It was very well narrated, although I found the mispronounced (to an English ear) names of some of the flowers a little jarring.

The whole concept of the story taking place within a hive hooked me from the beginning. What made the experience of listening to The Bees the most enjoyable?

It really deserves wide recognition and prizes. 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. The story is full of clever observations on how humans are affecting the natural world and the narrator is extremely effective. 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. But the story never read as a science-fiction tale. 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. So it was a great surprise and delight to find that an author had set a story in a beehive. I chose this book because I have always been fascinated by Bees since studying social insect colonies at University. 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. Laline Paull's chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. 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. She also finds her way into the Queen's inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous.īut enemies are everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. 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. Despite her ugliness she has talents that are not typical of her kin. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen.īut Flora is not like other bees. The Handmaid's Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut.īorn into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive.

The bees by laline paull