I almost didn't get beyond chapter 5 of this book. The beginning was slow and the constant shifting of points of view was confusing. I couldn't keep up with who was speaking and when and where the setting was. But I persisted, because I didn't want to write a review without reading the whole book. After a while, I started to relate a little bit with the characters, particularly Tao, since I'm a mother myself. But when I'd figured out what happened to Wei-wen several chapters before Tao did, well, I couldn't help but feel strung along. And then there's the ending. I couldn't tell if it was based on science and research, or if it was propaganda. I wish the author had delved into this more in the notes. In the end, I was disappointed and underwhelmed.

Three tales, from the past, present and future, all circling around bees. The author has blended them wonderfully showing the impact that one small insect has on the world. I found it very interesting and read it very quickly. It was very intriguing and hard to put down.

If you have patience for slow-burning narrative, or prefer books driven by gradual character development and familial drama, then you'll love this. Unfirtunately, I am an impatient person.

Thank you to Maja Lunde, Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for an advance copy of The History of Bees in exchange for an honest review.
This was a slower paced book then my usual fare but I am so glad that I found it. The whole book revolves around the history of beekeeping from the perspective of three individuals, William, in the 1800's who is studying the behaviour of bees, George who is running a family farm devoted to beekeeping and Tao, who lives in a not so far distant future where bees no longer exist. All three characters are faced with personal challenges that test their fortitude and faith.
This is a beautifully written book with very real and relatable figures. You want to dive through the pages at them and say" I am here for you, you can and need to pull through" In all, it is a tale of hope and human perseverance. A tale to live by. In a world where the easiest solution can have detrimental effects for generations to come, we need to hear this message and do everything we can to make sure that Tao's present does not become our future.

I hesitated because of the title, but found quickly that it was excellently written,. A truly amazing mixture of characters with very different lives that the author cunningly brought together through the lives of bees. The idea at the beginning of human fertization of fruit trees gave you a sense of how important the life of bees are. Innovative and very well written.

I loved this book. Plain and simple. It had a fantastic triple narrative that circled each other throughout the whole novel and merged seamlessly at the end. The characters are what really make this story shine, and there is plenty to love, get mad at, and feel sympathy for with regards to the characters. They are all unique, and it was a pleasure to read this book. Additionally, the greater message of being mindful of the environment is one I hold dear. Overall, a great book.

The concept of this book is what originally intrigued me, the idea of following three generations of beekeepers in three different parts of the world and eras was interesting. However, I found the transitions between points of view to be a little jumpy and hard to follow at times. Each of the POVs started off quite slow, and plateaued at that pace sooner than I would have liked.. the fact that I found each main character to be cold and lacking personality didn't help the pace any either.

Unfortunately I found the tone of the book to be very clinical and lacked any depth in tone or emotion as I progressed through the story. This may be an effect of it being a translated story, with the original book being in Norwegian (I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong). Perhaps if I had read The History of Bees in its original language I wouldn't have had this issue, but sadly I don't speak nor read Norwegian.

I did find the parts where characters explained bees and pollination to be fascinating, going into the book I knew very little about bees and learning bits of information helped keep me interested in the plot. Learning just how important bees are to our planet made the story resonate with me. We take advantage of our planet and the creatures we share it with, and having that reminder of how important something as small as a bee is was very appreciated.

Overall like I said I found the concept of the story interesting, but the pacing quite slow. If you do happen to read Norwegian and have read The History of Bees I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it compared to the English translation. If dystopian-esque stories with a hint of truth of concerning how our planet is I think this book would be right up your alley.

The History of Bees, by Maja Lunde. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. Not only beautifully written, and compelling, it gives the reader pause for thought on the potentially massive consequences of our mismanagement of the environment.
There are three connected storylines in the novel. We follow William, a biologist and seed seller in England in the mid nineteenth century, who wants to understand the way bees build their colonies and hopes to develop a better hive.
In 2007, when Colony Collapse Disorder first appears, George, a beekeeper in the United States struggles to keep his small farm viable in the face of large industrial farming.
And lastly, in China, 2098, the future has been drastically impacted by the loss of bees. Massive starvation has wiped out much of the world’s population. Workers spend day after day painstakingly painting pollen on to flower buds. Tao is one of these workers, and she worries about her young son, who at the age of 3 has only a few years before he will be forced to work in the trees. One day, something happens to her son, and he is taken away. Tao slowly realizes that whatever happened to her son will impact the world.
There are parallels within each story of how parents bond with their children, and how those children live up to their expectations in different and unexpected ways.
A truly wonderful read, I would highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I wish I had a physical copy of this book because the cover is gorgeous! I saw this title on Netgalley a few weeks back and was intrigued by the premise. I know how vital bees are to our environment, so reading about a future in which there are none peaked my interest. What would life look like? I also noted the comparison to Station Eleven and knew I had to read this. I am so glad I did!

The History of Bees tells the story of three individuals; William in 1852, George in 2007 and Tao in 2098. Separated by centuries, these three individuals are tied together by their knowledge of bees. William, hoping to pioneer a new type of beehive, struggles to overcome his depression in order to build a legacy for his family. George, a longtime beekeeper, dealing with the invasion of modern farming, cannot accept that his son does not want to continue the family business. And finally, Tao, living in a world where bees have completely disappeared, hand paints pollen onto fruit trees for a living. When her son disappears after a strange accident, she will stop at nothing to discover the truth.

This is a beautifully crafted story. Lunde’s writing flows effortlessly through each of the three time periods. Chapters are brief and alternate between each of the three narrators. I will say that it is a slow building narrative, but once I became invested I couldn’t put this book down. The way Lunde intertwines each of these three stories is brilliant.

The protagonists are detailed and complex and I found myself emotionally connected to each of them. William, George and Tao may share a connection through bees, but their stories run deeper. At their cores, they are loving parents, intent on protecting their families. Overall, Tao’s story resonates the most. Everything she does is for her child. After back-breaking labor in the fields, she takes what precious time she has with her son to teach him basic reading and arithmetic skills in the hopes that he will have a better life. When he is taken from her, she risks everything to find him.

While a work of fiction, this book contains some very real warnings about where are world is headed. If we cannot do something to slow the impact of global warming, what will happen to us and the natural world? Will the bees survive? What happens if they do not? If Maja Lunde’s prediction of life in 2098 is any indication, it is a grim future indeed.

The History of Bees was published August 22. Thank you to the publisher, Touchstone Books for the ARC of this title. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Wow! I loved this book! It’s an amazing story that crosses three centuries.

On the surface, Tao, William, and George don’t seem to have much in common. They are all involved with bees. William studies bees, George breeds bees, and Tao does the pollinating work of bees. But there are many similarities between them.

They each have trouble with their sons. Without giving too much away, each of them tries to get their son involved with their work, but the boys are not interested. Tao, George and William each deal with failure at some point. They are also woven together by the story of the bees.

Each of the narratives were distinct. I think they could have been separated in to their own stories and been complete. They didn’t rely too much on each other, which makes the connections between them that much more enjoyable.

This is a beautiful and fascinating story. I highly recommend it!

It starts slow, very slow, it's not until about the halfway point that it starts getting exciting, and then around the 60% mark - that was when it sucked me in. I was concerned until that point, worried that it was just not ever going to get engaging, but then it did. It's really well written, and there's a lot of twists in there that you just don't see coming until Lunde gives a few skilful twists that leave you wide eyed at the way the dots have suddenly connected.

I'd like to thank Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of Maja Lunde's novel The History of Bees.

Lunde did a perfect job of combining fantastic storytelling with some seriously hard-hitting thoughts about our environment and the future we might be heading toward.
Each storyline tells us the story of a person and their relationship to the bees. In 1852, we meet William, a depressed seed seller who rekindles a passion for bees, looking to make the perfect hive, make a name for himself, and boost his image in the eyes of his mentor. In 2007 we meet George, a bee farmer who struggles to keep his small farm running in the face of larger business and declining bee populations. Lastly we meet Tao in China in 2098, a manual labourer whose job is to hand brush pollen onto trees after "The Collapse" where the world lost its entire population of bees.

Most impressively, Lunde uses the story of the bees to tell an even greater and more important story- the story of human struggle, connection, and, ultimately, hope.

The History of Bees was beautifully wI'm very much looking forward to the next three novels she will be writing to complete a quartet about the environment.ritten and I highly recommend reading it! The short chapters made it a quick read, but not one without depth.