is whyI am somewhere between 2 and 3 stars.
But Lunde, as some other authors, that I read, did before her, wrote page after page and dialogues without any purpose. Finally, there is Tao presenting the future where bees are no longer living. It was a very interesting thing to try and keep up with all these timelines, at first it takes you some time to connect with all the different characters, so I would say it had a slow start.
The only sections of the book that dragged Blending historical, contemporary and future story lines, this inventive novel, originally published in Norway in 2015, is a hymn to the dying art of beekeeping and a wake-up call about the environmental disaster the disappearance of bees signals. It's been sold to several and it certainly has international appeal, and thus, I choose to review in English anyway.3.5 stars for this book. However, the author, Maja Lunde, was able to weave a tale of three generations of bee keepers.
The two manage to wriggle themselves into the home and hearts of the gracious Boatright sisters and end up with more than they could have ever expected as they earn their keep from the genteel beekeeping family. She wants her son to excel so he can gain an education to avoid the same fate. In 2098, the bees have all been wiped out, in China they pollinate by hand, a labor intensive endeavor.