The story is of a successful businessman with an artist wife and young son living a happy life. He is in a business with a friend developing an aviary and trading on the sale of honey. When civil war looms the friend makes hast to escape to the UK, but they refuse to join him, why run from an idyllic life when there is nothing to be gained? When bombs destroy the bees and their son is killed and the wife is blinded by explosions there is a rude awakening and they become refugees trying escape to England. How they finally get there and the dangers and the trials and tribulations they have to overcome make the story. They are often in despair with no hope at the mercy of smugglers and gangsters keen to exploit them so that they don’t know who to trust. When his wife is raped it is the price he has to pay to reach safety. A most thoughtful and enlightening story of what could happen to anyone.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, this is an absolutely stunning piece of work by Christy Lefteri, one that is astonishing, eye opening, humbling, mesmerizing and a heartbreaking read. The author has done a magnificent job of challenging the reader and also making the reader understand how absolutely terrifying it must be for families to be forced from their homes, their family and friends and everything they know and love. Lefteri has produced a book that actually hits home more than any images from the news or media about Syrian refugees and that's why the story of Nuri and Afra will remain with me for a long time. This is a very thought provoking book, a great choice for book clubs as I think there is a lot to discuss.

This is a beautifully crafted book following the Journey of Nurit and Afra and their interactions with the many faces of society that they encounter. I particularly liked the literary style - the backwards and forward storyline worked although there were times I wasn't sure where we were. I liked the idea of using words to finish and start paragraphs as well. I could feel myself in some of the moments of the storyline whilst being unable to fully imagine the horror of it all. I would be interested in other books by this author (less)

You cannot fail to be moved by the plight of Nuri, a beekeeper, and Afra, his blind wife, in their bid to escape Syria their homeland. Nuri has lived a quiet life with his family and friends and now he is having to come to terms with the many changes happening in his country that force him to make a decision to leave. Once left he is caught in a long, often frightening, journey to a place of safety. This really brings to life the terrible hardships that many people like Nuri and Afra have suffered, not knowing if their choice to leave will result in safety or a different kind of danger. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher, Zaffre Publishing for an ARC.

Charming and beautifully told whilst also retelling the horrific and unthinkable.
This travels between the paradise of the keeping of the bees of Aleppo pre-disaster and the painstaking journey the main characters must endure, both physically and mentally, to reach Britain and secure a life there as refugees.
It is the main character's love of his bees and beekeeping that saves him and also provides the reader with something more than a straightforward account of an extremely harrowing stage of his life.
This is one of those books that I really do not like one minute, on account of its subject-matter, but then I love the next because of its promises of hope and prospects of a better future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zaffre Books (Bonnier) for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliantly written book. We follow the lives of Syrian refugees, ordinary people plunged into an awful world of heartbreak, displacement, bureaucracy, corruption and despair. There too though is hope and love.

this is a striking book based in modern day Syria and its conflict where people are fleeing the conflict and its a family story fleeing for a better life from the wreckage of their destroyed life in Aleppo to what they are hoping is a better life. like how the author presents the past and present leading up to the journey from Syria and brings it all to life but you have the elements of hope interwoven in the story but also shows the reality of the dangers of this trade and travel.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo - Christy Lefteri

Ok, so if you have someone in your life that complains about immigration or equates refugees with "layabouts" or "criminals" then please do buy them this book.
This really is a powerful read detailing just how desperate people are when they flee their homes in search of somewhere safe and just how much trauma they have to go through to get there. 

Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo--until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain. On the way, Nuri is sustained by the knowledge that waiting for them is Mustafa, his cousin and business partner, who has started an apiary and is teaching fellow refugees in Yorkshire to keep bees.

As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all, they must journey to find each other again.

Moving, powerful, compassionate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. It is the kind of book that reminds us of the power of storytelling.

I'll be honest, I don't know very much about the conflict in Syria and it isn't a country that I've ever encountered in fiction before. What I do know and what this book confirms is that Aleppo was a vibrant, thriving city before it was devastated by war. That war is awful, not just for those fighting, but for the civilians who are just trying to stay alive and that this particular war is much nastier and more pressing than I'd previously realised. 

Through Nuri we see a kind, caring, businessman who is keen for his business to grow and is utterly content and independent. He is successful, he's happily married, has a beautiful child and enjoys his job. We watch as his life collapses around him and he and his wife became part of the human tragedy of war. If they stay in Aleppo, they will certainly die. If they try to escape - try to seek asylum elsewhere, there's a chance that they'll live. Not only that, but they can find a new home that isn't continuously being bombed where they can rebuild their lives and live without fear. 

Their journey takes them over borders, across oceans, herded into camps and crowded into halfway houses. At any moment they could be shot, drowned, taken ill or deported. There are no more bombs, but the ability to relax, to feel secure is still not there. How anyone can possibly read Nuri's story and not want to help or at least be more sympathetic to those displaced by conflicts or persecution is beyond me. 
This really is one of those stories you can lose yourself in. It stays with you long after you finish the final page. It's well written, well structured and emotive without pleading for pity or making the reader feel guilty. I think the only way this could have been more powerful is if it were an 'own voices' novel, but as it is, Christy Leferti, having worked in refugee camps and being the daughter of refugees, really does speak from experience and from the heart and with her almost poetic writing style, this does pack a punch. 

If you want to know more about the conflict in Syria, this will only skim the surface, but if you want to know more about the human cost of war and the terror that refugees and migrants deal with in their every waking minute, then do pick up the Beekeeper of Aleppo and do share it with everyone around you. I know it sounds naff to say that this is one of those books that needs to be read, but it really is, so please do read it!

Absolutely stunning!

I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t the kind of title I would normally choose, but I’m so glad I did!

It takes a few chapters for the story to really get going, but once you get through them you’ll find it becomes a real page turner, with the payoff being well worth the wait.

The two main characters the story follows, Afra and Nuri, are beautifully written. I instantly connected with them and truly shared in every emotion felt along their journey.

This book opened my eyes and I think everyone should read this book, given the state of affairs today.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zaffre Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book. I deliberated whether to give this 4 or 5 stars, but in the end, it made me cry (you know you're onto a winner if you can make me cry), the characters will stay with me and I think it is an important thought provoking book that everyone should read.

Nuri and Afra lead a simple but happy life with their young son Sami in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Afra is an artist and Nuri runs his own business, beekeeping and honey making, with his older cousin Mustafa. But darkness blights their lives when the civil war starts. Tragedy strikes both families and everything they have worked so hard for, is destroyed.

And so begins a traumatic journey, fleeing their home, to try and make it to the UK. Nuri and Afra make friends and foes along the way, travelling through Turkey and Greece and finally ending up in an English B & B with other refugees waiting to hear if they have been granted asylum.

This is such a human book. Because even though it is fiction, you know, sadly, it's happening all around the world. What would you risk to keep your family safe? This brave book is full of hope and beautiful storytelling, reminding us of the human stories and struggles behind the statistics.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is about a Syrian beekeeper called Nuri, who with his wife is forced to leave their home and bees when war breaks out. They travel the difficult journey across Europe, in the hope of reaching their friend and safety in England. I thought this book was beautifully written, I could almost hear the bees as I was sucked in to the life of Nuri. There were also parts of the story that made me fearful and angry as it's unavoidable to see how people can take advantage of those that are vulnerable. The story is heartbreaking at times and hopeful during others. I think the most important thing I took away from this book was that refugees are people who matter just like everyone else. Most have been forced to leave their much loved homes for fear of their lives, travelling hundreds of miles and risking everything, to find somewhere they can be safe. It's heart wrenching to think what they have lost along the way, meeting unknown dangers. More people should read this book to open their minds and understand that refugees should be helped not demonised.

I was sent an advance uncorrected manuscript copy of The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri to read and review by NetGalley.
This is a tender and poignant novel about one family’s escape from war torn Syria in the hope of finding asylum in the UK. The story is told in the first person by Nuri, who with his wife Afra undertakes this most harrowing journey. Nuri’s memories intertwine with his account of the present day and while it may not be the best book I have ever read I feel that the author’s handling of this very topical and emotive subject is so sensitive that it deserves a full five stars.

Not really my type of book but interesting all the same. A family's hardships and traumas as they have to flee their homeland to seek asylum in Britain. A story that could be told by a thousand people and not all will have a happy ending.

Read this book. Throwing light on the stories of the often demonised refugees who are the cause of such political wrangling, this book is absorbing and very readable. The heartbreak of the central characters and many others makes for hard going at times but the story is ultimately one of human hope and resilience.

The story of Nuri and Afra is a very sad one and I am sure is true of many many people who are leaving, with regret, their war torn country to seek a better life. I thought the book was written very sympathetically and I felt very early on that the author was someone who had either been through this life or witnessed it. First of all I found it confusing the way it weaved backwards and forwards in the story of the main characters but once I got into the swing of this I felt it was written in the right way. It is written with such sadness and then joy and I felt even more sad at the families who suffer this type of transition and have to watch their life in limbo. I do wonder how these families survive in extreme circumstances and this book gave more of an insight into the way the refugees live and are happy to take chances with smugglers who obviously do not take their charges into account but just the money. Although this book was extremely sad it was a thoughtful read and one that I feel we should all read and take account of the plight of refugee families. A thought provoking book and well written

This book was an unexpected delight. Nuri was a beekeeper in Aleppo, Syria and his wife Afra was an artist before the war. They suffered unbearable loss in Syria before heading to London for refuge. The book is beautifully written and flips between waiting for asylum in the UK and flashbacks to the journey to get there. This is the sort of novel that I can imagine will stay with me for a long time and I would thoroughly recommend it.

A beautiful story. It’s takes a good few chapters to get into but if you can keep reading the story does keep you wanting more.
I have recommended this to several friends who also have thoroughly loved this book too.

This is a story of hope and belonging. With bees.

The plot is very simple: a man and his wife want to leave Syria to seek asylum in the UK. This is the story of their journey, the people they meet, and loss. A simple story simply told. The writing is clear and without gore or much detail despite the atrocious events that take place. The narrative at times reads like a fairytale, with facts laid out plainly without emotion. "A week later, Sami died."

But lack of feeling is just one of the things lost, which also includes the love for his wife whose face or eyes are described as beling 'stone'. Memories remain, both good and bad, real and false until he cannot distinguish the correct ones. Each of the refugees has their own suffering but most do not tell. Things are 'locked away' as demonstrated by the symbolism of his dreams about keys.

The strength of this book is the constant theme of bees. In Syria he was a beekeeper and he refers to their colonies and behaviour a lot. He finds and befriends a wingless bee that is ostracised from her colony because she cannot work for it by collecting pollen. He makes her a garden so she can survive, shows her affection, explains about bees - the different types, lifestyle and so on - to fellow refugees. The bees are a symbol of hope and determination.

​A lovely story, well written.

A book which deals with the most horrific things and yet manages to be full of kindness and humanity. Although a work of fiction, I fear much of it rings true. We experience the heartbreak of leaving a much loved country to become an unwelcome asylum seeker.
A very worthwhile read.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

This is one of those novels which will stay with me long after I finish reading. Lyrical and meaningful, it tells a story I think everyone needs to read to come close to understanding the refugee experience. I took from this an idea I'd never considered before: that the refugee doesn't WANT to be in a foreign land at all, much less want to mine it for its benefits and advantages. Most love their own countries with a passionate fervour which means they can never be truly happy in a new land, despite the privilege of safety it affords them. They leave because they must, not because they want to and the losses they endure can never be assuaged by what they eventually attain.
It's a brutal read, full of anguish and pain, but the writing is charged with everything hopeful and the strength of love. I strongly recommend it, especially for anyone (like me) who has ever shrugged off the news of violence in a far away country as something beyond their comprehension.