<i>The Murmur of Bees</i> is Sofía Segovia's first novel to be translated into English, and the novel is an amazing debut into this new market. This historical fiction novel focuses on a wealthy landowning family in Linares, Mexico during the early part of the 20th century with a touch of magical realism thrown in. It follows the family through some of the major events in Mexico's history during that time--the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1917, the land reforms that follow and the economic depression that hits the country & world after. Unlike some historical fiction that has come out recently, <i>The Murmur of Bees</i> doesn't really cover multiple generations over numerous decades. It does focus on several family members and we see at least one at different points in his life, but the novel is more concentrated on the early 20th century, so we spend a lot of time getting to know those main characters in the immediate Morales family. There's a lot going on in this novel as it takes readers through so many major events for the family and the town, but it never feels overwhelming.

I loved this novel. I thought the prose was beautiful and vivid in describing life on the farm and in the town. In general, I tend to love magical realism, and so I found the relationship between Simonopio and his bees to be enchanting. I'd been looking forward to reading <i>The Murmur of Bees</i> when I first heard about it, and it definitely did not disappoint.

Thanks to AmazonCrossing and Netgalley for the ARC.

A heartfelt historical fiction with a touch of magic.
This author blew me away! The writing is beyond amazing!!!
I found myself setting it aside to try and make it last longer; while at the same time itching to read more.
I can't imagine it being more beautiful than it already was, but I do wish I was capable of reading it in Spanish since this was a translated version.
I hope more of her work gets translated into English...or I wake up tomorrow with perfect understanding of the Spanish written word.
Thank you NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for my copy.

This book is absolutely amazing!! Sofia did such an amazing job in telling a story that was both spiritual and inspiring. The main character was born surrounded by bees which sounds terrifying but led to the spiritual nature of the story. I love how Sofia slowly built a story that kept me in a place I didn't want to leave.

This is a beautiful story of a family surviving cholera and the Mexican Revolution. But even more so, this is a beautiful story of love and loyalty and a special boy whose relationship with the land and his personal swarm of bees impacts those around him. The writing is wonderful! The story is full of detailed imagery and rich language. For that reason, this is a slow read. There is no way to rush telling the lives of the Morales family and Simonopio. But really, this is a story where the journey is more important than the destination. Told in varying points of view, the reader learns how the boy who lives with bees sees the world and his bittersweet place in it. I can not underscore how enjoyable and heartwarming reading this book was.

For me, The Murmur of the Bees was a slow start. I am usually immersed quickly into the magical realism that so often defines Latin American literature, but as I read this work, I couldn’t help but feel that something was lost in translation. Though I thought Simonpolo was unique and enjoyed reading about his gift, his relationship with the Morales family was not what I had hoped. I plan on giving this book another chance later on, however, because I enjoyed the setting very much.

At first, "The Murmur of Bees" seemed familiar. It's set in the same period (Revolutionary Mexico) and basic location (northern Mexico) as "Like Water for Chocolate." There's a gentle magic realism that does not verge on fantasy; the magical cooking in one, and a child's protective bee swarm in the other. If you've has some experience in the Magic Realism realm there is not much special in this novel, but it is an enjoyable story, well written, and ultimately winds up as a satisfying read.

The child protected by the swarm of bees is Simonopio, a baby found abandoned and taken for dead because of those bees. He has a severe cleft palate which makes some of the locals uncomfortable, but the central landowners in the family take him in and love him, becoming used to the swarm that nests near him and often follows him. As he grows it becomes clear that Simonopio has a second sense not only about nature but about his family's future and a danger they will face.

This novel grew on me as it developed and the Morales family survives the Revolution, the Spanish flu, and changing economics. "The Murmur of Bees" is a treat and a pleasure, and not a page too long.

4.5 stars. **Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia is a beautiful and intelligently written generational saga set in revolutionary Mexico. The writing is fantastic with description that I can only explain as gently comprehensive. The book just flows in a way that feels comforting, despite the tense moments in the narrative.

The book primarily follows Simonopio, an orphaned boy found as an infant with a physical deformity and a swarm of bees. He is a different sort of child, with a bit of supernatural aire around him. He can hear and speak to the bees, he follows them through the fields and seems to know things before they happen. The townspeople stare and are afraid of this child, said by some to be touched by the devil, but he is cared for and loved as a son by Beatriz and Francisco Morales. Francisco is a wealthy landowner in revolutionary Mexico, concerned with the changes in land policies and the increasing intrusion of the agrarians. He wants desperately to protect his land. Simonopio wants desperately to protect the family. He will use everything he can, and everything his bees help him to provide, to ensure that his adoptive family is successful and safe.

The layout of the book is different, but very well constructed. Chapters are headed with titles that roll directly into the main text or in a way that compliments the actions of the chapter in a more tangential way. It's hard to explain, but it's very different. The narrative bounces back and forth between an omniscient narrator and one who begins as a mysterious person involved in the familial plot of the story. (I believe in a complete lack of spoilers, so I'm leaving the identity out.) The mysterious narrator gets revealed piece by piece in the narrative. Although not completely necessary to the story, this method was seriously intriguing and added to my interest in the plot.

I loved the characters she created so very much. They were incredibly full-bodied and just felt so tangible. I fell in love with Simonopio and with Francisco Morales. Segovia's characters are incredibly well woven and their lives just pulled so hard at my heartstrings. Even characters I hated were still characters that she filled with such great description and personality that they felt incredibly real.

The entire story was engaging and I kept consuming the pages late into the night. It is a long read, but it doesn't feel that way once you become involved in the saga. I felt fully invested in the family and could understand their worries, their longings, their heartbreaks. This book very much approached perfection for me.

The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia was hauntingly beautiful and emotionally heart-wrenching. It shows such great talent in the author and presents a story that feels so amazingly real and tangible. It is historical fiction at its finest and shows amazing ingenuity and uniqueness in its construction and execution. Very much worth the read.

Once in a while, I hope to stumble upon a book that surprises me at different stages of its reading making sure I am paying attention to the fact that it is not exactly going the way I thought it would. At such times, I also hope to enjoy the experience and that it should teach me something about something I had not thought about before. This was one such book.

When I started reading it, the introduction to the abandoned child and the abandoned woman each finding solace in the same family few generations apart it reminded me of Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield and mentally shelving it under the magical realism genre, I thought I would not like it as much as I did that one. As I mentioned earlier, this was just one of the ways that I was wrong. The only thing even slightly beyond the realm of 'human' understanding is the bond between our boy Simonopio and his bees. The rest of the story is about the ties of a family which strains at times but when required, they deviate from their solo paths to help each other out. There are many people we hear from and it is not exactly a dual timeline but swings between times just to keep us hooked. Most of it is an old man's memory and the bulk of the story lies in a troubled past. Amidst changing political climates and financial strain one family works the best way they know how. There are heartrending moments as we watch them live through decades. Many of the members of the family are people you can get attached to very quickly, the tale moves as tendrils from one person to another taking us through so many emotions and so many situations while at the same time keeping a common goal: the boy and his bees. I did not expect to enjoy it as much and in the ways that I actually ended up doing, I had a tear in my eye as I read the last page and closed the screen. I am extremely glad that someone took the trouble to translate it and introduce it to an English speaking audience(for my personal enjoyment). It was slow in spots but the rest of it was worth it. It even snuck in slight humour like this statement

"...The horse in question had made use of the road to purge its intestine of its aromatic load"

Read this for people and the bonds they form, either by birth or by heart while staying true to the traditions of their land.

I was attracted to this story as a bee to honey right from the very first time I saw it mentioned. I love stories with an international setting and I'm always trying to read more international authors... In The Murmur Of Bees I got both. This story was originally written in Spanish in 2015, and its translation is scheduled to be published later this month. It's a historical fiction tale set in early 20th century Mexico, where historical facts are mixed with the surreal in such a way that will keep you invested until the very end. With an air of the writing style of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Murmur Of Bees tells us the story of a wealthy land owner family and how the appearance of the mysterious Simonopio both saved and changed their lives forever. The writing is lush and wonderful and will truly transport you to a different time and country... It's a story of love, joy, sadness and desperation; a story of different generations, family and a country damaged by war and the 1918 influenza outbreak. Rather than magical realism, I would call The Murmur Of Bees an extraordinary work of historical fiction with a hint of the surreal. Both Simonopio and his bees and the folklore tales incorporated into stories are incorporated in such a way that they create a perfect balance with the rest of the plot and they give The Murmur Of Bees an unique touch. The historical setting is well developed and it really shows the author has well researched the era and has also included details of historical events partly or completely. The result is a complex and enchanting story and a journey any fan of the genre will enjoy undertaking.

Beautifully written, very slow moving literary fiction with a lot of observations and not much dialogue, set at the start of the 20th century.
Our main character is a sweet highly lovable mute, born among and surrounded by bees who lead his way. There are too many characters to keep track of, but it's a close-knit rural community with all its ups and downs.
Too slow to my liking my patience gave up around the halfway mark.

Interesting tale as much of value for the characters, especially Simonopio, as for the insight it provides into Mexico during the early 20th century. There's a heavy dose of magical realism- Simonopia has visions and is protected by bees- but this is balanced, I think, by the clear headed way that Segovia has shaped her story. This is hard to explain, in many ways, because it's like an extended fable with history but trust that once you start you will find yourself wrapped into the fates of the Morales family and others in the village. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. For fans of the genre as well as those looking for a good novel by a Mexican author.

A beautiful book about the life of a disfigured, abandoned child who grows up in northern Mexico during the early 20th century. I was so mesmerized reading this book it’s the first time I ever read while brushing my teeth! The story telling truly enables you to feel you are a part of the scenery while challenging your mind with clever foreshadowing. I highly recommend this book and wouldn’t be surprised if it wins awards. Although the last 10 percent kind of ramble on.

There is an abandoned baby and several people walk right past him. It is talk that the baby belongs to one of the witches.An old woman finds the baby in blanket of bees and strives to take care of him

Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, this is a brilliant novel in many ways.

There’s lots of lovely magical realism in this book which made me think of the master Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s also quite long at almost 500 pages but then this just made the reading experience linger even more which I enjoyed

The novel is set in Northern Mexico during the days of the Mexican Revolution. The story follows the Morales family of landowners and their find of a baby left abandoned on their land. What happens to that baby and how they story develops will break your heart but it’s a fascinating story of people coming togther, of family and of struggles in a harsh land.

The landscape is dry and dusty and life is hard. The deadly Spanish Flu pandemic kills many. However despite this, the Morales family have something that no one else has…

This novel moved me on so many levels and the writing is so lyrical, it will lift you up and transport you directly to the Morales land in Mexico.

It’s the first novel of the author to be translated into English apparently.Kudos to the translator ! These magical realism novels are not the easiest to translate. Let’s hope it’s the first of many. (I will be buying this in Spanish though for another magical reading experience.)

The beginning of this book hints at the magical realism of Garcia Marquez and others from Latin America, but the novel never really fulfills this. What follows is a rather tepid family saga, set during the Spanish flu, Mexican governmental reform and land rights issues, and women's rights during the early 20th century. None of the characters are particularly well-developed or deep, and the writing was occasionally awkward and difficult to parse.

I loved the story and the characters, but who edits these books? There are soo many parts that could be cut TO MAKE IT A GREAT BOOK. It was so wonderful, but some parts simply dragged.

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Murmur of Bees” by Sofia Segovia, Amazon Crossing, April 2019 (Translated by Simon Bruni)

Sofia Segovia has written a captivating, intense, intriguing, and thought-provoking novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, and Historical Fiction as researched and interpreted by the author. There are several layers in this story. There are also elements of Superstition and Tall Tales that are written as well. The story takes places in Mexico, and goes through the time periods of the Spanish Influenza, and the Political Unrest in Mexico and how it affected the farmers and landowners. The author describes are dramatic and colorful cast of characters as complex and complicated.

In this amazingly well written story there are several contrasts: good vs. evil, nature vs. nurture, and right vs. wrong. There is also a theme of the balance of man and nature.

A very old woman hears the sounds of a crying baby under a bridge, and goes to bring him back to the home. He is covered in swarming bees, but the bees are not hurting him. The Morales family takes the baby in, and raise him, and name him Simonopio. Some people feel that Simonopio is evil . They are superstitious and feel he is responsible for the problems in Mexico. He is disfigured and can’t communicate by understandable speech. Somehow he is able to look out for the Morales family and the land.

I appreciate that the author has researched the historical events of the time and vividly describes them. I would highly recommend this unique novel for those readers who enjoy Historical Fiction, and a thought-provoking story. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

The Murmur of Bees is a historical fiction novel by Mexican author Sofia Segovia, her first to be translated into English. The novel is set in Northern Mexico in the early 20th century amidst the Mexican Revolution and the deadly Spanish flu pandemic. The story follows the lifetime of the Morales family of landowners. When an abandoned baby with a hive of bees next to him is found on the Morales land, Francisco and Beatriz Morales adopt the baby and treat him as their own, despite his facial deformity. Named Simonopio, the adopted child might not be able to speak, but it is clear that he is gifted. Surrounded by his bees day and night, Simonopio understands and knows things beyond human capabilities. However, despite Simonopio's protective hand over the Morales family, not all evil can be stopped.

The story and the writing take on a new dimension when Simonopio's worst nightmare becomes a reality - when 'the coyote' catches 'the lion' and a tragedy strikes. Segovia's writing skills come to shine in these chapters, when portraying the hatred and cruelty of the evil character, mingled with the chilling desperation of the trapped lion and his curb.

The Murmur of Bees is a magical realism book and it reminded me of the style of Marquez and Allende, but perhaps with a smaller portion of 'magic'. At almost 500 pages, it is a lengthy novel and while I found the story mostly captivating, there were some parts that seemed unnecessary or repetitive. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating piece of historical fiction that I would recommend.

Many thanks to AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot while it was a little slow at first it is definitely worth spending the time reading

Simonopio is a remarkable child, found as an infant abandoned under a bridge and covered in live bees. As he grows, his bees follow him, teaching him to explore the Mexican town in which he lives and even see what is to come. While some in his town see him as bad luck or even the devil in human form, the family that takes him in know that he has a gift, one that may change their fate.

This winding, lyrical tale is full of beautiful prose, touching moments, and real Mexican history. It's a powerful story of destiny, grief, growth, and family - the one you're born into and the one you choose. It's a story that makes you want to believe in something beyond what you can see.